Our Man in Antigua

‘rare sprinkling of rain this afternoon…just enough to settle some of the dust in the streets…my kitchen table? fuggedaboutit…’wonder if the volcanic dust ever gets into the PC or my lungs…lotsa luck on the lungs, cuz you’re competing with the Honduran-made Pall Malls…can’t buy em’ there but hey…that’s Honduras…and no survivors on the prop plane from San Pedro Sula last week, coming in (so to speak)to that hell hole known as Tegucigalpa..if you’re gonna fly these things, take the last seat in the rear, since planes go in head first…usually…don’t bitch at me if it doesn’t work that way…use the ouija board, por favor…sober..no sobremesa’s ice creamery scheduled to open..”soon” per Alex..gonzo restauranteur of the year!…Neil of Pangea…gets involved in a car wreck last week, comes home with a cast…’has the doc cut it off that same day cuz he’s gotta go to work…top that!…reports of a party of 19-20 christian missionaries dining on filet mignon for all and thanking jesus for the opportunity to come to Gautemala and save…save who/what? WTF? quiet night for restaurants except for Hector’s and Caffe Bourbon…Nelson at the keyboard..thought i saw ‘her’ at CB…’kept on going…I must be getting better…maybe another year..did the PV gallery wednesday night art thing…the ultra delicious Ms A back from the DR..tanned and o so…fill in the blanks…yep, she too has been hit by the latest ATM scam…the boys from Bogota…we’re wondering how t o work around this…after we receive our new ATM cards and the charges…or some of them have been made good/reversed..there’s a case for a class action suit for some hungry attorney, somewhere…nah, probably not…BAC is owned by Colombians…narco backed? probably…would you like plata o plomo? silver or lead, to you gringos…as in take the money or take a bullet..your choice..or as Jack Benny once joked about being robbed..asked for his money or his life..he answered..’take my life, I need my money.” long chat with one of the few NGO’s around that actually make a difference…Franklin Voorhees of ‘As Green As itGets’…NGO’s in this country are mostly scams..in my opinion…a fund-raiser here, an event there…’overhead’ eats the money…my ass…minor arm-twisting by an upcoming event next month, same story…NGO profit…my asss..’think I’ll start my own, dedicated to the best espresso and rum…espresso! Raul and Christina of Finca Los Nietos at the PV thing…still looking for someone to run the operation for a few months…their operation is a boutique in the best sense of the word…their coffee superb…if i weren’t…nah..six months?..alas..if you know anyone responsible(and that’s the tricky part) pass this along…god, was it really ‘her’? …will i ever get over this? lock the door, hide the keys…Murray surfacing at Ocelot earlier…i was gonna check out the Gypsy Reelers…found out that they’re from Vermont…good excuse not to go out again and cruise by Caffe Bourbon..where’ s the Stoli?  went by El Muro and I love the new interior look…big mirror at the entrance and some gringo taking salsa lessons…and why not? Elle back from another assault on the fuming slopes of Volcan Fuego..safe and over the flu..Lex and Flor, schlepping pizzas in front of La Merced…nope, wouldn’t share, not even the pizza..the almost full moon, lighting the clouds…pass the Stoli…tomorrow is Singles Night at Peter G’s Mirador…go and take a look…’can’t hurt, can it? ‘spoke with Paolo of La Vineria re cooking for Peter…nope..he’ll refer friends..fine..my duty is done..Rico’s back at Ixcot..and happy…Bistro Cinq? upping the ante by offering rack of lamb and lobster tails…dinner…dinner..damn…bring on the Christians with $$..