Random-lings
 
I am in a Saturday kind of mindset. If God is going to speak to me today, it will have to be through unmade beds, toys carefully ‘arranged’ all over the floor by the children still in jammies, and a Costco pizza later on because I don’t intend on cooking anything beyond peanut butter and jam sandwiches today. (Yes, I know you don’t technically cook a PB&J....stay with me...)
 
There are a few things that I thought blog-worthy today, and none of them (absolutely none) are inspired, but might give you a glimpse into the quirky world I call home.
 
First, we’re expecting a mega-storm today. So last night, we all went and rented piles of movies for the kids (all of which are scratched beyond enjoyability), got some food supplies that would make leaving the house unnecessary, and got ready with towels and buckets for this tropical downpour that is supposed to inundate the entire city with meters of water. The news stated that we were to stay inside this weekend, and that everyone was to avoid leaving their houses, avoid driving, and if at all possible, get ready for this storm that is 100% for sure going to come and flood us.
 
I woke up to sunny blue skies this morning. Kurt went for a run, people are mowing their grass, watering their lawns, the birds are chirping, kids are playing in the parks...ah, yes, meteorological reliability.
 
Secondly, I am trying to regain my love for coffee. Dysentery has changed my taste buds at least for a time, and I have not been able to drink coffee for a month now. I’m trying though, even as I type, to choke down a lovely African blend that Kurt bought because he knows it is (was) my favorite. Sigh.
 
Thirdly, I found out some information about the lady who lived in the house before us. We get calls almost daily from collections agencies, credit card companies, the bank, people looking for her because she owes them money, etc., and finally the other day an insurance adjustor came to the door looking for her so that he could process the claim of her stolen car.
 
We have lived here since February, and the house was empty all of January, but she claimed her car was stolen from this address in May! A friend who was here yesterday, Rosie, whose husband worked for the previous owners as well as our neighbors, just laughed at me when I recounted our frustration with people searching for this lady. “Don’t you know that Bugambilias is full of ‘narcos’??” (meaning drug dealers.) Whatever the case, whoever she is, this lady is in some deep financial trouble. And, on a side note, the neighbors to the south of us are apparently full-on into the narcotics business, which would make all of the suspicious, if not inexplicable events understandable. And all the glitzy cars.
 
I think I feel safer being in a neighborhood full of ‘narcos’, actually. I think it kind of makes the whole place a little buffered in a way. Like when people visit us here and see the armed guards at the banks it makes them nervous. I, on the other hand, feel a whole lot more secure.
 
And lastly, I think I have finally acclimatized. Just when I got used to temperatures in the upper 30’s, the rains started and now I am bundled up in the lower 20’s. I snuggle deep under my feather duvet at night, shiver in the shower, and am jacketed for most of the day. I honestly didn’t think this would happen, but here I am, laughing at myself for feeling chilly at 26 degrees celsius. Well, wonders never cease.
 
So that’s it, friends. I really wish I had something spiritual to share with you. I was too tired to read last night, and too fried to have understood anything anyway. I think God gives us these Saturday kind of days so that our marshmallow minds can rest, and we can get ready for the next big revelation he has for us to learn.
 
I’ll be sure to take pictures of this mega storm (a.k.a. blue sunny sky) and read something more profound for the next post. Enjoy your day, and may you feel the presence of God whether you are deep in wonder, thought or dishwater.
Nothing Deep Today, People
Saturday, June 14, 2008