Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging

No story tonight. Just trying to be arty and not being very arty.
I'm trying to learn how to use the Appleworks stuff, but it's all in español and not always clear about what to do.
So, no threat to Madpriest or St. Pat at this time!

The Great Wall of Parque Lefevre

Some of you may remember that back in February someone stole the electrical cables of the church, leaving us without electricity during Vacation Bible School Week. They even returned a week later and stole some more cables. Well, the guy who was doing this was arrested, so that's stopped for now. The cyclone fence between the church property and the abandoned house next door (which has been purchased by Instituto Episcopal San Cristóbal) was trampled and destroyed during the robberies. We are replacing the fence with a concrete bloque wall ($2000.00 +!). Yesterday Mr. Green, our Senior Warden, and I took on the incredible bureaucracy which is the Government of Panamá to get the proper permits. Work started today! Here be photos.

1. Area for the wall. When I first saw that graffiti, I thought the Nigerians were after us, but it says CALA, not CANA!
2. More of that
3. And even more!
4. The Great Wall of Parque Lefevre
5. This will keep the hairy barbarians at bay!
6. The Wall is coming along.
7. This is our lot in which we once had a community center. The building was falling apart so I had to close it. Then it became an Attractive Nuisance, attracting the sort of person who ingests the smoke of rock cocaine, so I had the building torn down. We have drawings for a building, but the estimated cost is $1,000,000.00, which is a bit prohibitive.

Friday Random Ten

Thanks again to everyone for the birthday wishes, and especially to a certain person in Guatemala who channeled greetings from the majority of the cast of the ever-popular Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging which will appear later today.

iTunes on shuffle produced this list, except for the last piece, which I chose. 'cuz I can.

1. That's Entertainment The Jam
2. Sacrificial Bonfire XTC
3. Nothing New The Social Club
4. Lowside of the Road Tom Waits
5. Spider The Might Be Giants
6. Good Night The Beatles
7. Sharkey's Night Laurie Anderson
8. Psalmus III (Monteverdi) Taverner Consort
9. Blind Love Tom Waits
10. The Bends Radiohead

And super groovy day-after-birthday-bonus: 11. Birthday Boy Residents

The Social Club (#3) is a band from San José, California, who were part of our First Strike Musician's Collective. I produced their album Flogging Peasants, and this song is from that album. We had a lot of fun with those guys.

It's Padre Mickey's Birthday!! Happy Birthday, Padre!!!!

In our house, we always played the following two birthday songs for the birthday person. And they are:

Happy Birthday - Altered Images
Birthday Boy - Residents

To Padre, I dedicate these two songs.

First, as always,
Happy Birthday - Altered Images

happy birthday, happy birthday
happy birthday, happy birthday
happy birthday, happy birthday

happy, happy birthday in a hot bath
to those nice nice nights
i remember always, always
i got such a fright
seeing them in my dark cupboard
with my great big cake
if they were me
if they were me
and i was you
and i was you
if they were me
if they were me
and i was you
and i was you
if they were me and i was you
would you have liked a present too?

happy birthday, happy birthday


And now, the scary birthday song so loved by my husband and children,
Birthday Boy!!

Bulging eyes abound about
The birthday boy today;
Screaming, "Creaming eyes!"
Screamed he,
His mother looked away.
"Creaming eyes explode upon
An apple pirate toad
And if an injun ate a plate
I'd laugh and live abode."

Nervousness itself was shifting
Guests against the door,
"Forgive us dear, but, uh, baking beer
Is what we should be near."
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said,
"Bye," the bothered birthday boy said.
"Bye or sell or bye."


Other great birthday songs: Birthday by the Beatles, huh, I know there's more. What are your favorite birthday songs?
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Doggies doggies doggies

While were on the dog thang, Dennis has an awe inspiring blog at psychology, dogs, politics and wine, which are all things true Christians love. I know that everyone already reads it daily, but just in case, Padre says "check it out!"

We Loves Us Some Clumber

Clumber is a good dog and we loves him and everyone should read his blog everyday. Do It!!!

A Joke And A Cartoon

I don't know why this joke makes me think of Grandmère Mimi.
From Planet Bollywood
A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial--a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he,too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, he has a drinking problem. The man can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him."

At this point the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be in jail for contempt within 5 minutes!"

And now the cartoon

I really hate this war, and I'm not too fond of the evil presnit and his vice presnit who lied us into this mess.
I have two parishioners over in Iraq right now. We pray for their safety every day. Juan and Keith, we love you!!
It's time to end the war and to impeach and imprison Bush and Cheney.

Wednesday in Parque Lefevre

It's Missionary Work Day here at the Dance Party!

Every Wednesday, after the 7:30 am Healing Mass, I go visit the sick and shut-in with a group of ladies. Today Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Drake went with me to visit Mrs. Hamilton at her home and then on to see Mrs. Archibold. Our last stop was the Cordoba Home, a rest home around the corner from Mrs. Archibold. We used to visit Cordoba Home because we had three parishioners living there. They have passed away but we still go there every two months or so as we have become close to the folks. We also visit the Katherine Brown Home and Tender Loving Care Home. TLC Home isn't that cooperative; they are a Seventh Day Adventist institution and they really don't like Episcopalians coming in with our wine and all. The folks at the Cordoba Home love to sing, and they know all the Bible verses we read and say them along while we read them. We do a bilingual service there; I switch between español and english. After Communion I anoint each person with oil and pray with them. We also bring the Reserved Sacrament and oil to Mrs. Cordoba, the owner of the home, who had a stroke last year. She's coming around quite well and looks better every time we visit.

The first two photos are of the residents gathering for the service. The last photo is of Albert and his new harmonica. The harmonica is red, like his shirt. He always accompanies us on his harmonica. We usually start with me choosing the hymns, and then Albert starts suggesting a few, and then he just starts playing whatever he wants, and then I finally ask him to stop for a minute so that we can pray and continue with the service. It's a lot of fun! I always give him a dollar afterwards, since as a former church musician I believe in paying the musicians (he spends the money on ice cream, or so he claims. But you know church musicians!).

Monday at the hogar

Here's some fotos of us playing go fish at the Hogar. First I read a story to Sinilda and whoever wanted to hang around. They all get restless easily, so it's hard to read a story without a lot of interruptions or them going through other books.

We then played go fish which is now very popular. At one point there were 6 of us playing. Not only do we count the cards afterwards, we go through the letters that they have.

foto 1: Carla watching Sinilda deal the cards.

foto 2: Estefani and Enibeth.

foto 3 & 4: Maria Isabel and Estefani. I like the flying card.

foto 5: Raquel. This is her first time to play with us. The first time I met her was when she was about 5 or 6. I was visiting the hogar with a group of teens from the States. She was starving for hugs and insisted on being held by one of us the whole time she was there. I held her for quite a while before she moved onto someone else.

Tom Toles

13 Floor Elevators

I'm listening to the best psychedelic band to ever walk the earth, the 13 Floor Elevator. The Lovely Mona found this live album on cd back when we lived in Berkeley, and I have always loved it. I also have their first album on cd. My friend Mike Evans turned me on to this band. He lived in San Francisco, and every time we went to visit him and his lovely wife Paula, back in the early 1970's, we would end up dropping acid and listening to the first 13 Floor Elevator album. It seemed that Creature Features would also be showing "Godzilla and the Smog Monster" on that night, too. I have never seen that film straight.
The13 Floor Elevator featured my hero Roky Erikson, and this incredible jug player, who also appears on the live album. You really gotsta check them out!!!

The Executive Director of the Dance Party Institute® Speaks

We are at a grave moment of crisis, my friends. Our dear friend and supporter of our Great and Important Work, the Madpriest, who has a blog which I know all of you read, Of Course, I Could Be Wrong, has been nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award in the field of Religion. Please, go here and vote for the Madpriest's blog. If you don't, the Satanists will have won, along with the terrorists and George W. Bush's White House. And it will all be your fault.

Vote early and vote often!

Padre Mickey de Panamá, Executive Director of the Dance Party Institute®, with the permission of the Lovely Mona.

Unveiling the Dance Party Institute®

Padre Mickey's Dance Party™ is the Journal of the Dance Party Institute®.

Board of Directors
Executive Director: Padre Mickey de Panamá
President: The Rt. Rev. Red Mr. Peanut Bank, Bishop of All Legumes and Vegetables
Vice President: His Most Shriekiness, the Rt. Rev. Gallito Mescalito
Secretary: Mr. Chompita's Chewed-up Squeaky Kittytoy.
Keeper of the Cool Coloured Paper Clips: Señorita Chompita Wiggletail
Actual True Boss of Everything™: The Lovely Mona
The Rev. Göran Koch-Swahne: Senior Theological Fellow and Only Swedish Fellow
Leonardo Ricardo: Senior Ranter and Artist Fellow
Luis Coelho: Our Man In Brasil Fellow

We have lots of Members™, Supporters™, Followers™, Soft Touches™, Deep Pockets™, and Super Secret Big Time Enablers Who Don't Want Their Names Used But, Boy, Would You Be Impressed If You Saw Their Names, I'm Not Joking! You Would Be Amazed!!™
Here is a partial list in no particular order:
Caminante
Eileen the Episcopali-fem
Matty Boy
Jane R
Pseudopiskie
Grandmère Mimi
KJ
Rev. Ref+
Madpriest
Juanuchis
St. Pat
Rasberry Rabbit
Tía Sue
El Almirante de Moralidad
Padre Xico
"John" who is really a big deal but we're keeping it secret
"Jake" not his real name
Dennis
"Woan Rilliams" "Barchishop Do Crakerburry" Yeah, he wants it kept secret, too!
And anyone else who has left a comment here, including a cast of hundreds, except that gal who insulted Leonardo and was confused because we were doing the Lord's work but don't believe the Bible is Infallible. See, we just add names and stuff like the ACI.

The Dance Party Institute® is a part of the Real Live Orthodox Episcopal Anglican Protestant Catholic Pentecostal Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian Church of All the Americas and Actually the Entire Globe; Yeah, that's Right, We Include the Global South, the Global North AND the Global Center, So Where Else Ya Gonna Go? also known as the RLOEAPCPEFCCAAAEGYRWIGSGNAGCSWEYGG or The True, Really, I Mean It, Church™

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My Plan For World Domination

As you can see by the map on the right, my plan for world domination is coming along. I have all of North and Central America and most of South America. I own Europe, the Middle East, and most of Asia (if this was a game of Risk I'd be kickin' ass!). However, the Russians, Africans, and Australians really aren't cooperating. But since I've only been at this since October 30, I think I'll have the world in another six months. Then I'll turn it all over to Fluffy.

Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging With A Cast Of Several!!

The Boys have decided to start a Night Club, El Club de los Conejos de Panamá I'm not sure they quite understand the concept.





1. Red Mr. Peanut Bank Bunny: "And I said, 'We really need a place where an inanimate object can be posed for photos AND have a drink, like the Playboy Club in Chicago!'"
Wooden Kuna Woman Bunny: "¡Es una idea muy bonita!¨
Señor Cantinero Bunny: "¡Mucha gente en la cantina esta noche! ¿Verdad, Señor Gallito Mescalito Conejo?"
Gallitio Mescalito Bunny: ¿Shriieek? ¡¡Shriieeekk!!

2.
Mr. Matching Bow Tie and Overalls Bunny Bunny: "And I said, 'What kind of Club de Conejo doesn't serve a MacGreggor's Hoe? (Vodka and Carrot Juice)
Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kittytoy enters
Señor Caninero Bunny: "¡Bienvenidos a el Club de los Conejos de Panamá!"
Gallito Mescalito Bunny: "¡Shriek! ¡Shrrriiieeeekkk!"
Mr. Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kittytoy: "Er, yeah, Buenos Tardes a ustedes."

3. Mr. Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kittytoy whispering: I dunno, dere's somtin' weird about dis place, but I can't put my finguh on it.

4. Red Mr. Peanut Bank Bunny: I'm sorry sir, but if you are going to stay here you must adhere to the dress code.
Señor Caninero Bunny: ¡Chuletas!

5. Waddya 'spect me ta do? I wanna drink!!

Double Friday Random Top Ten With Bonus #11

Well, we didn't do this last week, so we are making up for it. The iTunes gave a great random top ten. I left the shuffle on and the next eleven were so good I decided to add them, too!

1. Three and Nine Roxy Music
2. Human Alchemy XTC
3. Soul Sister, Brown Sugar Sam and Dave
4. Complicated Game XTC
5. Zero Hour The Plimsouls
6. Cumbia De Los Muertos Ozomatli
7. Gidget Goes To Hell Suburban Lawns
8. Rum Lord Kitty
9. The Day They Might Be Giants
10. Soy Solo Para Ti Victor Boa y Su Musica

Two songs by Panamanian artists AND Gidget Goes to Hell!



1. Muffy King Missle
2. You Get What You Deserve Big Star
3. Loquebantur Varlis Linguis The Choir of King's College, Cambridge
4. Riverside Kirk Franklin
5. 1000 Umbrellas XTC
6. Hong Kong Garden Siouxsie & the Banshees
7. Chess Piece Face They Might Be Giants
8. 52 Girls The B-52's
9. O Rubor Sanguinis (Hildegard von Bingen) Sequentia
10. Fond Youth Is A Bubble (Thomas Tallis) Theatre of Voices & The Kings Noyse
And Bonus #11 No Creo Shakira

Come on, too cool! Big Star, Siouxie Sue, The B-52's AND Shakira!!

I've Been Tagged!

Eileen the Episcopali-fem has tagged me with this "Six Weird Things" meme.
According to the rules I must:
1. Reveal six weird things about yourself on your blog, and
2. Tag six people to do the same.

This will be quite difficult as I am, as you will soon learn, as normal as can be and really don't do anything one might consider weird. I hope that you are still awake once you reach the end of the list.

1. I sings songs to Chompita about Chompita, but there's nothing weird about that...

2. I pose inanimate objects about the house and take photos of them, but most people do that.

3. I create stories and dialogue for those photos, but who wouldn't?

4. I tend to count repetitive motions, as do all decent, right-thinking people.

5. We have coloured plastic clothes pins. When I hang up the laundry I must use matching coloured clothes pin, and set up a pattern throughout the clothes-line such as purple, orange, green, purple, orange, green, or one line all purple clothes pins, the next all green, and the next all orange clothes pin. We have six clothes-lines so I can go through each colour twice. But I'm pretty sure that Jesus would do the same thing.

6. I had catalogued the DVDs by genre, release date, and importance, but the Lovely Mona claimed that she couldn't find anything and put everything in alphabetical order. I still think my method makes more sense.

So, there ya go, nothin' exciting or weird here! Move along. Just as normal as can be.

I tag: Matty Boy, Janis (Juanuchis), Rev. Ref+, St. Pat, Luiz, and Psuedopiskie

UPDATE
So far everyone except Luiz and Janis have done their part. There have been no visits to the Dance Party from Brasil or West Virginia for the past two days. 'sup wit dat?
I've been following this meme as it wends its way through the Episcopal Blogosphere and am amazed at how many of our clergy appear to have minor cases of ocd. 'sup wit dat?

This has been a visit from the Alter Guild

Talking Drum

My friend the Rev. Bill Phillips is a retired UCC minister. I met him and his wife Betty here in Panama, and they are part of our extended family, which means they were regulars on Thanksgiving. Betty Phillips was Mona's voice teacher. We spent the election of 2004 watching the presidental debates at their home in Balboa. On the night of the 2004 election, Bill and I began the evening sharing a bottle of Irish whisky. By the end of the evening we had killed the bottle, not in celebration but in desperation.

Bill sent me this poem yesterday, and it is posted here with his permission.

Talking Drums
by Bill Phillips

Beyond America singing,
I hear The beating of hearts
Messages across boundries of
Awakened memory
And emergent soul-
A pulse beat,
A pounding
That will not sleep.
I am talking of talking drums
And hands that part the night
With messages that grow louder,
Rising from the smoke
And kettle water
Of one village
And one hope.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Perhaps There Is Something To Those Tests...

Nicked from Bartcop.com

Happy Wednesday of Easter From The Boys

Cute lil' bunny tails!!

Padre Mickey Goes On And On About Fruits And Nuts

Panama is a major exporter of bananas. The majority of our bananas go to Europe. The bananas they sell to the rest of us here in Panama are those not good enough for export, but they're still better than anything you lot buy in your local Super. They are ripe and tasty! So I was a bit surprised when I read this article yesterday. I also heard a report on the same subject on NPR (I listen to KQED-FM, just like I did back in Berkeley. Thanks, iTunes!) that morning. I wasn't so surprised by the idea of selling single, ripe bananas; that makes a lot of sense. I was surprised when the reporter on the radio said that the individual bananas sold at the same price as candy bars: "$.75 to $.99." Now, I'll admit, I haven't bought a candy bar in ages (and I mean geological ages), but I really didn't know that estadoünidense were paying that much for a candy bar. Sheesh! Waddaya hand out on Hallowe'en now? You'd save money giving away nickles! The article in the newspaper claimed that bananas sell for $.69 per pound. I've been in Panama too long; we pay about $.10 per pound. If the Lovely Mona were to purchase $.69 worth of bananas, we'd be swimming in them! If she buys too many right now she consumes the majority of them in smoothies. We also make ice cream from them. ¿"Ice cream from bananas" you ask? Yes! I don't consume much refined sugar anymore, and we have this great raw-food-vegan recipe. Slice several bananas, freeze them overnight. Take them out of the freezer for five minutes then run them through the food processor or liquidora until they have a creamy, whipped consistency. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon or pour on organic maple syrup and eat! ¡Qué rico!

So, ever wonder why cashews cost so much? Well, we grow those here in Panama, too. They look like this when they are growing. See? One cashew per fruit! It takes a mess o' dem for one lousy can at yer local Piggly-Wiggly. We buy them for a dollar a bag at intersections while waiting for the traffic light to change. If they don't roast them enough ya could die!!! I loves da risk!!!

So, you learned a lot about fruit and nuts on Easter Tuesday.

¡Feliz Pascua! Happy Easter!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Christ is risen but the rest of us are exhausted!!
I'm trying to rest today. Last week the display for the macmini went on the fritz, so we took it to the shop today. It's under warranty but will take a month to be replaced. So I may purchase a crt display just to keep things functioning for a while. Mona needs the macmini to do her homework for school. We have the eMac at the house right now, which leaves me with nothin' at de choich.

So, here are some photos of the Easter celebrations at Parroquia Episcopal San Cristóbal. We had three baptisms at the Easter Vigil. I sang the Exsultet and sang the first part en español and the second in english; that was first! Mona is the godmother of Alberto Esteban Sotero, eleven years-old. A four month-old baby, Alexandra Vanessa and an eighteen year-old young woman, Diana, were also baptized. We had our Easter Sunrise Service in english at 6:00 am. We had an Easter miracle at that service; a member of the parish stood up during the announcements, came forward and handed Mrs. Norma Blackman, a member of the Vestry and the person giving the announcements, an envelope with $1,000.00 cash for the fence we need to build. The cost of the fence is around $2300.00, and we had raised $1100.00, so her generous donation means we can start the work! (The old cyclone fence was destroyed back in February when the electrical cables were stolen. We decided to put up a wall instead of a cyclone fence this time around).
La Misa Pascual was at 10:30 am. The Lovely Mona and I got home about 1:00 pm. We ate lunch and I took a nice two hour nap, but I'm still tired today.











1. The New Paschal Fire.
2. Padre Luis lights the Paschal Candle while Padre Mickey blesses incense.
3. Alberto is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4. Alberto is sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever.
5. Censing the gifts
6. Alberto with his mother and the Lovely Mona, his Madrina
7. Early arrivals for the sunrise service. Look, it's still dark outside!
8. Padre Cáceres made this banner at a workshop conducted by folks from St. Mary's-of-the-Hills in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, held at the Bishop Shirley Camp and Conference Center in Santa Clara on March 17, 2007.
9. Coro de Jovenes en la Misa Pascual
10. Evan (the Littlest Drummer) finds an Easter Egg and glories in his treasure while his mom tries to get his attention for a fóto
11. Hillary (on the right) and her friend are ready to hunt for Easter Eggs.

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