Sixteen Tons and Current Events

"...another day older and deeper in debt."

I'm trying to cross two lanes of traffic on the busiest road in Daveed. I look left and nothing's coming for a long ways so I pull out and block off that lane. I look to the right waiting for a break in traffic from that direction so I can make it across to the other side. Finally there's a gap and I bust my move. Trouble is, guy coming from the left decides to drive into the wrong lane and go around me just as I do so. Crunch. When all is said and done it leaves me as the hitter and not the hitee and no way to prove the other guy caused the accident. Nobody hurt, minimal vehicle damage. Minimal meaning I'm shelling out three hundred at the scene to make the other guy go away and five or six more to restore RTGFKAR's car to its former lovely and talented self. Luckily I'm one of those deep pocket guys. Of course there's nothing in those deep pockets apart from the odd ball of lint but still, hey, they're deep.

We were in Daveed - you all know I write Daveed because if I write David you'll read the pronunciation wrong - to renew RTGFKAR's visa. This has been a monthly ritual since Panama reduced their visa stays from ninety days to thirty. The good news is that RTGFKAR's residency has been approved and only awaits a signature from some nameless bureaucrat to become official. This should occur before the year is out unless Unnamed Official suffers from Writer's Cramp and takes the month off to heal. This, or something like it, has been known to happen, but we remain hopeful.

Further good news I wish to impart, but that sounds painful so Ill just tell you, is that RTGF's stuff has arrived. It only took seven months which leads us to believe it wasn't actually sent by ship but rather packed down by lazy mules with bad feet. Nevertheless, it is here and it is now stored in one of the new house's guest rooms awaiting the completion of the construction to be unpacked and put away in the places designated for, well, stuff. The fly in this ointment is that construction has slowed to a...I won't say standstill, because there is the occasional brush stroke of paint applied, so let's go with molasses creep, and a fair projection will put us in the house just before the world ends in 2012. One hopeful sign though is that a power line has been strung from the main road to the house and electricity may be in the offing. Or is that the on-ing? Whatever. RTGFKAR can now go up and put his arms around any of many cardboard boxes and say, "my stuff" while sighing contentedly.

And on the weather front, there is some. Mostly wind and sideways rain. Noisy too.

Someone from the bleachers yells, "Ya still love Panama?"

"You betcha, damn straight, are bears catholic and does the Pope pee in the woods?" I yell back.

Of course I love Panama. It's impossible not to.