The Sea is a Salty One

The fiesta is getting out of hand. They were still shooting the cannons off at 4 am. I am dragging and goofy today as a result of weird sleep. Quiet now but I have a feeling the music, fireworks and cannon will fire up soon. One very funny thing happened today. I talked to my youngest daughter and we laughed over a mutual friend's status. Our friend is someone we both used to go to Possum Creek Church with, my daughter's age. This lady was worship leader at my Methodist church before they ran her off. She's had a belly full of religious misbehavior. Ooops, there's that cannon! Our friend just dj'ed a drag queen show, and the usual crew of hating haters who hate from Possum Creek flooded in. I poked one of them, Tom Smith my old bete noire. My daughter talked about nearly joining me in poking Tom like a retarded badger with a sharp spoon. She pointed out that Tom had been in drag more than once at Possum Creek, playing his old church lady character. ROFLMAO...

Apparently our little town is having their yearly fiesta complete with bull fights, fireworks and drunken locals. There are also fancy hats worn by all the ladies. I discovered this factoid driving back from music rehearsal. Horrendous traffic so I took all back roads, forded the river and avoided hitting the pedestrians on the crumbling ledge up from the river. Good times. What wasn't such a good time was hearing at rehearsal that someone is piously griping that one of the songs in this week's lineup is 'not Biblical' This really makes me laugh because I'd venture to say that a lot of worship songs aren't. Hell, I think most of Hillsong's tunes are unBiblical. I know who complained, and he's just another rich Republican Trump supporter with an axe to grind. So we're doing old traditional hymns mostly for the first time. Which really makes me laugh because you know where those came from? Straight from the bar room. Hymns tunes were popular drinki...

So now I'm sucked back in the crazy making Mae dramaz. Mae is now claiming to be in witness protection. For what? From what? A few misguided idiots online? This woman just never stops with the drama, the lies and the silly..

Whelp, is it official now. I have M.S. and I'm getting  those days, days occasionally where I'm hurting in every single muscle and have the energy levels of sloth. Days of ups and downs. When I got the diagnosis I was like 'Of course!' because suddenly some of the stuff I have struggled with makes perfect sense. I am not upset. I am not downtrodden by this confirmation. I am pursuing traditional treatment since this is slow developing, I've likely had it a long time, and I'm not having a particularly bad case of it. It is what it is. One of the things I am realizing about life at this late age is that people do what they can. We're going into fantasy football widow season. Usually I moan about this. Not this year. I have a brand new attitude, and a book contract. I plan on writing while my other half is screaming at the television and the internet. I'll see him again when he emerges again from the other side. Everything will be where he left it, incl...

Yep, I know, two posts on one day is weird for me, but I really wanted to talk about something that has been bugging me badly. The issue of safety online. Yeah, yeah, I know I have said in the past that I live openly, same online as offline, and basically cannot be doxxed. Still true. But I am starting to worry about others taking huge risks Last week I got sucked into the internet black hole that is Mae Thomas of Oklahoma . How to describe Mae? Possibly mentally ill. Likely extremely delusional. Maybe even with narcissistic overtones. Mae is a woman who used to be a man (allegedly) who for years now has gone by a pile of names, posted oodles of weird videos on YouTube and Facebook while hooking up with strange 19 year old men fresh out of prison. Every single day is weird drama on her Facebook page, which was how I got drug in. There are DUI arrests, assaults, faked broken arms, drinking, drunken rants, you name it and Mae is involved. It's like watching a car wreck. I felt...

My butt muscles ache. I restarted working out again and, so typically, overdid it the first day. Oddly enough it's just the muscles of my ass, not my back, or anything else. Praise be! I'll take it considering some hellish hurtings I've had in the past post starting to work out. A couple of months ago it was getting into the pool and not being able to tolerate the pressure of water on my lungs and chest. This is good forward progress. Jim's weight has crept up since his injured shoulder. He's upset, so it's that miserable time, Jim is dieting. Jim, the guy that bought an entire case of pudding at Price Smart. I had to quip, "You know you can't juice that pudding?" He's obsessed with this movie he saw like ten years ago "Fat, Sick and About to Die" which is basically juicing and only having the juice. It's not that juicing is bad, or does not have it's place in a diet. It's more than Jim babbles about the movie, yet the...

This afternoon. I'm sitting in my leather rocking chair. The most relaxed I've been in months. A lengthy swim for the first time in ages, muscles complaining I've exercised them. I'd sat in the hot tub one very long time with a tall glass of red wine. Post hot tub fellowship. Hair washed, body scrubbed and blissfully  showered in delicious hot water. Sitting naked on a towel in the rocker, not wanting to get up and get dressed. Blissed out. When some fool started blowing up my Skype account. I didn't answer the first five or six calls because I didn't know the phone number. Eventually I came down off cloud nine and answered.  The very person I would never want to talk to nekkid. Mr. Steak, he of the making a million and one nasty sexual remarks when he picked up our cats. He of the very inappropriate Facebook conversations that led me to block him. One very short conversation. He was looking for Jim. I was brusque with him,  yes and no answers, sort of freak...

I admit I am puzzled. The last few days we've been around other Americans here. The thing I am puzzling over is the extreme love of Donald Trump among white Christian Americans here. It just makes no sense to me at all. Saturday night we went out. Jim tricked me, when he first started talking about going out I thought he'd mentioned Mary, who I adore and would go anywhere with. One of the most fun days I've had in ages was a recent day when we hit all of the places you can get canvases and other art supplies. That and Schnecken. I would do many things for Schnecken. But Jim was not, he was talking about two different couples we know that are always inviting us out. I'm indifferent at best towards both couples. Both are retirees, and I call the couples mentally the  Yoghurts and the Hummis. Both women have very unusual first names, one that are the same as one yoghurt company and the other lady's name is a hummis company. Most odd. The guys have standard white Am...

Been a weird week. First, it's not been mind numbling hot because we're having tropical storm number 24 rolling through. Cloudy, coolish, completely overcast. All the ACs are off. It's in the mid 70s in the house and I have on a sweater. Now anything below 80 feels too cool. Still coughing up a storm. Cold slow to go far away. Rain is not helping with the congestion in the lungs. Someone added me this week to the women's group from church on Whatsapp and I've been sort of losing my mind. The mind numbing prattling and talk, blowing up my phone every few minutes with inanities. I had to take myself off after they ran through the small amount of data on my plan with things like wishing each other a happy Tuesday or whatever. I've never been someone that enjoys small talk, and this was just stressing me out. Add in the constant onslaught of emails and Facebook messages and it's overwhelming. Jim endured a come to Jesus phone call from the pastor. The past...

I'm never going to speak of our shipping household goods issue ever again until it's resolved. It's just been too much, we're not special and this happens to almost everyone here. Gringo Shuffle. We waited around way too long this morn for our shipping lawyer to call. I was annoyed because it seems every single time I had plans to go to the Waffle Monkey for breakfast we get very delayed. No waffles on the beach until noon. Oh, but what glorious and perfect waffles they were! Dripping with honey, coconut and fresh bananas. Jim won a gift certificate to Waffle Monkey, which is good because usually it's a special occasion sort of a place for us. Not on our usual round of restaurants. Afterward a long walk on the beach we ended up going from lawyer to lawyer to lawyer here in Tama. Jim's motorcycle needs to be registered in Costa Rica. We did the inspection, the Riteve. We've paid the import taxes. Now he needs plates and registration - Marchamo, and unfort...

As in worn out. The last couple of days has been a real challenge. On Wednesday I started coughing. You know the kind of coughing, feels like you'll break a rib or three and your stomach muscles end up quivering like you did too many sit ups.When you cough so much and so hard that puking is a distinct possibility. Add in three days of fever over 102 and there you have it. Plus I lost my voice. Doing a whole lot of whispering. Tuesday I knew something wasn't right, but exactly what it was I didn't know. Jim and I ended up at a new high end European furniture store here in Tama, and I just had to ditch, go out to the car and read, because I felt weird. The store is filled with lovely things, but the sales staff is beyond pushy, and I was just not having it. They wanted about 3 thousand just for a glorified Lazyboy they were too eager sell Jim. I had to tell Jim if I was going to buy better furniture than what is usually available here it would be from Crate and Barrel bec...

So it's only 9 am here and it's already been weird. I woke up last night at 3 am because it was silently flashing intense lightening. So intense it cut right through our light blocking custom drapery. Then it started pouring, and the ac kept turning itself on and off again. No sleep. So while I'm crawling about trying to wake up I get a  phone call from Bruce. Bruce is the older gentleman that custom built our bathroom cabinet, fixed out furniture and make some other custom pieces for us. Bruce started rambling on and on about felt pads for the bottom of the chairs that I ordered. There's just one problem. I never ordered anything of the sort, and it's something I would have put on my Amazon list if I needed them. He has me confused with another customer. I mean, I know he's nearly 80 but it was one confusing call. I did tell him about finding proper outdoor furniture fabric in Liberia. It was just most odd. I'm never good before that second cup of cof...

After yesterday's yelled discussions about what we're going to do about our shipping snafu I had major trouble sleeping. We got up late, rushed for Jim's physical therapy appointment. As soon as I stepped into the treatment area of the clinic it was obvious they'd painted or cleaned something with strong chemicals. I had to go out med up, spending the rest of the two hour session reading peacefully in the waiting room. The clinic is always interesting. During high season you'll see all sorts of strange surfing injuries.  Since it's rainy season the clinic is just filled with us locals. I did get to witness an older patrician lady trying to argue with the clinic director insisting that that Medicare would pay for  her treatment. She's out of luck, never happen. They pay nothing outside of the U.S., no matter how mad you get and yelling. Protip: While Medicare might not pay living overseas if you have private insurance it might. You need to check with your...

Well, you know what I would like to say, but sadly enough saying 'those' words online these days of Google's censoring is no longer safe. It's been a helluva (almost) week since Nigel passed. A spate of asthma towards the end of last week didn't help. Still dealing with the aftermath a little. Jim had a guy work on his motorcycle, and that guy, another Jose, spilled gasoline all over the inside of the car and on the patio. Gas fumes are one of the insta wheeze things out there. Since the asthma already makes me cranky as eff it seemed to be a theme. Even on Sunday at church I observed lots of snappy cranky going on. One mother bitched another one out for giving her two kids each one of those nasty hard candies. She was upset that the kids got sugar. Another mother went after another one saying the daughter had been rude for telling her precious son to stop being rude to his mom. Ha! Yeah, I know, I would not have believed it had I not heard it. I got cornered ...

I spent a large part of the day with a lady from church I didn't know very well. Shopping, tequila and tacos, lots of talk including finding out we had some very similar paths in life. I love it when I find someone I have a strong connection to. A new friend and her daughter! Once I got home with my ten zillion bags (seriously, I was buying the last things for the guest house) I was busy putting everything away when I got word that another good friend had passed away. Musician Nigel Benjamin. I hadn't heard from Nig in the last few weeks. But that's not unusual, a month or two could pass before I got a phone call from Super Nig. We'd talk and laugh, sometimes there would be discussions of a serious nature. He would call me up to tell me the latest doings of his crazier neighbors,  including some former Manson family members. Nigel and I shared a abiding hatred of our dear president and shared dislike for Ted Nugent. That was one of the first conversions we had, ta...

Today was definitely a wash. Medical Tests \ inconclusive Customs Shenanigans - inconclusive. I think we just got a different version of the gringo shuffle. Our lawyer asked for a buttload of money. The customs folks and warehouse folks laughed at the huge amount we paid the customs clearance place for "storage". Upshot is that we have to file a new shief of paperwork. Jim is exciting, thinking it might work. I'm ho\hum, thinking this was a gringo shuffle. A full year we've been trying to clear customs. But we stand a chance of getting everything left on a  salvage ticket. I am so over this. I am pleased I am speaking more Spanish lately, able to run into the pharmacia and demand the drops for ojos in the rosa bottela. Ask where the john is for my frequent pee stops. Ask about things I want to buy. We did a Price Smart run, so quickly because it was 5 pm, we hadn't have a proper meal and we were both utterly exhausted after getting up at 4 am to make this ...

As in and out. Tomorrow morning we bounce out to San Jose for that MRI and another attempt to get our stuff. We might have to do something expensive, illegal and common here. Bee Are Eye Bee EEEEE! We will see. It is not the exciting Great Box Swindle. We are bringing copious cash. Plus I have a Price Smart run to make and to go yell at Hospital Metropolitano about my refund again. We will see how much we will manage to squeeze into one long day. Today I finally completely cleaned the guesthouse. No more painting, no more improvements. Just a lot of scrubbing and rehanging pictures and things. Fell off Jim's step ladder of doom straight onto the sofa while hanging a painting. I still have no balance, but I'm not peeing myself any longer. Jim did something dangerous today. If only I could have gotten a photo. He was using the leaf blower right underneath a mango tree filled with hooting howler monkeys. The howlers do not like loud noises, dislike the noises enough to try and...

Lately one of the things I've been doing takes me back to my time in my old cult church. I've been baking. Not only have I been making everything else from scratch but I've been baking all of our bread from scratch too. It's so time consuming. I try to do it every Monday afternoon/evening. Make that week's bread, some roles or biscuits, have dough for rolls or biscuits waiting in the fridge, make some muffins or sweet bread and some sort of healthier granola bar or cookies make with nut flour and coconut sugar. This is where my years cooking at a restaurant in college help out. I get in, boom, boom, boom, crank it all out one after another and I'm done for the week. It's helping my asthma tremendously! Apparently I am having issues with food preservatives again. Today I had to do a second baking. Jim has started going back to the gym again, and would eat cardboard with enough butter on it. Plus he's decided that home baked is tastier. I cannot bl...

Ding! Sometimes I am so stupid~ I guess I got my mind all mixed up yesterday thinking about bullies, control and hyper critical-ness in folks. It's been spinning around in my head and today I tried to explain some of what I'd been thinking about at No Longer Quivering. The epiphany I had yesterday watching "Dance Moms" was not precisely that. I'd started writing yesterday's entry before doing 40 lengths in the pool, swam and was so dinged out by the exercise I could not call up what I'd been freaking about. It was this. Yesterday two of the girls had a dance using a picture frame. I was looking at their awkward prancing about with that picture frame and it dawned on me that truly talented people, or secure people, do not need ot use props. Talent or at least genuineness will win out in the end over a pile of props. If you cannot sing the note dead on, then pretending you have an awesome singing voice because you've practiced all those running up ...

It isn't often I get epiphanies watching trashy realty television shows, but boy did I get a big one this afternoon watching a rerun of "Dance Moms" Yeah, I know "Dance Moms" is pretty bottom of the reality show barrel, or at least I thought it was until I got to see the train wreck shows involving drunken midget strippers and something called "Love Island" that looks like it should be renamed "Let's Fuck" Trashy is relative I have learned. I don't watch reality television, but I always did like "Dance Moms" Enjoy watching the kids dance because it reminds me of my years as a dance kid. I danced as a kid and later as a teen. I always enjoyed it immensely and only gave it up at 14 when I started having problems with my left hip dislocating regularly. I took ballet, I took tap. We danced at Carnival Balls, at Mardi Gras events, at recitals. There were none of those competitions that loom so large on "Dance Moms" ...