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Posts Tagged ‘fireworks’

Pinata Boy

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , on January 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

a new record was set this week and one that’ll be hard to top…I wondered about the scabs/abrasions when i saw him in Bodegona yesterday, and still raving….the record? being 86’d eight times outa Lava/Ocelot in the same night (New Years)…the thumps/bruises were acquired ad hoc. This, of course, eclipses the previous record of six ejections(with thumping) and a more recent escorting from the premises of a lady we all know…what exactly is in those Kamikazies, anyway? yeah, it’s spelled wrong…I’m on Vicks 44 and tequila…lime juice for the vitamin C…even normally boisterous party animals were disgusted, which is some kinda sign.

at last, the ‘final final’ of the New Year’s Day blowoff….at 5pm or so the central park was encircled with firecrackers, strewn in patterns here and there…I bailed, since Ocelot was having ‘difficulties’ opening on time..but this morning when the usual 8 0’clock sweepers appeared, it took them 3 hours rather than the usual one hour…serious rubbish/trash/debris…no, not the habitues…the  firecracker remnants.

Chalk up a smart move for Hillbilly Tom…..left town and headed for his place on the river, by Gualan…a lot safer/saner as long as he doesn’t mess with the sow down below.

Marbel the Marvelous surfaced! new foto on FB and a sweet note to moi…I, frankly Scarlett, miss her…she dressed well and we laughed a lot, two commodities in short supply around here.

marvel

 

at last word, she’d gone to India, Nepal or ?…..you know? who was missing for New Year’s Eve here? think about these animals….Jason Lever and John Wilbur…did they ever meet each other?

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Lead Balls?

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , on August 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

got some? i have one…compliments of a fireworks factory.

 

I’ve been wanting to ‘do a fireworks factory’ story for a long time, as there’s something about the smell of gunpowder that gets me…after hearing that the only factory around was in San Juan Obispo, it was ‘cosmic’ that the players came together…Heyor the tuc-tuc driver whose grandfather had a factory that blew up in Coban years ago, Luis the Guide…anyway, the photos are great, the story xlnt and I’ve gotta souvenir lead ball(used for smoothing out the mixture of charcoal, nitrates and sulfur)the size of an avocado pit..

Walter Fischer! late of INGUAT (too good) and a few pals are starting up the reincarnation of the Original Antigua City Bus Tour…four buses, being painted red and going into action in 10 days…mas or menos..per Walter, the main reasons for the Park being purged of vendors is thus: they’re not from Antigua and they take money outa town..plus creating trash, garbage and allowing thieves to come along(no, NOT the Mayor)..so, we’ve got 8-10 Tourist Police guarding the plaza(at what cost?)and now, the newspaper lady who had a table(ack!)by El Portal has her table no more…selling newspapers from a window? yep..

CRIME rears its ugly head, yet again…selling newspapers! like Lili the corner newspaper lady, selling my silly little book(let)…busted…

for those who haven’t gotten the message, ‘read the Disclaimer’…this isn’t a place for for insightful information,  great comments or anything to take seriously…got it? People tell me stuff…sometimes weird, and some stuff that i don’t repeat…wanna hear about the prime property for sale on 5th Avenida? nope..’heard chisme about my ex-ladyfriends sister that surprised me this morning…nope..

Riki’s now doing ‘afterparties?’…yep, apparently…how they get away with it is anyone’s guess…($$) probably..Part Two of the funerals/wake for the kids wiped out on Sunday took place on upper 6th avenida this afternoon..as someone who has lost friends prematurely, i can only sympathize..life/death/a turn of the cards, a twist of fate..

the afternoon downpours? from my vantage point,it was the heaviest of the season…a gully washer..downtown San Felipe awash in sand.. oh, and the great ‘book box project’?….waiting on the price stickers, promised a week ago…a good thing that i’m retarded(thanks)and/or retired..this town? small and just right..get those uppity Mayan ladies outa the park and let some local artists sell their stuff! wait…where ARE the local artists? let’s see…there’s the 3 cartoonists..but are they Antiguenos? ‘got Andy the Mime…the duo Peruvian band..show me your DPI…(I got one, do you?)  

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Giant Oopsie!

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , on August 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 

to quote Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke) ‘what we have here is a failure to communicate.’  The prototype, far left…the six delivered later today appear to have been crafted by 7 yr olds with bandages on their hands..jeez, guys…you had photos/sketches/dimensions…WTF?

WTF is probably the same thing that Da Mayor is asking hisself about now…’immunity from prostitution…no, prosecution (dam spel check) is not granted…oops..what’s next? ‘lawyer up’….oops..there goes the $300k/$400k skimmed here and there..hey, he got to lead the parade for St James Birthday a few times, schmooze with the beauty queens..

Shaun of O’lots hand has been a bit swollen recently…purportedly whipping on one of Antiguas’ own…hey…’a mans gotta do what mans gotta do.’…and this ain’t the first time that the recipient has been fed a knuckle sandwich.

Fabrizzio, lately of La Sala/Joe’s Grill? seen in/out of Riki’s earlier..is he back to doing pizzas there?…the ever tasty MM, solo at the bar in Ocelot…why does she remind me of a lioness on the hunt?

Travel Menu? Mo and Elle,plus Henrik…we were running late…G.S.T/Latina time…fine..Lex by himself at 6ish, waiting…and waiting..

Wokco? I like ’em but they don’t have a clue about lettuce wraps…go check out P.F.Changs in the City and get back to me..

so…no  fresh boxes to experiment on…and I even bought red spray paint…gotta re-up the toluene and zylene blood levels…quetzalteca doesn’t do it..’looking for a nearby fireworks factory to do an article on…get up close to child labor, unsafe conditions and a whiff or two of some gunpowder in the morning..anybody know of a factory nearby? maybe buy some mortar bombs for home use..

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The Sludge Report

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , on May 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

another procession? yep…clouds of incense, fireworks and a barge pulling up to the Cathedral….Marcel of El Cazadore Italiano knew the reason/event but it was over my head(as with most things)…any excuse to light stuff off seems to be the bottom line in Antigua…

DaMayor’s SUV seen on 4th Avenida..dusty…hiding out from last week’s bad publicity or taking lessons from Otto? a quiet night for the food/beverage industry in town, at least in the early part of the evening..some swillers seen at Ocelot’s Happy Hour…Spiro, Piano..no, make that Guitar Mike, scheduled for an 8:30 at Angie Angies later tonight..Moriah now has a full time job teaching at a Christian Spanish School and making decent $$$..Adan, our Cuban pianist, wearing what coulda been one of Ignacio’s hawaiian shirts..any word on Ignacio? gotta be tough, losing a leg…it’s not like he’s gonna be drawing disability payments..

talks with G Mike about croquet..yeah, he’s up for it..another concept? bocce ball…if there was an italian restaurant,etc…speaking of Italian restaurants, La Viniera Antigua’s deal hasn’t closed…now, per Beppe, it’s the first of June for the new owners..

tomorrow? the Mother’s Day in the States…Jon M of Epicure and wife refused passage outa the country per their passports having less than 6 months before expiring…who knew? weird US laws, again…ergo, if you wanna go, make sure that your passport has time left on it..the more i hear/read about new laws in the States the more i ‘m reminded of ‘Orwell’s 1984’/nazi germany..substitute the Dept of Homeland Security for the Gestapo and there you are..buncha obese clowns with power and they love exercising it..thank you, Osama Bin Laden, for creating a nightmare of bureaucracy..your legacy with live on, far longer than you might have imagined.

the very delicious Flor about to close Dasha…dos Reilly’s almost empty but with the the sound of Booker T and the MG’s…”Green Onions’…streets/sidwalks packed with people/spectators…Juan Mario Cervantes, our local detective, hanging at El Portal…bocce ball! a simple game(even Italians can figure it out)but where? Angie Angie’s back yard? hmmm…thanks to Mr Will…yes, EBay has a lot of croquet  sets for sale…

 

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Mutha’s Day, Antigua Style

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

which meant fireworks at 4am…o boy…and it wasn’t ‘just for breakfast anymore’ to quote the long gone Anita Bryant…a splash of Gordons with the 4am OJ seemed to put me back in slumberville..Mother’s Day in Antigua? started early with the brunch crowd and was winding up nicely with the dinner folks…sobremesa quiet, Fusion doing an early party of 8 or so…El Cazadore Italiano empty and Chez Chris packed (maybe it was the pink & white balloons..even Cashbar offering a Mother’s Day dinner special…

and yes, another new bar/restaurant on 3rd calle between 5th and 6th avenidas…name? Kafka…a big open space below with yet another sign advertising ‘the best terrace view in Antigua’…you know, folks..maybe someone needs to do some research on this…for my two quetzals it’s the Blue Sky or what was El Caminante’s El Mirador’..I kinda like El Chaman’s site, being next to the fallen down church..and Lava’s views aren’t bad either, of the tasty latinas goin’ up/down the spiral staircase or the city views..

why the accordion aka stomach steinway concert in the park tonight? is this some kinda mother’s day tradition? he plays at the Whisky Den once in a while..can’t get him to play either ‘Lady of Spain’ or the ‘Beer Barrel Polka’…roll out the barrel, etc..

the ‘Perfessor’ checked in from the rainy/cold northwest aka Washington State…misses this place, for a lotta reasons and all of them good..well? drop off the key, lee…get a new plan, stan…the conversational content has dropped about 50% in meaningful stuff…it’s down to me and TM talking cars, if that’s a clue..that and bad car titles or no car titles..

the ever beautiful Flor at Dasha, working…she’s back to being a blonde again…she laughed when I said ‘Feliz Dia Del Madre’…shook her head..no, not me…same-o for me..dos Reilly’s very quiet but then they’re not exactly a Mother’s Day venue…just the opposite, if anything..one thing i never see here are condoms on the streets or syringes..those of us from big cities take this stuff for granted as being urban artifacts…

DaMayor made Prensa Libre last week, following the El Periodico article on his ‘side businesses’…and I haven’t seen his SUV parked in its usual spot on 4th ave by O’lot…it didn’t seem like there was a lot of money in the deals but who knows? hey, if you’re making 8 grand a month why n0t stretch it to 9? dollars, btw..Ruslan and beautiful lady popped in for the Happy Hour…he with a giant leek from the mercado(soup later) she with a radiant smile(as always) i’m glad they’re back from SF, if only for a while longer..Michael Tallon, jogging around while he distributes the latest La Cuadra issue..

Antigua…where else can you go to Bodegona, reach for a bottle of orange juice and the lady who’s running the pulperizer stops you…and fills up a bottle with the ‘just squeezed’  stuff?

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Two Weddings and a

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

buncha folks getting hammered for Saint Patrick’s Day, as if anyone i know needed the excuse..fireworks around town, streets jammed with traffic, Andy the Mime packing up later than usual…yep, it’s starting to look like Semen Satan is coming…o boy..I’m glad to be outa Ground Zero aka Fourth Avenida, altho being on the edge of San Felipe the local procession starts outside my gate..screw..where’s the flare pistol? one cartridge left…fine..take that, Jeezus!

‘ran into the marvelous Miss M this afternoon…apologies/excuses accepted…hey, what can i say? she’s perfect for some potential clients for the bookette…and yes, Frener didn’t have the 25 ready today…”monday morning”….ok, fine..it appears that there’s been a customs lockdown on containers in guatemalo, which explains why the boat that left san Fransicko in January, due here a month ago, hasn’t been….opened, delivered..fine..Frener! do me the 25 on monday, por favor…Whisky Den is now outa the thing…thanks to Rich Neel and a rebate from me…B5 doing fine, Carla B at Fusion on toppa the bar/wine thing…El Caz Italiano doing their usual Saturday full up thing…Dona Gavi? yeah, she’s sweet..

‘heard via a source that Piano Mike and Moriah aren’t doin’ their music at Caffe Bourbon…is it $$ or that lack of a music license or the fine(10000 q)that sunk this venue? stories abound…yeah, they paid the fine and have a license…who knows? its just another Antigua story..JEH/Cath back from their latest foray…nope, she told me but i forgot it..typical…right..

La Pena del Sol? slammed/packed/no tables…Crash Harriss complaining about speed of the service…dude! it works…don’t mess with it. you have a problem that any other restaurant in town would love to have..Ricardo’s Tabacos y Vinos packed…again..Sangre’s door was open…after being closed for a few weeks, wtf?..work going on at the old Reilly’s spot…bringing in dirt? yeah…go figure..if it was sand, i’d figure that they’re doing a ‘beach bar’…and has anyone ever seen so many shuttle buses/vans? streets packed with ’em..bring money..Antigua needs every bit of it..ah, Marvel…welcome back..let’s go kick ass and take names..ah…Sobremesa’s 3rd Anniversary!….yeah…packed! good job, Alex and crew!

  

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Shots Fired

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , , on January 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

last night, 6th Avenida…dos Reilly’s block…near misses, no blood seen..a belated New Year’s celebration? as i’m wont to say, always honk twice when you’re reloading..

local eateries? some full, some empty…La Pena del Sold out? apparently…packed early and a catered party for 85 in someone’s house..Crash Harriss smiling a lot…Las Palmas packed, even the japanese place, Kabuki, doing tables…’that’ place on 5ta, the one that’s been closed for two days now? ooh…if Machiavelli were alive, he’d be taking notes on the latest twist..nope, can’t tell and don’t smell…and it does..’wish i hadn’t heard it..yep, that bad..

Ocelot packed, dos Reilly’s jammed…Los Cebollinas adding more decor and getting more action..Travel Menu running just fine, El Caz lo mismo, Cafe Flor doing some tables…Nelson doing an opening gig at Pangea, followed by a set at Ocelot.

is it time for a return to the days of yesteryear? you know how things come and go(no, not my girlfriends)…at Bodegona this week, hula hoops…got to thinking(so to speak) about a poster shop…blow ups of local scenes…cheap, roll ups for the suitcase..ooh, Lake Atitlan, Volcan Agua, Monterrico, Lucy Luscious…’here’s a great rumor for the files: Gallo Beer is fading, business-wise…various examples given but this is like Budweiser going under…bring me the reality check, please..

found a new a new TIGO shop today, after shopping for a TIGO modem..the finca doesn’t have wi-fi..’cross the street, on 4th from Bodegona…a shop that cranks, rocks and does the job..o good..firecrackers in my street at 8pm? yep…i won’t miss the noise but i’ll miss the neighborhood…screw..now rockets/mortars…no, don’t go get the flare pistol or Beretta..patience, Prudence..this too, shall pass..

ran into Uwe in the park earlier…enjoying the brass band in the Palacio…he hates the Peruvians…the mime..no, ‘our mime’, wowing the crowds…he’s great…we spoke about the proposed commercialization of the Palacio..I suggested that if that’s what ‘they’ really want to do, go the whole route and do a casino on the first floor and a brothel on the second floor…a strict dress code, guards and class…gotta wear a tie just to get in, etc..

on other fronts, yesterday was the birthday for three people i know…all different..makes one wonder about asstrology..Luis Miguel of Da Vinci, der Henrik of dos Reilly’s and MDC, with whom i had dinner last night..yep..a foursome..Juana, Bob and us…Queso y Vino…i was expecting better but…didn’t happen…pizza crust perfect, topping so so..the last bottle of screwtop Lambrusco worked..and lastly, thanks for the comments about the chisme in this town…too many people with nothing else to do except make up shit, throw it against the wall and see who it sticks too..and yes…ka ching…more books sold! lets see…two cubas at O’lot..10 q..pack of cig’s..13q…yay…’up tonight by 20 q…rock on!

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