Another random list

Would be curious to see the results of experiments testing how Guatemalan reflexes and peripheral vision compare on average to the average gringo; the side walks are very narrow here, which means that you have to be much more careful when passing somebody. The polite thing to do is walk on the edge, usually not more than three feet or less from the passing cars on the busy street. We also must take into account the cracks on the edges.

Smoking in public spaces with at least a roof or one wall is now against the law in Guatemala. And yet no one pays much attention to pollution from the many automobiles (many without mufflers) or the garbage on the street. Although it must be said that the city of Xela has a clean up crew that works a lot.

All of the great coffee from this country is exported.

While many families still prefer honey and other natural sweetners, we can say that high fructose corn syrup, referred to in lazy (thus deceptive) spanish translations as ¨jarabe de Maize¨ (corn syrup), has made a full invasion.

¨War of the End of the World¨ by Mario Vargas Llosa is currently being read. It´s a well told fictional tale based on the famous 1896-97 ¨War of Canudos¨ between newly empire-turned-republic Brazil and a very diverse but mostly religious group of peasants in Canudos in the north eastern state of Bahia. It´s written by a Peruvian and has been sighted by multiple critics as the ¨War and Peace¨of Latin America. Although it does not seem as philosophically or narratively ambitious--but don´t think that size has anything to do with it. It seems that Vargas Llosa has a penchant for revealing the futility and destructiveness that ideologies (and ideals)brings to individuals who hold them. It is wondered how much of this is in turn from his own ideological bent. We´ll see years later. It cannot be resisted that he had a falling out with the new Left almost 40 years ago (by extension many of his contemporary literary friends like Marquez), but autobiography should be resisted. So far his depiction of characters is flawless.

It was formerly assumed that only eccentric old men in twenty something bodies like my good friend Konrad (very much influenced by his Southern Kansas grandfather who never wore his work clothes into town)held the view that people shouldn´t run unless they´re formally exercising. After two and a half months in Guatemala, this view seems more widespread in the states. Here it is not ignoble to be an adult (and overweight) to be running from point a to point B. Local Guatemaltelcos do it here all of the time--that is to say they run in their regular clothes to get to where they´re going.

There is a certain body type of woman that always rides a scooter of Vespa in these parts. They are voluptuous, with big breasts, slightly big bellies and always wearing business slacks, if not the full attire and always wear their long hair far down. It is almost as if the shape of the seat and the space between it and the handle bars carved the woman´s curves. It´s really tantalizing.

In San Pedro Laguna it was discovered that the face was finally able to grow real sideburn hair! This is the kind of news usually told to a friend at random. In April of 06 it was armpit hair that was discovered, in August of 04 it was butt hair. It seems to have come in the wrong order. Is anyone else interested in comparing notes?

Still wanting to probe the subjunctive and the use of impersonal clauses with or without reflexive pronouns. It is also interesting that the passive voice is used so often and likewise with the refelexives, stores advertise themselves with their products rather than using themselves: ¨Se Vende tortillas¨ (tortillas sell themselves)
Poetics: more radically literal phrases have been translated from Spanish. There´s quite a lot of ¨accidental metaphysics¨ that comes out of it.