Thoroughly enjoying my trip to the us except for the fact that I have been stricken with an all out Allergy assault. My eyes are killing me and my nose wont stop running. I’ve let my facial hair grow out some to cover the redness on my neck and cheeks. Im sure the minute I lift off the ground on Monday It’ll miracously go away. I hate that.
I’ve peppered my visit with business and pleasure, shopping for American essentials and configuring my baggage for the electronics contraband I plan on taking back into Costa Rica. Im excited to be smuggling in a Tivo, as DVR’s are non existent there. I wont be able to enjoy the Tivo Service (not available in Central America), but will be able to enjoy the DVR features. Oprah and I will be back on speaking terms this time next week.
As expected, I’ve missed some parts of Costa Rica and others not. Francisco has called me everyday, twice a day. I think it’s safe to say he misses me. I let him stay at my house, he’s been sleeping with my shirt wrapped around a pillow. It’s cute and sad all rolled up into one. Needless to say I’m looking forward to seeing him. Im Not looking forward to the non air-conditioned existence I live there.
So Stratocade and JohninTexas and I have finally planned booked our trip to Europe in August. Thanks to Strotocade’s Airline Mastery, we are good to go on our $33.00 biz class fares to Rome. We spent hours figuring out intra Europe cities, airfares and hotels, and have finally put it all together.
Here’s the Iten:
Toronto-Rome-Barcelona-Sitges-London-Berlin-Munich-Cyprus-Milan.
All in 17 days. Which will only put a dent in my 6-weeks of vacation I get from work, just insane. I’m looking forward to this trip because it’s not Europe on 5 dollars a day, but a well choreographed, 5-star experience thanks to Stratocades international travel acumen and Mr. Big Stuff influence.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Coming to America to get Lemons.
Like Eddie Murphy, Im Coming to America tomorrow for an extended biz trip. Im hitting San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston and of course Austin.
Top 5 Things im looking forwad to:
1. Seeing my friends
2. Air conditioning
3. Television thats not subtitled
4. Paved Roads
5. The Sun (haven't seen it in almost a month)
I'll be towing my 2 gargantuan suitcases for transporting contraban back into Costa Rica. Things like home electronics, bed sheets, medicine and lemons..Yes Lemons, they dont frickin' grow here. Hows that for f*$*ed up?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
SHOCKING!!!!
...not really...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A $200 bottle of champagne from Hooters and $300 worth of "Girls Gone Wild" videos were among items bought with debit cards handed out by FEMA to help hurricane Katrina victims, auditors probing $1 billion in potential waste and fraud have found. Other charges cataloged: $250 liquor sale, $600 Strip Club charge, $400 Divorce Lawyer, $800 online gambling charge.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Love is a Battlefield.
I get asked a lot how I feel about gay Marriage and it’s proposed constitutional ban. I typically supply the best, most obvious “canned response” I can conjure up. But with the recent media attention on this subject I’ve been forced to think more about it. My honest opinion, being a gay person of the world, is that it’s perfectly fine for 2 consenting adults to engage in an emotional, committed, contractual relationship. Whether that’s called a “marriage” or “partnership” makes no difference to me whatsoever. All I want are my “inalienable” rights as a citizen of this country. On the Constitutional Ban, I think it’s absurd that our leadership would promote legislation that would, for the first time in constitutional history, place language in the most important legislative document we have that actively discriminates against a sizable population of this country. That in and of itself should shake people to their very core, despite their feelings about the subject matter.
Often, right wing conservative Christians justify their hate mongering by using responses like “were not discriminating against gays, were defining the word marriage”. Or the ever popular “the bible says marriage is an act between a man and a woman”. Well any intelligent human being on this earth fully understands that if your “definition” of marriage omits a certain population, you are in fact, discriminating against them. Plain and simple. The religious in this country have done a bang-up job of selectively accepting humanity as their own. Permitting themselves to choose who and what they accept as people and using biblical references (that are often mistranslated and out-of-date) to justify their feelings towards the groups they don’t accept. It’s interesting that some of the most bigoted people I know go to church every single Sunday. People like the Rev. (loose term) Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church who spews his backbiting, terminological inexactitude whenever he can and plots grossly inappropriate and irreverent funeral protests, because he’s so convinced that the gays are destroying the earth. (Yes, he’s clearly a latent homosexual who has to go ridiculous extremes to keep his true sexuality at bay. Hell have a great time in hell with the rest of us) The dichotomy Mr. Phelps represents is appalling really, but it also thankfully helps discredit him to most Americans who actually know their ass from a hole in the wall.
Personally I’m flattered and amazed that so many in this country consider my personal life such a threat to their very existence. It’s sad that these people have lost their sphere of influence over their families and themselves. I had no idea me and my gay friends meant so much to so many people. These folks have allowed virtual strangers to dictate their personal mental and emotional security and now they’ve decided to gain back their “moral” ground by supporting the dehumanization of other citizens. They have the gaw to use an ancient text as their foundational argument, because the know intellectually it holds no water. Life is about individualism, for gays and straights. Smart, adjusted people teach their families to be individuals no matter what (or who) they see around them. Stupid, uneducated people fall victim to social, religious and political influence time and time again. Unfortunately, this country seems to be chocked full of stupid people who use religion and bigotry as comfort food for their souls not thinking for a second about the personal and emotional impact this has on the gay and lesbian population.
I don’t believe for one second that this latest attempt at political gay bashing was organically grown. It’s a well plotted, hot topic issue that’s been regurgitated again by the religious conservatives to divert attention away from the massive political, social, and economic failures they have helped recently usher in this country. I’m ashamed of the republicans as a whole for pushing a socio-religious agenda when theres a devastating war going on. I’m saddened that we (including the media) are focusing on gay marriage when people are paying 60+ dollars to fill up their gas tanks. It’s beyond pathetic that our country devotes any amount of time to this subject when our borders (another loose term) resemble swiss cheese and there’s a hit floating out there with our name on it. But I’m most saddened by my fellow Americans willingness to deny their compatriots the same rights and freedoms they enjoy; Their use of the Bible as a divisive instrument of hate; And most importantly nurturing the anti-“American”, disharmonizing spirit this issue embodies.
Often, right wing conservative Christians justify their hate mongering by using responses like “were not discriminating against gays, were defining the word marriage”. Or the ever popular “the bible says marriage is an act between a man and a woman”. Well any intelligent human being on this earth fully understands that if your “definition” of marriage omits a certain population, you are in fact, discriminating against them. Plain and simple. The religious in this country have done a bang-up job of selectively accepting humanity as their own. Permitting themselves to choose who and what they accept as people and using biblical references (that are often mistranslated and out-of-date) to justify their feelings towards the groups they don’t accept. It’s interesting that some of the most bigoted people I know go to church every single Sunday. People like the Rev. (loose term) Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church who spews his backbiting, terminological inexactitude whenever he can and plots grossly inappropriate and irreverent funeral protests, because he’s so convinced that the gays are destroying the earth. (Yes, he’s clearly a latent homosexual who has to go ridiculous extremes to keep his true sexuality at bay. Hell have a great time in hell with the rest of us) The dichotomy Mr. Phelps represents is appalling really, but it also thankfully helps discredit him to most Americans who actually know their ass from a hole in the wall.
Personally I’m flattered and amazed that so many in this country consider my personal life such a threat to their very existence. It’s sad that these people have lost their sphere of influence over their families and themselves. I had no idea me and my gay friends meant so much to so many people. These folks have allowed virtual strangers to dictate their personal mental and emotional security and now they’ve decided to gain back their “moral” ground by supporting the dehumanization of other citizens. They have the gaw to use an ancient text as their foundational argument, because the know intellectually it holds no water. Life is about individualism, for gays and straights. Smart, adjusted people teach their families to be individuals no matter what (or who) they see around them. Stupid, uneducated people fall victim to social, religious and political influence time and time again. Unfortunately, this country seems to be chocked full of stupid people who use religion and bigotry as comfort food for their souls not thinking for a second about the personal and emotional impact this has on the gay and lesbian population.
I don’t believe for one second that this latest attempt at political gay bashing was organically grown. It’s a well plotted, hot topic issue that’s been regurgitated again by the religious conservatives to divert attention away from the massive political, social, and economic failures they have helped recently usher in this country. I’m ashamed of the republicans as a whole for pushing a socio-religious agenda when theres a devastating war going on. I’m saddened that we (including the media) are focusing on gay marriage when people are paying 60+ dollars to fill up their gas tanks. It’s beyond pathetic that our country devotes any amount of time to this subject when our borders (another loose term) resemble swiss cheese and there’s a hit floating out there with our name on it. But I’m most saddened by my fellow Americans willingness to deny their compatriots the same rights and freedoms they enjoy; Their use of the Bible as a divisive instrument of hate; And most importantly nurturing the anti-“American”, disharmonizing spirit this issue embodies.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Eco Tico Trip
Today, Francisco, Jen and I drove about 45 minutes east toward the Caribbean into the Braulio Carrillo National Park and Rainforest. I was surprised to see how close it was to where we’re living. The roads towards the Caribbean side of Costa Rica are in far better shape that the roads going west towards the Pacific. It’s amazing what the country’s largest Port (Limon) will do for attention to road infrastructure. I’ve become accustomed to passing 18 wheelers on blind curves in fog and rain. Throw in some falling boulders and potholes for good measure too. You’ll find religion quickly, if you haven’t already. Sister Mary Catherine of the Highway and I are in kind ;)
We reached the Aerial Tram 5 minutes before closing time, but off season desperation worked in our favor, they waved us right on through. We picked up our guide and boarded the contraption. It was absolutely fascinating. We rode for about an hour through the many layers of rainforest. Starting at the bottom and working our way to the top of the canopy, it’s estimated that this particular forest is over 300 years old. Birds, snakes, sloths, anteaters all made brief appearances.
Of course my twisted mind kept thinking about 2 things.
1. What if this basket we’re riding in breaks loose from the wire it hangs on and we plunge 200 meters to the rainforest floor. If we survive the fall, our broken bones will keep us from escaping to safety before night falls. We’ll surely get eaten by something.
2. What if one of the many deadly species of snakes we saw in the trees drops itself into our basket? Who would I use as a human shield? Jen? Francisco? Maria (The Guide)? Oh,… The pressure.
When I wasn’t contemplating my death, I was thoroughly enjoying the view. Something I STRONGLY recommend to anyone who visits Costa Rica. After the tram ride, Maria took us on a walking path that extended deep into the forest so we could see all the terrible things she described from the safety of our basket 300 feet in the air, up close and personal. And it wasn’t long before the first frightening encounter occurred. As Maria was showing us a leaf the size of my last house, some sort of vampire bat flew out of the bush and right into Jens chest. Screams ensued, there was also some running involved. After the blood returned to our face, we regrouped, Maria then warned us that we should expect to see some snakes and not to panic. The deadly Fer De Lance gets aggressive when you “panic”. I kindly asked Maria to define “panic”. I needed to know, was she talking about internal panic, or all out “holy shit im going to die, run fast” panic. It was the latter, but I knew I was going to do both if one of those things came near me. So right at that moment, I had a word with my inner self about crisis management, I then felt prepared enough to continue. It’s getting darker, and I seem to be the only one thinking that’s not a good idea to be on a dirt path in the rainforest at night. We have no flashlight, sticks or guns….just our guide Maria, who moved to the rainforest to be closer to the “narly surf” in Limon. She’s nowhere near a snake charmer. Yes, this worried me.
We saw a colony of Leafcutting Ants the size of Alabama, Butterflies that could eat a small human child and some mosquitoes that reigned supreme. Despite the forests deadly inhabitants, Jen, Franc and I were amazed by it all. That’s probably why we didn’t see the…........
(To be continued tomorrow....it's pretty damn good too)
We reached the Aerial Tram 5 minutes before closing time, but off season desperation worked in our favor, they waved us right on through. We picked up our guide and boarded the contraption. It was absolutely fascinating. We rode for about an hour through the many layers of rainforest. Starting at the bottom and working our way to the top of the canopy, it’s estimated that this particular forest is over 300 years old. Birds, snakes, sloths, anteaters all made brief appearances.
Of course my twisted mind kept thinking about 2 things.
1. What if this basket we’re riding in breaks loose from the wire it hangs on and we plunge 200 meters to the rainforest floor. If we survive the fall, our broken bones will keep us from escaping to safety before night falls. We’ll surely get eaten by something.
2. What if one of the many deadly species of snakes we saw in the trees drops itself into our basket? Who would I use as a human shield? Jen? Francisco? Maria (The Guide)? Oh,… The pressure.
When I wasn’t contemplating my death, I was thoroughly enjoying the view. Something I STRONGLY recommend to anyone who visits Costa Rica. After the tram ride, Maria took us on a walking path that extended deep into the forest so we could see all the terrible things she described from the safety of our basket 300 feet in the air, up close and personal. And it wasn’t long before the first frightening encounter occurred. As Maria was showing us a leaf the size of my last house, some sort of vampire bat flew out of the bush and right into Jens chest. Screams ensued, there was also some running involved. After the blood returned to our face, we regrouped, Maria then warned us that we should expect to see some snakes and not to panic. The deadly Fer De Lance gets aggressive when you “panic”. I kindly asked Maria to define “panic”. I needed to know, was she talking about internal panic, or all out “holy shit im going to die, run fast” panic. It was the latter, but I knew I was going to do both if one of those things came near me. So right at that moment, I had a word with my inner self about crisis management, I then felt prepared enough to continue. It’s getting darker, and I seem to be the only one thinking that’s not a good idea to be on a dirt path in the rainforest at night. We have no flashlight, sticks or guns….just our guide Maria, who moved to the rainforest to be closer to the “narly surf” in Limon. She’s nowhere near a snake charmer. Yes, this worried me.
We saw a colony of Leafcutting Ants the size of Alabama, Butterflies that could eat a small human child and some mosquitoes that reigned supreme. Despite the forests deadly inhabitants, Jen, Franc and I were amazed by it all. That’s probably why we didn’t see the…........
(To be continued tomorrow....it's pretty damn good too)
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Emotion in Motion
Like an accidental tourist, I’ve found myself an accidental romance here in Central America. For those of you who questioned my mystical power of dating persuasion, I’ve now proven that it transcends borders, cultural and language barriers. I call it “accidental” because I was not looking for a “steady” (sounds so grandma’ish) or even a date. In fact, I had made a pact with myself to solely focus on my job for the first few months while I was here. Well, I’ve miserably failed at keeping the dating universe at bay, as I am deeply imbedded with Fransicso (literally and figuratively…smirk). The good news is, my job concentration level hasn’t suffered as a result.
My previous observations remain. We are completely different individuals. Our life experiences are diametrically opposed and on paper we make no sense. He’s 26 for starters. Not normally in my dating target demo. But I must say, there’s something insatiable about being with a younger guy. Note to self for all you naysayers, Demi Moores of the universe are on to something. But our ages are only the tip of the “how different can we be” iceberg. There’s not one inch of our lives that share similarities. But I find that challenging in a good way. Learning to tolerate human differences is what real relationships are about. It’s good practice for me specifically, ask my last boyfriend. I know this “thing” I have has an expiration date. I’m not living in Costa Rica for the rest of my life. And even if it ends a month from now, I’m fine with that too. I’m learning a great deal about myself in the process.
We had a fantastic weekend in Quepos. Some beaches there are...um...clothing optional ;)
My previous observations remain. We are completely different individuals. Our life experiences are diametrically opposed and on paper we make no sense. He’s 26 for starters. Not normally in my dating target demo. But I must say, there’s something insatiable about being with a younger guy. Note to self for all you naysayers, Demi Moores of the universe are on to something. But our ages are only the tip of the “how different can we be” iceberg. There’s not one inch of our lives that share similarities. But I find that challenging in a good way. Learning to tolerate human differences is what real relationships are about. It’s good practice for me specifically, ask my last boyfriend. I know this “thing” I have has an expiration date. I’m not living in Costa Rica for the rest of my life. And even if it ends a month from now, I’m fine with that too. I’m learning a great deal about myself in the process.
We had a fantastic weekend in Quepos. Some beaches there are...um...clothing optional ;)
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