Details

CHARACTERS: Narrator Pat, Alana, Tony the Manager of Pizza Dive, Raphael, work buddy Allan, Kitchen Staff, Hicho on Airplane, Alana’s mom Ikla, Eduardo at hostel, Andrew the white writer, John-Pierre and wife at airport, German Musician, Frowning waitress with TITS shirt, The Ubiquitous Traveling White Girls, Staff at Cabinas (Mom, daughters, husband), Ashley the Tico kid, Orlando, Monkey Toenail hippie activist, Semi-Famous Author Milton Chapman, Hammer Head, The Kitten Sisters, Andy the Childhood Friend. And assorted Ticos and Gringos…

- THEMES: 1) Connections vs. Differences, which has more value. 2) positive drama 3) idealism as a trap 4) beauty as power 5) is cultural idiocy o.k. 6) fiction vs. non-fiction (narrator keeps a great journal but is unable to work on this fiction project) 7) pot.

- REMEMBER RAPHAEL!

- The mugging scene by the giant white statue of Colonel sanders outside the youth hostel.

- Muggers are gentle. - Peaking at that Tica woman changing in the cabinas as I brushed my teeth my first night here.

- Alana always confidently saying "I don’t know" in response to English things she doesn’t understand.

- SFA speaks as if reciting the words while typing them out.

- Catching a certain angle on a glass of foamy beer in a glass can make you feel like you’re hanging with a famous television star.

- BEFORE SWANS: so much sleep my eyes sealed shut.

- Alana wearing her PIZZA DIVE shirt around town.

- People pinning chameleons to their shirts

- Mouse roulette at the rodeo.

- The Ubiquitous Traveling White Girls think the Keroack book was called The Awesome Traveler instead of The Lonesome Traveler; reflection of their blaring good vibes.

- "Traveling: when you do it once you just wanna do it more!"

- The old woman whacking crabs with a stick on the pier at night with the flashlight.

- Dancing chickens.

- SFA follows prostitute to high school, where he sees Alana’s sisters.

- THEN he gets the near fatal burn.

- "You’re not gonna kill yourself drinking beer." "Oh yes I am!"

- Moses, the little Tico baby, brandishing scissors at me as I type. I had to take them away.

- @ gringo bar, 1) They serve Mexican food for the gringos who think Costa Rica is Mexico 2) My chair tips over on the concrete so the whole village can hear it 3) overhear, "I’d pay $100 just to see her naked." With no laughter. Serious. Sincere.4) Water pooling on the tables. - "But, I am a redhead (FLA killed his hair).

- When entering the room after the swan attack; condoms in Alana’s garbage can.

- Alana and Pat decorating the classroom together. Hooker teacher.

- Overhearing Alana’s sisters dramatizing a conversation with me: a fight?

- REMEMBER: Pat needs to have a plane ticket home. (though no passport: nobody knows this about CR, that you don’t need a passport).

- Tica girls don’t like him cause they think he’s gay, which leads him to chase.

- The spark inside the shower head when it’s turned from cold to caliente.

- The colleges in FLA have low standards so that the locals can get in.

- SFA tells awesome funny stories when wasted.

- Asking for beer at the soda and they close their gates around us.

- Telling Andy not to destroy her wedding album and stuff.

- Corn starch down the pants to soak up sweat.

- A daughter named Pura.

- The word ‘admonition’.

- Quote Bell Jar about "The publication will hurt those close…" - Plath’s mom.

- On first seeing SFA’s house, "Why did you want the tent so bad? Sand in yr pussy?"

- Upon seeing his blister at the gringo party the UTWG say something about the herbs that would clear it up…plant spirit medicine.

- SFA yells across crowded rooms of Ticos.

- The difference when the two get high: SFA loud.

- Conflicting prostitute reports.

- TV in Dominical, watching Ice Hockey, picturing the guys girlfriend watching him scoring goals. His pretty closeup. Pat’s sad.

- The desire to talk about writing means you’re not really a writer.

- PLAGUED BY DREAMS THAT HE’s LOST ALANA.(and thus, love builds)

- Gray water in the drains: what people do in their sinks and showers.("Why CR has a soul, FLA doesn’t")

- Guy on the beach in Dominical calling em fucking gringo as if it were my fault.

- "I hang out with you because I think you’d be a good person to write my memoirs."

- SFA loves the word "overcompensation."

- Spider monkees in CR = lizards when I first came to FLA for college.

- Bugs tasting the glistening blister on my foot.

- In San Jose, hissing at muggers, brandishing a fishing pole.

- The shifting storefronts.

- Alana’s bruises on her arms when I undress her.

- SFA writes about boring Florida over Exciting adventure.

- Did I read about SFA’s mother?

- Asking for a knife, when thinking I was asking for a fan.

- Ticos don’t notice a clammy face.

- SFA always says "Mamma was great" no matter what.

- Realizing the address on the hat is Alana’s?

- HAMMERHEAD: why did he say: "don’t tell"?

- When the men whistle the women ALWAYS turn around, never learn.

- People telling Patrick he will be famous.

- Raphael decks SFA, gets mad at Pat for not protecting his sister.

- When Alana returns she’s wearing ABC shirt. Pat feels despair that he’s never seen her in any other clothes.

- Not learning Spanish "Keeps me away from pussy." Says, SFA.

- When bored, the process of getting drunk twice a day.

- "Most non-fiction is, in actuality, more factually, than the texts that pass as fiction these days."

- AT FIRST: cough stops after honey – eye twitching starts.

- SFA writes Marcus’ letter?