Tajma Bolivia 1967-1969.mpg

Gordon Sumner narrates his experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the village of Tajma which is found in the South Yungas of the Department of La Paz, Bolivia, 1967-1969. From: yergtom1 Views: 3 0 ratings Time: 09:54 More in People & Blogs

A few hours of driving north on I-95 took me past Philadelphia to Princeton, NJ. Another Peace Corps friend, Dan Wright, has been at Princeton for the last few years in school. He had a class in New York City that day and had already left when I got there. I dropped my car at his place, assembled my bike, and rode to the Princeton Train Station. I quickly bought a ticket and made it just as the connection train was pulling out of the station, and then just made the transfer onto the next train to New York as it passed through the next station. I felt kind of important for things to work out like that for me, like the world revolved around me for those brief moments.The plan for the evening was for a bunch of Peace Corps folks to rendezvous and get some dinner. I met Dan at the apartment of our friends Katie and Noah, who live in the city. Katie, Noah, Dan and I all arrived in Bolivia together almost 6 years ago, which seems like a long time but we caught up as if no time had passed. Again, the kindred spirit of the Peace Corps volunteers. Here's a shot from the good 'ol days with the four of us on a hike in Bolivia (plus a couple of others)Our other friend Lauren came briefly into town to say hello and introduce us to her new baby, Monica, who I found out was actually born on my birthday this year! Lauren and her partner Sean had come to Cincinnati back in 2009 to run the Flying Pig Marathon, and it was great to see them again briefly and catch up. We then headed out to dinner for Serbian food at a place called Kafana...I wasn't sure what to expect as far as Serbian food goes, and I can't tell you exactly what it was I ate but I do know that it was delicious. Another one of our friends, Ross, met us at the restaurant. Liz, a friend of mine from Honduras, who is also in NYC joined us as well. It was like my worlds colliding for a moment, which I actually always really enjoy. It had been almost a year since seeing Liz, who was one of my housemates in Santa Lucía and fellow coffee junkie. The meal and compartiendo were both excellent, for a moment it felt like being back in Bolivia again...like all of us were just in from our sites and enjoying a delicious dinner...the few differences being we didn't smell as much and the food was not nearly as cheap as Bolivian cusine!We headed out to a bar afterwards for drinks and met up with Brandon and Lex, two more volunteers currently living in the city. Turns out NYC is a haven for Bolivia RPCVs. Here's a shot of Dan and me at the bar, and I am of course wearing the sweet denim shirt Dan gave me as a gift last year.Anyone bored and in the area should hit up Dan's Cinco de Mayo 30th birthday party in Princeton. There is talk of roasting an entire pig! (Although unlike Bolivia, they won't have to kill this one themselves).I was pretty worn out at this point from hopping from spot to spot, so Dan and I returned back to Katie and Noah's place to crash for the evening. After a light breakfast we were back on the train to Princeton the next morning. It was a quick trip but I knew I would be back to the city soon...Dan made me a delicious sandwich before sending me on my way to State College, PA.

I got off the train and Baltimore Penn Station and took a bus that dropped me a few blocks from my friend Jacky's house. Jacky is a friend from the Bolivia days and in general one of the funniest people I know. My time in Baltimore was short but thanks to Jacky it was far from uneventful!Jacky managed to find two super cool roommates in Baltimore, also RPCVs. Jenny was in Mozambique and Nora was in Lesotho. I have found that Peace Corps definitely attracts a certain breed and that I enjoy that breed and folks of that breed often get along with one another...Nora and Jenny were no exception. They showed me around the area they live (Fell's Point, very nice) and I learned something about Baltimore I didn't know:Who knew?Here's a shot of Jacky and me by the waterAfter the tour of the neighborhood and the docks, we ended up at a pizza joint called Johnny Rad's...which was delicious and had good beer selection. We laughed through the entire meal and fun was had by all, except when Nora whipped my tail in Skee Ball. In all fairness, I had not played in a very long time, and she was somewhat of a ringer. We picked up some local beer on the walk home and the merrymaking continued on Washington St. Fleetwood Mac's Rumors was playing on the turntable and we thought it would be a good idea to light some dandelions on fire. I am not quite sure at what point in my life I figured out that dandelions (or whatever you call the white poofy seed version that is pre-dandelion) put on quite a spectacle when you light them on fire, but the fact is, they do. Jacky had a lovely bouquet of these in the kitchen which we promptly took up to the patio and commenced burning. It got a little dicey when they decided to put them in their mouths before lighting, but I assure you no RPCVs were harmed during the taking of this photo:The evening wound down and I settled in for a good night's sleep on the downstairs futon. I fell asleep thinking that really the only previous impression I had of Baltimore came from watching the HBO series The Wire, which deals with cops and drug dealers...not the prettiest picture. But I found myself really liking it, which of course had mostly to do with my great hostesses, but it seemed to be a nice city nonetheless.The next morning we headed back down to the water for breakfast at Jimmy's Diner...it was delicious and filling and full of baseball fans due to the opening day festivities. Our next task was to drop Jenny at the airport, on the way to which Jacky DJ'd some excellent tunes and we danced and sang like a Brownie troop on a bus to camp. We had to stop for gas, but that didn't stop Jenny from busting out Mmmmbop while she pumped!We said a tearful goodbye to Jenny and scolded her for breaking up the band. Our next task was to drop Nora at the car rental place, she was heading home too. Jacky and I returned home and I packed up to set off on the next leg of my journey. I hadn't driven in almost two whole days and I was glad to have a short 3 hour drive to my next destination. It was an awesome 18 hours or so in Baltimore, and I looked forward to many more random nights of excellent people, food and drink. Who was to know what was in store over the next weeks of traveling...The fantastic four: Ben, Nora, Jacky, Jenny

From Charlottesville I drove across Virginia to Maryland, the strangest shaped state in the union, in my opinion. I dropped my car at a friend's place in Baltimore and hopped on a train to Washington, DC. Parking in DC was not something I was excited about, hence leaving the car. Not to mention trains and public transportation on the east coast are prevalent and easy to use. More on that later.I was greeted at Union Station in DC by my jolly old friend, Joe Shultz. I have visited Joe in DC a handful of times over the past few years and it is of course always an enjoyable stay. We headed out to H Street for mussels and beer at Granville Moore's, a spot we have hit up several times in the past that never disappoints. We were joined by another OSU friend, Anne Knapke. It was fun to catch up and reminisce about the college days as well as hear about what we are all up to now and looking to in the future. Having been on the road for over two weeks now as I write this, I have had this conversation many times with many different people, and it has yet to get old. Most people say they are envious of the time I have to spend out traveling and visiting, and I certainly don't blame them. I also really enjoy hearing about what friends are up to or looking to do next. Taking a moment to think about all the people I have met along the way and where they all are in their lives really blows my mind sometimes. I'm just one person, and I know a lot of people who all have amazing and interesting lives...it's just incredible to me how that extrapolates out across the entire planet...so many people with so many different lives...Anyway, it was a nice night out. The next morning Joe and I grabbed a quick breakfast before he hopped in a cab and said, "Take me to the Senate!" I didn't take any pictures of Joe so I thought I'd put up a throwback shot from a few years ago of Joe enjoying a stogie on the California coast:I then took a walk up to another friend's apartment, one Miss Tahira Rehmatullah. Tahira has had many nicknames over the years but for ease and appropriateness I will refer to her simply as "T." It had been about a year and a half since our paths crossed last, during which she had moved to DC from Brooklyn for a yearlong fellowship. We grabbed a cup of coffee and caught up for a bit at a place that shares a name with another friend of ours, David Tynan:T was on her way out of town so I left her to finish up some work and pack up. I headed down to the DC Mall (not a place to shop for those of you who don't know) and decided to hit up the Air and Space Museum. It was very enjoyable despite also being attended by approximately 67 million junior high school students on spring break bus trips. I exercised patience since I was also once one of those students way back in 1995 or something. I really enjoyed the museum, especially learning more about the Wright Brothers. I have a huge sense of pride being from the same state as the Wright Brothers and also find it entertaining that they ran a bicycle shop before tackling flying. As I journey across the country trying to figure out what's next for me, I found this quote fairly appropriate. Perhaps it's a sign?I went to meet Joe for a quick lunch at Union Station before heading out of town. He left me with a tough question to think about as I journeyed on..."So, how do you make this trip about what's next in your life and not just about visiting friends?" I didn't have a good answer for him then but hopefully those answers may present themselves out here on the road. Because for the most part, so far, it has been simply to visit friends. As I got on the train back to Baltimore, my mind wandered...

The first stop on my new journey was Charlottesville, Virginia. It was about a 7 hour drive from Cincy through eastern Ohio, West Virginia, and finally western Virginia. It was a fairly uneventful ride and included listening to many road trip themed songs. I kicked it off with "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen and a new favorite, "Windows Are Rolled Down" by Amos Lee. Thanks to George Wang for the song rec, it has become one of my daily go-tos while on the road. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful drive, warm and sunny through the Appalachian Mountains. Here's a shot from an overlook in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 40 miles West of my final destination in Charlottesville.I was headed to the home of my good friends from the Peace Corps days, Tom and Anna Sullivan. Our time was spent laughing and catching up, as well as being entertained by their beautiful daughter, May Bird. May Bird is about to turn 2 and is already an expert iPad operator, as well as a pretty good cook!Upon my arrival Anna, May and I walked into town for a delicious Mexican food dinner at a restaurant called Guadalajara and then spent sometime walking the historic downtown mall, a very nice cobblestone retail district. One of the not so historic places we saw was Miller's bar, where Dave Matthews used to tend bar:The next day Tom took me up to Monticello, the historic plantation home of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a Charlottesville native and considers designing the University of Virginia in Charlottesville one of his greatest achievements. Not only was the building beautiful and incredibly designed, the grounds and museums telling all about everything Jefferson were fascinating as well. It is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in the area. Here are a few shots of Monticello:Ol' TJ and myself, with historically accurate shuttle busses in the backgroundGravesitePapa Tom and baby May Bird hanging out by the pond The house and the lawnI really enjoyed spending time at Monticello, Jefferson truly was an amazing human being. He was a lawyer by training but taught himself architecture and 4 or 5 languages. His experiences in France influenced the styles he used as well as the food that was prepared for his guests. The tour guide did not make this claim outright, but alluded to Macaroni and Cheese being invented at Monticello. I haven't even mentioned his other life accomplishments like writing the Declaration of Independence, becoming President, or buying the Louisiana Purchase...quite a resumé!That evening we enjoyed some delicious fish tacos fried up by Tom using Alaskan Halibut sent from our good friend George McGuan in Alaska...so very delicious! The next morning I said goodbye to Tom as he went off to work and Anna and I drove out to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a hike and bike ride. She and May Bird hiked, I biked. Really nice views despite some clouds. It was great to get out and get some exercise in. Shenendoah River valleyAnna and I stopped for delicious sandwiches on the ride home before I packed up and headed further east. The Sullivans' home in Bolivia was a refuge for me when I needed a break, and their doors were always open. We shared many laughs and big hugs back in those days and nothing has changed. It was the perfect kickoff to the trip and I am forever grateful for their generosity, hospitality and friendship.Onto the next stop!

Greetings Readers!Well, this has without a doubt been the longest drought of updates in the history of the Story of Ben, it has been about a year and a half since I last shared anything here. I may put up some stories and photos from the last 18 months at some point, but for now I am just going to start fresh after briefly bringing you up to speed: I finished up my time with Shoulder to Shoulder in Honduras at the end of July 2011. I returned to Cincinnati where I moved in with my sister and her family in Norwood. I worked and saved some money, took a few trips and got involved in a few interesting projects along the way. Then I cut my hair (first real haircut in almost six years) and on April 2nd, 2012 I packed up my car (yes, White Rice still rides on...thanks to some engine work I will surely describe in a later post) and set out on the road. I first headed east through Virginia and DC, up to New York City, Philadelphia and State College, PA. From there it was onto Cleveland and Chicago, and I currently find myself in Minneapolis, MN with plans to drive to Colorado tomorrow. I will do my best to bring you up to speed on all of that in subsequent posts, as well as continue with more "live" updates as the journey continues...final destination TBD. I hope to entertain and update all those who wish to be entertained and updated.

I send you out now, to share yourself with the world

May its promise and complexity set your mind ablaze

May you hold fast to what your life has taught you

May you question everything

And when you have changed the world,

And the world has changed you,

May you return again, to this place,

And share what you have learned with us.

—Rev. Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson, "I Send You Out"

I do apologize for the delay. A few weeks ago I went to do laundry but I didn't have enough money for two loads. So I went home to get more quarters. And then I completely forgot about the second load, leaving my laundry bag in the basement until two weeks later when I was wondering where my favorite jeans had escaped to. I hope this anecdote has served to give you a taste of my ridiculous spaciness and inherent procrastination...and that you'll forgive me!

The lovely A has informed me, indignantly I might add, that I neglected to mention her miraculous, time-consuming and tasty pancake making. One morning at the eco-village we made pancakes out of whole grain flour, camote flour, sugar, powdered milk, oatmeal, and the kitchen sink. I kid you not, each flapjack took about 20 minutes. Worth every minute in deliciousness.

In our last episode, A, L and I (me) had been shut out of their hotel in Montezuma and exiled in the no horse town of Cabo Blanco. After an evening of complaining they woke to the knowledge that they had their own private beach and pool and full use of the hotel kitchen so they spent the first day exploring, swimming, reading and sleeping. Then they went back to using the first person.

One of the hard to navigate aspects of a group vacation is the financial situation. I am of the school of thought that we'll split the bill when easy on the waitstaff and otherwise settle up throughout the days. I do not pay too too much attention to the nitty gritty cents and change. L on the other hand is very into the nitty gritty. At first she kept a running tally of our expenditures. Then we created a pool and each of us put $20 in each day. Then we argued over every purchase at the grocery store, prorating costs based on who we thought would eat the majority of the cabbage (L) or bananas (A) or eggs (me). I threw a monkey wrench into the process multiple times. After discovering that the taxis' meters continue to run after it's stopped I started paying immediately without considering who owed whom money. And being too impatient to do math while waiting on line in the grocery store I often paid the whole bill myself. I am a very bad socialist.

So while in Cabo Blanco we went to the nature reserve where on the two hour walk to the beach we nerded out with the tree guide book.

Then we spent an hour on the beach eating tomato, avocado and cheese sandwiches (our go-to meal) and lounging in various states of undress: L went whole-hog full sun in her teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, polka-dot bikini, A stayed fully dressed (with long sleeves!) in the shade and I bridged the gap.

After two days of beach lounging in Cabo Blanco and cooking bizarre meals like cabbage with pineapple and french toast with honey we headed into Montezuma proper to party for a day before heading back to San Jose and home. Spur of the moment we packed up and hitched into town to find a room in a kinda creepy hostel with teeny tiny ant-filled rooms. Dumping our bags we took off to the local waterfall. I paddled around in a swimming hole while L hiked waaaaay up the rocks and A went to get a haircut. I think this pretty well demonstrates our relative sense of adventure. We finally had a super delicious meal in a restaurant and then went out drinking and dancing. L shut the place DOWN and I held my own I suppose.

The next day, L went surfing and A and I shopped for my traditional vacation pair of earrings. L made me take a picture of our weird leftover breakfast complete with fresh coconut. I was distressed to learn that if I am stranded on a desert island I will not be able to survive on coconut because I am in fact allergic to it.And then? We hopped on a bus, the ferry, the same bus over again and a taxi then another taxi and a plane aaaall the way home. We spent the last of our communal money pot on a small package of chocolate covered hazelnuts (there was an odd number which caused no small amount of stress.) Then we had one last tomato-avocado-cheese sandwich and ate all of our leftover fruit so we wouldn't get hauled away by customs.

I am pleased to say that we are still talking to each other.

I thought I'd take a short detour from writing about my trip to Haiti (and the last few days in Costa Rica. Sorry.) to enumerate my theory of seasonal steadies. I can't take all the credit for the idea of a cycle of patterned partners. While I was living in Bolivia, and freezing my little backside off, my colleague told me that I needed a winter boyfriend. A winter boyfriend, he explained, was someone who's main role was to keep my bed warm. (Just to be clear, he wasn't volunteering himself for the job.)

Although a practical idea, I didn't think more on it until this year when I lived in the draftiest coldest apartment known to man. I mentioned to my friends that instead of buying yet another pile of blankets I was on the prowl for a snow steady. He should be somewhat stocky (to lend warmth), look good in a sweater and like to read, watch movies (and do other stuff) in bed and ideally be able to skate. If he can make pasta and soups all the better. Goodness, I just googled winter boyfriend ...and it's actually a thing. See here and here. This came up recently on a camping trip when a classmate of ours was walking around in a t-shirt and overalls while the rest of us were wearing thirty layers of flannel. My bestie yelled out, "Oh my god Lenni, he can be your winter boyfriend!" Anyway think Andrew Lincoln or Jason Segel.

But despite the residual sweaters, we are now moving into Spring. I need a sweetie who will match my sundress. I'm thinking metrosexual, stylish arm candy. Jude Law anyone? Adrian Brody? I suppose these two could transition into summer but perhaps a more bronzed muscled look would be more appropriate. Anything to distract from my glowing whiteness. Think high school. Chris Evans. James Marsden. (By the way if you google shirtless you get a surprising amount of Zac Efron results.) My favorite season however is Fall. Crispy leaves, Cool air. New school supplies and hot professors in tweed waxing poetic. John Slattery-ish.

Not that it matters. For as I've already said, I'll always be a Lloyd Dobler girl.

2010 UofM PC Writers Continues -Terry Sack (Bolivia 1963--65) 0324080455.mpg

Video 2: Judy Guskins seminar on Peace Corps Writers (RPCVs) at the 50th Reunion of Jack Kennedy's Speech at the University of Michigan October 14 2010. Terry Sack presents excerpts from his new book, A Peace Corps Memoir: Answering JFK's Call from Amazon. See peacecorpsworldwide.org Judith (2 videos to see Terry's complete presentation). From: JudithMaddenSturges Views: 3 0 ratings Time: 05:28 More in People & Blogs

I think this is across the street from the famous THE PENINSULA hotel -not super sure, though.

My favorite Vietnamese restaurant called LO CHIU VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT (I will get it's address as soon as I can remember to look it up) The food was served fresh, hot, and very reasonably priced ~ $7.50USD for a plate. The plate shown above cost ~$12.00USD, and well worth it. YUM YUM!! This is Mr. Bruce Lee and he's located on the boardwalk of movie stars along the water.

NGONG PING VILLAGE one of the most beautiful temples I've visited (of course, I haven't been to too many, yet, so my opinion doesn't say much about temples. haha!)Hong Kong at night, taken from the top of a hill that you can reach by either trolley car or a super windy, but really fun, road!

Macau

Macau

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So these are just a few of the highlights of my trip to Hong Kong and Macau. I only spent one day in Macau and I thought that was enough time since I didn't feel like gambling in the gorgeous casinos. I didn't put in pics of the casinos here just b/c they didn't do any justice for representing the super shiny, ornate, and luxurious adornments of the ones we visited.

Anyhoo, this entry is still in the works, but I thought I'd post what I have so far and come back to filling in the holes later.

Sorry it's been so long, guys, if you want to see all of my pics, just lemme know and I'll send you the link!

Volunteer work in Bolivia.wmv

This video was made to show the hard work of Peace Corps volunteers in Bolivia working with five local communities to produce organic honey. The honey was also used in the making of bi-products such as natural lip balms, shampoos, and body salves to improve the income of both men and women in the communities. The volunteer now owns and operates her own company due to her experiences in Bolivia called Wearearth. From: WearEarthdotcom Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 06:05 More in Education

Dartmouth and the Peace Corps: 50 Years of Partnership

Created by Jim Brown, senior lecturer in the Department of Film and Media Studies, this documentary chronicles the relationship between Dartmouth and the Peace Corps over the past fifty years. Through stories of their service, returned volunteers from each decade reflect on what their experiences have meant to them personally and for their careers. The film features interviews with Dartmouth alumni, including Charles Dey '52, who was instrumental in bringing the Peace Corps to campus as associate dean in 1961 and served himself as volunteer coordinator in the Phillipines in 1962, as well as distinguised Dartmouth professor Dr. John Rassias, creator of the Rassias method of language teaching. From: Dartmouth Views: 37 0 ratings Time: 48:56 More in Education

The Hour of the Furnaces (1968) Part 1: Neocolonialism and Violence subs Eng/Ita/Fra

Hour of the Furnaces: Notes and Testimony on Neocolonialism, Violence and Liberation. Part 1 Neocolonialism and Violence. "This legendary underground film criticized neo-colonialism and called for the overthrow of the Argentine government. Intended to be a film which "the System finds indigestible," La Hora was made and distributed outside of the commercial film industry. Because watching the film was illegal, the film transcended bourgeois entertainment: "We also discovered that every comrade who attended such showings did so with full awareness that he was infringing the System's laws and exposing his personal security to eventual repression. This person was no longer a spectator; on the contrary, from the moment he decided to attend the showing, from the moment he lined himself up on this side by taking risks and contributing his living experience to the meeting, he became an actor, a more important protagonist than those who appeared in the films." From: anon9u98 Views: 15 0 ratings Time: 01:24:56 More in News & Politics

Snow is in the air!I had trouble sleeping last night and I thought it had something to do with the small cup of coffee I had around 4PM (a little pick me up b/f my chemistry class -only to find out that the class was cancelled due to weather predictions!) When I woke to a beautiful blanket of snow outside my windows, I realized that it had to do with my body telling me that I needed to wake up and play in the snow & not the coffee.

So, Toby and I set out to walk to the nearby dog park. I wore two pairs of leggings, wool socks, my hiking shoes, down jacket, and water resistant jacket, gloves, layers of long sleeved shirts, and my puffy hat in order to stay warm during the trek out to the park. After about 30 minutes of sledging around we made it. Toby was sooooo thrilled he couldn't help but run around like crazy for a good long while. I video taped him, but unfortunately the video won't load right now. Who knows why, but I'm hoping it'll load completely by the end of this entry.

For those of you that even read this thing, I haven't written an entry in ages, and it's mainly because I was given the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong with my mother! I was super pleased that she even asked and super fortunate to be able to say yes. Then my grandfather passed away a month after we returned to the states, and then the holidays were upon us. So, you can imagine all of the craziness that ensued with such events, so I got caught up in it all. I will blog about those events in separate entries. So more of that to come. It seems that the video hasn't loaded, so I'll give it a few more minutes and see what happens! (yeah! it loaded!) Enjoy the video! He's such a silly little dog, I honestly don't know how he got the personality he has.

Healthy Body = Functional Body. Hollywood Look Side Effect: Healthy Function

My Grandparents chose to love each other when they met as teenagers, and then, they chose to love each other every part of every day, through the Great Depression, through absence during war, child rearing, work, illnesses... Life. Finding TRUE love? They met... And That was it. Again, the true love part was a daily choice whether either was as attractive or as exciting as the day they met. True love depends on each person, not just the one you find or the one that finds you. In other words, Love is a Choice, because we are not 110% lovable 24 hours a day. True love is when each person sees that real life is not like a romance movie script True love is accepting the fact of real life, which brings creative challenges that, with the choice to love, can increase attraction. Popular novels, songs, shows, movies... Each have scripts that are no doubt, inspired. The talented people that write and act, the hundreds or thousands of people that are the list of credits at the end of a movie - from the accountants to the doctors to the musicians and screenwriters - They work on projects that, as finished masterpieces, may often have coincidental similarities to your definition of romance and the most often undefined and over-used phrase... "true love" Again, the credits behind movies, books, shows and songs... include a lot of people. Why, because such productions are intentionally crafted to touch our deepest self. So, they are edited for perfection, music and effects and colors <b>...</b> From: gainaltitude Views: 430326 403 ratings Time: 02:47 More in Entertainment

My father has a motto: "What's the worst that could happen?" In college my friends decided that the worst possible scenario should always end with "And then you can never have sex again!" which requires quite a bit of creative thinking. And although it can be a little annoying when my dad says it, I find it a useful exercise to hypothesize about all the horrible situations that could happen and how I could handle them. (In fact my father and I did it just this morning when I found out that the building I live in is foreclosing and we decided that the worst would be if I had to move back in with them and commute 2.5 hours to school which would be logistically impossible because I don't have a car and I rarely leave the academic buildings to begin with...and that would most definitely result in the situation that my college friends foretold)

Anyway, L and A and I were all set to leave the ecovillage and head on to the beach (!!!). We had called a taxi to come at 7AM, figured out the bus and ferry schedule and gotten all packed. The taxi showed up! On time! And despite my bruised little bottom the ride was not too horrific. The taxi driver and I spoke briefly about the semantics of the words parque, plaza and cancha...after he corrected me several times when I told him to drop us off in the central plaza. (Evidently their soccer fields are called plazas, their plazas are called parks, and their stadia called canchas...they also give all directions using meters instead of blocks "de la esquina 500 metros" which made me feel like I had to triangulate everything or carry a surveyors tape).

We arrived at the parque and the girls ran for breakfast while I again guarded the bags and verified the bus schedule....we were an hour early. As I sat, I noticed that some buses arrived with standing room only which worried me because we had a lot of gear and I didn't want to stand for 2 hours. So we got on line early and got seats and set out....on the slowest and hottest bus known to man. About a half an hour out of town the bust stopped for the gazillionth time, but this time people were muttering "Puntarenas, puntarenas directo, hay que bajarse, Puntarenas." A quick survey revealed that the bus behind us was going directly to Puntarenas (our intermediate destination) so we quickly got our stuff and switched buses. I actually thanked my lucky stars because if we were in Bolivia people would have silently debarked just knowing that the other bus was better and having no need to state it to the hot and frustrated tourists. Although equally oven-like the new bus was indeed better, less crowded and much faster....and thus we arrived at noon to Puntarenas described by my trusty rough guide as the hottest place in all Costa Rica, fading and wilting in the sun. I had a general idea that the next ferry to Nicoya Peninsula (yet another intermediate destination) left in two hours but I was hoping that there might be an earlier boat so we rushed into a taxi to the other end of town. No luck. A two hour wait. We chilled in a lovely gulf-side restaurant in perhaps the only town in Costa Rica where it is not recommended that you drink the water. A declined to take this advice citing the fact that she's Indian.

I am a nervous traveler and one of my quirks, besides needing to be fed at regular intervals, is being early. When I get to the airport I like to go directly through security and to the gate and then go to eat or pee or whatever. The same with buses or ferries or any mode of transportation. I am irrationally afraid of being left behind. (This phobia is in the same category as being afraid of being locked in the bathroom. Both situations have happened to me numerous times...sometimes with one causing the other.) So even though we could see the ferry from the restaurant and knew that it wouldn't leave for a half hour I was still nervous because we weren't actually on it yet.

But we didn't miss the ferry and not one of my numerous forays to the bathroom resulted in being trapped. It was at this point that I realized how ridiculously bad I smelled, which A had said was her travel quirk. Besides also needing to know where she would be eating next, she detested smelly people. L declined to let us in on her weakness but I suspect it's control. We quickly deduced that she is a youngest child and must always get her way. Luckily A and I are middle children and are capable of compromise or alternatively joining forces to get our way. The ferry was actually quite nice, although slow like molasses, and we arrived at Paquera to be shepherded into a waiting bus. The ticket taker was the least pura-vida Tico we met the entire trip and he was in such a hurry that we finally just threw some money at him and got on the bus. We had to stand.

Even standing wasn't too too horrific. At least we were in the front where there was a breeze. And hanging on for dear life builds arm muscles. So at approximately 7PM we arrived at Montezuma our final beach-front destination. Hooray! I walked up to the hotel and the man at the desk opened with (in Spanish) "You're the three girls who reserved yesterday. Please don't yell at me."

He had given away our room! Despite his request, I started to yell (just a bit). "What do you mean you gave away our room? I reserved with a credit card! Why didn't anyone verify it on the phone! Are there any more rooms? Are any other hotels free? Are you fucking with me?" At this point, my brain busted and my Spanish completely failed me so L took up the charge, "Can we call your manager? Will you pay for the taxi to another hotel? You have the responsibility to make the customer satisfied! You can't just give away rooms!" This man was exasperatingly smug and just sat there as we fumed.

We calmed down a bit while talking to a shirtless American tourist named Michael (Michael was a good distraction but A said he wasn't suitable because he didn't have six-pack abs just a four pack and I said he wasn't suitable because he was an idiot.) and the receptionist eventually found another hotel for us (far far outside of town). He was not willing to pay for the taxi or the extra cost for the other hotel and he declined to call the manager saying that she would only yell at him and at some point he made some comment to the effect of "At least you guys speak Spanish" which caused another round of yelling and fuming.

We left our bags and went to dinner where we took photos of our comic distress and decided to construct an alternative narrative of our day...something about a yacht and catching seagulls with our bare hands and enjoying cocktails at sunset. I'll write it up and post the pictures later. We finally arrived at our new hotel; L remained exasperatingly optimistic and went night-swimming while A criticized everything about it before going to bed. I bridged the gap by criticizing before going to check out the beach.

Next up: socialism at its frustrating-ist and our own private beach

One of the more surreal experiences was the daily dance around the questions, "Where are you from?" and its close follower, "Where did you learn Spanish?" Being a veritable United Nations of single lady travelers we generally stuck with "We study in the United States" for the first answer unless one of us was asked specifically. The second question made for some ridiculousity.

My favorite conversation was one I overheard between L the Mexican and one of the Costa Rican hippies. The exchange went something like this:

H: Where did you learn Spanish?

L: I'm Mexican.

H: Oh so you learned Spanish in Mexico?

L: Uh, yes.

H: Did you take Spanish in school? Or just from living there?

L: What?

H: Because you speak really well. You even have a Mexican accent.

L: Right.

H: Because that other girl has a different accent. She says she learned in Bolivia.

L: But I'm Mexican.

Conversations with me usually went:

Where are you from?

The United States

But you speak Spanish!

To which I would respond either "I lived in Bolivia" or "All New Yorkers speak Spanish." Upon reflection, this isn't as strange as it at first seemed. We did meet several Americans living in Costa Rica who had made no attempt to learn Spanish. One of the hippies, for example, had been coming to CR for 11 years. The owner of our hotel had been living there 15. No Spanish. Honestly, besides the Subways and Dennys and Walmart and Burger Kings, I think this is one of the reasons that I didn't really enjoy Costa Rica as much as I could have. At the very least, our sojourn into hippydom gave us the opportunity to speak with real live Costa Ricans who were super proud of their land and the efforts they made to make the country environmentally friendly.

The morning of January 1 we struck out for an ecovillage near San Mateo. Not that telling you it's near San Mateo will give you any indication of where we were; the town only has about 500 residents. But in case you're interested it's about halfway between San Jose and Puntarenas if you go the back way. The bus ride was a good opportunity to see the areas surrounding San Jose (including the Walmart and Dennys) the mountains, pineapple plantations and all variety of four-wheel-drive vehicles. I must take a moment to admit that even recognizing that pineapples are very heavy and it would be anatomically illogical...I thought they grew on trees. The road itself was quite steep and extremely curvy. Some small children were yelling "wheeeeee!" at every curve but even they got silent and motion sick in short order.

We arrived in San Mateo around 1ish to find that the guy who was supposed to meet us had not shown up. He was also not answering his phone. L asked everyone and their mother if they knew this character or if they had any idea where the ecovillage was located. We even asked the one cop and all the little old men hanging in the plaza who were less than helpful; the cop couldn't even figure out how to dial his cellphone. I voted to just go to the only bar in town and just wait and eventually L found a taxi driver who sort of knew where we were headed so we relaxed with a burrito and a few beers before setting out. The town (and the bar) were actually quite charming.

The taxista took us about five miles out of town and up a dirt road for a few miles before determining that his car couldn't handle the terrain....so he dropped us off. Ok. L and A started walking while I guarded the bags and read the Economist until a jeep came and picked me up about five minutes later. The guy driving was actually a local farmer who was going home for the day. He just picked us up out of the goodness of his heart, recognizing that it would be a loooong walk. Like good little nerds, we talked with him about his citrus crops and asked about the other landholders and the history of the site. And then we arrived. I could tell that the farmer was particularly curious to see what the crazy hippies were doing in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure what he was expecting, and I'm not even sure what I was expecting but this was....different.

Sure, an ecovillage is an "intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable." Sure, that indicates some alternative worldviews, a lack of electricity and composting toilets. But this place was a bit less formal. They created a shareholder group with half American and half Costa Ricans to live on the land in the ideals of permaculture....which until this trip I didn't realize included communitarian aspects.

Anyhoo, people lived in half built houses with a communal kitchen. Each hut had a dry compost system (that they didn't really dress up much so it was basically "shitting in a bucket"), solar shower (which judging by the smell of certain individuals was not universally used) and a communal kitchen. As I later learned it had been formed by a small group of people who had a camp together at burning man in the early 90s...which should give you an indication of the vibe. Sure I've hugged a few trees in my time and my personal goal is to have a composting toilet in my house...but I'm not much into yoga and health food fads. I don't believe in the paranormal or indigo children and I'm pretty sure that cutting off a cow's horns does not affect the quality of its digestion. (The last two were actual conversations of residents of the village. long conversations. Mostly one-sided.)

Anyhoo, A and I immediately began to plot our escape. The next day we got a ride into town to plan our next stop. Like dealings in any "non-Western" nation this involved talking to everyone and their mother to figure out bus schedules and calling lots and lots of hotels that all seemed to be full. After successfully figuring out how to leave town and reserving a room over the phone, I rewarded myself to ice cream and headed back to the hippies.

That afternoon we had a lovely vegetarian lunch and headed up to the river to swim in the waterfall. The most eventful part is when I fell on my ass climbing down the rocks. It hurt so bad that my legs went numb for a second....bruised tailbone. right before the day we had a long day of travel planned. oh boy.

When thinking about this post, I was torn between two different beginnings to describe my recent Costa Rican vacation:

1. A Mexican, and Indian, and an American walk into a bar. It sounds like the start of a bad joke but is instead the beginning of a worse vacation...

2. On several occasions my friends have commented on my propensity for disaster in all travel undertakings. And although many admit that I generally escape unscathed, some have decided to never travel with me again....

Although both seem overly dramatic they are based in truth (ok it was a party not a bar) and my notes from the trip place events squarely into three categories: the good, the bad, and the purely ridiculous.

It is important to note that each day, no matter how ridiculous, had at least one highlight. And I should start with my travel companions: two lovely ladies and classmates L the Mexican and A the Indian. Their company was invaluable and positive, our travel quirks were well balanced, and although towards the end of the trip we made a pact not to talk to each other our first week back...I think our friendship will survive.

Day 1! We arrived in San Jose bright and shiny at 1AM and went directly to bed. L and I had to share a bed which was no easy task. Although I was forewarned about her propensity to toss and turn (and I of course shared that I sometimes cuddle others) the scope of her spreadability was incredible. At some point during each night I woke up to find her taking over 3/4 of the bed. The other seven gazillion times I woke up were due to the noise of cars rushing past...a sound akin to a freight train.

That morning we set out to explore the city. The Rough Guide writes that Ticos who live outside of San Jose describe it as, "a maelstrom of stress junkies, rampant crime, and other urban horrors." They go on to cite "pothole-scarred streets and car dealership architecture," deep open drains, and kamikaze drivers. Determined to make the best of it we took cheesy photos of ourselves at all the parks and markets and made a valiant effort to check out the National Library, the National Museum, and the Gold Museum which were all closed without explanation. We did pee at the swanky Gran Hotel Costa Rica where JFK once stayed. At night we headed to San Pedro to eat hummus and drink with obnoxiously young university students. Someone actually called me senora.

Day 2! The next morning A and I woke up at 6AM to head to Poas Volcano...except we accidentally woke up at 5. I'm not entirely sure what the time difference is between the East Coast and Costa Rica and I didn't bring a watch or cell phone in an effort to enter a state of zen timelessness (which transitioned pretty quickly into stress and asking every five minutes, "What time is it?") but this was a bit extreme. Anyhoo we were on time for our bus! Once inside the Park, A and I walked to the crater where we looked over the wide open expanse....of mist. You could see nothing of the crater, the surrounding mountains, or even the sky. Nothing. We took a picture anyway because I'm thinking of starting a "Lenni in the mist" photo album. (If you'll remember, my experience at Macchu Picchu was similar.) Post-mist we hiked around complaining about how our old knees hurt and avoiding the green squirrels and then checked out the tiny volcano museum, gift shop, and tiny art gallery before realizing that we had two additional hours to kill before the bus headed back to San Jose. We spent this time passing back and forth a three-month old copy of The Economist. Getting back to the city we checked out a few churches before heading back to the hotel to meet a friend (P the Bolivian) for dinner.

Dinner was actually pretty sweet. The food was delicious, the atmosphere local and although our ordering was like a scene out of When Harry Met Sally the Vegetarian with simultaneous translation the staff was very accommodating. Chelles is panelled entirely in a rich mahogany and has an old drug store/soda shop feel to it. A San Jose institution, the restaurant's atmosphere afforded us an unparalleled opportunity to malign the incredibly loud American tourist at the next table. Usually open 24/7, even Chelles closed early for New Years Eve and we moved on making plans with P to meet up later for drinks because A and I needed a rest and L needed to finish work on her grad school application.

I wish I could say we finished strong and that our New Years Eve in the tropical nation was one for the books but unfortunately we are surprisingly lame. On our hike A had mentioned that one of our young professors had an open Facebook page that had several shirtless photos so we perused those before watching the ball drop on tv. Keeping in mind the time zone issue, we may have accidentally fallen asleep at 11PM Tico time.

Photos to come!

Next up: dirty hippies and compost toilets.

TARATA.wmv

Tarata lies about 40 minutes from Cochabamba up a finger of the valley which also leads to Punata and Arani. I lived and worked briefly in Arani as a Peace Corps volunteer, it was my introduction to Bolivia. Tarata is a wonderful example of Cochabamba Valley culture and architecture. The convent there has become a well preserved and updated conference center. From: bobbytex1944 Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 02:20 More in Travel & Events

Global Philanthropy Forum 2007: Plenary 9

Plenary 9: Mobilizing for Action -- Feeding the Mind, Tickling the Funny-bone, Touching the heart [Moderator] Sally Osberg, President and CEO, Skoll Foundation Richard Curtis, Co-Founder and Vice Chair, ComicRelief [United Kingdom] Ben Cohen, Co-Founder, Ben and Jerry's; President, Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities Angélique Kidjo, Singer & Songwriter; UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador [Benin]; Founder, The Batonga Foundation Bobby Shriver, CEO, Product (Red) Part of the Global Philanthropy Forum 2007, a project of the World Affairs Council of Northern California. From: Google Views: 908 2 ratings Time: 01:17:19 More in News & Politics

Peace Corps Family Album - Bolivia

Meet Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Bolivia and hear some of their stories. From: erniezaremba Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 07:04 More in Nonprofits & Activism

Peace Corps Family Album - Bolivia

Meet Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Bolivia and hear some of their stories From: erniezaremba Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 06:22 More in Nonprofits & Activism

Peace Corps Tin Tin, Bolivia 2007 Basic Sanitation Allstars

A 30000 liter rainwater catchment tank we (B-36, B-39*, and B-42) built in beautiful Tin Tin, Bolivia. Warning amazing people in this video. Parental guidance suggested brain melting may occur. *allstars From: cmsalvagio Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 09:30 More in Nonprofits & Activism

What have I been up to since my last entry, you ask. Not too much.

I was recently visited by my auntie and uncle of MN and lucky us the Blue Angels were in town & we got to watch them fly over our heads performing crazy acts of skill and talent! We were super lucky to have a great viewing spot and a beautiful clear day to view it all.

After their visit I kicked the studying into high gear and studied for my third exam, failed it, then studied until 4AM the day of my final exam and completed the qtr. with a B-. Can you believe it?! HA! I was sooooooo incredibly happy my hard work paid off, I'm still awaiting to pick up my final exam to see what I did to pull my grade up.

The day of my final exam, yes, that's how much I wanted to leave chemistry behind, I flew to our nation's capital to visit some Peace Corps peeps and viewed the monuments from a diff. perspective -the Potomac River! I've visited D.C. on three diff. occasions so this visit was strictly to catch up w/ old friends and enjoy the parts of the capital that I didn't enjoy on my last few visits.

(eq.) {(weather = good) + (friend time = awesome)} = successful trip!

Other exciting news is I FINALLY got my glider rocker reupholstered! Yeah! People, this may not seem like something too hard to achieve, but the work that went into finding the fabric, earning the $ to purchase it, and finding a reliable and skilled reupholsterer was tough! HA! I'm super happy w/ the results and my butt is so happy to sit in the chair everyday.

I'm taking Fall qtr. of classes off b/c I'll be traveling overseas! Yippee! Details to come next time.

Have a great day and remember put some Karen into your day, it's guaranteed to turn you into a super model!

The Blue Angels and their awesome planes!

my auntie and me waiting for the planes

on the D.C. "cruise" ship viewing a few national monuments from the water

after

before

TAEKWONDO demostracion cuerpo de paz de korea SANTA CRUZ - BOLIVIA

Visita cultural coreana de taekwondo........... "DEMOSTRACION DE CULTURA COREANA "CUERPO DE PAZ DE TAEKWONDO" SANTA CRUZ -- BOLIVIA miércoles, 27 de julio de 2011 한국어 태권도 문화의 방문 ... ... ..... 태권도 평화 봉사단 '한국 문화의 데모 "" 산타크루즈 - 볼리비아 2011년 7월 27일 (수요일) 태권도 코리아 www.taekwondo.com.bo From: taekwondo360WTF Views: 243 2 ratings Time: 02:19 More in Sports

Since I've last blogged, the format to add entries has changed quite a bit. However, b/c of how savvy I am, I'm able to catch on to this new format quite well and write this blog with ease. (please note, I'm speaking very sarcastically)

Summer has finally made it to Seattle, WA. I actually got to wear a skirt and a short sleeve shirt for about six hours, warming my skin in the sunshine. Then 7PM hit and it was chilly, again. This year it seems that all other regions of the U.S. have sucked up the NW coast's sunshine and warmth. Although many Seattlites enjoy this unusually cool summer, my Southern roots have gotten the best of me and leave me wanting for hot, humid, and sunny weather! ha!

Thankfully, I don't suffer from S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) b/c I'm not too easily affected by the weather. I've become accustomed to sitting inside boring buildings on beautiful days by working all hours during every season of the year weather in the good 'ole SE or the beautiful and peaceful NW. This leads me to tell y'all that I'm still taking classes and very slowly accomplishing my goal of fulfilling several prerequisites b/f applying for the Master's program for naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University.

Last quarter (yes, they're on a quarter system up here, something very new and quite diff. from the semester system I was so accustomed to in TN) I finished up my biology requirement and began the first part of a three part series of basic chemistry. I struggled quite a bit, but persevered and had to take many many different routes of solving problems b/f I finally settled on a handful of strategies that led me to success in the class. If any of you have taken a college level chemistry class you probably understand what I mean by the previous sentence. For those of you that haven't had the luxury, well, don't worry, you're not missing out on too much.

This qtr. I'm enrolled in the second part of the series and it's going well. I'm learning about molecular structures and how shapes, sizes, weight, and forces w/in substances cause them to do what they do when they interact with others. It's sorta like behavioral science, except not with people (who are a bit more complicated if you really think about it). It's finally becoming interesting to me, which is a great relief, b/c I really thought chemistry was going to become that enemy that you have to keep nearby b/c you never know how he will affect your future if you don't pay attention to him.

So, here I am, taking a study break at 12:34AM. My second exam of the qtr is tomorrow and I don't feel quite confident, but my mind is racing w/ so many other things that I'd like to do besides studying for this exam that I can't quite focus on studying. I've wanted to add an entry for the longest time, but LIFE got in the way. I got caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all (not so much, but I thought I'd add some spice to this entry) that I forgot that there might be a few of you that actually read this.

I'll be headed out to D.C. for the wknd of Aug. 12th as a celebration to my completing the qtr (pass or fail), so if you're going to be in that zona, let's meet up b/c I most enjoy catching up face to face, best. You know how to reach me.

Also, here are few pics of what I've been up to for the past several months.

Road trip to Eastern WA. The alfalfa seemed to go on forever! (and not a single car passed by for at least 20 min, it was amazing! )

I'm having fun with the camera!

My new Lodge logic cast iron skillet, manufactured in the great state of TN! woot! woot!

Bach in Bolivia 2011

Double Bass player Dobbs is invited to perform the six solo Cello suites of JS Bach at Bachfest in Cochabamba Bolivia. See and hear him play the Prelude and Allemande from Suite no. 6. He returned to Bolivia after 40 years to the place where he was a Peace Corps Volunteer playing in the National Symphony. From: bachwithverse Views: 10 0 ratings Time: 13:39 More in Music

Part 1: The purchase.

This Fall my Grandma gave me $20 to put towards a purchase of new hockey skates. Even though I've been on the ice since before I could walk (which honestly hasn't helped me develop any great level of skill), I can only remember once receiving a brand new pair of skates. So this seemingly age-inappropriate gift was surprisingly sweet.

Starry-eyed I set off to make "the purchase." The salesman, or more accurately the saleskid, was named Vladimir or Olaf or Gordon or some other name associated with cold weather countries whose citizens hold innate knowledge of skate craftsmanship. As such, he explained that skates come in a variety of stiffnesses that support the skater in his her speed and acrobatics. He also explained that although junior skates would be infinitely more comfortable, flexible and perhaps most importantly cheaper, they would not be really usable after they had broken in (too too flexible). However, unless I planned to skate all day every day or gain 100 pounds this was unlikely to happen. After an hour and twenty pairs of skates, Vlaimir-Olaf-Gordon began to doubt my true commitment to providing him with a sales commision and pawned me off to an even more junior associate. This guy handed me a 21st pair which I immediately bought. (Shameless plug: Paragon Sports offers free skate sharpening for life with purchase.)

I brought my skates home and put them on display in a place of prominence so that I could gaze at them and admire them every day. So excited was I that later that week I actually invited a guy back to my apartment to "meet my skates." Luckily he knew me well enough to realize that 1) I was a smidge intoxicated and 2) I was totally serious. "Meet my skates" was unfortunately not some footwear related euphemism like "knocking boots." (He declined by the way.)

As we all know, $20 does not buy a pair of skates...or even one-fifth of a pair so I swore to make them worth every penny and set the goal of skating in every rink in New York City.

Queens: Flushing Meadows and City Ice Pavillion

Manhattan: Wollman, Lasker, Bryant Park, Chelsea Piers, and Rockefeller Center

Brooklyn: Abe Stark

Staten Island: Clove Lakes, Ice Skating Pavillion

Paying to skate may not seem the most reasonable way to offset a big purchase but it provided a uniquie adventure that allowed me to experience a wide swathe of NYC with my friends.

First up: City Ice Pavillion!

14 Hurt After Ski Lift Accident At Devil's Head Resort

Fourteen people were hurt after a ski lift accident at the Devil's Head resort near the Town of Merrimac on Thursday night. Jessica Arp reports From: WiscTvChannel3000 Views: 11289 3 ratings Time: 02:33 More in News & Politics

WHEEL CHAIR LIFT IN 89 BLUEBIRD FLATNOSE SCHOOL BUS

IN SONY HD SONY HDR-CX7 HD CAMCORDER From: veggiepowered Views: 5868 4 ratings Time: 01:21 More in Autos & Vehicles

Diaper Application With a Mechanical Lift

Instructional video on how to apply an adult diaper on someone using a mechanical lift. From: WellSpringDirect Views: 8637 0 ratings Time: 01:45 More in Howto & Style

Dubai Ski dome!

had a great time under the bigest manmade skidome in the world ....in Dubai From: nabilsaid Views: 5535 2 ratings Time: 00:18 More in Sports

ja-x rmx vol 12 pt 01 - m reese&greed n pride ft chappel - lift u up.wmv

Track by Various Artists, the original track and remixes of this track are remixed into a new version including only parts of the original and remix's, without adding additional beats and sound effects. Into a new mix version, but where the original tracks in all respects will remain easily recognizable. than these remixes are remixed by only using crossfade or mixpaste in a megamix,such as a oldskool DJ would play in a club or disco. PS No commercial purpose and no financial gain and produced only as a hobby and interest and curiosity what is possible, to work only with music of original tracks and remixes from all kinds of genres music editing. From: Jaxxrmx Views: 1539 2 ratings Time: 03:11 More in Music

Snowboarder Faceplant Off Ski Lift

This dude gets pushed off a ski lift and falls twenty feet landing face first in the snow. Snowboarder Faceplant Off Ski Lift From: CheckThisChannelOut Views: 14864 29 ratings Time: 00:16 More in News & Politics

Mobilo Flying Chairs

Simple animation using Mobilo Solar Rotor. Mobilo is available at www.jadremtoys.com.au/mobilo/ From: jadrem Views: 916 0 ratings Time: 01:05 More in Education

Like all modern urban women of a certain age, I have tried the online dating thing. Since I generally judge people on the their grammar and wit, the idea of scoping people out through a written profile and email exhange (plus carefully choreographed photos) appeals to me. I meet well-read, politically literate guys who are awesome people and spiffy dressers...and we have one date.

Moving away from that sad fact, one prospective boytoy recently posed the question "Who would you rather date, James Bond or Indiana Jones?" Never one to make an uninformed decision, I immediately began to draft a pro-con list:

James Bond

Pro

AthleticSnappy dresserLikes to travel – even been to Bolivia!Good with gadgets – could probably program VCRAgelessSophisticated - owns tuxSexy accentIntelligentEU citizenship – better healthcare and education system just in case we marryWell paid and well connectedTan suavecito – por Dios!Superduper hot – especially Daniel Craig Can defy laws of physicsCon

Brits not known for sexual prowessEmotionally distantHigh maintenanceLadies’ man – must have the herp by nowQuestionable moralsNo sense of humorHigh risk profession

Indiana Jones



Pro

AthleticBoy ScoutLikes to travelLow maintenanceQuick thinker Close to family – charming inlawSelf-deprecating witGood with whips -- if you like that sort of thingDog personIntelligent – reads dead languages (siiiiigh)Con

Emotionally distantIn love with MarionGruff (could be super sexy pro)Somewhat naïveAfraid of snakes and rats Bad temper

It took me getting a very pleasant, and surprising phone call last weekend from George, to remind me that I need to update this thing! Man o man! The last time I posted an entry was in November.

So let's begin with the month of December:

--I finished up my first quarter back at school, yes, the colleges are on a quarter system here in the NW, and I had no idea how quickly it would fly by. For my first classes since 2005, I decided to get spicy with a little of college level chemistry (w/o a lab)* and introductory to conceptual physics. Yep folks, I took those classes and didn't quite receive the GPA I was hoping for (i.e. not a 4.0), but learned enough to feel good about my overall foundation to this new career path I've chosen for myself.

*for those of you who don't remember, this is the kind of basic level science course that doesn't really count towards a degree, it's sort of a introductory class for kids that might be interested in pursuing a career that involves chemistry

---Christmas came and went with me moving out of a house that I'd been living in since I first moved out here (shed a tear) to a new house with two less people and an additional dog! ha! I now live with a gal and her two boxer pups who are oh sooo cute and fortunately, get along great with my little pupster, the "Tobester" (Toby).

Which brings us to January:

--I began my second quarter of school with the first (of a three part series) college level chemistry (w/ a lab) and an introductory to genetics class. Let me say, I'm remembering very well, why I chose to pursue a business degree the first time I went to college. Can you guess which class is my weakness? Let me start by telling everyone how much I LOVE, YES LOVE, my genetics class. I've learned so much about how our genes determine so much about how we live our daily lives and also confirmed my strong beliefs that we are all incredible machines that were built to run so smoothly, and idiot could make it work! Ha! I won't talk about chemistry b/c it doesn't make me happy; fingers crossed, it will someday, hopefully someday very very soon.

---the last week of January the dynamic duo of Nate and Sherry came to visit and I got to be a tourist in the city of Seattle. If you can't tell, I was trying really hard to a jellyfish the day we went to the aquarium. It was such a great activity to do since it was sorta gloomy outside that day. Surprisingly, the rest of the week that Nate and Sherry were in town, it was clear blue skies. I was super stoked to have them visit and was glad they stopped in on their way to pursue exciting adventures in foreign lands.

I will have write about February and March later this month. Final exams are next week (one of my finals is worth a whopping 30% of my overall grade) so I've been studying all week and will be this weekend. Writing this entry has been a nice study break, but it's back to the tables for my brain to feel like mush!

Until next time! Oh and for those of you that have been checking back every now and then, I'm so so sorry for not keeping up with thing, please know, you can always call to catch up, too.

LAFTI

LAFTI From: alnosh Views: 3232 4 ratings Time: 09:22 More in Nonprofits & Activism

Secretary Clinton, Under Secretary McHale Mark 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, by video message, and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale deliver remarks at the reception marking the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, in the Ben Franklin Room at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on March 15, 2011. [Go to www.state.gov for more video and text transcript.] From: statevideo Views: 7 0 ratings Time: 40:22 More in News & Politics

Azin shabhaye nabavar

Dedicated to the Green Movement of Iran by a group of Iranian musicians in exile. Poem: ازین شب های ناباور by HA Sayeh Dastgâh: Homâyoun From: shapemulo Views: 6543 16 ratings Time: 05:00 More in News & Politics

Arrival in La Paz, Bolivia (An Anne McCarthy narration)

Anne McCarthy narrates her arrival in La Paz Bolivia as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1967. She notes a group vist to the US Ambassador, Hotel Torino and total Immersion training on the Altiplano. Her candid observations and sense of humor provide multi-levels of understanding to the viewer. From: yergtom Views: 1 0 ratings Time: 09:38 More in Travel & Events

Have I ever mentioned that the firefighters here wear red camouflage? Do they think they are going to blend into the flames? And even if they could, wouldn´t that be really dangerous? Wouldn´t you rather people be able to see you if you were surrounded by fire? The municipal police wear blue camouflage. That one remains a complete mystery...

I really like how cheap/easy it is to get clothes tailored/altered here. Volunteers leave old clothes in the office in Quito when they finish their service, and so I had some clothes from there that were too big plus some other clothes from the last few years that weren´t good for the climate here. I took a pair of jeans that I liked how they fit me and a pair of oversized men´s work khakis that I picked up to a lady in town and said ¨make these (khakis) like these (jeans)¨ and she did! I got a dress, two pairs of pants, two skirts, and three shirts altered for $5 and now I have all new clothes for work! =) =) =) Life is good.

Now that I'm heading to my second year of class in my apprenticeship I want to share some pictures from the first 3,000 hoursThis is a Head Start bus with a no smoking sign in the window. Huh?There are always things that can make me laugh because they look like something else. FunnyLike this ceiling grid piece. FunnyChanging street lamps on a cold, but beautiful December morning with the Mendenhall Towers in the background. Neat-oThis is me hooking up temporary power at a work site. CoolOne of the first panels I made up. PrideWe went to a remote island to hook up monitors on two 20,000 gallon diesel tanks for a radar station. We took a float plane to get there and spent the nights in a tent for about a week. Wow

I live next to the church, but the bells can be heard all the way to my work. There is one kind of ring (constant, quick ringing for about 30 seconds) to call the people to mass every day. There is another kind of ring (slow interval ringing for a minute or two) that signals that someone in the town died. I hate that ring, it´s awful. You get all worried because some deaths here are so unexpected...then everyone starts talking about who died, how they died, and get ready for the visitation, funeral, and burial, which is a town event here.

So, the guy who takes care of the church, Hooper, is kinda an unconventional jokester and sometimes, when he rings the bell to call people to church, he starts of slow like the death bell and then, before the priest can get mad, speeds it up. Gets me every time.

"Light headed in lively La Paz-by Kia" Midlifecrisis's photos around La Paz, Bolivia

A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to La Paz, Bolivia by TravelPod blogger Midlifecrisis titled "Light headed in lively La Paz-by Kia" Midlifecrisis's travel blog entry: "As interesting (though tragic) as the mine tour in colonial Potosi was, after 10 days roughing it in Bolivia´s altiplanico, we were REALLY looking forward to a enjoying hot shower, working toilet, and fresh veggies again in the bright lights, big city of La Paz (ok, maybe I was more than Brad). Actually, La Paz (population 1.5 million) is not so big for a capital city, but relative to the desolate altiplanico it seems like a metropolis. Case in point, along the long scenic route we started looking for a lunch stop. As Brad slowed at a pueblo to look for a res a couple of prankster kids jumped in front of us and yanked a wire across the road right under our Jeep. Brad pulled over after we passed them to check the car, fearing the wire had somehow slashed our tires. Fortunately, no harm was done, but needless to say we decided best not to stop there. Hours later, we finally passed by another tiny pueblo. The one restaurant in town looked pretty sketchy but we were too famished at this point to care. The good news -we spent a grand total of $1.12 between the two of us including tip. The bad news is, you get what you pay for, which in this case was a bowl of glutinous soup with a chicken foot (claws and all) sticking out. (I never knew chicken's feet were so BIG. I was too grossed out to even <b>...</b> From: TripAdvisorTRIPWOW2 Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 01:01 More in Travel & Events

What is Alpaca?

What is Alpaca? Alpaca is starting to be noticed because it has a lot of benefits over some of the competing materials such as cashmere and wool. Hi Im Kate Robertson, founder of Mayu. The alpaca is native to the Andes Mountains of South America, to Bolivia, Peru and Chile. Alpaca is used mainly for clothing, for sweaters, for throws. Its an eco-friendly fiber. Its hypoallergenic. Alpaca fiber is known for its thermal and insulating properties. So, its not very heavy but at the same time its going to keep you very warm. Alpaca is also shrink resistant, wrinkle resistant and odor resistant. When you feel it youre going to see how soft it is. It has a natural luster and a natural sheen, which makes it really beautiful. The Alpaca fiber is wear-resistant, which means its not going to pill and its going to last you a lifetime. www.shopmayu.com From: shopmayu Views: 90 0 ratings Time: 01:11 More in Pets & Animals

I recently lost a bet and am hereby required to post a new post.

So it will be about the thing that has occupied my thoughts more than anything else since Sunday: Da Bears. The biggest game in the storied rivalry two of the most storied teams in professional sports. Few rivalries bring to mind such vivid memories and anticipation as match ups like Yankees Red Sox, Brazil Mexico (for soccer fans), USSR vs USA, and Bears Packers.

I've been a little obsessive about this loss. It was such a big game and it was such a big loss. My first reaction was to hate Cutler, hope for his trade or retirement or even hope that this was a much bigger injury than how it appeared. I assumed he was a quitter. This wouldn't be the first time I think he quit this season. Go back to the Giants Sunday night destruction of the Bears. Even though he was sacked at least a half dozen times, none were extremely brutal. But apparently he had a concussion and was unable to make it out of the locker room for the second half. Ok fine. I've had a concussion but was knocked unconscious and was taken off the field in an ambulance. I didn't play another series and then decide that I didn't want to go back on the field. I broke my ankle during a game and after missing only one game I played the rest of the season on it. So my indignation was a little bit justified, at least in my own mind, and this is apparently an opinion shared by a majority of the people who saw this game.

But that having been said, let's just assume that this was a legit reason for sitting out the biggest game in the entire existence of your team. A sprained knee. Which is technically a really teeny tiny tear. Let's say that it really hurt and he didn't feel like he could be effective. Let's just say that's the truth (after a few days to cool down it sounds a little bit more reasonable). Here is the problem with Cutler. People think that he would quit in a big game. We don't know him in any other facet than watching his demeanor on the field. But in that little bit which we know about him we are more willing to accept that he gave up than he couldn't go. His apparent indifference to the game after his departure was appalling, but it was consistent with the way I have perceived his attitude throughout the year.

The Bears players and coaches are quick to jump to his defense and I think that's exactly how they should behave. It's strong enough defense to make me question what I see when I watch the games. But the simple fact remains that they are in a public relations business and as my brother says, "perception is reality." The fact that this assumption has been made by so many people speaks to the collective perception of Jay Cutler. We don't get to meet him, so the judgement we make is based on our behavioral observations and his performance. So we perceive his as a smug, indifferent and ineffective prima donna who chokes under pressure and who does anything BUT get going when the going gets tough.

It's the same reason I am still not entirely convinced that this picture is a fake