Regular readers familiar with this section of the paper are certainly aware of my irritation at government regulations and minutia that seems required at every turn in this country. Flash! It isn’t just Mexico, folks. The high-tech world has moved into every nook and cranny of every move we make, supposedly in order to make our lives simpler. Another flash! I’m not sure for whom it is getting easier, but it’s clearly not for the majority of us.

All it took was five trips to that office, my rental agreements (originals), water bill receipts that prove the landlord has the right to rent the property upon which I live, a map of where I live (hand-drawn by me), my passport and copies of it, my FM2 and current car circulation papers, proof of current smog test and 1,400 pesos, and (drum roll here) that the used car that I purchased is now in my name. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had to have the official receipt from when the original owners purchased the car from Ford Motor Company, documents proving that they actually exist and the bullheadedness to actually make this happen over a period of several months.

An opportunity to sit and observe humanity came along this week when the parade I was waiting for was late. The particular humanity I was looking at was the foreigner population.