With the bad comes the good
Last Sunday started off badly for me: I fell in a hole. This is always a risk in Caracas, as this picture shows. In my case, I was crossing the street and watching traffic—one nearly always needs to "thread the needle" as it were—and I stepped directly into a grate which was missing some bars. I didn’t slide in, didn’t trip on the hole, I went right in. And down a couple of feet.
The immediate danger this entailed was that, now sitting in the street, I would get hit by a car. Luckily, I didn’t, and also luckily, my leg wasn’t broken (as I feared at first). "Walk it off," as they say (but which is easier when you’re young and fall a lot—this made me realize how rarely I fall).
The second bad thing was mixed with a good thing. We went to a nice gastronomy festival in the totally cute Plaza Candelaria (which also contains an excellent outdoor gym, concrete barbells and all). I got some stewed lamb, which only barely beat out the rabbit, and upon starting to eat, discovered a medium-sized cockroach, fully intact, in my meal. Now, I like to think that this wouldn’t bother me, but it did a bit, and it was only the deliciousness of the lamb which allowed me to continue…
But the good: I scored a hella cool Tupamaros belt, which made me forget the bad…
That’s wicked gross. I can’t help but ask, though - how did the roach test?
Sorry you fell in a hole.
Comment by Nate — September 30, 2006 @ 5:04 pm
taste, I mean.
Comment by Nate — September 30, 2006 @ 5:04 pm
I don’t know which is worse, the hole or the roach. Just don’t drop one of those barbells on your foot.
Comment by Peter — October 2, 2006 @ 1:15 am
I didn’t eat the cockroach. I ate around it. But surely it would have tasted exactly like the lamb, just a bit more crunchy.
Comment by Ignorant Schoolmaster — October 2, 2006 @ 10:52 am
I see. So did you pull the roach out or did you leave it, kinda like a toothpick in a sub sandwich?
Comment by Nate — October 3, 2006 @ 11:54 am
I took it out, dude. At first it was sitting on the side, but the wife made me cover it up cause it was looking at her.
Comment by Ignorant Schoolmaster — October 3, 2006 @ 11:58 am
I see. Did you cover it up by putting it back in the sandwich? If so, gross. Did the wife let you kiss her before thoroughly sanitizing your mouth first? If so, gross. If not, gross. (Kissing is gross.)
Comment by Nate — October 4, 2006 @ 1:24 am
dude, i ask you to post some comments and all you want to talk about is cockroaches!
Comment by Ignorant Schoolmaster — October 4, 2006 @ 10:40 am
hahaha. i’m sorry. i don’t mean to laugh at your misfortune, but i remember many moons ago, you observed that political theorists at berkeley were always FALLING. well, you have belatedly joined the club, in a truly magnificent fashion. i mean, i’ve never fallen IN A HOLE before.
Comment by sharon — October 4, 2006 @ 10:46 am
My bad. Sorry.
Comment by Nate — October 5, 2006 @ 11:32 am
at least one good fall is like a tonic for the soul.
Comment by robyn — October 23, 2006 @ 3:46 pm
hello i am from vermont, may i add you as i friend?
Comment by пицца в люберцах — November 24, 2008 @ 11:03 am