harvard kid dies

a member of our graduating class died friday morning in his native san juan. i didn't know him, but i was friends with his blockmates. they were all great guys and hard partiers. he died in a car crash on la avenida ashford, a 2 mile street that crosses from puerta de tierra (where we stay) through the posh condado casino district and onward to santurce. my brother and i have walked its entire length several times between the caribe hilton and a small italian place at the far end of ashford. they serve medallas, presidentes, negra modelos, and also great specialty pizzas on those platters that lift the pizza at least twelve inches off the table. to me san juan is a quiet city all over, the kind of place that's summer all year around. not just the sun and the surf, but the attitude and mentality associated with the place. although i'm sure even in condado there are thousands of waitresses trying to scrape together a living. spending long stretches of their lives in the struggle. an article in el nuevo dia said that he lost control of his car at 5am friday morning on the condado stretch of ashford. i'm sure he was completely mashed at the time. 5am is probably one of the worst times of the day.