Long day

Yesterday was a very long day. It began with my sleeping in—never a good thing. Then I went to campus to do a few things, and got roped in to going to some buffet to celebrate the termination of finals. Honestly, I didn’t want to go very badly, but Steve, and Lauritz wanted to go, so I went. That’s why they are my friends. I don’t think either of them read these, but if so: Hi guys. Anyway, the food wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. Probably because I was anticipating the Kichee’ final and all that yummy Guatemalan food. When we got back from lunch I had an email from the secretary saying that I need to sign my contract for Spring. I did, but didn’t have time to take it to Student Employment before I had to leave for my Kichee’ final. I did that this morning.

I found my teacher Malcolm’s house for the Kichee’ final without trouble. Since I didn’t study all semester, let alone for the final, I did abysmally. Fortunately it doesn’t matter since I am only auditing the class. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I don’t like doing poorly even if there are supposedly no consequences for my actions. Carmen, from Guatemala, helped make food. There were a number of ambrosial morsels:

• Black beans
• Tamales
• Arroz con leche

The sorts of things that I haven’t had in nearly 4 years. (Man I’m old). Conspicuously missing were fresh handmade tortillas, crema, and queso seco to eat with the beans. I can’t wait to go back to Guatemala and eat some good comida Chapina. Come to think of it, I miss eggs and chirmol, as well. About the only thing that I don’t miss culinary-wise is chicken. On the other hand, I had some very good Bourbon Street Chicken at the buffet.

It was also good to just be around some real latinos, in particular Chapines. I love the way they talk. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it. Talking with a gringo in Spanish can never be the same. Latinos have a different philosophy, not to mention better accents. I guess that’s why they are called latino instead of gringo ;-)

While eating we put on skits in Kichee’. My group was assigned the Ka’yb’al, which being translated means the market. Xwan and I (Waqib’ No’j) were children who our mother, Al Kulax, sent to buy things from the market. Al Xep was the grocer. For part of it we made up new words to a Kichee’ song that we always sang in class. Most of the other skits also sang the same song, though with the original words. They were funny. At least the parts that I understood. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening, and one which I didn’t want to end. It isn’t often that such things happen.

Upon returning to my apartment, I immediately became bored. Paul, Julia, and I decided to go to the dollar theater. I called Gretchen to see if she and her roommates (including the incredible Karin Magleby) wanted to come with us. Instead she invited us to her house to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. We went. I remembered how silly that movie really is. Don’t get me wrong. I am a huge fan of the willful suspension of disbelief, but Pirates is nearly risible in many aspects. At the risk of offending all the Orlando Bloom fans out there (and I happen to be friends with several), let me say that he has a knack for landing parts with ludicrous actions scenes. Sliding down the stairs on a shield (The Two Towers), climbing a charging olifant and singlehandedly dispatching it’s entire crew (The Return of the King), and now fighting with Jack Sparrow in the blacksmith’s shop (Pirates of the Caribbean)! All defy not only the basic laws of physics, but my personal taste in movie making. An action scene is permissible if it is necessary for the story, but not otherwise, and certainly not as an end unto it self. It’s not entertaining, it’s stupefying. Bit of a difference. Or perhaps it’s just that I don’t want to be entertained right now. I have been reading Walden¹ by Henry David Thoreau on my Palm lately, and I think it has tainted my ability to enjoy certain “pleasures”. But that’s another story for another time.

The movie got over just in time for us to get kicked out. After that we apparently thought it necessary to collect boxes from Walmart. I had never been to a large store that late. That is to say when they are hard at work restocking the shelves. It was somewhat interesting, though mainly just a waste of time since I don’t think I will need (m)any boxes to move. I was really tired at the time, but then when I got home I couldn’t get to sleep. I had to read a fair bit of Walden before I could get to sleep. Funny how that works, isn’t it?