WAIT! Before you read this post, scroll down past the one before this one and read a post that I tried to publish way back in August. It didn't work when I did it but it saved a draft anyway! So, go check that out and then come back and finish reading this one... DO IT!
The road to El Harino is now in the painstakingly slow process of being paved. I finally figured out how long it is... 5.59 miles (9 km). And while I have to say that I am really freaking stoked about having a paved road and only having to worry about slipping when I go to people's houses, it has occurred to me that some development cannot be made without a little bit of destruction. What I mean is, the fences that used to run along side the mud road were lining people's properties, which also includes something called "live fencing"... essentially using existing trees as fence posts so that you don't have to cut down another tree and that you have shade as well. Anyway, the point is that in order to make the asphalt road, they have to flatten areas to the side of the existing road and in doing so, cutting down and crushing these poor little trees! And I know that it really is going to benefit everyone in the end and I am sure I can get in touch with the Ministry of the Environment here to plant some more, but it's just sad to see it happening, especially when they are trees that I appreciate are along the road when the sun is beating down on me making me wish for a pool filled with ice! But, enough with the heavy stuff.
I killed my turkey recently... last Saturday I believe it was. Holy shit it was difficult. He did not want to die! Or maybe it was just operator error because it took me a good 10 minutes to get all the breath out of him (sorry for all of you vegetarians and animal rights people out there, but this thing was attacking small children and trying to mate with roosters!). But, my friend Jim was able to come and witness and enjoy the deliciousness that was my nasty pet turkey. Roast campo turkey tastes just as yummy as a Butterball turkey... it just has a LOT more fat!
Be prepared... the following has to do with toilet paper... I'll leave it for you to decide if you want to read it...
So when I am in the position to choose between toilet paper,- the thicker, softer, and thus more expensive kind or the $.60, one ply kind- I am faced with a tough decision. But as of late, this due to my recent bout of intestine invaders, I have realized what my choice should always be, no matter how little money I get to spend every month. The choice will always and forevermore be the Charmin or equivalent. Now, why, you might ask, has this become a serious topic to be thought about in her mind? Well 2 things, the first very obvious: I have a lot of time on my hands and can afford to spend my time thinking about such things. But the second, because I realize that when I discard my toilet paper, it is going in to a hole that is not very deep and so I should do all things possible to keep the level of waste from rising too quickly and the type of toilet paper I use has a direct impact. But, that being said, I have found that even though buying the cheaper toilet paper will cost me a fraction of the cost of the nicer brand (roughness aside) I will be using more of said cheap ass tissue because when I have those intestinal invaders or have eaten that weird, unidentifiable piece of meat from going to visit people, using more is better to ensure maximum cleanliness for total parts involved. This brings up the second reason for why I have given this so much thought: I am using more of the cheap stuff to get my ass clean and therefore depositing more toilet paper and causing quicker buildup of nastiness than if I would have just bought the thicker toilet paper where I could have used less. And so, if you are ever faced with this dilemma, the answer is sometimes hard to justify for the cost but just think of how much longer it will last you if you use a fraction of the amount when you are making your deposit and how much less is going into your latrine or even your regular toilet. Just sayin’.
And finally, I have recently spent time trying to teach myself how to be ambidextrous. This originally stemmed from me playing a game on my iPod and trying do it with my left hand and sucking at it (I had never tried before.) Thus launched my quest to become as ambidextrous as possible. This applies to many things that I do in my life here in Panama as well. Por ejemplo... when I'm washing my clothes, my table is to my left and so I have to cross over with my right hand to wash my clothes but it would just be so much easier to do it with my left hand. I can do it but not well. I also want to be able to machete my yard for the same amount of time as with my right arm and have the grass actually be cut instead of my just swiping at it and almost slicing my shin open! Becoming ambidextrous has another useful purpose as well... as my right arm is becoming chiseled with all the work it's doing, my left is being left behind and I'm concerned that when I leave here, I will have this bulging, muscular right arm and a wimpy left one. But, now that I am determined to be more ambidextrous, this will help with my problem of uneven arm mass. Happy day!
Hope you are all well out there and finally not freezing anymore!
Until next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment