I Feel Better Now
May 08, 2007
August 25, 2005
Panama and Mexico
The 'girls' are coming over for lunch. When that happens I'll retire to the upstairs office to call the repair shop and ask again about the car. This morning the guy on the phone talked for about two minutes without me understanding a word except that I was to call back in a couple of hours. This beautiful ignorance I've found not to be such a burden for the most part, as only stressed points seem to get through, those of which turn out to be what's important in the conversation. All the bs and other extraneous stuff goes away without needing me to make the decision.
At 2 I have a massage scheduled by a new girl at the salon. There's something about getting naked in front of a strange (take that any way you want) woman in a small room for the first time that appeals to me. I went to dinner at a friend's house the other night where my friend 'Johnny' gave me a sidelong glance and told me to take a gander in the other room. Not knowing what to expect I wound up staring at this hot chica sitting on the bed with a big smile on her face. Later in the evening, as I watched her look at her own profile in the mirror adjusting her low-rise slacks with self-approval, Johnny told me with a grin she was the new masseuse and had already made an appointment.
I need to buy tickets to Panama for tomorrow before the day's out. I've had to delay my travel to the States and thus need to get out of Dodge for a couple of days to renew my visa. I was planning to go north to Managua but all of a sudden I can't get the image of the canal scene from Team America out of my mind. I don't know if seeing it for real will change it or reinforce it. I'll let you know.
As I've made the unofficial decision to post a new picture every day I'm trying to decide which one for today. Wait a minute while I browse across my amazing mac network-ahhh. Here we go.
Without looking back at what I posted before I seem to remember promising pictures of Mexico City and never having done so. I took pictures of the pyramids outside the city also but they'll have to wait. The first shot is just a modified wide-angle shot outside of my hotel room window. The next is just one of a building that I kinda like, and the next is of a street urchin hawking Chiclets that I scared the hell out of. I wound up buying most of her tray and letting her keep it all except for a couple packets of gum in order to get her to keep still for a moment.
Now I have to resize, upload and post. See you later.
March 23, 2005
San Antonio, Escazu
Went to the San Antonio section of Escazu yesterday to see what I could see. While the San Rafael section is pretty much gringo-ized, SA is still very much all local color. I took over a hundred snaps but wound up with half a dozen usable. The learning curve continues apace.
It was overcast the entire day, which according to Ed is a photographer's delight in that you get overall soft lighting and no shadows. This he tells me afterwards (thank you skype). I shot 90% using iso 800, which despite the amazing machine at my disposal pretty much softened every shot, and introduced me to the concept of noise.
I have however narrowed my aperture settings to between 9 and 13, and seem to be getting reasonable depth of field. In the continued section below are four of the six 'keepers' for your viewing pleasure.
March 21, 2005
Sunday Pictures
I'm uploading pics at the moment, and it will take another two hours for all of them (full size and resized). Remember that if you click on the smaller ones (about 200-500 kb) in the extended entry section, you'll go to the big ones, which run between 3.5 and 7 mb. Make sure you really want to click.
That wasn't so bad now, was it? There's only 2 minutes left to upload and I'm done with the html for the pictures. Of course for you it seems like nothing, because you can click now, because it's tomorrow and I'm writing this last night, and it's as if time stood still or something.
These are mostly people pics from the Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San Jose with a few from the surrounding neighborhoods. Enjoy.
March 13, 2005
Shopping and Pics
Yesterday was the 'shopping' celebration of John and Cleo's daughter for her birthday. After wandering the Mall for an eternity we finally entered a department store that had more kid's clothes than I'd ever seen in one place. With brand names. Brand names, especially for kids, are a rarity in the shops here. Instead of Barbie, you get Beauty, and so on.
Presents purchased, I found what I'd been looking for for over a year. Converse All Star high-tops. The only other shoe I've wanted was a pair of Keds, which I don't think they make anymore. The laces are in and I can't wait to wear them out shooting today. I made a couple of phone calls yesterday, and with luck I'll have someone to carry some of my stuff and watch my back as I take city pictures.
In the meantime I adjusted and posted (under the flap) shots I took last week from the mountain. I don't know what mountain it was and I don't remember at the moment what the town is called, but I'll update later when I figure it out. The shots are from southeast to northwest.
One note: remember; when you do stuff to jpegs in Photoshop, make sure when they come out the other side they are still jpegs. I had to rotate and crop one pic slightly, which required I make a layer. The two resulting psd's (hi and lo res) came out to just over 50 megs and it added just a little time to my uploading last night. I caught it this morning and fixed it.
Click the link below to see the pics. Usual caution to dial-uppers and folks with screens set at 640: the lo-res shots below are mostly 1000 pixels wide, and the clickable hi-res shots are even bigger. May I suggest that if you go for the hi-res you right-click and save (or control click for Macsters), unless you've got some time.
February 25, 2005
Half Baked Chicken
Up early this morning and now late tonight, looking to get back to a normal sleep pattern. Plugged in the airport at John's and was able to upload the first dispatch and check email, then and spent the morning shooting pictures. One word of caution: don't assume that the frozen chicken thingies in the supermarket are "fully cooked" like back in the States. Last night found me chewing what seemed like a tough nugget, which turned out to be almost raw after a few minutes in the nuker.
I resized a bunch of photos from the protest yesterday for your viewing pleasure under the flap. No internet connection for about a week until they drag their lazy asses out to hook me up, so I'll try and get to John's house once every few days or so to post.
Being a foreigner I don't rate a cell phone contract here in CR. I have to get Marisol to pick one up for me, or dig around to see if they have pre-pay. I should have a car by Monday, and then I figure out insurance. Enough blather on to the pictures! Standard warning applies to those of you who don't have broadband, they will take a bit to load. Click below.
February 09, 2005
Little Beastie
Now I've done it. The bed is covered with manuals and accessories and now there is a bunch of reading to do today while the car is in the shop.
January 19, 2005
Ooops
Monday morning and up before the maids. I scared the bejezus out of them yesterday because I opened the door just as they knocked on it. It's 8:38 now, which means that they're eight minutes late, but I hear a knock on a door down the hall. They just asked me if I had laundry, which would have been a good question yesterday, but I'm checking out tomorrow in the morning.
Today will be call the cable company day and see what kind of speed we can get out of them. The only company allowed to provide service in Costa Rica is RACSA, which has subcontracted out work to other companies. There are as far as I can tell three levels of service. At 40 bucks a month, Jack is getting around 120kb down and 70 up; not so very speedy, especially for uploading pictures.
Marisol gave me a ride back to the hotel last night in her Range Rover, el Tank, and I wish I could accurately describe her driving--and the driving in general around here. I fancy myself a competent wheelman, but, I'm going to have to get my mind right first before I decide to strap in for a spin. The only thing that keeps the automobile mortality statistics within manageable comprehension is the fact that speeds are much slower; therefore the cars stop quicker.
Because stop they must, oft times within inches of the otherwise dented or bruised vehicle/citizen. Yet strangely I haven't been scared as a passenger yet, only by imagining myself as the driver. You have to use a mixture of confident assertion and immediate yielding at the precise moment, having to accurately determine not only who has the right of way at that particular moment, but whether or not the other guy is using the same calculation as you are.
I've invited Marisol to dinner tonight at the restaurant here at the Aurola Holiday Inn on the seventeenth floor, which is supposed to have the best view in the city. A fitting nightcap I believe for my first stay in San Jose. I didn't get to see the volcano or ride in one of those canopy contraptions in the jungle, so I feel I have to spend at least one night as a tourista.
Break
Just used my keys for the first time at the new digs. I only had a five thousand colones bill so I stood in line for change at the hotel, having decided to assert my taxi fare knowledge, and didn't want to negotiate change from the driver. Sure enough the meter wasn't running, so after a couple of blocks so I generously offered the driver two thousand for the ride. No problemo. I was also able to give directions correctly this time en Espanol, or I should say as yesterday's cabbie informed me, en Castellan.
"Aqui, por favor," and I walked up to the gate as if I owned the joint. Marisol's car wasn't there but the inside door was open and music was playing. The housekeeper Katya greeted me expectantly all smiles and I took a picture. Talk about acting like a tourista.
I dug in the fridge for liquid yesterday to find that Marisol lives like a bachelorette. Nada. Nothing. Zero. Three beers in the freezer and some not immediately identifiable frozen goods I'm figuring dates from the Paleolithic era. Speaking of ancient, all the radio I've heard here that wasn't particularly Latin has been of the oldies variety, the real oldies, and the really fucking old oldies that I heard in the casino restaurant a few days ago. Can we say the worst of the seventies anyone? I can't wait to crank up Queens of the Stone Age for the locals, followed by a little Tom Waits and Mississippi Fred McDowal. Not to mention the commie Ken Layne.
Speaking of which, eyes wide open is the response I've gotten so far about my politics. "Of course I voted for George Bush," has been my favorite declaration so far. Only one reference to Pinochet in response so far, and I'm looking forward to some lively discussions. And yes, I am going to remain unarmed while I'm here. But the people here are so lovely; Marisol has even promised not to hate me because I'm a Republican, and Jack has even forwarded to me an email containing a link to a newspaper guy who swings my way.
Break
Had to do something so I went to the hardware store to get doorknobs and hinges. Ran into minimal translation difficulties as the universal sign and sound-effect language served. Typical door-type installation problems: too much paint over the years, rusted and too small screws and just different enough hardware to make the operation sticky. I'll get a chisel and sandpaper later on to smooth things out but for now everything is working OK.
Marisol came home from the gym and is now in the kitchen with Katya fixing some grub. Missing the internet right about now. It's the perfect time for a little Drudge gossip to see what's cooking north. Are Brad and Jen still splitsville?
Break
Had a lovely siesta until 6 PM when I heard Marisol come home with el Tank from shopping. We discussed the American political system including congress, the executive and the judicial. We were heading toward how the electoral system works to begin with but I got sidetracked as usual with how the number of electors is decided and it went long. Costa Ricans were as surprised as a typical college professor when W was reelected, and they want to know why. I, your humble servant will try to undo the damage done by the 'common wisdom' in my small corner of Central America. Hopefully without doing too much damage myself.
We are heading out to dinner as soon as the lady applies the proper treatment to her visage. She looked fine as she was but resisted in the universal fashion. As with most women, I expect an entirely different creature to emerge.
Break
Guillermo Ibarra was our pianist for the evening, greeting us with 'Fly me to the Moon,' continuing through 'I Can't Live' (Bee Gees) and 'Phantom of the Opera.' I am now the proud owner of his debut CD. There was a Nicaraguan couple at another table that invited him to come play at their restaurant in Managua.
The 'USDA Cut' of filet mignon was the right piece of the cow, but I almost sprained my index finger making the first slice. However, it was tasty, and the view is the best in the city, and the service made up for any perceived shortcomings. I couldn't imagine a more perfect evening to end to a most successful trip. We went into the casino to check for whores and found the place a ghost town. Three old white guys at the bar and a woman raking in her take from a slot machine. She was almost running as she blew past us, muttering something about getting out of there before she gave it all back.
Tomorrow we'll go to one of the private banks to look into opening an account and attempt to contact the cable company for broadband service. We've been discussing wheels and I'm sorely tempted to bring Mr. 2 down the Pan American Highway. It's impractical, expensive (as I'll have to pay an import tax), lengthy, and possibly dangerous. It sounds like a good plan to me. Anybody want to take a ride? Attractive female preferred.
It's late; we'll talk tomorrow on the plane, OK? Nite.
Break
Well that didn't work. Major traffic accident on the way to the airport. I'm flying tomorrow on the same flight barring other accidents. But I got a few more pictures out of it, notably the locals constructing a way off the highway using rocks and pallets. We were probably ten minutes from using it ourselves when the traffic started moving again. Pics under the flap with the usual dial-up bandwidth warning.
Apparently Marisol (Mari from now on to save on letters-say it Marrie-try rolling the R) has a life and I'm home alone working on a few photos. I'll stop by John and Cleo's tomorrow and upload before getting on the plane. Went to a few banks and I would have to have a bunch of paperwork and establish residency in order to open an account here. This is a new law instigated by the fact that two Tico ex-presidents are currently residing in the clink, I think, for funny banking shenanigans. Mari has volunteered to launder my money for the duration through her account as long as I don't use a Nigerian bank.
Is the world the same all over or what? The cable guy didn't show up when he was supposed to. The fastest speed available hereabouts is 700 kb down-500 up for $90 a month. I've decided to go with the mid-range at $70 and 500 kb down. As it seems to take only a day to get plugged in (when they show) I'll deal with it when I get back so I can get my airport to sync with the modem before they leave.
The radio is killing me here. Eminem is on now, and I just heard a song with a chorus of "don't call me gringo you fucking beaner." Ramstein has the big song though, "We're All Living in America." This is 'not' a love song according to the lyric. As it's mostly in German Mari takes it as fun, but after listening to it, I actually think they're seriously pissed. Or at the very least, annoyed. 'Santa Claus for Africa' (like we invented Saint Nick), 'Mickey Mouse for Paris,' blah blah blah. Mari says the video is very cool visually.
[This portion deleted due to foul language, anti-German sentiment, a short discourse on the trade imbalance, the falling dollar and Pershing missiles, and references to Brazil]
Break
This is the time for a damn newspaper. 8:AM on Wednesday and I finally got the sliding doors open to the back. The house is chock-full of little age related nuisances. The jalousie windows are missing a few panes of glass (I had to replace one in my bedroom window last night to keep the wind off my back), doors need to be squared to shut properly and electrical outlets, like the one under the counter where I'm now typing on battery power, need to have electricity. Last night I adjusted the doors on the kitchen cabinets to make them align and close properly. I won't lack for distraction when I need an excuse not to write.
The coffee is so-so, mostly I think because it's only the second pot of water through the new Mr. Coffee machine Mari brought home yesterday. The second cup is better. Have I said that the weather is perfect down here? So far the sky is a pleasing hue of blue today, as it was yesterday, and the day before; broken up by clouds rolling over the mountains and providing just a touch of moisture. I am going to have to procure a real camera of sorts and a lens or two over the coming weeks.
Forgot to stir the sugar in the last cup of coffee. I hate when that happens. Today's big plans-beside trying to catch my airplane-include buying a shirt (undergarments were bought last night at the supermarket) upload this tripe to the blog, and, not much else that I can think of.
January 16, 2005
Last One For A While
Coming up on midnight Saturday working on 3 Advil for a persistent noggin bruiser. I've got pictures to fix and post but my left eye is balking just looking at this screen. They'll wait for the morrow. I met Diego (sp?) from Argentina today who knows about as much English as I know Spanish, and Cleo is writing up sentences and words for me to memorize. I've met lots of people in the States from other countries that came with little or no English and have wondered what it must have been like. As of today I would figure it was like more than a few headaches as they tried to wrap their brains around a new language.
Dana wrote today and told me Ed has been discharged from the hospital to the care of his friend Larry. This worries me greatly, not that I don't think Larry and his family won't take good care of him, but because Ed needs serious therapy. Maybe it's best that he's with good friends; I hope they have the energy and time to deal with him.
The weather has been perfecto down here. Today had an incredibly comfortable breeze that the locals feel as cold. I could sleep outside. Speaking of sleeping, the nightly whore report: I hit the casino for my nightly Coke and came back down for my elevator. Riding the elevator up to the eighth floor was a guy that had 10 years on me with a baby all made up in stiletto heels that, maybe was 17 if she had led the life of a pampered veal calf, which I'm thinking not.
Prostitution is legal, but pimping is not, which means the girls are solo. The law however is strict on underage sex. Have sex with a minor and you go to jail for a long time. This is as it should be, but the line seems to get real blurry around here. John told me today about an 87-year-old friend of his that married an 18 year old. He showed me pictures of the Lolita like bride, who was precious, but his friend has passed to the great beyond. Now 22 at least she got the house. More manana.
Break
Went to the Amistad and checked out for good. They refunded me one day, which was 8 billion colones, or whatever. Got a few pictures ready to go for today's update, though I don't know if I will get to caption them. I've got to get one of those ez foto pages to just link to. I have a buzznet account that I've never used so maybe I should look into it, eh? But not today. I've got the keys in my pocket to my new digs, and later on tonight I'll see if any of those pictures are salvageable; though I probably won't get to post them until I get back to the States.
I'm of course counting on dumb luck here to pull this off, and it all seems too easy. The people I've met have been marvelous to the point of ridiculous (except for a cabbie or two), and as I wind this part of the journey down it almost feels unreal. I'm sitting in my new room with the wind blowing through the curtains, listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, already getting focused on the trip back. Cleo and John think it's silly of me to stay at the hotel, and now that I'm officially in the house, I think Marisol expects me to stay too. She wanted to know where my luggage was.
We had lunch at some "tropical" place, and what they put on the table was light years away from what I thought I'd ordered. But it was tasty, and they were playing marimbas. I was already shanghaied into some minor house repairs, but the hardware store was closed so I guess it will wait until February. There is apparently a church not far away; as for the second time today the bells were clanging. There was light rain in the morning and early afternoon, just enough to get your face wet, and wind dried just as soon. The clouds are high and floating now, big puffy orange and white things, heading out to the north and east.
It's almost time to go and visit John and Cleo, and upload this and the pics, so as a word of warning to dial up users: don't click to read on, it may take a while. Ciao.