Heat plus Crazy, Religion and Bad Food

Extended Exposure to Heat and Political Upheaval are United

Have you ever noticed that so many of the conflicts you read about in the news or watch on TV come from areas where there is no snow? There are exceptions to every rule but do you know why we see conflicts from tropical climates? It's because of the freaking heat. Well that and if it's a catholic society god will forgive you if you kill, steal, violently overthrow governments or break all the 10 commandments if you confess to the crimes.  Religion bashing aside, if you wake up and it is already 35 degrees Celsius with no relief in sight and it has been that way every day for, well ever, it would make any sane person think crazy thoughts. Now I am not talking about a 10 day all inclusive beach resort kind of mind fuck where you can sleep in air conditioned rooms, gorge yourself on mounds of food in air conditioned dining rooms or find relief in the ocean for a few minutes until the fear of sharks overwhelms you. The shark thing is my thing.

I am talking about waking up and showing off the night's sweats regardless of the fan that has been on all night. Then while walking the 10 minutes for coffee you are drenched. You shower and changing your shirt 2 or three times a day kind of agony is what I am talking about.  What happens after a while is you really stop giving a shit. The same shirt gets worn three days in a row, no shower today because well I do not care (it really happens trust me) and yes I will go into that restaurant in this sweat stained t-shirt.  Compound that with the roosters at 3 am, the dogs that bark all night long and I mean all night long. Drivers that can't, markets and streets that stink, garbage everywhere, bad music, usually 80s and 90s pop, blaring from every shop and the constant quiet fear of the Gunya. This is when the ability to cause crimes against humanity can enter your psyche.  The constant long term exposure to the sun and the heat does weird things to a person.

Leon and Chinandega are a few of the hottest places in Nicaragua. An easy escape is to Las Pienitas and a day at the beach or a 5 dollar, 3 hour microbus ride to the cool climes of Esteli and Matagalpa, the short bus ride to Grenada or a weekend climbing volcanoes on Ometepe. This usually pushed the inner lunatic back into its cage.  I could probably give a TED talk about the relationship between long exposures to the sun's rays and political coups.  I have tno facts, no research or expert input. I figure if FOX and CNN can run multi-billion dollars news (?) organizations using that same model I can do an 18 minute TED talk. Hang on, TED talks are substantive. Maybe I will create a YouTube Channel and hope the lunatic fringe follows along.

A Thought About Food
I was a vegetarian for a month and celebrated with a burger. I try to eat healthy but you have to treat yourself to Burger King at least twice a month. No pizza for me, I will have the salad. I am going to cut out wheat, sugar, dairy or any number of other items. How many of these have you said or heard. I believe that as much as people try most are what they are when it comes to food, myself included. Yes there are uplifting stories of people changing their food habits and altering their life for the better. Fat Sick and Nearly Dead is one of them.

For me, a week of salad, rice and veggies, chicken and veggies, salad beans and veggies, veggie bean stir fry and beans and rice and veggies on a whole wheat taco is ALWAYS followed up by Wings, PIzza or any number of high salt/fat and delicious food choices. I will not lie, I am what I am when it comes to food. Like most I will not fully change until I get a scare or it is too late.

My food crack, in no particular order is, Chicken wings, pizza, pepperettes, chef boy are dee, doritos, pepsi, snickers, Timmies maple dip, assorted no tomatoes with hot peppers,  blue berry pop tarts, and MacDonald Fries. There it is, what I hammer into my colon whenever I get the chance and because I have people who care for me, whenever I am alone and nobody is watching. "Eat like nobody is watching"

I do my best when I comes to eating but sometimes the train just runs off the rails and its rail cars strewn everywhere. If I have a salad then its followed bya snickers and a pepsi. Veggie stir fry well then it is wings, pizza and another snickers. What? fruit entered your system. You need grease, salt, sugar, anything fried and monopsudogludamate (just taking a shot at the spelling)

Good food. I feel better when I eat it. Bad food, I feel more satisfied when I devour it. What is the answer? Of course it is in balance, moderation..blah blah blah. The real answer is if you want it then eat the nasty bad for your colon meal. You are not now nor will you ever be an elite athlete. And if you do extend your life by 5 years because you ate healthy those 5 years at the end of your life you will probably be eating applesauce and oatmeal and pooping your pants three times a week. So eat and live now!

Sunday Fun Day at the Cathedral

It was another Sunday and another odd celebration at the Cathedral on another sunny day in Leon. As I sat on a bench in the Central Park sipping my morning coffee I notice a crowd gathering in front of the cathedral. They are packed a shaded area as nobody standing in the sun in Nicaragua. I see a technician pulling wires from inside the Cathedral to a waiting camera mid square. Just then a band starts playing from a side stage I did not see and rocking the microphone was an older priest wearing his Sunday best. With his white and purple frock blowing from a fan in front of the stage he has the crowd that has gathered singing along to a tribute to the Conception de Maria. Yes sir, the Maria party is still going strong.

To my immediate right I heard singing and chanting and to no surprise a long line of people marching behind a group of priests (what is a group of priests called anyways?) who were walking and chanting towards the front door of the cathedral. All this before 9AM on a Sunday.

The rocking Priest we will call Judas. So Judas Priest stopping singing leaps off the stage which was about 3 or 4 feet high and without missing a beat walks to join the surging masses. It was impressive to say the least.  Everyone converges in front of the Cathedral doors which open to shouts of "quien causo tanta alegeria!" (oh man here we go again) and into the church they go, singing and shouting.  Religious passion sure is ripe here in Leon.