Reach Out and Rudely Touch Someone
Stayed home largely in the bedroom under the air conditioning and I read and crocheted a lot. If I ever again utter the words "Hey I love that very intricate afghan and I'm going to make it" I want one of you to stick my head in the paint can shaking machine down at the Sherwin Williams store, either here in Costa Rica, or home in the States and flip that sucker to high. Right now I'm making the Phoenix pattern and I'm losing my mind. Had to rip out the last six rows last night because I'd some how made an error six rows back screwing up the entire thing.
Because I am somewhat sidelined I'm now the official keeper of the Iphones while Jim finishes up painting the metal grates over the French drain, and when he swims. This is good and very bad. Velma called, Velma called and kept calling. By the end I was ready to set her up on a date with Jerzey.
Velma is another true character here. She's started to go a tad befuddled now, she's in her mid eighties. I guess if you reach that old age you're entitled to a little bit of mind slippage. My conversation with her as follows.
Velma: The internet STOPPED WORKING!!! I'm so bored, can I come over and sit in the hot tub?
So I have a long conversation with her, trying to trouble shoot her internet only to have her tell me about ten minutes into the conversation this:
Velma: My electricity is out!
I had to sigh and explain if the electricity is out, then the internet also goes down because your router and modem require electricity to work. It was like I'd just explained some startling new information to her.
Velma: But can I still come over? I'm still bored. I'll sit in the hot tub till it comes back on.
Me: If I turn on the hot tub right now it will be ready in about two hours. It's off right now.
Velma: But....isn't it warmed by the sun? It should be good and hot by now!
Me wondering if Velma understands at all how hot tubs work: No, I have to run the heater for the hot tub to make the water hot. We don't keep it on 24 hours a day. It would cost a fortune in electricity. We just switch it on before we plan on using it, or if we know you're coming.
Velma: But the sun, the sunlight makes it warm enough.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
She finally huffed out that she could not understand why it wasn't hot from the sun, and oh never mind..
So I moan about the rougher aspects of understanding the culture here, but the hardest to parse all some of the older Americans here. I have had only slight interactions with Velma, she's Jim's friend, but I see him sigh, and visibly almost emotionally deflate when he sees she's called and left a message.
He's had a time of it lately with other Americans putting him on the spot and trying to get him to do sundry things he's not crazy about, like work as a stagehand at a local Little Theater type production, take this or that one to the airport, and other tasks. He does not know how to say no. I keep encouraging him to say no to the things he's not passionate about. So far it's not working. He's slogging along in his people pleasing way doing these things.
Way simpler not to worry about pleasing anyone else and to only do those things that you want to do, or do not feel inconvenienced to do.
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