Cajun Rotisserie Roast Beef

All good things must come to an end.  My vacation started last year on Dec 19^th, and aside from a couple of calls and emails from work, it has been very relaxing.  Too relaxing maybe, as my sleep patterns are changed, and I find myself going to sleep and rising later.  Tomorrow is going to be a challenge for me, and I am sure lots of others, including all the kids returning to school.


Speaking of vacations, anyone planning a visit to Mexico will be happy to note that additional airline seats have already been added, as have cultural events.  I have been saying for years that I want to take a vacation to Mexico, a place Sue and I visited in 1986 BK.  I found an amazing travel bargain which had us stay at the Maria Isabel Sheraton in Mexico City, and her sister property in Ixtapa, now named the Barcelo Ixtapa Beach hotel.  These were top 5 star hotels, not something we could afford, but listed in the NY Times travel section for like $699.  It turned out to be a misprint that was missing a digit (price should have been $1699).   The tour company honored the pricing as I jumped on it and was already ticketed before they noticed their error. So for 8 days and 7 nights, we were “livin’ la vida loca” = Livin the crazy life.    Oh yeah, BK = Before Kids !


Mexican government officials are predicting a surge of visitors to the five southern states that comprise the country's Maya region. In Belize, which bills itself as "heartland of the Maya," airlines have committed tens of thousands of extra seats to accommodate projected interest from foreign visitors. In Guatemala, the country with the most living Maya, officials predict a 10 percent across-the-board increase in tourism.
The end of the world, it turns out, is marked by an economic boom.


"2012 will be a momentous occasion, not only for Belize's large Maya population, but for all Belizeans," said Yanick Dalhouse, the Belize Tourism Board's Director of Marketing. "Given the amount of interest we're seeing from around the world, it's generating global excitement as well."  Dalhouse is referring to the year 2012's significance as the end of the Maya Long Count calendar, a 5,125-year period of time which ends exactly on Gregorian calendar date December 21, 2012, the winter solstice. The date was inscribed in stone 1300 years ago near modern-day Tabasco, Mexico and its actual significance is debated among academics and theorists. There are hundreds of books on the subject and probably hundreds of theories, but the implication for Guatemala, southern Mexico, and Belize is clear and immediate: more visitors.

This day in history, Luna 1 was launched 2 January 1959 at 16:41 GMT (19:41 Moscow Time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by a Luna 8K72 rocket.
Luna 1 became the first ever man-made object to reach the escape velocity of the Earth (what is also known as the second cosmic velocity), when it separated from its 1472 kg third stage. The third stage, 5.2 m long and 2.4 m in diameter, traveled along with Luna 1. On 3 January, 3:56:20 Moscow Time, at a distance of 119,500 km from Earth,^[5] a large (1 kg) cloud of sodium gas was released by the spacecraft, thus making this probe also the first artificial comet


I read in the paper today that China plans to land a man on the moon by 2016, and they plan space stations, and freight carrier missions.  I sure hope the USA has not lost their way as leaders and innovators.  The space race is not over…


Back on earth we enjoyed a Cajun Rotisserie Roast Beef that was out of this world.  Recipe – 1 Roast Beef, Cajun Seasoning, Grill.  First 12 minutes at 500 F, additional 20 minutes at 375 F.  Let roast rest for 10 minutes.  Slice thin and serve with potatoes and veggies.


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