Electric Jesus Boogaloo Part 3, Gunfire, and Strangely Charming Travels
That was a side ramble. I'm just now hearing the news of it. I try not to go to Tama during high season, which starts in a few days. Right now the town is as full as a tick so I'm wondering where they are going to put everyone if anyone else shows up. I tend to stick to Grande, Las Ventanas, Playa Panama and parts north with unspoiled beaches not loaded with tourists during high season. Better for my emotional health.
Yesterday I was afraid was going to be very bad for my emotional health. We had to pick up Jim's friend from the airport. This friend was very relaxed and making a real effort to be very charming. I said very little, practicing my "Gray Rock" technique on him. I'm sitting back and waiting because he was acting like Jim and he were best buddies forever after basically ignoring Jim for 8 months before he left, and then being completely ignored for another 8 months while this friend was in the U.S. In all that time he's only called Jim twice, once to go to the airport, and to get picked up from the airport.
I don't have a clue why he's back. He seems excited with projects to do. But he's not here to reconcile with our neighbor sadly enough.
We took him to his old house. He'd asked to be taken to his new place and said he'd reach out to his ex if he couldn't get a car. But nothing doing. We'd picked up silly neighbor's online order from PriceSmart before buying our own stuff, and needed to drop her things off. We dropped him off and he picked up one of their collection of old cars that barely run.
Our PriceSmart run was crazy. Not our food run. We were restrained, having been there several times recently. But they've opened a pharmacy, with deep discounts on prescriptions. It was pick up prescriptions, and we needed a couple of new tires on our car along with getting my glasses adjusted again. One stop shopping.
We'd also made a quick stop at Universal, a big dept store here that sells so many things you have difficulties finding here. I got canvases and more paints along with a few Christmas ornaments. I got a round canvas and an octagon one as well as glittery copper paint and other metallic. The staff there is outstanding and so incredibly wonderful.
We are getting hit with the U.S. supply chain shortages. There's not a single box of American made Kleenex available anywhere in Guanacaste. I did find South American made Kleenex and it's rough. Take the skin right off your nose. So I'm sticking with a roll of Charmin under my desk Thank Gertrude that good toilet paper is still in easy supply.
Today didn't go quite as well. I returned to church, the new church Jim is in love with and I had crazy massive asthma due to everyone's heavy colognes right away. Double medicated and sat as far away from everyone as possible with oozing eyes. I'm not sure I'll be back. Today was a special service and it was the ministry couple that were close to us and had used crazy amounts of cologne. I did get the attack shut down by immediately strongly medicating to the point where my kidneys started to protest, and by double masking, my N95 nearest to my skin and a regular mask on top.
I realized something today about the church. Jim really likes it because it has some of the same dynamics as our early times at our old church Possum Creek. Same feel good prosperity gospel, a largely undereducated pastor that tells silly jokes and treats God like a Holy slot machine, and some aspects of revivalism from the early 2000s. The things that largely horrify me thrill Jim.
This was the first sermon I have heard after leaving our old church in the States using a buttload of cliches. Jimmy Buffett might sing that cliches are a good way to say what you mean and mean what you say, but this came across as pretty mindless from here with such gems as "Your attitude determines your altitude" The pastor was hardly the only one doing this. Eavesdropping like the good introvert I am I got to hear even more cliches slipping from the lips of others.
You know when you see a guy showily blowing on a Shofar over and over during worship it's not likely to be a very solid bedrock place.
Dang, the older I get the more I long for peace, quiet, and no rampant emotionalism in church. Quiet contemplation.
I don't know that I'll be back. I didn't much like what I saw, plus the asthma is always going to be a thing with the colognes of others, cigarette smokers lurking about lighting up next to where I am sitting and all disregard for Covid, Delta, Omnicron or whatever. I overheard one of the cliche spouters saying that no one should mask and if you were here in Costa Rica you were automatically going to get Covid, so get Covid, deal with it and get immunity. Uhhh, about that immunity, literally not how this virus is working.
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