Catholic kitsch

That old routine again I have gotten to know so well. Frantically trying to accomplish "progress" under this illusion that I still have a "life" outside of the all encompassing responsibilities of teaching this course! Wishful thinking some may say, but I remain defiant doing my best to fill in the big gaps. Finding time just for myself, talking to my friends, family, people I care about far away, being there, and not here for a little bit before we are gone off the map, off communications for days and weeks at a time.

We leave for La Libertad tomorrow morning and there are many things for the course and myself to attend to before dropping off the map. Running errands past other bustling pedestrians on the narrow cobblestone walks. Hither and yon, this and that. Passing under the arches of the old cathedral in the centro. Pausing to snap a shot of bright candles, crucifixes, holy pamphlets, and rosary beads leading up to the huge brass doors. A kaleidiscopic of colors and symbolism, Catholic kitsch under the ancient stone archways.