Not Every One's a Winner

Today was fairly dull by my standards so far. After class I ran errands & did laundry (at a place called "Coin Drop" in English instead of Spanish that actually had no coins or dropping as I had to pay 30 pesos per basket to a woman at the counter which included washer, dryer, soap, bleach & fabric softener). But I'd like to share a couple of things I've noticed which I think are interesting.

When the sanitation department sends it's guys around to pick up garbage, they don't just grab bags that have been left on the curb. Instead they have one guy who walks with the truck ringing a large town-crier bell, & people rush out of houses & businesses to hand over the trash. It reminds me so much of the "bring out your dead..." scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" that I really wish I had an old man & a wheelbarrow handy.

I've been pleased to notice that despite a preponderance of 7-11 & Oxxo convenience shops, they don't seem to get as much business as the guys who wheel out carts to street corners & sell drinks chilled by blocks of ice, prepackaged snacks, cigarettes & phone cards. There's a fellow literally right outside my front door & I've taken to chatting with him when we both have a little spare time as do quite a few of the neighborhood regulars. I've never had a pleasant conversation with the person behind the counter at a 7-11 & I suspect I never will so I hope these guys continue to rise above their corporate-owned counterparts. ¡Besos!