Journal, March 29, 1977 PM

Things usually manage to royally cross up our expectations. Reading over my entry for March 24th, I note that the expectation of dining with Steve Pamperin was not fulfilled. He and Jaime {Olson} had a fiesta {party} at work and came back late. <I didn’t wait for them because Sofia was feeling sickly.> I had left her at her folk’s and didn’t want to hang around the Campos Gonzalez house too long alone, knowing how fiestas with PCVs {Peace Corps Volunteers} often last into the night. <My expectation that Sofia was better was blown to bits too.> She didn’t feel normal again until she finished taking the Ampicillin pills.

Steve & Jaime showed up red-eyed & drowsy to have a drink with us and talk a bit. They’d kind of expected I’d wait longer. It was better I didn’t. <It spared them seeing Sofia vomit supper.>

Saturday I went to La Guacima to visit Jaime & Steve. I had to take a bus because I was too late to go with Neil {Dingot}. <I let Sofia set the alarm & she didn’t realize that you have to pull out the stem.> I made it and met a few of the trainees. I also rapped with Neil a bit, and saw the hole for their silo.

We went to Alajuela on Sunday, ostensibly to show Steve around, and walked into the middle of a “Festival de las Flores {Flowers}.” We went by Skip Baker’s place. It was good to see him again. He and Neil Dingot are such a pair of sharpies, but not just sharp, really intelligent, business oriented types. Skip is headed to the States (New Hampshire) with wife Ana & baby sons Michael and Alexander. Looks like he’s giving up the life of the petty wheeler-dealer a la Costa Rica to go up north and look for something more stable & settled. Skip’s got the education, experience and brains to do miracles in some company’s international division. He’ll have no problems.

He’s into raising kids through the difficult years right now. Long, lanky, red-haired Skip with his huge handlebar below the long, pointed schnoz is a loving father (in his semi-cynical, tongue-in-cheek way). He doesn’t care if his son is an athlete he drawls, just so he’s President of the U.S. or something! With tiny, petite, teeny-bopperish-looking Ana they make an unlikely pair of progenitors for two robust, healthy little boys. But it is so. <I hope Sofia & I have as cute a pair of offspring (but not for 5-7 years).>

<Sofia was back in the pink of health Sunday.> She out ate everyone (Jaime, Steve & I included) at lunch, and was full of energy and antojos (impulsive desires). Last night we went to a bachelor party for Renán {Molina} (my lab partner at work), and I believe she out drank me! She had more energy left this morning too! {some text not transcribed}