Fun in the sun

I'm in North Carolina waiting for my connecting flight to Mexico. Wish me luck! Fun in the sun for the next week :-D


-Crash

An interesting day

Yesterday was different. I woke up after a restless night. I haven't really slept well, until last night anyway. There was a hell of a storm that night and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately people here litter so when there's too much water in the river they shut down the water treatment plant so no garbage jams up the equipment which means no water.

I turned on the water and it just trickled down. I had to fill up a bucket (it took about 5 minutes) and then use the water I had collected to bathe. At least I was clean.

I got my contact lenses yesterday. I think I'm finally used to them. As usual my phone kept me sane through the day.

I thought my grandmother would die yesterday. She was seeing dead people and asked for a priest. She's still hanging in there though. She really should let go. There's nothing left for her but pain and morphine and her body's already building up a tolerance.

I leave tomorrow night. I love it here but these circumstances just plain suck. I just want to go home. Normally I'd be able to stay months on end but right now I just can't take the tension, the lack of sleep, even the heat that I already about about is getting to me.

Anyway, later


-Crash

Busy iPhone day

My poor phone's battery has been abused this whole trip. It's my escape, really. I've been charging it 2-3 times a day since I got internet on Sunday or so.

So I signed up for a twitter account, got a few twitter apps on my phone and just downloaded a blog app so I don't have to open the page every time. I'm having fun at least.

Feel free to follow me on twitter. I'll most likely post lots of smaller updates there and keep posting like I've been here. Later, folks!


-Crash

Paradise Lost

So maybe I should've saved the title "Trouble in Paradise" for this post...

My mom and two of my aunts started a yelling match today. Dealing with my grandmother's condition is wearing everybody down, especially my aunt that lives with her and has taken care of her. She feels like my mom and my other aunt came and started turning her world upside down. It's partially true but it was also for her own good. She's worked far too hard already and deserved a rest. Yes, we took over, she's right - but she's on the verge of a breakdown and she WILL break down if she keeps up her current pace.

Luckily they made up and got to talking. I've never considered myself the sensitive type. In fact, I consider myself to come off as somewhat cold at times. I simply don't know how to react to certain situations. When they were fighting I figured it would just blow over, and it did, however now I've got an upset stomach and I'm thinking that had something to do with it.

In only somewhat related news a damn iron burned my foot this evening before the blowup. This was the precursor to the big bang, if you will. My aunt that lives here got an iron from us, an expensive iron at that, but the damn thing is finecky and it's a professional iron. The damn thing doesn't make steam properly and leaked a bit and when it steams it tends to sometimes throw jets of hot water instead, thus soaking what you're trying to iron. Well, in my attempt to troubleshoot the iron and calm my aunt down I started to figure out some of its quirks until the fucker threw scalding water out past the ironingboard and, onto my foot. I have a welt on my foot and now A&D ointment too.

I say that was somewhat related because just before the screaming match my aunt burned herself using the iron then that set her off on her tirade.

What a day. At least I got new glasses out of it though. I went out today and bought a frame. I'm going to get my eyes checked tomorrow and the lenses should be done by next week. My aunt will bring the finished glasses for me since I leave for home this weeked and she leaves in July.

GTFO

I feel like killing my cousin. She came as a whim and she's not helping with anything. She's more a pain in the collective ass of the family than any help. Her daughter is absolutely adorable but does whatever she wants because she's 2. On top of that she's pregnant so she wants things done for her. This isn't the time or place to be coddling her ass. Help or GTFO. She had the balls to suggest her daughter stay here with my aunt (my cousin's mom) while my cousin flies back to Virginia. Like we need a senior citizen AND a toddler to take care of.

Rarely does she wash her dishes and that of her child. I have no problem washing everyone's dishes if we all just shared a meal but don't trickle dishes into the sink and expect somebody else to take care of your shit. Don't expect people to get shit for you because you're carrying your daughter. Put her down and get what you need. You're not handicapped.

She doesn't think of anybody else but herself and I can normally deal with it because I know she's selfish but apparently I can't put up with her for this long a stretch anymore like when we were kids or maybe it's that she has a child she should be taking care of and isn't and that's what's bothering me. All I know is I'm dangerously close to telling her off by week's end.

The circumstances and the feelings

The cumstances behind my visit were strange. My mom called me to get a ticket for her and then asked me to get another for myself so she wouldn't be alone. I'm really just here for moral support. I just feel like a third wheel though, in the way. I don't want to be a burden while they're tending to my grandmother. I'm not doing much of anything but I'm trying to wash dishes, mop, etc. I just don't feel like it's enough. Oh well, I'll keep keeping them company and trying to do some housework.

Trouble in Paradise

Let me start with the fact that I jumped into a new project a few days ago called iTalk iPhone as a web developer until my new job starts. I got about 2 days into it and created a Cydia repo for them and I'm working on an auction system. It's for free because I feel I should be coding for fun as well as profit. Never just one or the other.

Anyway, the reason I only got about 2 days into it is that we got a phone call saying my grandmother is doing very poorly. My mom was worried but she had already said she wouldn't visit again. She flew out last October when my grandmother's condition deteriorated and everybody expected her to die. She paid her respects, they all said their goodbyes but came to the agreement she wouldn't make the trek again.

It seems my grandmother asked for my mom specifically on this past Thusday or so. She asked me to buy her a plane ticket while she was at work. I called her back and told her she'd fly out the next day, then she asked me to buy a second ticket and go with her. We arrived and looking at my grandmother is just sad. I'm not sure how my mom or my aunts do it and take care of her. I don't think I'm strong enough.

It's a bit of a family reunion, I haven't been here in 4 years. I love coming here, though clearly not under these circumstances. Some people think of Colombia and the first thought in their mind is cocaine and drug dealers. I look around and I see beauty and think "home". This is where I grew up for the first 3 years of my life. I don't really remember much of it but clearly it was enough to evoke nostalgia 20 years later.

The town we live in here is far from luxurious - hell, there's no hot water - but sometimes it's simplicity we need. It's poor, but most certainly not lacking. There's always food on the table, a roof over your head, and I'm always welcome. I miss this.

I'll post later. I'll be coming home next Sunday but I'll most likely post before then.