Ack!!

Muh kitteh is broked!!


Okay, not really. She just likes to sleep in odd positions.

That Was the Longest Week EVER

I started working at Centro Multicultural back around the beginning of July of last year -- don't remember perzakly when. They told me when they hired me that they had just started using a new textbook and that the teacher's books (with answers, tests, and "for further exploration" exercises) would be in "next week". Every couple of weeks, the "next week" would be reiterated.

Now, in fairness to the people for whom I work, this is Costa Rica and things happen ... when they happen. Especially when international shipping is concerned. I saw first hand last week, on the way to and from Nicaragua, how the trucks are backed up at (and approaching) the border. We saw trailer rigs with hammocks strung underneath -- the driver asleep in the shade -- showing that the drivers know they aren't going anywhere soon.

Also, there was that coup in Honduras a while back, which blocked up trucking for a while.

A couple of weeks ago, I was told that the books were in country, at the "customs house", and that we should have them -- you guessed it, "next week".

Well, I got to the institute this evening for my Thursday class, and Daniel, the owner's husband, looked at me with a gleam in his eye and said, "I have something for you."

After six months of teaching the books, I now have the teacher's book. And I must say, I'm not disappointed. They're really good books, and my students are doing well (and that was afore I had the T's book).

Yay!!

This

As far as I'm concerned, this should be the last words on the subject:



h/t to Bill Wolfrum, who says, "We Americans grow up hearing about 'Freedom and Liberty.' It is literally drilled into our heads day after day. We are now at a time when those words must either be proven true, or dismissed all together. A thank you to Mr. Spooner for his service and his beautiful sentiments."

Ahhhhhh

Yesterday morning, the internet seemed all sluggish and stuff, so I tried resetting the modem (which Jen had done before to great effect). Unfortunately, I pressed the recessed reset button and not the power button, which is what she had done before.

No internet.

No way to access the passwords and such required to get the modem working again, other than calling the phone company and requesting a tech visit. So Jen called them and was told "24 - 48 hours".

But first thing this morning the phone rang, and I gave the tech directions, and he was just here and we have internet again!!!!

And, I will not press the recessed reset button again.

This is the Best Idea I've Seen In a Long Time

Thanks to BlueGal, who led me to the post at Evil Slutopia, who got this from Deb on the Rocks, who originated it:

We Can Create A Foundation to Support Bloggers!

I believe supporting the Arts is one of the important ways we better our world. Service takes many forms, and all are necessary: the gifted content creators in the blogosphere are artists, and my life is so much better --our culture is so much better -- because of their work. The heart and soul of blogging, the truth of self-expression online, is so much more than the ridiculous few business models we've tried to use to support our artists.

For many of us, creating content and publishing online is our Parisian salon, our Algonquin Round Table, our Bread Loaf. We are a community of creatives. We know that publishing is a sacrifice, a commitment, the rushing, moving channel for our art, and we want to make way for the highest quality in online work to be supported whether or not it appeals to corporate sponsors. And are devoted to our community of creatives, even when we truly know each other: we are united in our passions, connected in doing what we are drawn to do. Every writer I know has said that her work has improved because of the practice of writing online, the feedback of audiences, and the exposure to other gifted, brave, vanguard authors. We know the value of quality and necessity of blogging, which is what makes us so very generous with our own limited finances when one of our own is in need.


I've often wondered why our rich tech brothers haven't become like the Medici's in Renaissance Italy. Why haven't they stepped up to fund creative development, or to create a foundation to protect our burgeoning art form and its creators? I'd like to encourage them and other related businesses to do so--and not solely by giving us free printers to review. Printers, coupons and samples of cleaning products don't pay emergency room doctor bills or get the electricity reconnected.

As a patron of the arts, I've donated money to many structured emergency relief funds. They are so important, so useful, in helping artists and writers continue to work despite financial setbacks. What if bloggers could have access to a fund like:


the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, which helps craft artists


the ASJA Writers Assistance Fund, for nonfiction freelancers


the PEN American Writers Fund for published writers


the William A. Graham Artist Emergency Fund, which helps visual artists


or other public, private, regional or local funds.

We have an opportunity to build this thing. I've submitted a request for a seed grant to start the process, from Pepsi's Refresh Everything crowd-sourced corporate giving project. This is what they are doing with the money they saved by not airing a ridiculously expensive Superbowl ad. This is an amazing gesture toward a future that is more authentic because of crowd-sourcing, and because of what we do every day in this space.

I've just put the idea out there to see if bloggers think that our art form needs this type of support. Do you? If so, please register and vote, and share the news. Republish parts or all of this post. Promote on social media. Do what you do, begin to protect what you love. The top two ideas in the funding category will be funded each month. If you have ideas of your own, submit it now for the next round on voting in March.

How it works:

1. Easy registration.
2. Vote every day in February.
3. Promote the link.

If you would like an email each day reminding you to vote, please email me at debontherocks@gmail.com to be added to the list. It's a very cool list to be on, but it won't be used for any other reason.

I'm offering up this idea because I love us. Even those of us who drive me crazy--sometimes especially them. I love what we do, and that we are lucky enough to do it. My heart breaks when economic suffering or personal and family crises gets in the way of creating for such brilliant people. I'd like to give us a chance to claim this next step in our medium's development. Please join me.

www.refresheverything.com/blogging

More Pics From the Trip

Volcan Concepcion, which is in Lake Nicaragua. We passed it both ways, but I missed it on the way up because the sound system on the bus had a (nearly) rage-inducing high pitched whine that almost made my head esplode:

Two shots of the garden at The Garden Cafe, where Jen and I ate lunch the last full day there:


And two shots of the courtyard of the hotel in which we stayed:

It Is the Very Model of a Modern Serendipity*

1. Jen's dad is visiting.
2. He wants to make the family recipe anise cookies.
3. The milk we bought this morning is already soured.
4. To return the opened boxes of milk (the corner of the box is cut off for pouring) without major spillage, a portion of the soured milk must be poured out.
5. The cookie recipe calls for soured milk.
   

*with apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan:



(once upon a time -- when I was a kid -- I could sing that whole thing)

Truth In Advising

"If there's a delay, it will be at the entry into Costa Rica."

So said Jen's boss to her before we left on our trip to Grenada, Nicaragua, and truer words were never spoken.

On our way to Grenada, the Costa Rica side was -- off the bus, into the building, scan the passport, stamp, back on the bus -- and the Nicaragua side wasn't much longer (although we did have to wait about 30-40 minutes for the TransNica bus company employees to get our passports stamped -- a service they include with the ticket is taking care of things on the Nica(ragua) side.

On the way back, however... the Nica side was about the same, but when we got to the CR side of the no-man's-land (you've left one country but not yet entered the other) there was a line of a couple hundred people snaking across the open space next to the immigration building -- a large chunk of it in the hot tropical sun. After determining that it was indeed the line in which we had to wait, we took our places. After a few minutes, Jen said, "Oh, look. There's Steve and Margaret!" Steve and Margaret had left Grenada on an earlier bus (one hour earlier) and were still in line. So at that point we knew we were going to be there for a while.

About three hours (I'm a bit unclear on the actual times, as my brain was partially fried by the tropical sun) later, we finally got through the extensive customs search (I'm being sarcastic here, because we Gringos got a "move along" as our baggage search -- they were more thorough with the Centroamericanos) and got back on the bus. Although, to be fair to the Costa Rican Migracion people, they close for an hour for lunch.

So, if you're ever crossing the border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica, remember to have two things: A good hat and a couple bottles of water.

Here's some pictures from the trip:



There was a thriving carriage tour sector, and members of our group took it in. They said it was a lot of fun and worth it at $10/hour (that's 200 cordobas (C$)).



I didn't take these photos until we were leaving, and wasn't sure if these particular ones would be the last I saw. All to explain the poor lighting. Life is life, you know.



One of the things I really found interesting was the prevalence of horse carts for hauling stuff around. I saw lots and lots of things being hauled that way, from lumber to flat screen TVs (and, boy, was that an odd juxtaposition). The horses were much smaller than what we in the States would consider draft horses, but I suppose on the flat land (and in the tropical heat) smaller is not just fine, but better. In the photo above, the wagons are queued up at the hardware store, waiting for use.

!Hola desde Nigaragua!

We´re in historic Grenada, Nicaragua for a couple of days (among other things I needed to renew my visa for Costa Rica before the laws change in March) and went on a charming (if a bit lengthy) walking tour of the old city today. Jen is working on a post with lots of photos, but here´s one spot that I especially liked:
On the edge of what I learned today was once the Native market, back when the Spaniards still ruled the (New) World. Yes. It´s a half-dead building. But I love the way the portico supports stand sentinel in front of the husk of the building.
See y´'all soon!!

Hiaitus/Holiday

We're leaving for Granada, Nicaragua early in the morning and will be returning sometime Wednesday evening.

I probably won't go out of my way to look for an internet cafe, so the blog will prolly be dark until I return.

Don't let the corporations take over while I'm --- oh, wait, thanks to the Roberts Supreme Court, they already have, so .... keep your powder dry.

Teaching Update

Just got back from my (two) Saturday classes, both of which are Level III -- or Intermediate -- English as Second Language. This was the fourth meeting of these two, and what started out as a 20 student early class and 4 student late class has more or less evened out (both by attrition and by getting some of the early students to move to the later class). Up until today, I managed to keep both classes in basically the same place in the book, but today the second class was a lot more talkative (which is exactly what I want... they're in class to learn to speak English after all), and so we didn't cover as much book material as the early class. Hopefully next week the early class will be talkative so I can keep them in the same place.

Also, we finished week two in a Level II class, which is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm-9pm. This class has ten students and has also been a lot of fun. One of the best things about the Level II class is that I've gotten to see the Level II book, and I can better see how the overall program is supposed to work. And I approve. :)

And a week from Monday, I'm to start another Level III class, Mondays and Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm. A third Level III class means a third place in the book to keep sorted in my head. But oh well, that's teaching.

DSL!! DSL!! DSL!!

W00t!!!! We have joined the 21st Century here at the house! The DSL guy came by today and we're, as the saying goes, "cookin' with gas now!"

Which means I finally got to watch the following clip, which friends pointed me to a couple days ago.



A li'l context: the 'outdoor drama' mentioned is Horn in the West, a production that I was proud to be a part of for six summers. And yes, it most definitely draws the 'wrong kind of people'. :)

Geez

I didn't post yesterday because I didn't want to go online and find out that Massachusetts voters had spit on Ted Kennedy's grave... which I heard on the radio this morning had indeed happened.

Seriously, Bay Staters, what the hell?

Consider this a new entry in my "Glad I'm Not in the US" series....

Even Though I Can't Watch It Right Now

...because our connection is dial-up right now, I feel it is my duty this night to (re)post the following video:



Why, yes, my loony bun is fine, thank you very much.

A-Ha!

I have decided (as I said in a comment over at MauiGirl´s place) that I am suffering from reverse-SAD. Instead of being berflibbeted by a lack of sunlight, I am off my game because of too much.

Here in the Tropics (a mere 10º North of the Equator) "day" varies by only about ... well, I can´t find the info right now, but it ain´t much. Sunrise around 5AM (yes) and sunset around 6PM all year long.

So I´m not getting that welcome break (for me, freak that I am) from daylight that winter normally brings. And the sun is also, as one of my students said yesterday, "heavy" -- that´s apparently how Costa Ricans describe the intensity of the Tropical sun. Even when it´s cool, it´s hot.

Anyway, I´ll get used to it as time goes by... and I get to wear shorts all the time!

:)

Brace Yerselves....

'Cause it's gonna get "cold" here. This past week we caught the southern edge of the deep freeze that hit the US. And by southern edge of the freeze, I mean that nighttime temps here on the slopes of the Central Valley got all the way down to the low 50s (stop laughing, Ralph and Vikki), and I saw people wearing heavy coats, gloves and wool caps.

I actually put on socks (with my sandals) and a sweatshirt one evening, because the wind was blowing and -- for once -- it wasn't hot. :)

And one of my students told me today that a meteorologist friend told her that another cold snap is coming.

Where're my mukluks????

Drop/Add

New year, new term, and all that.

I started a new class this week, a Level II (low-intermediate) class with upwards of a dozen students. These are adult classes and people have lives, so I say "upwards" because I don´t expect to have all 12 of them show up at once... but we´ll see.

Also, I´m not going to be with the beginner´s class I was working with. They are true beginners, and my Spanish is (still) pretty limited, and I was getting a lot of blank looks. So the boss and I talked about it and we decided that it would be in the best interest of the students if the bilingual teacher they have on Mondays and Wednesdays took the Friday class back -- and that maybe I would rejoin them nearer the end of their term, when they have a bit more grounding in English.

And I found out that I´ll probably be getting another Level III (intermediate) class starting sometime in the next two weeks, so that's 4 hours a week to replace the 2 I'm losing.

In other news, the friend of mine in Virginia who loaded his backpacks and started heading this way on his motorcycle has taken a detour. He worked Search & Rescue with his dogs in New Mexico for several years, so he´s flown back (he got to Texas) to pick up his top dog and the two of them have headed to Haiti to assist there as they can. I´m sure he´ll make a positive difference.

Still no word on the DSL, so it´s still Stone Age Browsing at home....

¡Later, phriends!

Fast Things Changing Are

Today began a new chapter in Life and All. The girls were home with me all day while Jen was at work. Before now they hadn't stayed at home with just me, because in certain parts of Costa Rica (okay, just one house not too far from here) I'm Evil Incarnate. But now that we're all living in the same house, Jen said there's no reason for them to not stay with me on the days that we have them and there's no school.

I had ropes handy, but as it turned out they weren't necessary. Julia played outside with her new friends all day and Robin kept busy reading, playing on the computer, and playing cards with me.

And tomorrow we'll do it all again. Here's hoping the neighborhood kids are out in force again so that Julia will be occupied.

Things Happen Fast Here

We´re no longer the "new kids on the block" on our li´l country lane. A new family has moved in. The young´n was a bit camera shy, but when I asked the adults if they had any qualms about being photographed, they responded, "Neigh":




And that´s the way it is.....

The Daily Dose of "Glad I´m Not in the US"

This could become a daily thing, with all the ridiculously bad things happening... we shall see. Today´s thing is:

The first-ever public study of the health effects of genetically modified corn shows that three patented crops developed and owned by agriculture giant Monsanto cause liver, kidney and heart damage in mammals.

The FDA has approved all three varieties for sale and consumption in the U.S. and all three are in our food supply right now.

From Change.org via Bob Cesca, who adds:

We don't know which foods, of course. Oh, and by the way, the data used in the study originated from Monsanto's own research.

Jen and I were discussing sweet corn just yesterday (there´s a patch of corn growing along our "Country Lane"), and although she tells me that Costa Rican corn isn´t anything like what I´m used to, I bet it beats liver, kidney and heart damage by a country mile.

Wherein I´m Reminded That I´m Happy To Not Be In the States

Sitting three cubicles to my right here in the P@nd@ Net internet café in San Rafael is the quintessential "Obnoxoius American". He´s using Skype to talk to someone in the States, and *every* thing about Costa Rica, this café, and, apparently, his life, is WRONG. At high volume.

Oh, geez, it´s even better. He´s an Obnoxious New Yorker! (no offense intended or implied to the fine residents of the Empire State) He´s that specific specimen that thinks that the only point of civilization on the entire planet is what is contained in the Five Boroughs. Why do people like that ever leave The City, if all they´re gonna do is bitch about how things elsewhere aren´t like The City? I bet he´s a Sarah Palin fan, too. Maybe he´ll be the one who watches her Fox News show....

Ah. Well. There It Is, Then.

I´m back, and still can´t remember what it was that I was going to say last night. I guess the tiredness didn´t really have any bearing on things. I´m just forgetful.

So, what´s new.... told you about the phone, and as Jen relayed yesterday, it could be a month or so until we have at-home internet. I´m hoping that my co-worker´s estimate of a week or so (once the paperwork clears) is closer to the truth. Only time will tell.

Had my two Saturday classes yesterday, and they went well. There was some cunfusion about how many and which classes the students had paid for, but they worked that out with the boss-lady.

And one thing that I had asked about at our staff meeting before Christmas was (I think) addressed. The early class has 20 students, and the later only 4. Boss-lady talked to the earlies about some of them moving to the later so that the class sizes will be more balanced. Also, so when the normal attendence rate of about 60% is reached, I won´t be having a class with only 2 students.

I got a message on Facebook just a few minutes ago that one of my friends (in Virginia for the moment) has decided to fill his backpack and saddlebags and mount up on his motorcycle and head down the Pan American highway (which runs about 5 miles west of here) and work his way here. I´m looking forward to that. I haven´t seen him in a long time.

I guess that is all for now.... See y'all later!!

Uhhh....

I had something I was going to post tonight, I really did.

But after catching up on emails and such, I´m all tired and forgetful. Mayhap I shall remember it tomorrow so that I may pass along its gemnitudiness (the act of being gem-like) to you, my faithful horde.

Until then, fare thee well, phriends!

What´s This Thing?

So, I'm sitting at my computer today, a little after noon, fighting for world dominion in my newest game (Rise of Legends - the "sequel" to Rise of Nations), and I hear someone at the gate.

It´s the install techs from the phone company, come to install (technically?) the phone!!!

After a brief attempt at communication (result, I give him Jen´s cell number to call if they have questions), they go to work and mere minutes later we have a telephone!! Apparently, doing the inside work is more than they are supposed to do, but 5,000 colones and two beers (one for each tech) seemed to be the proper incentive for them to do it.

So, at home right now, over in the corner next to the birdcage, there´s this wired telephonic device thingy. I ain´t had onea them in a decade!!!

So, next step is Jen goes to the ...wherever one goes to interact with the phone people and puts in the request for DSL. I was talking to a co-worker this evening and he said that it should only take a week or so for the DSL to happen and then we'll have internet at home again!!!!

Flarbish

(yes, I said flarbish)

Spent some time working on a couple li´l projects today -- a stand for an LCD monitor that we´re trying out, hoping to retire the behemoth CRT that Jen´s been using... and prepping some new support rails for the dining table, which was manhandled and jounced during the move in a way that did it no good. Right now the table has to be against a wall to be stable, which eliminates one of the four sides for seating.

Also have chili in the crockpot for when we get home, and I plan to bake some cornbread muffins to go with it.

My classes are starting back up beginning tomorrow with the Beginner´s Conversation, and then the two Saturday Level III classes. And supposedly more new classes to come over the next few weeks, but we´ll see about that. (Learning from experience, is what I´m doing)

Once we get internet connectivity at home I plan on posting some photos of the things I´ve built. Hopefully that will be soon.

Later, All!

Hmmmm....

You´d think after missing a day of posting that I´d have something to say.

Alas, I do not. But I´m still here, and doubtless shall return.

I hope all is well for each and every one of you!

Geez

Short post because I´m on a machine with only Windows Exploder and ever single page I try to load I get error messages (something about expired certificates), the cubicle is too narrow for tower, keyboard and mouse to all be in a usable spot at once, and the letter (sixth of English alphabet) doesn´t work -- well, it works too well.

Here, look:

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

So note to all readers, if you´re ever in San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica at the Panda.net internet cafe, stay away from Number 4.

Later

Day of (Not) Rest

This morning I went to the local hardware store (all by myself... it´s easy to say '60 3/4" tornillos') to get some 3/4" screws so I could build the bathroom shelf unit. I spaced when we were there yesterday and when Jen asked me about 1 1/2" screws, I didn´t realize for what purpose they were meant and said yes.

I used the long screws (well, and some wood) to make a stand for the bird cage, so she´d have a place up off the floor (and hopefully a bit out of Raxi's line-of-sight), and then did the bathroom shelves.

Oh, and I assisted the house electrician as she put in another of the ceiling fixtures we got yesterday.

I need to build a workbench soon, preferably before I do any more projects. Working on the floor of the carport is not my idea of fun, for one, and I need a solid spot upon which to mount my new mitre box so I can begin doing some finer work -- especially since the next project is going to be shelf units for the kitchen, and they´ll be on full display for anyone who pops by.

And now we´re going to get some seafood.

Later!

A New Year

So this morning we left the house with the intention of popping over to the local hardware/lumber store and getting some pine boards and such for to build a couple li´l things for the house (a shelving unit for the bathroom and a "table" for The Bird). But as we were pulling out onto the street I mentioned the possibility of going to the new big Lowe´s-like store, EPA, instead.

Being a (former) worker in The Trades (that´s construction), Lowe´s and places like it are like my Disney World. Well, okay, Disney World is like my Disney World, but you get the idea. Jen finally gave in and off we went.

We ended up buying some light fixtures to replace the cheap-ass bare bulb hanging fixtures, and a couple other things, as well as pricing some of the other things we are going to need. Then we went to the local place for the lumber.

So instead of spending a few minutes buying and then a large amount of time building, we spent a lot of time shopping and only did a couple li´l things.

But now I know that Jen is an excellent electrician*, and we have lumber for the bathroom shelves, a 'pantry' for the kitchen, the birdstand, and more.



(*I already knew that, ´cause she fixed the 220 wiring in her old apartment, and not many people would even have an idea where to start that -- beyond turning the Yellow Pages to the Electrician page and choosing a number)

Ummm...

I hope this comes out the way I want it to, because I´m coming to you from an internet cafe in San Rafael... and while the keyboard itself is English layout, the computer settings are Spanish, which means that keys such as ¨<¨ and ¨>¨ and ¨@¨ aren´t where they´re ´supposed´ to be.

Anyway, hope your new year got off to a bang -- ours did, as seemingly everyone else in Costa Rica had a trunkfull of fireworks that were about to pass their born-on date and therefore had to be ´sploded. The Bird was jumpy and Teh Kitteh was ´wev´ and the turtle had no comment.

And then at 3:30am, some really drunk dude ambled all over the cul-de-sac looking for ¨Señor!¨... over and over again.

In any case, it´s all good and we´re going to go get some ice cream when we leave here. As usual, it´s sunny and about 80º here.

See ya tomorrow!

Blue Moon of Costa Rica

(with apologies to Bill Monroe)

New year ends with blue moon. I'm sure a lot of people will take it as some huge cosmic event, but since time is arbitrary (and far from universal ... ask any Chinese or Jewish people you know when the new year is), I simply see it as another chance to stare at the full face of the moon.


See y'all next year!

The Penultimate Day

Of 2009, that is.

Heh. Penultimate. Reminds me of this:



Enjoy this randomly inserted random (not Tuesday or Thursday) Monty Python, and, if I don't get back afore midnight tomorrow....

Happy New Year!!!

Turns Out It Was Actually 775 Consecutive Days

And now it's 2 consecutive days.

Of posting, that is.

There was some action (of the paperwork kind) on the phone for the new place today, so mayhap we'll have phonage and internetage soon at home. I hope so, because in another four days we'll have to move this computer over to the house, as it'll be January and we'll officially be outta this apartment.

We can (and will) go to an internet cafe (is like 40 cents for a half hour), but that will entail going somewhere, and using unusual (i.e., Spanish language layout) keyboards, and I don't know what all, so that Consecutive Days count might just get reset once or twice again before I get settled back into my regular rhythm and resume posting the heartpounding and poignant and ... well, possibly boring at times posting that you have come to expect from me.

Plus, I'll get back to reading y'all regularly and keeping up with what's going on in the world.

'Til then, keep it between the ditches, y'all!

Wherein Blogger Decides That 700 (or so) Days in a Row Is Enough

So, I have had a backup post lined up and ready to post if I should fail to (or simply choose not to) come over here where to the land of internet connections (aka, The Old Place). I've been bumping the date by one each day that I did post, to cover the next.

Well, yesterday I was feeling a bit poorly in the tum-tum, and decided to let the pre-scheduled post have the day.

Only it didn't.

And so my streak ends.

And so it goes.

And so on.

And et cetera.

And ad naseum.

And.

Happy Boxing Day

(aka, Day Whatever w/out Internet)

I'm over at Jen's old apartment, where we'll have a computer for a couple more days, to post, and there are people settling in in the old downstairs place. I'm not sure I like it, my first Costa Rican place taken over by strangers.... ;)

...and I can't think of a single other thing to say, except, I've gotta go to the supermarket and pick up a couple of things -- like some whole bean coffee so I can make use of the coffee grinder the girls gave me for Christmas!!!

Oh!

Before we moved, I downloaded a game (the "next" version of one of my faves) and it turns out it's the Italian version. Anybody wanna come down here and translate?

Later!

A Tradition Continues

Merry Christmas [y'all] From the Family Costa Rica!! I hope you all got what you deserved wanted, and that you're surrounded by loved ones.

Christmas Eve in Costa Rica...

... and it's sunny and about 80 degrees. Just like every other day here.

Those of you with White Christmases enjoy the heck out of it, okay?

(this has been day five of no Internet. Seriously, Dr. Monkey, I have no connection ;) )

Day Four and...

...we're over here at the old place(s) to finish cleaning out the downstairs apartment (my former demesne) and hopefully turn in the keys.

Anyone wanna help sweep and mop?

Day Three of InterWebs Absence

Missin' alla y'all, busy settling the new place and emptying the old ones....

That's about all I got for now....

See ya soon, I hope!

Jus' Checkin' In...

Finished reading the 58 emails in my inbox (wow, teach me to be offline for two days!) and thought I'd say Hi! here.

We're getting settled in to the new house, and Jen tells me that there is ppotential movement already on getting connected over there. To the InterWebs Tubes, I mean. She and I are already connected :)

Hope all are well, Happy Solstice, and I'll be back soon!

Just in Case

Hey, all!

I'm too busy settling things into the new place to go over to the old place where we still have a computer hooked up to Teh InterWebs Tubes (for another couple days or so).

So, anyway, have a good'n!

Something's Happening...

The apartment(s) are emptying, and all the furniture (except for the li'l desk on which the computer rests and chair upon which I rest) is gone!!!!

And all the books, and the appliances, and ....

Is someone trying to tell me something?

Wherein I Don't Have To Feel Bad About Not Making It To the Family Christmas Gathering Tomorrow

Because if this comes to pass:



...they won't be able to do any gathering. It's looking like they'll all be getting snow, even my siblings that live in the RDU area! So, Family, enjoy the snow and all that.

I'll be wearing shorts and a t-shirt, as usual. :)

(also, everyone knew I wasn't going to be there, so there really wasn't any feeling bad to begin with)

Updating to add:


[webcam shot in Burnsville, NC about 11:15am EST today]

and

[ditto in Spruce Pine]

(Burnsville is where I was born, and Spruce Pine is just a few miles to the east. The two towns lie about midway between Boone and Asheville, the two places where I spent the last couple decades)

For comparison, this is the current view out the kitchen window here in San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica:

O Little Town of Belén

As I've mentioned, I'm teaching some Saturday classes now, over in the town of Belén (that's Bethlehem to those who don't comprende español), and I took a couple pictures out the window last Saturday:



Also, tonight the institute had a "training session" for several new teachers, and I was surprised to be asked a lot of questions about procedures and how "we" should do things. I didn't realize it, but I have the most seniority (yeah, six months).

And we also had Tamales: The Costa Rican Version. They were different from the Mexican tamales I grew up eating, but were pretty dang good.

The Latest in Diety's

So, What'd I Miss?

The (state run, i.e. socialized) phone company is doing a massive redo of the lines in this neighborhood -- just in time for us to be moving out, but it's a good thing overall -- and somehow it trickled over to the cable lines with the result that we were GASP!!! without internet pretty much all day.

Anything happen out there in the wide world? Retributive lightning strike Joe Lieberman or anything equally wonderful?

It's All Relative

"I'm wearing your shoes because it's cold."



"I see."

I Don't Know Why People Think Foreign Languages Are So Hard...

(found over at Lockwood's place)

Ding Dong

More Merry Muppet Madness:

Quick and Dirty

Here's the layout of the new house:

Check That One On the List

Would you believe that Jen had not seen Miracle on 34th Street? Well, that cultural touchstone has now been ... touched, Fred Gailey proved once again that Kris is the one and only Santa, and li'l Susan got her dream house.

I think she liked it, and I know I did (having seen it many, many times).

Run For Your Lives!!!

Head for the hills... but not the hills of potatoes.

Petunias and potatoes may actually be carnivorous plants, scientists now suggest.

Them spuds have eyes, and they're a-watchin' ye!

Anybody Got A Spare 200Grand?

That's how much the initial flights will cost but, as will all "new" things, it'll get cheaper as time passes.

(yes, the video is essentially a long-form commercial, but it's still cool)

They rolled out the first of the second wave of orbiters, and it's called Enterprise. Just another reason to go up, as far as I'm concerned.

Well, That Was Different....

We just watched the latest Doctor Who episode, "The Waters of Mars", and, as I said to Jen about halfway through the show, it was a different kind of episode. I won't give any spoilers, but if you've seen it and want to talk about it, you can find a link to my email address over on the right --->

In other developments, we drove around a bit this afternoon, mostly because I wanted to take a photo from a certain spot, but also to see if we could spy any "For Rent" signs that would lead us to TOTH. We didn't find any such thing, nor was I able to get the photo I wanted. I did get this, though:


Mayhap we'll try again on both counts (well, we'll definitely be trying more on TOTH).

Yearning For A Taste

So, back in the Old Country (that would be Teh USA -- and more specifically, NC), they had snow this weekend.

Sigh.

I love snow... but I love being here in Costa Rica, too, so it's all good.

But there is something that I'm really missing tonight, and the fact that winter has arrived in NC means that it's available.

Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale
(image found here)

Brewed in Asheville, NC, Highland's beers are available in lots of places in the Southeast of the US (distributor listing here), so if anyone comes across some, have one for me, okay?

I'm Always Surprised...

...when I look at a map of visits to my li'l corner of Teh InterWebs Tubes:


That's visits from 62 countries. Wow.

Also, I am appreciative of each and every visit. Thanks, y'all.

Today in the Annals of Teaching

I picked up a new class tonight. A Level 1 (beginners -- like really beginners) class. After a nice, hearty blank stare all around, I started searching for a way through the language wall, and, luckily (and somewhat surprisingly), there is a book for the class.

So we started at the beginning: The letters of the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, months, and all that. And by the end of class, I think I had learned as much Spanish as they learned Inglés.

To be continued, I'm sure....

Jeebus Wept

So, you've probably heard about this -- the Salvation Army in Houston is requiring proof of citizenship before giving children Christmas presents. Epic FAIL on the whole "Christ-like" thing, there, SA.

Well, General JC Christian, Patriot, has a wonderful suggestion included in his typically adroit takedown of the hypocrisy and stupidity:

"It'd be a real shame if wicked people tried to pressure the Salvation Army into treating everyone with dignity by doing something like this:

1. Download the graphic below.
2. Print it.
3. Cut it into check-sized pieces.
4. Deposit "checks" in Salvation Army kettles.


Please don't do it, and for God's sake, don't go to other blogs and mention it in their comments."

Not-Friday (Eco) Cat Blogging

3442.5 Cubic Feet*

As Jen has already mentioned, we're beginning the process of moving from having separate (but contiguous) apartments to The One True House (TOTH). When I came here to Costa Rica back in March, I had two suitcases and a carry on bag and this apartment was pretty empty (basically a couch and a mattress on the floor in one bedroom). Since then, though, I've built a couple of tables and... well, you know how it goes. One acquires things.

So, over the next month we'll hopefully be finding said TOTH, but if not, moving all the stuff from upstairs to down here. And while Jen laughed at my idea of bunk couches, I'm not really sure we can use the third dimension of the interior space that well.

(*that's 17' * 27' * 7.5')

Really, I'm Not That In To Holidays!

Just because I spent a lot of my sick time finding and downloading the four TV specials I listed in yesterday's post, and overnight last night downloaded the movie "White Christmas" to go with "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street" which I already have on DVDs, doesn't mean I can't be a bit Bah Humbug.

Oh, that reminds me, I want to try and find the Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol" online somewhere.

"Christmas-time Is Here"

First things first, I'm feeling much better today. Still a bit stuffed up, but definitely "on the mend" as they say.

So, about this Christmas thing.... I've been looking here and there, and I've finally completed the Christmas Special Quartet. The four TV specials that always "made" Christmas when we were growing up. They are, of course:

• "A Charlie Brown Christmas" -- this was always the number one must see of the year.
• "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" -- remember, Bumbles bounce!
• "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" -- the Boris Karloff-voiced cartoon, not that dumb movie.
• "Frosty the Snowman" -- this one is sort of border, cause the animation was, IMO, crappy.
  

I found and was able to download copies of all four of these, and they will soon be on a Christmas Special DVD. Since the girls have (mostly) been growing up here in Costa Rica, I don't know how familiar they are with them, but I'm sure we'll all have a good time watching them together.

Here's the opening of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for your viewing (and memory) pleasure:

Hmmm

I'm still feelin' poorly, and I missed both Thanksgiving dinners to which we were invited (Jen and the girls went, and I got "Bobby Bags" from both, though).... Ummm, I found some downloadable scenarios for one of the computer games I really enjoy playing and have played nearly to death, so it's nice to have new stuff to do.... I hear that cake (at least Dora the Explora [sic] cake) and wine go together.... Oh, and I've been watching (online) the HBO miniseries "John Adams", based on the David McCullough biography -- which I've read, and I've found it to be very enjoyable.... Can't think of anything else for now.

See ya!

Well, Looka That

As I may have mentioned (heh), I've been under the weather the last couple days. I was telling Jen last night that all the congestion in my head must have really been messing with my equilibrium because as I was sitting on the couch yesterday afternoon I could have sworn there was a low-grade, long-lasting rumble of an earthquake going on.

It seemed to me that the couch was -- ever so slightly, but nonetheless -- moving from side to side. But we don't have that kind of earthquake here in Costa Rica.

Except, as it turns out, we did have two of them yesterday. The first was while we were out (looking at a potential home -- it was not the One, unfortunately) and it rumbled on for about 15 minutes. The second (which was the one I felt) lasted about three minutes.

(click to embiggen)

So I wasn't as messed up as I thought I was.

Almost Immediate Update: I didn't look further than the seismograph page I showed you before I posted, but it turns out that the first one was apparently associated with a 5.9 temblor off the coast of El Salvador. Which could mean that the second was an aftershock.

I don't know as much as I would like to about all this. Maybe one of my readers -- perhaps one who hangs out near his favorite coffee shop -- could point me (and any other interested parties) to some layman accessible information.

Aimless Pondering....

Is it still a "cold" if one lives in a place where there's no such thing as cold?

/goes back to bed/

*sniffle*

As I mentioned the other night, I'm really not all that in to Holidays. I appreciate the good suggestions and comments on that post, but what I was really talking about was me celebrating. And now that I'm part of a familial unit with small children, I will have to engage more fully in the days. I have no problem with that, and maybe it will cause my own lost childhood wonder to rekindle. And if not, there's always Egg Nog with lots of rum. :)

Anyway, what I really logged in to tell you tonight is that there are a few things about the Thanxmasyear Arc de Celebration that I love. Like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Miracle on 34th Street"... and a couple of others. And tonight I found Charlie Brown (downloadable) and so -- after I preview it to make sure all the bits are in fact CB and not PR0N (yes, it even gets there) -- we can watch it with the girls. Jen isn't sure if they've seen it before.

Also, I'm sick and going to bed.

For those of you in the US, enjoy the turkey & fixin's, parades and football tomorrow!!

For the rest of you, get the hell to work! It's Thursday (or, for those on t'other side of the Int'l Dateline, Friday), for crying out loud!

Kittehs....

(all via I Can Haz Cheeseburger [duh])

Mr. Deity!!

Happy Freakin' Thanksgiving, Paleface

Heh

Check this out! I'm #10 on Google on a search for "soft kitty, warm kitty", which, of course, is a little song from the wonderful program Big Bang Theory.

Okay, This Is One Aspect I Didn't Think About

Christmas -- and holidays in general, for that matter -- really haven't been a big deal for me since I was a kid. Once I stopped getting toys as presents, the whole deal paled.

Here I am now, in Costa Rica, part of a family with Jen and her two girls.

Girls who are 8 and 11.

Guess what?

New Classes!

This morning I started two new classes in Belen (aka three towns over). These are groups that are new -- both to each other, and to our institute -- and there was some question as to what level (or levels) for which the students were prepared. And it was left up to me to make the determination. Which was fun in a way, because I'm really just flying by the seat of my pants to begin with in teaching these classes.

Lucky for these students, I've now had -- or at least, I've begun (they've not all 'taken', which, I'm learning, is par for the course in Costa Rican language schools) -- five classes, so I do know approximately what the different Levels are expected to know.

The first class had twenty-one students in it, ranging in age from 30 down to 11 (yes, 11 year-olds), and the second one four students (three adult women and one teenage boy). I'm pretty sure (but have to converse further with the Director of the institute to be certain [hey, we were both tired at the end of the day]) that the two classes will be combined, because 4 students isn't really financially viable for the business.

Oh, and I decided that the class(es) are to be Level III. So best of luck to the students (and me)!!

It Always Scares Me When This Happens....

The Weather Channel Firefox addon thingy (...do da wubba bingo) -- application, I mean is way cool. Right there on the status bar of the browser, current conditions and immediate forecast.

Occasionally, however, it does this:


and I have to run to the window to make sure it's not the end of the world or something. So far, it has only been glitches in the programming. If it ever turns out to be something else, I'll let you know.

Truth In Advertising

(click to embiggen for full effect)

From a 1962 issue of Life magazine. Read more about it here. Humble Oil merged with Standard Oil as part of a deal that created Exxon.

From The Request Line

I'm not sure whether Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein meant this comment as "please share the pie" or as "please share the pie recipe", so, in the interest of fairness (and since the pie itself is all gone), herewith be the recipe....

I like to use a graham cracker crust, but you could use any type -- pastry, oreo cookie, 'Nilla wafer, whatever. The filling is made as follows:

Put 1½ cups of milk (whole is best, but at least 2% fat -- nonfat won't thicken) in a medium saucepan over low heat, until bubbles form around the edge. A low heat will keep the milk from burning as it heats, so be careful with the temperature!

Whilst that is happening, mix together:

• 3T (that's Tablespoon) cornstarch
• 4T sugar
• ¼t (teaspoon) salt
• 5T unsweetened cocoa (or less, if you're afraid of real chocolate taste)

After the dry ingredients are mixed, add ½cup of milk and whisk until blended.

Add this mixture to the scalded milk, and turn up the heat to medium. Whisk the mixture until it reaches a boil, then boil for one minute (whisking constantly, so it doesn't burn on the bottom).

Remove from heat, let cool to lukewarm and add 2t vanilla extract.

Chill and serve.

Leftover Redux

The pie from the other day, tonight we shall finish it -- most likely:




So good.

It's Kinda Cool...

that being outside the US, there are a multitude of video platforms available that don't work in the US. There are also ones that work in the US, such as Hulu, that don't work outside the States, but having downloadable episodic television (both "first run" and older shows) is pretty cool. Even with the Chinese subtitles.

What's not so fun is when you get two-thirds of the way through an episode and the rest won't load.

Food, Glorious Food!

Tonight's dinner:



Steamed green beans, tuna casserole, and made-from-scratch chocolate pie w/(sorta)graham cracker crust*. As my Siamese cousin Ralph would say.... 'twas guuuuud!**

* - "Graham Crackers" aren't available (that we've found) here in Costa Rica, so we used "Fibra Miel", or "Fiber Honey", cookies.

** - And we haven't actually cut into the pie yet, but the "leavings" in the bowl were yuu-mmy!

We Regret To Inform You...

...that due to spammers, I have had to turn on "word verification" for commenting.

I hate it, too, but I'm tired of dealing with the glut of spam I've had over the last few days.

Hopefully I can ditch this change in the near future.

Truth in Cartooning

Sad News

I found out this afternoon that my mother's health is deteriorating, that her heart is wearing out. Her doctors expect that she will need to be prepared to go to Hospice care soon.

So in her honor, I'm posting the final couple minutes of this selection, Sakari Oramo conducting the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Jean Sebelius' masterpiece, Finlandia, known in the Methodist Church as the hymn, "This is My Song". It's always been Mom's favorite:

You Won't Have Lou Dobbs To Kick Around Any More

Oh, wait, that was Richard Nixon, after he lost the 1960 Presidential election to John Kennedy.

Even though he resigned from CNN during his show today, we most certainly will have Lou Dobbs still lurking being a xenophobic a-hole ... possibly running for office?

Tenthers and Birthers and TeaPartiers and other assorted morans must be in celebratory mode tonight.

Come to think of it, those of us with consciousness and empathy and a desire to see the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few are a bit happy, too. No more Dobbs spreading lies on CNN (as the host of a show, anyway), and he'll likely get his ass handed to him if he runs for office.

Win/win.

There's A Mr. Death At The Door (non-Python)

My Inner 12yr-old Would Like You To Know

Seen over on the Facebook sidebar:

Sunday Night Classic

This Guy Really Doesn't Want a Mac...

Seriously, stop it. I don't care if Mac stuff is better. I don't care if Mac stuff is cool. I don't care if every Mac product comes equipped with a magic button on the side that causes it to piddle gold coins and resurrect the dead and make holographic unicorns dance inside your head. I'm not buying one, so shut up and go home. Go back to your house. I know, you've got an iHouse. The walls are brushed aluminum. There's a glowing Apple logo on the roof. And you love it there. You absolute monster.

Fantastically written tongue-in-cheek screed, h/t to Mike (and his roundup) over at C&L.

30 Years And 2 Months Later....

In the fall of 1979 I started my first year of high school Spanish. The first things we learned were the "stock" tourist questions. You know, how to ask for directions, more beer, &etc.

Today, subbing a couple of classes at a location (an elementary school) I've never been to before, I finally made use of that first-learned phrase, "¿Donde esta el baño?"

Sr. Farias would be so proud.

Just In Case....

there's anyone who hasn't yet seen this -- Jon Stewart lampoons Glenn Beck to perfection:



I can't stand to watch Beck for more than a few seconds at a time, but I can see every one of his "moves" in this piece.

Well done, Mr. Stewart, well done.

Wingnut Math

Michele Bachmann's (R-Fantasyland) Healthcarepaloozathoniconbaggerparty, or whatever the hell she called it, happened today.

This:



= "about a million" people.

Today's PTOtKW -- Cause I Don't Even Want To Talk About What's Happening In The US

Low clouds this morning, because there's a Tropical Storm (Ida) lurking off the Caribbean coast. It was pretty much like that all day, except when the clouds got thicker and even closer, meaning fog, and I couldn't see shite out the window.

The Green Hills Mountains of Ireland Costa Rica

Another in my (apparently) ongoing series of

Photos Taken Out the Kitchen Window [insert fanfare]!!!

This one was around 6:30 this morning, and the mountain across the valley was especially green-looking and sharp. The photo doesn't really do it justice, but there it is.

Monday Funny

(found over at Lockwood DeWitt's place. If you haven't been, you really should check him out)

Dear Republicans, Are There Any Adults Left In Your Party?

Because the ones in Congress have officially become 5 year-olds:

But Boxer cannot hold the markup unless at least two Republicans show up, and EPW [Environment and Public Works Committee] ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) signaled that he has unanimous support among the panel’s minority members to boycott the session until they get more data on the legislation from U.S. EPA and the Congressional Budget Office.

Inhofe said he will wait for Boxer to file an official notice of the markup — expected today — before responding with his own declaration of the GOP’s markup strategy.

They're not even attempting to hide the fact that all they're doing is being petulant.

“As soon as we find out what her announcement is and what she wants to do, we’ll have our response,” Inhofe told E&E last night. “We’ll have our unanimous expression ready.”

Why don't they just take their ball and go home, and leave taking care of pressing concerns to some more mature people.

More at EnviroKnow (blockquotes from NY Times article, h/t to C&L)

Oooh, It's Getting Spooky Here

So it's getting dark here in Costa Rica, the veil between the worlds is thinning, and a mist is forming in the valley....




And just to the right of that, there's a gorgeous sunset underway:


Happy Halloween and Good Samhain to all the Pagans!

For Your Hallowe'en Viewing Pleasure

Grateful Dead - Touch Of Grey
Uploaded by hushhush112. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Move Over Disney World

Because Costa Rica is the happiest place on Earth. At least, according to researchers at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The inhabitants of Costa Rica hold the first position of this classification, with an average of 66.7 happy years of life, followed by Iceland with 66.4 years and Denmark 65 happy years. The United States is listed at 58 years.

So I guess I bought myself 8.7 years of extra happiness by moving here. Hmmm, I guess it would be pro-rated, but still....

I can haz moar happy!

Counterpoint Post

To yesterday's (way) early morning photos, we have this afternoon.

Basically the same framing as the valley fog shot from yesterday. That's not the same cloud. :)


You know, one has the impression, before one moves here, that the weather in the Tropics can get boring. High in the low 80s, Low around 60 (here in San Rafael de Heredia), day after day.

--
I realize that at this point, some of you are thinking "Yeah, Bob, rub it in! It's snowing here now (or just was, or is just about to). You poor guy!"
--

Anyway, the weather here is anything but boring. The temps are pretty steady, yes, but there's always some climatical thingy (that the meteorological term, innit?) going in. (Way early) yesterday morning, it was valley fog. Last night, it was a so-distant-you-couldn't-hear-the thunderstorm, but it was all happening at eye level and lasted for a couple hours. Right about where that bright white spot of cloud is just above the ridge ine in the above photo.

The afternoon version of another of yesterday's shots, for your viewing pleasure.