Our Man in Antigua

never ever stop for ‘fresh cold grape juice’ by the roadside stands outside of  Zacapa. Yes, it was HBT’s idea but I didn’t have to go along with the concept, nor will I, ever again…ten days later, etc…

Mike Chrisman, newly turned 81? fooled me…I’da said 71, max..off to the the Panza Verde Wednesday night art gallery thing….’reminded me that i haven’t been to an ‘opening for over a year, ever since they let Gabi Altman go(she was the only reason i went)….too good, too talented and if she hadn’t reminded me so much of Wife #3, who knows what might have happened…but, as with old fish hooked too often, I shied away..

Dona Gavi, the sprite in white, getting a pedicure at Carmens…yeah, I’m down for one in the morning…magic fingers..(Carmen, not Gavi)..and yes, another letdown by my local printer…promised for this morning, then’an hour or so’ and then…’we’ll drop them off at your house.’….right…not here, are they? why do I fall for this shit?….like Charley Brown/Lucy and the football trick..

the old ‘Ixcot’ space? gotta sign up…La Rumba…xlint…now there’s six places in a space that can only supply enough customers for 2 or 3?…what are these folks smoking? can i buy some?

there’s some kinda weird tour going for Lanquin….leave Friday, come back Sunday…it’s a bitch of a drive and then there’s the road…from the paved part to Lanquin and then you’ve got the road from hell between Lanquin and Semuc Champey…and then, when then rains really start…nope, been there and it sucks…Lanquin is a  hole, with no redeeming features, no matter how nice the people are…and they are…’wish ’em well… 

speaking of trips, this weekends proposed tour to Iximche/Xela/El Exceso, is on  hold…like herding cats, getting everyone in line/on the same page…I gotta get better, pick up the latest edition, do some creative work on my tax returns/file the f….kers….kiss my a….IRS…

Rich Neel!….has a super talent for photography and he’s gotta entry into the Revue contest…vote for him…he makes my photos look like I shot ’em with a  Brownie..some people have the ‘eye’ and some don’t..l don’t…25 years of shooting buildings out my car window, while driving by, has left me with a lot of bad habits..John Korte, on his way thru Honduras, headed for Granada and thence Panama…getting the hell outa here…there’s a certain element who are fed  up with Antigua…and Guatemala…the market/economics changed over the years and the economic downturn of ’07/08 hasn’t come back…there isn’t any ‘real’ in real estate here and if you’re not selling ice cream, you’re sucking…even the   super chefs who were on top of things are now going the ‘pizza’ route..designer pizza? don’t think so, but then i don’t have to pay their salaries or rent.