I Am One With The Sky & The Sea

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April Fools

Doesn't this picture have a nice look to it? That's because while Gloria and I scampered off to have a swim, a small tsunami came in and swept all of our belongings out to sea. Dean, Kendall, and Tiit went into action mode to salvage our things, but I am now the proud owner of my three thousand seventeenth waterlogged camera. This picture was a 'test shot' to see if the camera was still working. It did. And then, it died. Rest in peace, little guy. 

Just posting a few pictures since I know I've been neglectful. Also, a few choice piece of information:

• I am giving the #2 Talk on the Circuit Assembly in Tuxtla on May 28th! Bronnie is back, and she'll be my householder. I am so excited, it is such a privilege (and a shocker) that they are letting me up there. 
• My Bible student Sasha has joined the Theocratic Ministry School and will be my householder on May 18th! Let the heavens rejoice! Let the earth joyful be!
• My six-month visa is running out quickly. I'll need to do a border run (leave the country for a few days and get a new six-month visa) by July 5th. At the moment, Guatemala is winning as the country of refuge.
• My parents are coming! My parents are coming! And my seester. And her Paul! I'm so excited. I'm actually dancing in my chair just thinking about it. I want airline confirmation codes, people.
• I'm on track to stay until the District Convention at the end of August in Queretaro. After that, I may be ready for the next adventure. Mexico has been good to me.
• My knee is a lot better. Except for the occasional spontaneous oozing of fluid. Heh heh heh. Went surfing for the first time since the accident last night, didn't catch anything but felt good to get smashed a few times. I'll always have a gnarly scar, but in the words of Kent, if I'm ever on a boring date, I can just say, "So, did I ever tell you about that time I was riding my motorcycle in Mexico and got attacked by a pack of vicious dogs?"

I hope that the scar ends up looking like something awesome, like a topographically accurate map of Australia, or Kevin Bacon's left-facing profile or something. Imagine the money I could make offering knee-viewings and pilgrimages. 

Watchtower Study at la Casa de Chelsea 

Riding horses on the beach with Shoogar Dates and her trusty steed.

The amigas on their other trusty steed of speed, the newly appointed "Federico". 

I'd love to stay and chat but I already took the morning off to mediate on the sheer bliss of laying in bed. Off to study with Getsemane and Janely! Alright, first off to make some healthy pancakes. May Jehovah continue to bless our united international brotherhood in this time of the end! Now....AND FOREVER!!!

::applause::

The Amiga Has Landed!

My first amiga has come to visit! So good to be reunited with Kendall my shoogar date. If the past 31 hours are any indication, the next two weeks are going to be mighty fine indeed. 

Kendall went into undercover Blair Witch Project mode this morning. You can catch a glimpse of my rooftop chateau, my slumbering form, and Kendall's experiments in post-modern cinematographic angles.

First bike ride together. We are Lloyd and Harry. 

Gory & Gruesome Things

Now that this blog is private, I can share all the gory and gruesome things I have longed to share! Like pictures of my knee! Yes, as insinuated by the previously posted pictures, I got in a bit of a motorcycle accident.

Gloria and I were leaving a friend's house in a remote part of town, a part of town known for vicious dogs and dark roads. We were chased down one of the dark roads by five of the vicious dogs (two from the front, three from the back), slid out on rocks and plowed into the ground.

I believe my sense of duty to protect Gloria and my bike led to me stay planted on the bike, instead of flying off as expected. Hence, the left side of my body (namely me blasted knee), took one for the team and absorbed the impact of the bike + Gloria + me, which equals approximately three metric tons. And by my knee "absorbing the impact", I mean, "it exploded".

But they stitched Humpty Dumpty back together again!

My elbow was not so lucky. It fact, it was so upset, 

IT GREW A SECOND ELBOW.

I'm pretty sure my face here says it all. It turns out the "doctor" who "operated" on me knee was actually a pediatrician. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But when you've got exposed bones and bleeding wounds, "pediatrician" is not the first thing that comes to mind.

A month has passed; after three weeks in bed, out of the ocean and out of my mind, I'm back on my motorcycle and back in the sea. I have only a newfound dread of dogs and fondness for canine revenge fantasies. Poisoned pork chops, anyone? 

Everyone from the congregation took great care of me; supplying me with a steady stream of meals and encouragement. Most of my Bible studies came to visit me, that was a table turner. Everyone who looked at my knee in it's pre-healed state would gasp, or dry heave, and then say "So....are you going to go home?" And I would reply to them with the famous Spanish expression which, when translated, means, "Better is it for a juicy knee to dwell in peace than in the land of your forefathers*."

Aside from this, things are good here. Very good. Splendid, in fact. At least today they are. Tomorrow might be horrid. You really never know. The best thing to do is to enjoy the moments of relative happiness and mobility we have today. So flex those knees, amigos, and appreciate those elbows. You never know when they may decided to explode, or spawn.

*This is not actually a famous Spanish expression. Yet.