The Adventures of Dave

My New Cousin

2007-08-22T12:15:00.001-05:00

My dad, me and Youssef

Welcome to the family Youssef! It was nice meeting you in Mactown during your reception, I am sure we will see each other soon. Best of luck to you and my cousin, Carson!

The Big Trip of 2007 Has Finally Come To an End

2007-02-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

Well, everything that starts sooner or later ends. Two months ago I set out on my journey, with nothing but a backpack full of clothes and a one way plane ticket to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I didn't have much of an idea of where I would go or how I would get there, I only knew that my final destination was Boulder, Colorado, and that I had to be there by March.

For the past three weeks of my journey, I was in Thailand. I started off in the north, where my friends Jeremy Klepper and Dustin Joseph are living. The last time I wrote, I wrote about my travels up until Pai, where they live. The latest news is that after Pai, we headed down to Bangkok on an overnight bus. It was an experience in itself. At this point it was Jeremy, Adam (a guy from England we had been traveling with), and myself. We left from Chiang Mai and made our way south. The bus was a double decker, and we stayed in the bottom, lounge like area. At one point I stuck my head through the window that separated the passengers from the cab, and asked if I could drive jokingly. However, they actually let me steer for about five minutes! I couldn't believe it! Later, some lady yelled at me for putting my foot on her back. It was kind of funny, because she really let me have it, and then sat down and was silent for the rest of the ride. Later she yelled at someone else. Her catch phrase was "you no make problem on bus!"

When we arrived in Bangkok, we sat around in the hotel and watched a couple of movies. We were exhausted, it was hot outside, and the hotel was beautifully air-conditioned, so it seemed like the perfect idea. We spent the rest of the day walking around the close-by streets. Dustin flew in later that day to meet us. That night we had another night out on the town, bar and club hopping. Jeremy and I finally gave up at about 4:30 in the morning and went back to the hotel.

The next day woke up early and got on a mini bus headed for Trat, a province in the south, at about eight in the morning. This was the ride from hell! The seats were tiny and uncomfortable, the driver stopped every chance he could (which prolonged an already long trip), and he also had a flatulence problem, making for a very foul smelling journey! On top of that the agency that sold us the tickets told us the 8-hour journey was only four hours. But we finally arrived to Trat, from where we had to catch a ferry over to Koh Chang, one of Thailand's largest islands where we were to spend my final week there.

We finally arrived to the island, and after another half hours drive along a crazy, windy, mountain road, we arrived to Lonely Beach, the place on the island with the least expensive accommodations. Unfortunately, the sun had already set (the goal was a swim in the Gulf of Thailand at sunset), so we just got settled into our bungalows (which were also called Sunset) and had a night swim.

Koh Chang is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. It is a large island that rests in the Gulf of Thailand, with tranquil waters at the perfect temperature. Mountains jut up into the sky at a steep pace, making it very different from the beach seen of Florida to which I am accustomed. Our bungalows were surrounded by coconut trees and the water was just a stone's throw away.

On the island we lived a simple life. We woke up early and waited for Jeremy to return from his coconut hunt. Then we feasted on a few of them and headed to breakfast. The first day we were there we all got burnt, so had to stay out of the sun the second day. Instead, we rented bikes and drove up to a remote part of the island where after a short hike we enjoyed or own private trickle of a cascade. However the remainder of the trip we spent on the beach by day and in the bars and clubs by night. We had ambitions to go kayaking out to a different island, but instead bought little floats and simply floated in the water all day. It was just to relaxing and pleasurable!

I am back in Macon, Georgia now after over 30 hours of travel on the way back. It was an emotional trip for me. I laughed, I cried, I was happy and sad! I am glad to be back home, but miss my friends like hell. The past two months have been magical for me. I have been in five countries (if you include the layover in Japan), three continents, and two hemispheres. My heart remains loyal to Argentina, and I look forward to the day I can start setting up my empire there, but I also had great experiences everywhere I went. Thailand is a very bizarre place by my standards, but there were many things I really liked about it. For one, there is virtually no crime there. You don't have to lock your doors, and people don't steal. Most people are very laid back and friendly, and the smiles are so warm and friendly they could melt the heart of the Grinch who stole Christmas himself!

The next step is to head out to Colorado to start my new job. I feel very fortunate and have been given a great opportunity. On the way, I will stop off in St. Louis for a couple of days to celebrate my graduation with my family there. I can't wait to see everyone, and am very anxious about starting the new job.

Chiang Mae, Thailand

2007-02-05T02:57:00.000-05:00

I have spent the past few days in and around Chiang Mae, Thailand. It is an impressive little city in the northern region of this south Asian country. I met up with Klepper and Dustin here, and they introduced me to Adam, one of their friends from London. We had a really great time, hanging out and exploring the city. There are magnificent temples all over the city, and walking around soaking up the culture is rich.

Chiang Mai

Temple

Coconut shake!

The first night there, I slept! I really needed it after traveling for several straight days. The next day I really started having fun. Friday, we went out to see a Muay Thai Kick-boxing match. There were twelve fights in total, and about half of them featured international fighters, from the U.S., France, and Germany to name a few. Man, this was a great night, as only several of the fight went to a decision. We saw a lot of knockouts. This is a crazy sport, where all it takes is one clean kick to the head or knee to the sternum to drop the opponent. The atmosphere was great, but one really has to be present to appreciate it: the crowd was lively, with betting going on all over, and traditional music being played by a live, three piece group. There was a guy beating on a drum, some weird horn. and some other instruments I had never seen before.

Knockout Muay Thai Style!

Afterwards, we went out to some bars and a club. The night scene is crazy in Thailand. At all the bars it seems like there are either prostitutes or gold-diggin' Thai girls that are looking for your money. They come up and just throw themselves on you, so it is very bizarre by American standards. We spent the whole night just making jokes and clowning around, laughing the whole time about the situation.

Dustin and Klepper

The next day I finally convinced Klepper into renting a bike so we could go to the Doi Inthanon National Park, where the highest peak in Thailand is. This was a beautiful place, and very sacred. On the top of the mountain there is a little shrine for one of the kings, surrounded by little Elephant statues. The elephant is apparently a very special animal here, because you see the little elephant statues erected everywhere (actually, you also see elephants everywhere!). On the top of the mountain, I had to buy a new hoody because it was cold, and Jeremy and I toasted to a hot shot of tequila to get the body temperature up. From there we made our way back down the mountain, and stopped off at a few sights on the way back. There was two Buddhist temples close to the top, that were very impressive. The view was gorgeous, and the place had pretty flowers and plants everywhere, a true work of art.

Now we are in Pai (pronounced bye) where Klep and Dustin live. It is a funky little town in the north of Thailand, where there are more foreigners than locals. It is beautiful here, as we are surrounded by mountains. Yesterday we went hiking in the canyon along tall ridges overlooking sheer drop offs. Afterwards, we went out for a round of beers.

We are thinking about making our way down south to the islands this weekend. Probably going to stop off along the way where the biggest waterfall in Thailand is located, in the south of this province.

January Travels

2007-01-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I just had one of the most fun months of my life. January 1st I took a trip down to Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of my favorite destinations in the world. There I did a number of things. First, I stayed at the friendly Hostel Clan, a place I discovered last time with my dad and Klep. Later I went out to one of the finest "boliches"(clubs) that B.A. has to offer, Opera Bay. This is a place for the elite of the "porteños" (people from B.A.), a place modeled after the famous Opera house in Sidney, Australia, and a place where things don't end till well after the break of dawn. My friend Socrates invited me there, and that was really great because I had not seen him for years. The next night I went to a milonga, one of the finest things you can do while in the birthplace of the tango. A milonga is where people gather to dance tango. This was an exceptional event, as a live, ten piece band came on played late into the night.

A couple of days later I headed over to Villa Mercedes to see the Lopez family. It was every intention I had to only stay one day and then meet up with a friend in Bariloche, but they were so warm and friendly that I couldn't bear the thought of leaving so soon. I ended up staying for almost a week! We played soccer, went to Nico's country house, "la quinta", to hit the pool, and drank a lot of beer and Fernet!

Abuelo Lopez

Marcos y Miriam

Marcos, Vero, Y Nico

Afterwards, it was up to Córdoba, my absolute favorite place in the world. Córdoba is exciting because it has a small sity feel but is big (2 million people or so), it is full of young people (college town), and is close by to the mountains, so one can escape to the tranquil country side farely easily. I also have many friends there, and we kept busy, partying till the sun came up almost every day. I also got to see LF Salsa play, which is the reason why I learned how to dance salsa in the first place. Not to mention the ladies...

Fabio and Me

I popped over to Mendoza for a few days after that to meet with Ramiro, an old friend from Córdoba who had been traveling throughout Argentina and Chile. There we walked around the city, went to a couple of wine bodegas, and toured an olive oil factory.

It was back to Córdoba for just a couple of more days after that. There, more parties and dining out with friends. I had an unfortunate escapade there this time, though. While returning home one Sunday morning at about 8, a guy attacked me in the street. He had a little baton and popped me in the face, causing me to fall over and have a very swollen, black eye. He then proceeded to strike me several more times while I tried to guard my face and regain my balance. Just when I had gotten my senses back and was about to strike back he ran quickly down the street. A cop had come to my defense, but only asked if I was ok before walking off. He didn't even attempt to give chase or anything! That's Argentina for ya!

Afterwards, it was off to Cali, Colombia to visit a friend. I was a little disappointed here, though. I had really high expectations of Colombia at this point. All I had heard was how beautiful the women were and how great the salsa music was. Well, the women that are hot, are smoking hot, but the ratio is not as high as I thought. Argentina really can spoil you! Then, 90% of the good looking women are 90% fake. By that I mean plastic surgery! While it can be nice to look at, I prefer my women real.

Also, my host here was not that great. Her idea of showing me the city was going to a mall for about 6 hours one day. And she did not take me to dance salsa once, instead her and her friends were fixed on this one bar, that was not even that great in my opinion. I did have one spectacular experience there, though. I jumped off a cliff! Well, I did have a guy with a parachute attached to me. Para-gliding, what a rush! It was amazing, soaring high above the mountains in Colombia, see all the country side has to offer from a bird's eye view. I would strongly recommend this to anyone that likes adrenaline! That day I also visited the very historic Hacienda Paraiso. It was beautifully landscaped. I counted up to ten different varieties of roses in one garden, not to mention other types of exotic flowers that are only grown in Colombia.

Beatriz and Me

Cali

Cali's Theater

El Gato

Eating Lunch With The Ladies

A couple of days ago I flew from Cali to Miami, from where I was to embark on the second leg of my journey, Thailand. While I was in MIA I went to the Dolphin Mall and grabbed some extra supplies and saw a movie, The Night at the Museum. It was a pretty good way to spend the afternoon. Oh yea, I also had some good old American style pizza. While pizza is good in Argentina, it is not like the 'za we have back home, and I was strongly craving it.

On Tuesday I left for Thailand. I arrived here today, finally, after more than 40 hours of traveling, with layovers in Dallas, Tokyo, and Bangkok. Unfortunately, when I got to Bangkok, I learned they had lost my luggage. I am still waiting for it here in Chiang Mae.

Chiang Mae is a great little city here in Northern Thailand. I arrived yesterday and Klepper met me at the airport. We took a tuk tuk in, which is Thailand's form of a taxi. They are pretty cool, little three person, open air motorized vehicles, kind of like a golf cart. Dustin, another one of my friends from high school, also lives here. In a couple of days we are going over to their house in a different province close by.

The architecture is amazing here. My dad, uncle, grandpa, and now cousin Liz would be blown away by it. There are a lot of budhest temples which are very elaborate. It is nothing like I have ever seen or even dreamt of. There is an ancient wall here that is built up around a moat, which is also another piece of art. I am very glad to finally be here and soak up the culture.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season to be jolly once again. It is Christmas Eve, and I feel very fortunate. I am at my grandparent's house in Macon, Ga. I have spent the holidays here many a time, and am glad to be here with the family for this special occasion. As I sit here in the living room typing, I am listening to Christmas songs with my grandma by the fireplace. Later, the rest of my family will come by to exchange presents and feast.

This Christmas, I have decided to donate money to various charities on behalf of the Stevens family name as opposed to shopping for presents. I recommend that you do the same. The truth is that we have everything that we could possibly need, while many in this world are suffering from horrible diseases and hunger. Two of my favorite causes are listed in the sidebar. Partners in Health was started by a man named Paul Farmer, who dedicated his entire life to fighting TB in Haiti. His program now operates in multiple continents, fighting for the poor against terminal diseases such as TB, AIDS, and Cancer. I recently read about the Umoja Village, which was started to give the homeless people in Miami a place to live. Please visit the websites below and read about them. Encourage everyone you know to do the same. It is easy to think "I can't possibly make a difference, I don't have enough to donate." Well, to prove this point wrong, for every member in my family, I have donated $10 on their behalf. That added up to $100. In the past couple of days, I have had about 35 people visit this website. If everyone that visits this website donates only $10 to one of the charities listed, that will add up to hundreds of dollars, saving and improving the lives of many.

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I hope everyone is happy and blessed, and can spend the holidays with those closest to them. I am going to spend the rest of the day waiting for Santa Claus with my family, HO HO HO!

Mactown

2006-12-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

Chillen down in Macon right now, so not much to report. My buddy Steve O and his girl drove through today on the way up to STL from Fl, so hung out for a minute. One of my dad's friends, Caroline, stopped by and showed me some pictures from her last trip to St. Pete. St. Pete, Russia, that is! It was actually a pretty cool looking place. It's funny how we can get a certain idea in our heads about a place and then see pictures and know how way off we were in our thoughts. St. Petersburg Russia looks pretty modern, and I bet it is a lot more modern in many ways than our own country. We tend to toot our own horns too much, if you ask me, cuz St. Pete Russia looks a lot more spectacular than St. Pete FL in a lot of ways, yet we go around with it in or heads that we live in a far more advanced society than that of Russia. And that is just it, America, we need to wake up. There is a whole world around us that is just taking off and leaving us in the dust. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as God's gift to Earth, and realize we are all people. Everyone worldwide wants peace. Everyone has good intentions. We owe it to the rest of the world to try and do nothing but good things and try and not only improve just the lives of ourselves, but of everyone. Get involved!

Almost Over

2006-12-19T02:58:00.001-05:00

I have had a super busy year, and it’s not even close to over with! Where should I start? How ‘bout the beginning of the year...

So far this year, I have not done any traveling! It has been quite a shift a jump onto a steady path of direction. After getting back from Argentina, I really buckled down. It proved to be one of the strangest semesters at Eckerd, almost surreal. When I recount the story to others, they are certainly shocked. It is so strange, that only I can tell you in person the whole account after I get to know you, so leave me a comment at the bottom!

In the meantime, let me summarize:

I made straight A’s in the spring, while taking up Judo thanks to my friend Andrés. We trained hard, hit the weights almost everyday, and studied. I also began taking Salsa lessons from Leo at Mama Rumba. This is the best way to celebrate a Friday night, AZUCAR!

During the summer I worked my first professional job with Pinellas County Economic Development. I learned a great deal about business, business research, and became very familiar with the computer. They offered me a chance to stay in the fall, but I was on to bigger and better things.

To ends the summer, I went to vacation to the Dominican Republic. I have lived in Florida, on the beach, for the past 4 years, and I have never seen a beach anywhere close to this beautiful. Words can’t describe it...

This past semester, which I finished only several days ago, was the most incredible semester of my whole college career. I was busy! Since last semester, Andrés and I (President and Vice-President, respectively) had been working together to found the Eckerd College Judo Club, which was the first Judo Club Eckerd College had ever seen, and one of the first clubs to be opened in the city of St. Petersburg, FL. It was quite an experiance, and a huge success. Since May, the Eckerd College Judo Club has:

1. Won 1st place in its first and only tournament by its President, Andrés Hermida, an international champ
2. Held practice more than 3 days a week
3. Reopened an abandoned building on Eckerd College’s campus for its exclusive use
4. Contracted world renowned Gedi P and local hero and former U.S. Air Force Captain Bob as coaches
5. Formed strategic alliances with St. Pete Judo and other statewide Judo Dojos
6. Advanced its two founders, Andrés Hermida and David Stevens in rank
7. Trained with over thirty people (and growing), ranging from never having done any martial art to being world renowned black-belt champs
8. Influenced the lives of millions (Haha, just making sure that your still paying attention!)

On top of that I formed the Eckerd College Salsa Club to continue my passion for Salsa, AZUCAR! Once again, another enormous success! During the spring, I was in negotiations to strategically acquire the Eckerd College Ballet Club. I immediately converted it to the Eckerd College Salsa club and hired Andrés Hermida as Vice President. Since then, the Eckerd College Salsa Club has:

1. Taught over 50 people how to dance Salsa
2. Had two of its members, Cassandra and president David Stevens perform and the Dali Museum during the Spanish Heritage Festival
3. Contracted Leo from Mama Rumba as our professional Salsa dance instructor
4. Formed strategic alliances with:
a. Palmetto Productions
b. ISA
c. Midtown Economic Development
d. Ali’s Mexican-American Café
5. Cosponsored Noche de Salsa in The Pub with Palmetto Productions and ISA which:
a. Solicited Mama Rumba to teach a lesson that taught almost 50 people how to salsa
b. Hired Ali’s Mexican-American Café to cater

6. Had a lot of fun AZUCAR!

Other than that, I began some volunteer work with the Midtown Economic Development Project, in which I volunteered over 70 hours of my free time by:

1. Fulfilling the needs of many local business owners
2. Working on a project that skyrocketed sales of Green’s Bakery
3. Working with business associate Andrés Hermida by assisting Ali’s Mexican-American Café by:
a. Crafting and Executing business strategies in the strategic area of Marketing
i. Designed:
(1) promotional material
(2) business cards
(3) menus
ii. Translated/interpreted
(1) Business plan
(2) Menus
iii. Researched local market
b. Worked as cultural ambassadors building bridges between the U.S. and Latin America
c. Facilitated U.S. government/City of St. Petersburg procedures through bilateral communication

Is that enough yet? I continued to improve my GPA, and finished the semester with a 3.9 GPA, ensuring a 3.8 and High Honors! Oh, and I almost done with my third comprehensive course that will give me a triple major that I obtained in 3.5 years. Not bad Huh? I am now in Macon, GA with my family again. Looking forward to Xmas, when I will get to see everyone again. It has been too long. I regard my family as the best, and have missed everyone for way too long.

On the 26th I go to D.C. to see el culiado, Klep-dizle himself! I will be there until the first, and my boy Benny better show up sometime to hang out with me before I go to Argentina on New Year’s day, 2007. Until then, leave me a message on my site!

Globalization

2006-12-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

Globalization is a hot topic of debate these days, and many sides can be seen. Two figures have emerged as experts in the debate. One, Thomas L. Friedman, has written several books addressing the issue, with his most recent being The World Is Flat. In it, he proposes that the playing field has leveled on a worldwide plane and countries are now more competitive with each other, hence the “flat” in the title of his book. However, he also addresses many of the negative issues associated with globalization, as can be seen throughout chapter ten of The World is Flat, The Virgin of Guadalupe. Joseph E. Stiglitz, on the other hand, points out the many inequalities that have emerged, such as the rich getting richer while the poor becoming poorer, as globalization continues. They both propose interesting points of view. They agree on some areas while disagreeing on others, but most significantly agree that the world is globalizing and will continue to do so. The important thing is that we realize this, and try to avoid the negative consequences of globalization.

Friedman argues that the world is flat. This means that distances between countries, such as China and the U.S., have grown much smaller due to advances in communication technologies and the increasing trade that is taking place between countries on a global basis. Thus we have become more interconnected and interdependent upon each other. This is a good thing, he proposes, and more opportunities have been created, the not so powerful have gained power, and once poverty stricken nations have developed into international players.

Chapter ten of his book, however, points out some of the major problems of globalization. He titles this chapter after one of the principles of it: the Virgin of Guadalupe. This is Mexico’s patron saint. It is an important historical and ideological figure to the people of Mexico. Because of the Virgin’s importance to the people of Mexico, many Mexicans have little statuettes of this saint. Thus it can be said that there exists a market for the representations of the figure that is so strong that almost every household owns at least one, which would lead one to believe that it is quite the industry in Mexico. The problem with globalization, however, is that Mexico, a country known for its low wage manufacturing sector, is importing statuettes of its own patron saint from China because they can be made in China and shipped to Mexico at a lower price than for what they can be made in Mexico. So, even though Mexico faces a great opportunity with globalization, like being able to compete with American companies, it now has to worry about places that can out do it, like China.
This particular chapter acknowledges the fact that while the world is flattening, countries must undertake certain policies in order to adapt and not get left behind. One is reformation. First, a country must be honest with itself and identify its strengths and weaknesses. It must focus on its strengths and improve its weaknesses. From there, it must focus on improving things like infrastructure and education, and reforming the government so that it can adapt to a flat world. Some countries are getting left behind in the dust. This makes perfect sense, because these countries do not have the things just mentioned. For instance, a business can be started in only two days in Australia, but the same process can take up to 215 days in one particular African country. Obviously, in a world where Australia and the mentioned African country are competing with each other, Australia will thrive. Equally important with reformation is constant reformation. Just because a country changes policies, and the new ones work for a while, does not mean that they do not need to change these policies again. The world is constantly changing, therefor the requirements to advance as a society and improve the standard of living in a country will also continue to change. Countries that recognize this and are open to change will thrive.

Stiglitz tends to focus on the imperfections of globalization. He feels that the world is not flattening, but rather huge inequalities are emerging making the world as “flat” as the Andes. He feels impoverished nations become worse and are put in even less of a position to compete. Institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, designed to help bailout countries that are failing and improve development, are failing themselves. One of the major problems is that these institutions are not made of people that need their help. They are made up of rich people that cannot understand the problems of the poor, and these rich people are from outside cultures, inevitably causing them to fail. Meanwhile, these rich people keep getting richer.

Both of these men agree on at least one thing: globalization is a trend that is here to stay. There is nothing that can be done to stop it, so we should not try. Instead, we should focus on how we can embrace globalization. The nice thing about globalization is that there are opportunities present that were never there before. Take China for instance. This country was once struggling with new trends, but has emerged as a powerhouse that everyone is watching. This is because it was able to act and compete globally. There are plenty of examples of countries like this. However, there are also examples of countries that are failing. These countries that are failing are the ones opposed to globalization and free markets. Because the world is flattening, the only way not to get stranded is to become more competitive. This means changing culture to embrace outside influence, for this is how fresh ideas are made and traditional ways that slow business are ousted.

My personal opinion is that globalization is a wonderful thing. In America, we are definitely exposed to this first hand, as we are the melting pot of the world. One of the reasons we have thrived over the years and continue to do so is because we are welcoming of others. When two cultures collide, they mix together and great ideas are turned into even better ones. This is one of Friedman’s key points in chapter ten. Another great thing about it is the variety of things we are exposed to. I have been to other countries, where everyday for lunch they eat soup, a piece of meat, and some rice. Here, I have the option to eat Indian curried chicken, a spicy burrito from Mexico, an American hamburger, or Chinese food. I could not imagine eating hamburgers everyday.

I also recognize that globalization is here to stay. America has been one of the leading players, but I fear that will drop off, as our debt rises and we are reversing the trend of being so open because of terrorism. This will cause us great harm if we close our doors. For instance, the proposed wall dividing the U.S. from Mexico is the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Just look at the Berlin wall in Germany. A waste of time, energy, and money. If anything, we should further open our border to Mexico to become more competitive.

One of the most controversial aspects of globalization is outsourcing. Politicians have latched on to this to provoke emotions of pride and patriotism, angering people about jobs being lost overseas. However, if our jobs are being lost to places like Mexico, China, and India how come our unemployment rate has not risen, our economy continues to grow, and we still enjoy a high quality of life? This is because with every low skill, low paying job we have lost, we have created another equal, if not better job. This is another point Friedman points out. Quality of life can only improve if countries focus on creating better jobs, or economic development. It will surely do the opposite if these countries focus on the negative and do nothing to improve. Creating better education systems is one way to do this. This is precisely why Mexico has lagged behind China in recent years. They have not invested enough in their own human capital. China, meanwhile, is educating their workforce so that they will eventually compete with the U.S.

In conclusion, globalization is a good thing. The world is flattening, but because of this every country must be careful and constantly reform if it wishes to be competitive and improve the quality of its life for its people. This is in the hands of politicians. Globalization has proven to be a great thing for places like China, whose people have been growing out of poverty at a fast rate. It has been a horrible thing for places like Africa, where corruption and exploitation by outside forces are ruining the lives of millions. This difference, though, is the willingness of the Chinese to change and the reluctance to change Africa has. Education is key, and every country should put this at the top of their priorities. A country with a well educated workforce will be creative and innovative and know how to adapt. People that proclaim globalization is evil are wrong and wasting time. As a society, we must embrace globalization and constantly seek to adapt to it.

Journal #20

2006-05-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

I recently finished up another semester at Eckerd. It went really well, despite all of the craziness. Never have I been so occupied; searching for the perfect internship, flying back in forth from St. Pete to D.C., attending salsa lessons, going to judo classes, lifting weights, and studying. It was a great success, though, as I acquired many new skills and got straight A’s.

I spent the last week in Macon. It is so depressing to go there now. Grandma practically sleeps all day because of her disease, Grandpa is becoming grouchy and depressed, and my dad seems so unhappy there. It used to be one of my favorite places to go; now it is becoming one of my least. At least Grandma remains loving, and is not bitter and mean like they say so many infected with Alzheimer's become.

I spent the past couple of nights in Atlanta. It was good to see my Decatur family. On Friday I went to go see An Inconvenient Truth with my cousin Liz, but it was not showing, contrary to what the movie listings reported, and we saw Down in the Valley instead. What a twisted movie!!! Good if you feel like shooting yourself and are having any doubts. Yesterday I rode a bike to the square in downtown Decatur. They were having their annual art festival, with live music and vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to fancy works of art. Then I decided to ride my bike over to Palifox and see my old house and neighborhood. It brought back a lot of memories, as I had not been in that part of Atlanta in about six years. Last night I went bowling with my other cousin Taylor. It was amazing, I won both games and was actually doing a pretty good job despite the fact that I have not been bowling in over a year and my right ring finger is experiencing technical difficulties (broken or jammed or...well, I don’t have any idea, it just hurts).

I am now on my way to Washington D.C. to get a visit in with my mom and Klep-dizle. I have about an hour left on my Airtran flight. I wish they could invent a portal so I would not have to wait any longer. It would make traveling so much easier. My flight was at 9:30, but I had to wake up around 6:30, just to shower, pack, eat and get to the airport early. This morning I arrived at the airport at around 8, waited in line to check in for about 10 minutes, then another 20 in the security line, another ½ hour at the gate, then about 15 minutes on the plane, waiting for take-off. Now I have to wait to land, wait to exit the plane, and then wait for my mom to pick me up. So much waiting...

JKLEPSON

Journal Entry #19

2005-07-26T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well, let me try this again. I accidentally did not save the page I had already written so I have to start from scratch. I guess that is the worst thing that can happen to a writer.

So I have had several adventures lately. I decided to make the best of my last free week in Argentina, and went out solo to explore the northern part of the country. I started out by taking the midnight bus from Córdoba to Tucumàn, a province in the northern part of Argentina. Traveling is great here, you can take a bus overnight, save on hotel fare, and have a nice comfortable chair that reclines very far, almost like a bed.

I arrived at my destination at around 8 in the morning, and walked around until I found a hotel. I stayed at the hotel Petite, which was kind of a dive, but for 22 pesos what can you expect! Well, the point of exploring a new city is not to stay in the crummy little hotel, so I spent as little time as possible in it and walked around all day. I went to the Museo del Folklore, Casa de Obispo Colombes, was given a free tour of the Plaza Independencia, and saw some live folklore music while eating lunch.

Later that night, I went out with some people I met in my hotel. Billy from Chicago, and Luke and Maggie from Whales. We saw the Espectaculo de Luz y Sonido, which explained the history of Argentina’s independence. Tucuman is actually the city where the declaration was signed, so it is very interesting historically speaking. The show was amazing (not really) as lights would flash from one side to the other, while an all audio play sounded from a loudspeaker from where the lights were flashing. Afterwards, things livened up a little bit and we hung out on the plaza, where a live band was playing and everyone was dancing. Then we went to eat, and saw some more live music and dancing. We could definitely feel the love in this great little city.

The next day, Billy decided to accompany me to Tafí del Valle, where we hung out in our 15 peso a night hostel, relaxing by the fire. We met some cool people from all over Argentina, and went out that night with a couple of Porteñas, who were very nice and pretty!!! Of course the main event there was also folklore music and dancing. We saw an even better show than the night before, as all of the gauchos came out in their traditional clothing and danced the night away. There were even a little boy and girl all dressed up that came out and were the stars for a couple of songs. The night ended with a kind of freestyle tap-dancing/break-dancing competition which was very awesome to see.

The next day I went on a pretty bodacious hike up to a waterfall. Scaling about 3000 feet in a single mile, we found a beautiful waterfall that was completely frozen over. The water flowing underneath sounded very cool, as it had great acoustic sound effects. My faithful guide, Matias, also explained about the history of Tafí along with the nature. Very interesting.

Yesterday I started to make my way back to Cordoba, but this was a challenge. From Tafí there are no direct buses, so I went to Tucuman to connect. However everything was all sold out, as vacations were ending. So I went to the next closest town in hopes of finding a ticket from there. When I arrived in Santiago del Estero, there was nothing from there either. Everything was all sold out through Tuesday, presenting me with a large problem, as today I had orientation. I was just about to start hitchhiking when someone from one of the bus companies informed me that someone had cancelled, so I lucked out and got the fare. Even when I was standing there, someone came to the counter to ask for a ticket to Córdoba, and they were told it was all sold out.

I had to kill sometime before the bus left, so I went down to Plaza Libertad. Santiago, Argentina’s oldest city, just so happened to be celebrating its 452nd birthday, which occurs every 25th of July. There was live music and even fireworks, and the place was packed.
I finally got on my bus and arrived this morning at 7. Took a much needed nap and had orientation today. Met the other students, and went out for a bit tonight. It is going to be a fun semester, and I will leave it at that. Hasta Luego!

Journal Entry #18

2005-07-18T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am here in Córdoba now, situated in my new house where I will reside for the next 6 months or so of my life. I am living in a rather large argentine house with quite a few people. The alma de casa (house maker) is Elda Noriega. With her live her daughter, Analina, her son, Rafael, another girl named Susana, and another person that I have not yet met. My room is great; very large with a bed, armoire, little desk, and a book shelf to name a few of the items. And for Argentina, man is it spacious. Hell, it is pretty spacious for anywhere! The room is a little cold at night, as there is no heater, so I went out and bought a hat to wear at night a little while ago. Now I am set!

Well, in my last entry, I mentioned that I had a few miserable days in Buenos Aires. This of course indicates a doctor’s visit, would you expect anything less? As usual, I had to see a doctor while traveling, but it was not that serious. Just a little case of food poisoning, no big deal. Yup, I spent the night in the bathroom, hanging out by the toilet, and in the morning, when we were supposed to fly to Córdoba, I had a doctor pay me a visit at the hotel. I never knew it, but apparently, large hotels can have a doctor come to you. I was a lot more expensive than if I had gone to see the doctor, but as long as I was with my mom, and she is paying the bills, why not?Anyways, it was nothing serious, and after a few pills and a couple days worth of rest, I am all better.

I flew in to Córdoba last night without any problems, and have had a good day. I ate breakfast with Elda and Susana, and got to know them a little bit. Elda has two of her children living with her, and a couple of others nearby. Susana is from La Pampa, a province just south of here. She works in a bookstore for businesses.

Afterwards, went to use the internet at the “shopping” (Argentine word for mall) and came back for lunch. Ate chicken, squash, and carrots, and then I was off again. First I walked down to SET Idiomas, the school in which I studied during the month of January, when I came to Córdoba for winter term through Eckerd. After seeing a couple of the teachers and Matias, and meeting some of the new students, I went to go see Zulema and Nino, the family with whom I lived in January. I wish that I could have lived with them again, but now they will have students that are coming soon. Oh well, the new family seems very nice. It was great to see Zulema and Nino. It seems nothing has changed, they are looking good. Zulema is a great lady with a great sense of humor, we used to laugh a lot when Marc and I were living there. And Nino, large and mafioso, still sleeps all day and stays up all night watching television! And I still cannot understand anything that he says! While I was there I met Vincent, a student that just finished up a semester at the Universidad Catolica. From San Jose, California, he seemed like a nice guy, but is leaving soon so I will not get to know him. We all sat around and drank matè, which is a long-standing argentine tradition.

Came back to the shack tonight after picking up some laundry that I had dropped off earlier right around the corner. For 10 pesos, or just over 3 bucks, they wash, dry, iron, and fold your clothes for you, and if you drop it off early enough, it is ready later on that day. What a great deal! Then I did some shopping at the “shopping”, and came back for dinner. I ate with everyone. Analina is studying to become a doctor, and Rafael is an electrician. Elda’s children all talk way to fast, with a very light voice (almost as if they were talking under their breath), and with a very strange accent, so it is hard for me to understand them. I think they are a little strange too, but all very nice. I am sure they think that I am very strange too!!
That about sums it up, so I will say good night for now.

Journal Entry #17

2005-07-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

I find myself tonight miles above the ground, flying across the clouds on one of Aerolineas Argentinas’ Boeing 737 jets, headed from Buenos Aires to Córdoba. I have spent the last few days, some good, and some absolutely miserable in the capital city of Argentina. But before I get into that I would like to recount a story that was experianced earlier in the trip.

Road Ragin’ with the Taxi Cabs
In July of 2005, I went to Argentina to study for a semester in Córdoba, the country's second largest city of approximately two million people. Before the semester began, my mom decided to travel with me for a couple of weeks, using me as a guide to experiance a new country to which she would have never gone. As I am learning Spanish, I agreed that it would be a great way to practice translating. So we came down, with our first destination, Buenos Aires. Several days after our arrival to the capital of Argentina, my mom and I went to do some sightseeing and further explore the city. We began in El Centro, the downtown area of Buenos Aires. We saw sights such as La Casa Rosada (the president’s house), ventured down La Florida (an endless pedestrian street lined with shops), and stopped for coffee at the most historic of the Cafes, Café Tortoni. Finding ourselves in the most central of the city’s many plazas, Plaza De Mayo, we decided to hail down a cab. From there we were going to Recoleta, a close-by barrio (neighborhood).

Unaware that my mom was also trying to get the attention of a taxi driver, I began flailing my arms in the air, and with immediate success. I turned around to grab my mom, but she had stopped a cab as well, which would soon put us into quite the uncomfortable predicament.
Not thinking that it would be a big deal, I told her to forget about it, and we got into the cab I had hailed down. I told the driver of our destination; however the other car, which had stopped just in front of ours, continued to stay put. I knew immediately that we were going to have a story to tell.

Our chauffeur began to honk his horn, and the other just sat there in his place, shaking his head. After a few more seconds of this, our driver had enough, and decided to bust a move around his detainee. Although he tried, his attempts were futile, as the other man quickly pulled out in front of us, causing us to come to a halt . I told our driver, in my broken Spanish “Para! Para! Bajamos acà! (Stop! Stop! We are getting out!)”; but he did not stop! Instead, he made another break for it, trying to weave through the traffic on this busy downtown street. Again he was forced to a halt by his competition, as the other driver began veering into our side, nearly colliding with us. The renegade driver then began to roll down his window, still shaking his head and started shouting at the top of his lungs in castellano (Argentine Spanish) at our driver.
So after having narrowly avoided several accidents with other cars and experiencing the road-rage of the porteños (people from Buenos Aires), I grabbed my mom and we got out! After running across the street, we made it to the sidewalk and watched the chaos. The two little boys, trapped in bodies of grown men, continued yelling at each other for another five minutes or so. Just when I expected one of them to jump out and start bludgeoning the other, they both angrily drove off in opposite directions. My mom and I, shocked at what had just happened, decided to look for a new cab. This time, however, with more precaution, and we vowed to never to make the mistake of hailing down two taxis at the same time in this city again.

Well, my plane is landing, so I will talk to you later. Chua!!!

Journal Entry #16

2005-07-14T21:05:00.000-05:00

Back in BA. I have decided to include some quotes of some horrible English translations I have found in this city, so here goes:

--- “Perhaps the greatest pleasure to be found each morning in this city of polluted airs which is ironically named after good ones is the color of its dawn”

--- “Of course, there are the museums, and the walks, and the walks, and the park, and the secret places that every person has a preference for in all cities. Buenos Aires has them too, and without doubt an abundance. The nearly 1,000 pages of Buenos Aires Secret City (Buenos Aires Ciudad Secreta), of which the Sudamericana publishing house printed the third big fat edition in 2004, shortly before the death in September of its author, the well liked writer and journalist Germinal Noguès, have a wealth of historical secrets that belong to the walls and the doors of corners and buildings in the capital."

Theses come from: The Golden Book Buenos Aires, a guide book to be found in every major hotel.

We arrived and made reservations at the NH Jousten, where we stayed for just a couple of nights upon our arrival. This hotel was adequate at best and definitely not worth the money, so we soon decided to change hotels, for the 6th change this trip. It is not so easy trying to explore new cities in new cultures, especially when you do not speak the language perfectly.

One afternoon, a couple of days ago, we took a stroll around downtown to do some sightseeing. We saw the the Casa Rosada (presidential House), the monument to Juan de Garay (the founder of Buenos Aires), and a monument to Christopher Columbus, among others. Afterwards, we met with a contact of my mother, who is a commissioner of some sort and oversees some high-ranking financial institutions in Argentina. He gave us a tour of the Argentina stock exchange and treated us to lunch, all of which was very interesting and pleasant. For instance, the stock exchange and the stock market are two separate organization here, unique in the financial world.

Emilio, my mom´s friend, recommended that we eat at a restaurant called La Caballeriza, which turned out to be an excellent recommendation. This restaurant, modeled after an old horse stable, makes a great piece of beef, and has a fun casual atmosphere. We both had couple of fat slabs of meat, cooked al punto(medium rare), drank some delicious Argentina Malbec, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Afterwards, at the recommendation of the front-deskman of our hotel, we went to another hotel for a night cap. The Faena Hotel surprised us when we arrived, as we were greeted by a few men dressed in all black wearing earpieces who directed us where to go. We ended up at El Living, a very high-class bar. It was a very strange and comical situation. A very pretty girl greeted my mother and me and informed us that the bar was too full (even though I could see plenty of places to be seated), and that it would have something available in about 15 minutes. She recommended that we walk around the hotel in the meantime, exploring the remainder of the facilities. It was dimly lit and seemed very posh, so I was expecting to see a nice lobby with other features, yet after walking down a very short corridor and past another very expensive-looking restaurant, we came to a dead end. After only about two minutes, I walked back, and very disappointedly asked “¿Hay algo mas para ver?” (Is there anything else to see)? She responded that we should be seated in the hall way and continue waiting, to which I responded by rolling my eyes and walking off. Miraculously, something opened up before I could take two steps and we were allowed in. Laughing at the situation, we discussed how funny the events were and how we had stumbled across this eloquent little bar. Around us, big, fat, and obviously rich Argentine men puffed cigars, and deer’s heads lined the walls.

Today we changed hotels to the Hilton, located in the modern Puerto Madero, and have been very pleased thus far. In the same price range as every other hotel at which we have stayed, it is far better. We decided to have a lazy day and enjoy the hotel, use the gym, and walk around the neighborhood a little bit. This is the most modern looking neighborhood in Buenos Aires, with great views of the city, the docks, and a famous bridge, La Puente de la Mujer.

For dinner, we went back to the pizza joint in El Centro called Güerrin. Afterwards, we took a stroll down Corrientes, which is like the Broadway of Buenos Aires, where theaters are abundant. Next, we stumbled upon the Spell Café in Puerto Madero to have a little dessert and wine. The service here was great (maybe because the all female staff wearing the little black miniskirt and tank-top uniform looked great!!!) and the atmosphere was good. Dimly lit, upscale yet casual, this place also had nice views of the bridge, which was illuminated with green lights at night.

Now I am going to bed, so Buenos Noches de Buenos Aires!!!

Journal Entry #15

2005-07-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Bariloche, a gem in the rough. We arrived here several days ago, for some peace, relaxation, and of course, some snow action. Our reservations were for a hotel/resort about 24 kilometers outside of Bariloche in the next village Tunquelèn. The name of the hotel, "Bariloche, means the place of rest in the native Mapuche tongue. Sitting on some 20 acres of land, this Hotel has spectacular views of the "Nahuel Huapi lake, one of the largest and deepest in the world, with snow-capped peaks jutting up on all sides. This is a great hotel, winning my mom’s seal of approval. The staff is great, with activity coordinators (baqueanos) giving advice on what to do in the area, including some free nature hikes. The first night we dined in house at the hotel’s fabulous restaurant, where the vegetables come from the garden on the premises, the bread is handmade everyday, and the trout is caught locally. That night I learned that bottles of Argentine wine, sporting the initials D.O.C. have been certified as quality bottles, so that is my Argentine wine tip of the day! The several bottles of D.O.C. have all been excellent (not that the others have not) and are very recommendable.

The next day, I went snow-boarding at Cerro Catedral, the largest ski resort in South America. Apparently, I had just missed the best snow of the season, which a few of the locals informed me comes early in the season, in June. So not everything was open, about which the resort’s own website lied, but I still had a great time. A day’s rental of snow-board equipment cost me 70 pesos, and a 3 day pass about 240 pesos, and this was the high price season. I can imagine that this resort would be amazing on a day of fresh powder, with the majority of the runs being in these wide open bowls, from which you have spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The funny thing about this resort, though, is that they have rope tows at the top, which you would never find in the states. Also, most of the green runs are on narrow switchbacks that are not very fun, often going uphill. This maybe different during June when the slopes are supposedly full of snow. While we were there, the base was completely green, and you even had to take the lift back down at the end of the day. Overall, this is a great place for the advanced skier that can take full advantage of the more challenging terrain.

We did that for a couple of days, and then spent the last two relaxing. Mariano, one of the Vacaneros, took us on a nature walk through the national park on Sunday afternoon. He talked to us about the local wildlife, such as the caña cohihue (a type of bamboo), coihue (a native tree that is very large with wide spreading roots), arrayan ( cinnamon colored wood) quintral (a parasite that grows off of other trees, producing a beautiful flower), llao llao (a bland tasting, ball shaped fungus growing in the trees, which the indigenous used to eat), barba del diablo (a green stringy moss growing off of the trees, which can be used to measure the air quality), and the pehuen (also called araucaria, a type of tree typical of northern Patagonia with needles growing covering even the trunk, that grows in a cup shape upwards and produces a nut that can be used in breads or eaten alone). We also learned that Patagonia, the southern region of Argentina and Chile, has some of the most ancient species of trees in the world, and other unique ecosystems and rainforest that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Yesterday, we caught the 20 bus into Bariloche for some hot chocolate, which it is famous for and rightly so, some shopping, and some more spectacular views of the lake. We had the hot chocolate at Chuela Joy on Quaglia 221, bought some sweat pants at TMT, an argentine clothing company on Moreno 55, and lunch at Friends, which I would not recommend. They have horrible soup, and I felt a little dodgy in the stomach area afterwards. Bariloche is a very quaint little town of 120,000, so I guess it is more of a city. The Argentine people are very proud of this place, and almost everyone I have met here has recommended it, and I see why. The architecture is just as one might expect, with cozy little log cabins lining the road from Llao Llao, and the construction medium of choice, the local wood, which is now protected and on an endangered species list. Despite its large size, this city still has a cozy feel to it, and truly does have some of the best chocolate in the world. We bought some chocolate as a gift for my new host family from a chocolate factory called La Turista, which has several locations in town. The one to which we went was enormous, and sells much more than just chocolate, such as local micro brews of beer, jelly, meat, just to name a few.

We came back to the hotel and I sat in the sauna for a while, cleansing the toxins out of my body. I finished off the therapy with Sylvia, who gave me quite possibly the best massage in the world. My neck and back pains have gone down immensely, and I practically no longer have any pain in my right shoulder, which has been giving me immense pains lately.

I finished off the night by having some of the local beers in the bar downstairs. A company named Blest makes very tasty cervezas in a variety of flavors. I had a blonde, a dark, and a raspberry, all delicious.

It has been a very enjoyable week here, and as I sit here waiting for the airport transport, staring out the window, across the lake at the snow-capped peak, I am comforted by the fact that I know I will be back, next time in the summer to do the abundance of outdoor sports, such as camping and trekking. Hasta Luego....

Journal Entry #14

2005-07-06T22:59:00.001-05:00

Finally, the principal goal of the summer has been accomplished. I am now here in Buenos Aires, the capitol of Argentina. I arrived in Córdoba a couple of days ago, accompanied by my mom, and we have since traveled to Buenos Aires. Upon our arrival at the airport in Córdoba, there was a counter within the airport offering the services of a remis, or a slightly more expensive and upscale version of a taxi, for 19 pesos into the city, which we gladly accepted (we returned to the airport later by taking a taxi for only 10 pesos, I am not sure if the remis is the only option other than the bus or if you can wait for a taxi at the airport). We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, which claims to be a 5 star hotel. Not meeting my mother’s approval, we toured the city in search of a better hotel, but could not find one. The Sheraton, which may have the modern infrastructure (such as wi-fi internet accessibility), the facilities (such as a pool and gym), and the service of five stars, certainly lacks the upkeep. The carpets are stained, the walls need paint, and the bathroom in the room in which we stayed needed a new bathtub (it had unsightly cracks in it). Unfortunatly, we could not find a nicer hotel, and altered our plans to come to Buenos Aires early. So we booked a hotel at the Intercontinental for the following night, located in downtown BA.

The next day, we went directly to the airport and purchased airplane tickets twenty minutes before departure time for about 80 bucks with Aerolineas Argentinas. What a great deal, and without all the hassle of the US airports. Arriving in BA (at the local domestic Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport) about an hour later, we went to the taxi stand outside, and for less than 15 pesos arrived at our hotel. A 5 star hotel for 149 dollars a night, the lobby was beautiful. However, we once again were left dissatisfied. As a government employee, my mom should have received a discount of about $50. We were told that because we booked this room on the internet, we could not have our rate reduced to the government discount. PEOPLE, LETS TALK CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! This hotel lost about $1000 because of this move. We decided to change hotels because of this maltreatment. I am sorry, but when you tell someone that the rate that you should get is $50 less than the rate than you are getting, and there is nothing that you can do to change this, you lose out big time. Not to mention the carpets were stained in the actual room.

We changed to the Loi SuiteS Recoleta Hotel across town. Slightly more expensive, the rooms are clean, have comfortable beds, and only allow slight traffic noises to enter. Plus the manager gave us a personal tour of the entire hotel in English. So after getting settled in, we went out for a snack at a place that specializes in empanadas and pizzas, which were both excellent. From there, we went to the close-by Recoleta Cemetery, and payed our dues to the famous and wealthy Argentine elite of the past. This cemetery is made up of ex-presidents, doctors, and many military generals, to name a few.

Last night we witnessed Señor Tango, a highly overpriced and overrated Tango show. For 190 pesos each, we were served overcooked cuts of what could have been the tastiest beef ever, given absolutely horrible service, and saw the tackiest, most overdone show ever. I can say in defense of Señor Tango that the dancing, music, and singing were excellent.

Today, we decided to make reservations for Bariloche. We used a travel agent called Patagonia Travel, which realizing that they could not “sell us”, offered us the real deal. So four hours later (I have no idea how things like this work here, but everytime I have been to a travel agent here, it has been an all day process. If anyone has any recommendations, please tell me!!!) we received our vouchers for airline travel, transport, and hotel.

Tonight, we dined at the best restaurant that I have quite possibly been to in Argentina. For 105 pesos, or about $35 US, this Italian joint in Palermo (Repùblica Arabe Siria 3285), with its romantic, dimly lit atmosphere, had excellent cuisine. For this small price, the two of us drank a bottle of Malbec D.O.C, a 2002 bottle made by the Bodega Norton, each ate delicious pasta dinners, split a salad and dessert, and topped it off with a porto desert wine. Not only was this restaurant very well priced, but we had some of the best service I have received in the three times I have been to Argentina.

Now we are awaiting the morning dawn, when we will further explore this Latin country, and make our way south to the highly acclaimed San Carlos de Bariloche and the snowy ski slopes of Cerro Catedral. Buenas Noches!

Journal Entry #13

2005-07-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

I have had several adventures in the last week. Let me start with the first. A few days ago, I went backpacking with my dad into the upper atmospheres of our earth. Ah yes, we hiked a 13er!! Mt. James, or James peak, was a challenge, but we prevailed and conquered what we had set out to do. James is located very close to Rollinsville, so we decided to climb this peak, as we had a very late start in the day for our camping trip. After packing our bags, we went over to the Mountain People’s Coop in Ned to gather some provisions, and then we began looking for a campsite. We began driving up a fairly steep mountain road, with steep drop-offs to one side, and jagged fallen rocks to the other. These roads are always as fun as they are scary to drive, because while taking in all the beautiful scenery, you can’t help but think about the death that is so imminent. These roads are even more frightening when you are in my dad’s 1983 Toyota Tercel Hatchback, with the clearance of a mouse and the handling of a go-cart! We actually had to turn back in two separate locations due to the intensity of the road, and the lack of a four-wheel drive vehicle.

We finally found the ideal campsite and got to work setting up tents, unfolding the sleeping bags, and cooking leftovers from our lunch, while sipping on my favorite beer in the world, Fat Tire. We had to rush, though, so it was not as pleasurable as it might seem. You see, we had no flashlight, and we were battling the sun’s fall, with no time to spare. This being done, we could enjoy the alpine glow, which is almost like an extended sunset. Over the horizon, we saw an intense array of yellow, oranges, reds, and pinks, as the sun slowly faded into the night’s sky. After sitting by the fire for a while to enjoy the warmth and our food, we headed away from it to look at the stars. Living in a city, I rarely get to see them, and forget how incredible they are. Out at the foot of James, the stars were brilliant, illuminating the night sky so bright that we almost did not need the flashlight that we did not have.

The next day we got a later start than I would have liked, but nonetheless drank our hot coffee and got on our way, choosing to snack on fresh cherries and apples as we walked. The morning was pleasant, slightly chilly with the breeze of the wind, but with a forty pound bag on my back, it felt a lot warmer. So wearing doo-rags and hats, we began making our way upwards. Every now and then we got a glimpse through the trees of our surroundings. Across a valley we had spectacular views, with James far in the distance. In other directions we could see where the timberline ended, and hills turned into snow-capped peaks. Several hours later we stopped for lunch under a shady spot, and ate carrots, nuts, and delicious Stacy’s Tortillas filled with peanut butter and jelly.

After lunch, we departed upon our journey again, and soon left the trees behind us as we climbed higher in elevation. Our hike, which we estimated to be six miles long in each direction, rose some 3,000 feet, beginning at around 10,000 and ending at more than 13,000 feet above sea level. As we got higher, the views became more amazing, the wind became colder, and the vegetation became much less. The landscape was speckled in wild-flours of all colors, and in the lowlands we could see a series of water bodies, where according to elevation, glaciers melted into bodies of ice and water, and lower still, full lakes. The colors of blue that could be seen in these waters was vivid, ranging from white to light blue and blending into very dark shades, all making for a breathtaking sight. Above these lakes of ice rose jagged rocks and peaks, over looking the land below as the natives once did many years ago.

Amazingly, towards the top we saw more wildlife than at the bottom. Curious marmots began encroaching upon us to investigate our doings, and birds as small as they could be chirped all around. We also saw some type of game bird: big, plump, and tasty looking, hopping around on the trail below. If I had been stranded in the mountains, I would have pegged it with a rock immediately, and had a divine dinner!!

We finally reached the peak of the hike sometime in the afternoon. In order to get to the top, we had to cross glaciers of snow and scale 1200 feet in the last mile, practically a straight shot upwards. The view was incredible! The continental divide stretching for miles, the east to one side and the west to the other. Snow-capped mountains rolled on for miles and the view faded into the horizon. We felt so accomplished; we had finally reached our goal.

Exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, we began the return shortly after reaching the top. The wind was becoming colder, and the sun began falling off in the west with incredible speed. Out of water, we filled our bottles up with the water of a stream flowing from one of the glaciers. We knew we could boil it to purify it later, so the threat of jihrdia was not important, yet there was some debate as to whether or not it need to be purified. My dad drank some, but I am unwilling to take any chances, so waited till the water was purified. We found a new campsite and had to rush against day light once again. My dad set up the tent and I began on the dinner. That night we dined on buffalo stew, and it was delicious. Food always tastes better when you have really worked hard that day. We had a fire that night, but the wind was so intense we retired quite early to the tent. I slept fine that night, and did not wake up cold as I had the night before. However I did wake up once as our tent was rocked by gusts of wind that had to have reached up to 60 MPH. The Rockies are home to some of the strongest winds, and it was very freaky to be in these winds protected by nothing but a tent. But we survived, and now have one more story to ad to the list. That trip I will remember for years to come.

The next day we headed back to civilization, and headed straight to the Sundance Café, which is located in between Ned and Rolli. Here prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, and the food is great, maybe only outdone by the views of Eldora and Indian Peaks in the distance.

That night, I went to see the Colorado Rockies play the Houston Astros with my dad, Levi, Evan, Benny, Donna, J Klep, Alika, and Joselyn. Rockies games are the best, cuz you are almost guaranteed a lot of action. We all bought Rock-pile seats for 4 bucks each, and headed in. Levi snuck in a bottle of 151, and we had a great time. The Astros took the early lead by hitting a grand slam, but the Rockies ended it by answering with a grand slam of their own in the later innings, leaving the final score at 6-5, Rockies. Go Rockies!!! Afterwards, we went bowling and Levi got us kicked out of the bowling alley for pouring his own liquor. I did not get a refund, and threw my bowling shoes out in the parking lot while telling the management to fuck off. If they had given me my money, I would have gone quietly, but they were assholes, so I gave them a piece of my mind. I feel bad for Jeremy and Alika, cuz they are regulars there and now may not be allowed back in, but sometimes you have to stand up for yourself. I wasn’t kissing any ass just cuz they wanted me to, I wanted my money back. So if they can’t understand that, then fuck them too!

Now I am sitting at the Miami airport. I spent a couple of days back in St. Pete, and took a train to Miami yesterday. I was supposed to be on a plane last night to Argentina, but the Amtrak was almost six hours late. It should have been here at 4:30, giving me plenty of time, but instead we got in around 10 PM. So I had to get a hotel at the Airways Inn, the cheapest thing that I could find close by the airport. What a horrible place this was. I wish I would have payed an extra 30 dollars to get a nice room at a different hotel, but what can you do? All I cared about was a room with a bed. Hopefully, I can get on a plane tonight. I guess we will find out. Man, I could just move to Miami if I wanted the Latin feel. Hasta Luego!!!

Journal Entry #12

2005-06-25T11:02:00.000-05:00

It’s been a couple of days, so let me catch up on the past week. I arrived in Colorado on Tuesday, and now I am at my dad’s house up in Rollinsville. I had a bad day of travel to get here. I had planed on doing the X-fare thing again with Airtran, so I had my uncle drop me off at the Hartsfield airport real early on Tuesday. I walked up to the ticket counter and asked for the ticket, however was told that I could not participate in the X-fare program because I had a suitcase. So I had to pay $250 instead of the $100 I was expecting to pay. HORSESHIT!! And the lady was a complete bitch about it. I should have asked to speak with the manager about it, cuz she was a bitch about it.

My dad picked me up from DIA and we made our way up to Boulder. Man do I miss the mountains. When you head in from Denver on 36, there is just an incredible view of the Flatirons just after driving over the hill after Louisville. I always marvel at that view when I see it. We went straight downtown and ate at illegal Pete’s on Pearl Street. This is one of my favorite spots in Boulder. You can get a burrito the size of your head for 5 bucks, a great bargain. I had a quesadilla for the first time ever from there, and washed it down with a Fat Tire, my favorite beer. Afterwards, we came up to Rolli, stopping at the Mountain People’s Coop for some provisions in Nederland. Later that night, while attempting to watch a documentary on Fidel Castro, the DVD player started working kind of funny, so my dad threw it out the window and smashed it. Nope, nothing has changed up here!

The past few days I spent in the lowlands with some friends. I ran into my Friend Evan down in Boulder, and he came with me to meet up with Klepper, Benny, Donna, Alika, and Bryce at the old Circle K on the hill, and from there we all went out to Quin’s house for a little pool action. Afterwards, we ate lunch at the Lazy Dog on Pearl St., which is a great place to see a game. They have a satellite and about a million TVs, so you can watch just about any game you could imagine. Prices were not to bad, and they have a happy hour between 3 and 6.

When we finished up eating, we went down to South Boulder where our friend Dustin lives. Hung out and had a beer, then left for the mountains. Klep and I had been missing them, so we went up Flagstaff and took in the scenery. After driving all the way up Baseline, we had a great view: we could see the entire city of Boulder and the mountains behind it, some snow-capped, making a breathtaking view.

That night, I went bowling with Joselyn, Alika, Jeremy, and a few of his friends down in Denver. The place had dollar games and dollar beers, so we were set for the evening. I crashed at Klep’s house that night.

Thursday we all went to Ellitch Gardens as the locals call it, or Six Flags as it is known to the rest of the world. Tuesday through Thursday admission is two for the price of one with a Coke can, so for 40 bucks Jeremy and I got in and met up with Benny, Bryce, and Donna. Lines were pretty long though, and we only rode a handful of them. At one point, after waiting in line for about an hour, there was a lightning watch and the rides shutdown, just as we arrived to the front of the line. So we did what anyone would do, left the park for a while to slam some beers and get toasty. We went back into the park later, but only stayed for about another two rides. We were pretty sick of waiting in lines!

Klep and I headed back to his spot, and went all the way out to Lafayette from there to see Levi. Stopped by a liquor store, and guzzled down a few 40oz’s. OE, just like the good ole days! While at Levi’s, we watched the Spurs take game 7 of the NBA finals, winning it all.

Yesterday I had lunch with Trisha, the secretary from September School, my old high school. It was very good to see her, she was always like a mom to me. We ate at the usual spot I go to with her, Applebee’s. I also saw her friend Donna, who’s section we always sit in when we eat there.

I headed up to Rolli after this, and I finally got to see the Fidel doc with my dad, and it was good. I don’t get why the US hates him so much, he seems like a good guy. He was a revolutionary, and saved his people from an evil dictator. Some people would argue that he is one himself, but I think they should do a little bit of research on him.

Now I am at the ol’ schoolhouse. The house my dad lives in up here is actually an abandoned school from the early 1900's. It is a funky place to be, and can be fun. My dad is having a rumba with his hippie friends right now. They are always up here jammin’, playing drums and other instruments. We went on a hike earlier, but I had to stop cuz I was feeling real bad. I got very light headed, so we turned around. Coming from Florida to over 9000 feet in elevation with asthma, I have to be precautionary. Well, I am about caught up, so I will leave it at that.

Journal Entry #11

2005-06-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a chance to explore Decatur a little bit. I am amazed by the fact that I practically grew up in that part of ATL, yet can barely get around. I woke up at Unc Dick’s, did a little bit of computer work, and then started making plans. Man, I gotta say, this website business is not as easy as it sounds, and quite time consuming. You hear about people that are making thousands, and even millions from it, and like me, probably think that it must be easy. But it is not so. I have spent several days trying to get this site up to par, and still don’t have it quite the way I want it. But I digress...

So I hooked up with my friend Mary yesterday. I met her last summer down in Argentina, Buenos Aires to be exact. We went out a lot with the whole crew down there, so it was really great to see her. Mary is going to school to be a doctor. I didn’t realize it, but she is a couple of years older than me. I spent about six weeks with her last summer, going to class, dinner, and out to the clubs, yet never knew that! Well, anyways, we went to the Brick Store in the square in downtown Decatur. It was such a pleasant day that we decided to sit outside, around these wooden barrels that have been converted into tables. This place had your typical bar/pub food, and we both ordered hamburgers. But for $15 for a meal that feeds two and great burgers, it was a bargain in my books. It really was great to see Mary too. It seems as if she knows me better than some people with whom I have attended school at Eckerd, despite the fact that we only knew each other for a little over a month. Something about spending a lot of time with someone when you are abroad, you really get to know them. For instance, my friends Marc and Nick are people I consider to be some of my closest friends, both of whom I got to know outside of the US. Adam Stokes became my brother after about a week in Europe.

Mary and I said our good byes, and she dropped me off back at the house. I made plans to go out with my cousin Liz and her friends for dinner. So only slightly late (OH WAY TO GO LIZ!!!) I got picked up, and Allan, Liz, Jesse, and I went to the Taco Mac in downtown Decatur. Fooled by the name, I had tacos on the mind all day, and had to order them that night. However I found out they actually specialize in wings and beer. This place has something like 300 choices of beers to choose from, and you can join the passport club, which allows you a discount on beer after you have spent like $600!!! They keep track of all the different beers on computer after you slide your card, and you get a print out of them. Well, I passed on joining since I am in Decatur so little, but it seems like a great idea. MARKETING!!!!!

After dinner, Thor picked me up. Olivia’s (my ex-girlfriend) brother, is the exception to the human race. About 6'3", 100% American with a strange European accent (his parents were both American but they lived in Europe as part of some cult; I could go on forever here and it is a separate story in itself), has a PHD in math, is over 30 years old, but acts like he is about 15. Nonetheless, it was good to see him, despite the endless conversations about anal sex and learning how he discovered the sensitivity of his prostrate. You have to have a sense of humor and a tolerance for the crude to be around Thor, cuz many people would not permit themselves to be in the same room as this guy. Crazy as it is, these same people that would be ashamed to be seen with him in public would gladly watch about him on Springer. So imagine the entertainment that comes along with your own private Springer show! He picked me up with his friend Mark, a Canadien from Toronto who also had a PHD in math, and from there we went to their friend Christian’s house. I also met his (Christian) sister Crystal, who was very attractive in a sexy school teacher kind of way, and we played foozeball for a couple of hours. I came back to my Uncle’s house a little after midnight and hit the hey.

Journal Entry #10

2005-06-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Batman Begins Rocks!!! Just got back from the flick a couple of minutes ago, and I amped! The movie has it all, money, cars, girls, and of course some kick-ass fight scenes, where good triumphs over evil. Makes me want to rush out and learn all the ninjutsu in the world, put on a silly costume, and become a super-hero. I went to go see the movie tonight with my cousins, Liz and Taylor, Allan (Liz’s boyfriend), and Jesse (Liz’s friend) at the North-DeKalb mall up here in Hotlanta.

Yep, we drove up today after a nice father’s day celebration down in Macon. I saw just about the whole family: Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Daphne, Uncle Aaron, Uncle Dickey, my cousins Carson and Liz, and Joe (Carson’s boyfriend). We had some food from my favorite place in the world, Fresh Air Bar-B-Q. I swear, that place makes the best food in the world: the most succulent pulled pork, drowned in a flavorful sauce, along with a savory Brunswick stew, and of course, coleslaw. Today we even had some ribs, nice and juicy that just melt in your mouth. Every time that I go to Macon I get a party pack, which consists of a pack of buns, two things of pork, another thing of Brunswick stew, a smaller thing of slaw, and some extra-hot sauce. This is great, cuz you can eat the leftovers for a couple of days, and it always tastes good. We finished off the meal with some strawberry shortcake, making today’s feast one of the best I’ve ever had.

Last night I hung out with Carson. We had a few drinks and ended up just goofing off. I believe it to be very important to be silly every now and then, so we found the most ridiculous looking outfits and dressed ourselves up to pose for some silly pictures. I even put on one of Grandma’s dresses!!! Amazing what the effects of alcohol will posses you to do! But we should not rely on booze to be silly, life is way too short take it so seriously. Having a sense of humor and doing things like this are so much fun, I wish we could do it more often. But I guess the silliness would not be so much fun without the seriousness. Travel tip #6: Have a sense of humor. We also watched a couple of flicks: some weird movie about quantum physics, and another movie about tweakers. It is always good to hang out with my cousin Carson, goofing off and having a good time.

Now I am at my Aunt Mary and Uncle Dickey’s house in Decatur. They have the picture perfect house: two stories of perfection on the corner with a nice big front and back yard, with white picket fences wrapping around it. Outside, my aunt has worked miracles, planting flowers and other pretty bushes, giving the yards a nice blend of greenery, with some reds and purples blended into the mix. Inside, the hardwood floors shine with radiance, and the furniture gives it a very nice, homey kind of feel.

Tomorrow is a travel day; I am flying out to Colorado where I will see some friends, do some camping, and have a great time. More to come from the Rockies...

Journal Entry #9

2005-06-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

Well, that’s it, I am all packed up, my apartment is cleaned out, and I am ready to go turn in the keys and be out. Next stop : Gainesville, where I am going to meet up with a friend for a little while, then on to Mactown.

The past couple of days have been fun. I have been hanging out in downtown St. Pete in between packing sessions, and having a blast. Saturday was kind of weird though. We started the night at Andrew’s, pre-gamed it a little bit, then headed out to the bars. We went to the Lobby, saw some live music and ate free pizza at Fortunado’s, got kicked out of The Rare Olive, and probably hit a couple of other places, but I don’t quite remember those! We also met girls, narrowly dodged several fights, and somehow found ourselves back at Andrew’s the next day.

There was definitely something in the air that night; everybody just wanted to fight! I am guessing that it was because it was a fight night. Mike Tyson probably lost his last fight ever, and after that everybody was all riled up, rarin’ to go! A couple of years ago, I would have been throwin’ blows right back, but I have calmed down a lot since then. Now I find it much better to back down from a fight, for nothing good ever comes out of one. You either get hurt, go to jail, or have to pay medical bills. When I go out, I am looking to meet some ladies and have a good time. None of the previously mentioned help me accomplish either one of those goals.
That about wraps up the past couple of hours, I will get on the road in a little bit and then on with my adventures. I will talk to you later...

Later on that day.....

So, here I am, back in Macon. The ride up was fine, always good when you make it without delays due to traffic or weather. Stopped off in Gainesville on the way to see my friend Shea, whom I me through Andrés last fall. I only hung out with her that night, but always thought that she was very pretty. At about 5'3", she is of a mixed ethnicity, wears her hair in braids, and has curves in all the right places! But the best thing about her is her smile, which is only made better by the twinkle that appears in her beautiful brown eyes every time she grins. We chilled for awhile, talking about school, our past, and the future; you know, the basic things. Then I hit the road again. It is nice that she lives in Gainesville, cuz it is almost exactly half way between Macon and St. Pete, so gives me a nice break while I am on the road
.
I got in this evening and spent the remainder of the day talking with Grandpa. He was very happy to see me, and even admitted how lonely it is around here now that Grandma is so far gone with the Alzheimer’s disease. Makes me wonder about my future, and that of my parents. Grandpa told me how happy he is that my dad gets to spend as much time as he does here. From my travels I have learned that the elderly are treated much better in foreign countries. Often they live with their children, as the case was with the family with whom I lived in Barcelona for a month. But it is not so here in the States, where we ditch our parents into an old-folks home. It seems weird to me that this happens, cuz to me nothing is more important than my family. But I am afraid that it will be no different for my parents, they are divorced, and live in opposite parts of the country. I am likely to live in a foreign country, so what am I supposed to do when that time comes? Hopefully I will be rich to the point that they can both have a house on my property somewhere, and that way I can look after them. I guess I will wait and see.

Not much else to report, so I will leave it at that.

Journal Entry #8

2005-06-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, It has been a while! I have been pretty busy lately, trying to get ready for the move, so have not had that much excitement in my life lately. There have been a few things worthy of mention though...

It is hurricane season once again in FL. They are predicting that it will be just as bad as last year, with about 15 tropical storms and 9 hurricanes. So far, I believe it, cuz we already got our first tropical storm, only days after the official beginning of the season. It has been raining forever now, and while this morning it seems to have cleared up, (maybe I should go to the pool while I can) but I think that it will start coming down a little later on again. Lately, I have been selling my furniture, and so far I have been successful getting rid of about half of it, however the rain has made it difficult to move it out. Well, the rain let up for a while last night and it was go time. Moved the table and entertainment center as quick as possible, and then dropped my cat, Shadow, off with a friend named Kristen. She will be watching after the kitty while I am in Argentina. I am going to miss that cat, she brings me so much joy. I have never seen a cat with so much personality. I am so glad that I adopted her from Pinella’s Pet Center, located on 34th st. S. She came house trained, with all of her shots, and already spayed for only 34 bucks, what a bargain! Plus she has been the sweetest cat in the world, cuddling with me at night, and whenever I am having a bad day!

Last night I went out with my friend Kaci, a girl from St. Louis that I met on the London winter term trip at Eckerd. We went downtown to the Baywalk, and had a drink at Wet Willies, a great place for a frozen drink. I had a mojito, but I would recommend the “Call a Cab Home”, it is much better tasting and properly named. Kaci had some of her other friends meet her down at the bar, and caught a ride home with them. I met up with my boy Andrew, and crashed at his house down on 4th ave S. Had a fun walk home through downtown St. Pete. Reminded me a lot of the days when we used to roam through The Hill out in Boulder; nothing but college kids out, drunk, having a good time. Ate a gyro that was so good; it was big, delicious, and only $5. They are open till three, but I can’t remember where it was exactly(Yea, definitely reminds me of The Hill. We used to eat gyros late-night over at the University Market Deli). After finishing up, we ran into a guy named Rod. He was waiting on a cab cuz he lost his licence, and told us about some other good bars in the area. We will have to take that advice, and if we ever run into him again, have a drink with him. He was one of those real friendly people that probably has a lot of interesting stories to tell.

Well that sums up the last few days. Today I have to continue cleaning and packing, so I better get to it. I will write more later...

{Marketing tip#1: I put flyers up at all the local apartment complexes, around the mailboxes and laundry mats. I have gotten far more responses to this than running an add in The Flyer, which cost me way more money than it was worth.}

Journal Entry #7

2005-06-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back. I have quite a lot to say, cuz I have failed to write for so long, so let me get right to it. Last Monday, Benny and I went exploring in New York City; Manhattan to be exact. What a great day that was. We got up early and hit up the Hofstra Spot (a convenience store/deli) on Long Island. I had the ham and cheese biscuit, which I remember being cheap and good, and quite possibly the best cure for a hangover I have ever had, even though I did not have a hangover. After that, we started our drive over to the city. It was Memorial Day, so there was no traffic! How lucky is that? No traffic in New York, which is notorious for having the worst traffic in the US, if not the world. Once we got into the city, we parked off of W49th and Broadway. This was very expensive: 25 bucks for the full day. We later discovered that it may be possible to park for free on one of the side streets, if you have the time and patience to go looking.

First thing we did was go to Times Square. This is the Disney World of marketers, an absolute paradise for anyone studying, working, or interested in marketing. I just finished a class in marketing, so this was a great experiance for me. Bill boards are everywhere, and flyers, along with free samples, are being handed out on every corner. What a place! We even saw the Naked Cowboy, a completely grown man that stands in the middle of times square wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, boots, and tightey whiteys that say Naked Cowboy on the arse. If that were not enough, he has a guitar with which he walks around in the middle of the street, strumming along and playing a tune. What a freak!

From here we hopped on the subway and headed uptown to the famous Central Park. I knew that it was big, but I had no idea how large it was. Probably a couple of square miles of lush, leafy trees and grass, cris-crossed by various trails and paths. On this day everyone was out having a great time, roller-blading, biking, jogging, and walking. We went to the Great Lawn, which reminded me of the beach during spring break with all the people out in their swimsuits taking in some rays. The only difference is that everyone is lying out on the grass rather than by the ocean on sand. The Great Lawn is great, a huge open field with several baseball fields where one can go to play in a pickup game. They are intense about it though, and we almost saw a fight. This guy had a pretty good hit, but when he went for a double, he got tagged out at second. Then all hell broke loose: the guy got up, started screaming in this other guy’s face, while everyone ran up and started arguing. A few of the other people around had to hold the first guy back, and this went on for a few minutes. But then they all went back to normal, playing as if nothing had ever happened. This, I decided, was not as bad as it seemed, just the New York way of saying he thought the other guy was wrong! On our way out of the park, on the south side of the Great Lawn, we walked past some sort of a castle with a small pond in front of it. We stoped for a minute to look in the pond, and saw a couple of turtles. This park is absolutely beautiful I thought; in the middle of this gigantic concrete jungle, there is this huge land of lush greenery where everyone goes to escape the madness of city life. Looking to the south from here we had a great view of all the sky scrappers, and on this bright blue day it looked spectacular.

After the park, we headed downtown. Met a chick named Traci at some bar that we stopped at to use the bathroom. She was a pretty girl from Jersey that was studying art. I love meeting new people, especially pretty girls! From there we went out and saw ground Zero, where the twin towers used to be. Four years after the attack, some of the surrounding buildings are still covered by tarps, so you can really get an idea of all the damage that must have been caused.
We then went down behind the World Financial Institution (or something like that), which was just a couple of blocks away, to see the Statue of Liberty across the harbor. Afterwards, we hit up a taxi cab and headed down to Wall Street, where I grabbed the Wall St. bull by the balls and saw the NYSE. Continuing onward, we went to Chinatown, where we saw a cool bridge and a lot of Chinese people! There was also a concert going on in the Little Italy section that blends into the neighborhood. Chinatown is really cool. There are Chinese symbols everywhere, with a lot of traditional Chinese architecture to be seen. Hustlers are out on all the corners, selling everything from bootlegged DVD’s to counterfeit designer purses.

We finally started heading back to the car, and caught a slice of NY pizza close to Times Square at Famiglias. This was ok pizza in a regular order at the counter kind of pizza atmosphere, with pictures of celebrities lining the walls. I had a slice of pepperoni, which was just average, and then we got back in the car to return to LI.

That night, I hung out at Benny’s bar while he worked and sipped on some Long Island Iced teas. His girlfriend introduced my to Jody, a pretty girl that is originally from Long Island, but had lived in Georgia for a brief period of time. Gave her my card, so maybe I will hear from her someday in the future.

I came back down to GA the following day, same Airtran deal flying out of LaGuardia. No problems again getting on the first flight, but it ended up being full. I am glad I got there ahead of time, as it is important to get your name put on the standby list plenty early! When I arrived, I only spent a day in Macon, and the day before yesterday, continued on down to Florida. Now I am back on the grind. Yesterday, I woke up, exercised and spent the rest of the day running errands. Last night we went out to the Bahasa Lounge. Thursday is Latin night, and man, what a great place. SO MANY LATINAS!!! They have several different rooms, playing everything from salsa to reggaeton. Drinks are kind of pricy, but had a good time overall. Cam home early, just cuz I was so tired.

Today I woke up and hit the gym. Ran 5.5 miles in 55 minutes, then hit the shoulders. I have to go to work soon, so I will talk to you later!

Journal Entry #6

2005-05-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I woke up at Benny’s casa in Bala Cynwood, the burbs of Philly, and we went to hit some balls at a local driving range/batting cage. It was a lot of fun, I had not done that in years!
Later on Benny’s family had a Bar-B-Q, and we sat around drinking some Yuengling beers and eating for a little while. I found out that Benny’s P’s are excellent cooks, and I enjoyed the grilled cuts of turkey, hot dogs, and sausages immensely. After saying our goodbyes, we loaded up the car and headed up to NYC. Pretty uneventful trip, but we did hit some traffic on the Jersey turnpike.
We finally arrived in Long Island, where Benny is going to school at Hofstra.

BENNY BOY

This area consists of a lot of neighborhoods, with houses sitting close together, and cars lining the tiny little streets. People are out at night sitting on their front porches, just talking and playing cards and stuff. Pretty uneventful night, we went to some diner that was pretty expensive and definitely not worth the buck. Went to sleep around two so that we could get up early and go explore the city today. So right now I am waiting for Benny to get ready, and then we are off to do some sightseeing over in the Big Apple! More later...

Journal Entry #5

2005-05-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

Didn’t write yesterday, didn’t have much to say. Had a day of relaxation by the pool, shopped at Whole Foods Market, the best grocery store ever, and afterwards I worked out pretty intensely. I should, however, briefly speak about the dinner. It would stir envy in the eye of any chef worldwide, inspire drool to drip from the mouth of any food connoisseur, and satisfy the rumbling belly of anyone, including the pickiest of the picky. My mom has a hidden talent, and if she could spend half the energy that she does at her job cooking at her own restaurant, she could have the most marvelous restaurant on the face of the earth and become quite rich. Last night, she made me my favorite meal, rainbow trout (slightly breaded and fried to perfection), accompanied by wild rice and an artichoke, served with a creamy lemon butter sauce. Simply put, heavenly. This meal would humble the gods! That one meal was the highlight of the trip, the week, and possibly my entire existence! Travel tip #5: Go home! Nothing is like good ole’ home cooking.
Today was quite interesting. I booked a bus ticket online through an agency called New Century Travel, an all Asian bus line that runs from DC to Philly to NY and back. I call it the Chinatown Express, cuz the buses run in between the Chinatowns of these cities, plus it is Chinese owned and operated.
Chinatown NYC

It is by far the cheapest mode of transport that I know of in the area, with a one way from DC to Philly costing only 15 bucks, half that of Greyhound, and a quarter of the price of Amtrak. This was an adventure in itself. Completely unorganized, yet far more comfortable than greyhound, we left from DC only 20 minutes or so late. I sat next to quite the interesting character. Bus people are always strange. His name was Daniel, a man raised in Wisconsin, and he quit a plush job on Wall Street to pursue a career as a singing star of the opera (It is apparently true that the opera singer must be hefty, cuz this guy was no small man!). But despite the madness of the man, he was very nice. He had just finished up a show in DC, and was headed back to Germany, where he currently resides, and makes a full time living out of Opera. I asked him if he had met any interesting people in his line of work ( I was thinking of famous people) and he responded in the affirmative. However, not as I had expected! He emphasized the weirdos he had met, which apparently there are a lot of extremely strange people in the world of performing arts!. After making pleasantries, I dozed off, and awoke when we were exiting the highway. This is when it gets good.
We exited the highway, and immediately got back on the on-ramp. But we did not continue, and the Asian captain of the bus immediately whipped us around in reverse, and began speeding backwards along the on-ramp, as cars entering the highway narrowly dodged colliding into us, making quite the intense situation. We then hopped on some country bum-fuck road, weaving through green pastures and farm land, every now and then seeing a cemetery, no doubt filled with veterans of the civil war. I knew something strange was in the air, cuz the driver was barking into his walkie talkie in some Asian tongue, cruising past streets, only to back up and make the turn. After about a half hour of this, he finally opened up the door and asked someone how to get back to 95! Can you imagine paying Delta to take you to Philly, only to get lost and ask for directions, while all the passengers could see what was happening right in front of them? This would cause an uproar! Now imagine this when half of the people are immigrants, probably illegal, and the other half are these crazy up north types. Well, we finally made it to Philly, and only a half hour late, which I think is a miracle, considering we left twenty minutes late and the bus got lost in the middle of nowhere.
My good friend Benny, accompanied by Donna (his old lady), his pop, and his Grandma Phyliss, picked me up. We then took a short trip over to Jersey to drop off Grandma Phyliss, amidst torrential downpours of rain. We came back to Philly, after a brief pit-stop at the King of Pizza for a quick slice, which had decent ‘za at a reasonable price, and took the little city tour. Benny’s dad turned out to be quite the expert on the local history, sites, and people, and gave us all, even Benny who grew up here, a great tour of the area. Philly is far different than I imagined. Culturally diverse in every aspect of the word, this city of two million has it all: history, colonial architecture, art, and many parks and squares, making it one of the most beautiful cities that I have seen, certainly in the US. There was not a building that Benny’s dad did not know, and we saw the world famous liberty bell, city hall, a couple of the US’s first banks, among many other sites. Of course he took us to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is famous not only for the great attractions it draws, but is featured in one the most prominent American films ever, Rocky. And in the boxers’s footsteps, we too hopped out of the car and ran up the stairs leading to the front door of the museum. From the top, you can see the entire city, resting between two rivers, with all the brick work lain in between, which would make the most critical mason in the world proud to see. Ah yes, Philly, the city of brotherly love is a sight of magnificence.
We later came back and I was introduced to his brother Jordan, his mom, and his prized dog Sophie. After a while here, we went and picked up his cousin Lauren and her boyfriend Don, and all of us youngins went out to eat at Jim’s, one of the best places in the world to get a Philly cheese steak sandwich. Located on South St, this joint’s walls are lined with autographs of some of the most famous people, including Bruce Willis. A line of hungry folks was wrapped around the corner, patiently waiting for one of those mouth-watering sandwiches. This part of town has a lively nightlife, where the young and old alike gather to have a good time, first eating at a number of restaurants, and then partying the night away.
We came back to Bala Cynwood, and dropped off the kiddies (those under 21). From there we went out to Manayunk, or some crazy word like that, located in the burbs of Philly. Benny, Donna, and I cruised down the strip, and eventually found ourselves at the Diner, where we met a pretty young bartender named Brittany. There, we had a couple of drinks, and headed back home. That is about it, so I will talk to you later.

Journal Entry #4

2005-05-26T18:39:00.000-05:00

Today, was another busy day of running errands. I don’t know why, but I am super busy trying to do all the things that I need to do, even when I am on vacation. We went down to the Argentina consulate this afternoon to try and apply for a visa. Of course I did not have everything that I needed, and had to go take passport pictures to hand in with the visa application. After returning to the consulate, this task still was still unable to be completed, for they need an official letter of acceptance from the university before the application can be processed. Oh the joys of bureaucracy, the "simplicities" of life! Why can’t these things be as easy as they sound? Also, the Universidad Catolica must contact immigration, which must then contact the consulate. So many loose ends to tie up, and I am running out of time. From there we went by the ISEP (the study abroad program that I went through) building to drop off the acceptance letters for the study abroad program, because Ann Wessing called and informed me that I had forgotten to do this. However, we were unable to do this as well because Ann had not signed the papers. Once again, another thing I was unable to complete, and it still cannot be erased from my always growing, never shrinking to-do list.
The day was actually quite pleasant though. Due to my directionally dysfunctional mother’s driving capabilities, we decided that it would be much easier to walk around and take the Metro to run these errands. In large cities, it is often easier to rely on the ancient art form of walking than it is to drive, due to parking, wrong turns, and traffic. While walking, I gazed around at my surroundings. The buildings are all very nice looking, with wide varieties of architecture, ranging from ancient to modern, eastern to western, and everything, and I do mean everything in between. DC is the cream of the crop when it comes to being diverse as it is the capital of the USA, the melting pot of the world. The city’s wide variety of influences make it a very pleasant city. Everywhere you go there are people of all race and ethnic and religious backgrounds, speaking a plethora of languages. The unique cultures of the various regions of the world are displayed in the fashions of the people. This along with the rich history that is displayed on the many monuments and statues, DC is a fabulous place to visit. I can’t help but consider the possibility of attending grad school at Georgetown.
We actually got a chance to eat at that Matchbox joint to which my mom tried to bring us the other night. The atmosphere of the restaurant is really cool, and probably the cause of its success, however it was a little on the chilly side (bring a sweater). It was a narrow design, but three stories tall. The entrance level had a modern looking bar displaying fancy bottles of wine and booze. The coolest part was the brick stove, in which open flames were cooking what they are famous for, their delicious looking pizzas. My mom raves about them, Unfortunatly I work at the Pizza Slut and was in no mood to try the ‘za. In the back, pictures of the construction of the stove line the wall, making the customer feel like part of the creation process, an interesting marketing scheme. Upstairs the tables for two are small and close together, giving it a somewhat intimate feel. In the center of the tables were matchboxes. I don’t know if they were all the same, but our table featured matchboxes that were seafood oriented. I thought this interesting, as the restaurant is known for its pizza, and I think I had the only seafood item on the menu, a delicious crab-cake sandwich. The food was very nontraditional, unlike what one might find at an Applebee’s. The salads were all unique, only offering specialty dressings, and the normal sandwich fare all had somewhat odd sounding toppings. For instance, my mom ordered a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, accompanied by dried cherries, giving it delightfully sweet and sour contrast. Seemed like a good place to take a date. I did not taste it, but the pepperoni pizza appeared fabulous, and left my mouth watering. Prices seemed reasonable, although definitely not for the budget traveler. Meals from $7-30
Went for a jog along embassy row today and back through another beautiful neighborhood. It is very interesting to me that when one stands inside of an embassy, they are technically no longer in the US; they are standing on foreign soil! So I guess I went to Argentina today. And it was not that hard to imagine myself there, everyone was speaking castellano! While we were jogging, we saw a man protesting in front of the Vatican building, standing with a sign that states "the catholic church hides pedophiles". Apparently, he has been standing there in the same spot almost every day for years. Some people have way too much free time on their hands.
That’s all for now, time to catch some shuteye.

Journal Entry #3

2005-05-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

What an exciting day today! I think today had a bit of everything, shopping, politics, inside information, exercise, and embassies. I even had a private tour of our nation’s capital, given by a member of congress! Let me recap.
Began the day around 9am, ate breakfast, and then off we went. Our first stop was the Argentina Embassy. You see, everything is all set for me to go to Argentina in July, except for the small matter of obtaining a visa. Jokingly, I told my mom that we should go down to the embassy first thing, just in case there was a problem, cuz they were probably having a holiday. Man, did I eat those words! Today is independence day for Argentina, which I should have already known, thus the embassy was closed. So... we went and did a little bit of shopping instead. I had to get a sweater, for it is a little on the chilly side here in the capital. Travel tip #1: Always bring a a sweatshirt or something in case it is cold. Travel Tip #2: Make a list of the stuff you intend on bringing, and check it off when you pack it. I would have remembered my hoody if it weren’t for this. I got a great deal on a sweater at J-Crew located in Friendship Heights, a shopping district inside of DC. We then ate lunch at Panera Bread, which is a great chain to get a quick bite to eat at a decent price. Upscale fast food that consists of bread, sandwiches, soup, and the like, which is a pretty healthy alternative to McDonald’s at only a sightly higher price.
On the way back we drove past the vice presidents house and countless embassies along embassy row. This is a very aesthetically pleasing route; the streets are lined with pretty trees, flags from all over the world, and architecture of a wide variety, ranging from middle eastern mosques to modern day structures, not faulting such styles as roman (I strongly recommend making this drive, walk, or biking it!). DC is a very pretty city. The streets venture through quaint little neighborhoods, around circles filled with fountains and people, and down through a typical downtown area with tall office buildings, although not quite as large as those in New York or Chi-town. In fact, there is a building code limiting the height of all the buildings so that it does not exceed the height of the capitol building. Another great part about this city is all of the other art, statues, monuments, and memorials that pop up everywhere. Big cities are always great for this. One can take a drive or just a simple stroll down the road and get lost in the diversity and intricacies of the metropolitan lifestyle.
We came back home and hit the gym at the Washington Hilton, also known by the locals as the Hinckley Hilton, due to the attempted assassination of president Reagan by John Hinckly back in the 80's. Washington is full of these fascinating stories regarding scandals, politics, and other controversies that only the locals might know. I ran about 4 miles, and then hit the weights, but only mildly. I want to build up my strength without hurting myself. Travel Tip #3: Try to get some exercise every day.
Tonight was probably the highlight of the trip. I was granted the honor of meeting one of America’s 435 congressmen, one of GA’s state representatives, Jim Marshal. He once was a law school professor of my mom, and gave her the lowest grade that she ever received at Mercer in Macon, GA. This grade, a B+, obviously did not stop her from gaining the respect of this man, for years later they are still in great contact.
He showed us a side of the nation that not many get to see. First, we went to his office in the Cannon House Office Building. The drive over there was painful. My mom tried to take a shortcut, or alternative route cuz she thought there would be traffic, and instead got us lost. It must have taken at least an hour, a drive that should have only taken 20 minutes. I think I will take the Metro next time. After seeing his office, we took a stroll over to the capital building, where he gave us a personal after hours tour while he was in between votes regarding the defense spending bill. This is an amazing building, from the inside and out, with it’s unique design. One side is dedicated to House of Representatives, and the other to the Senate. The building is divided by an enormous dome, reaching several stories into the sky. On the inside, the walls are lined with busts and statues of America’s most prominent historical figures, ranging from the founding father’s to scientists and inventors, from authors such as the first native female scribe to civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are also gigantic murals depicting great historical moments. The floors and stairways are made primarily of white marble with rosy marble handrails, and plenty of mosaic decorations in the floors. The ceilings are lined with more busts, murals, important dates like 1776, and from them hang glimmering chandeliers, lighting up the rooms. The windows overlook the beautiful gardens, with views of other monuments and the city in the background.
One of the highlights of the tour was being in the Statuary Hall, also known as the Hall of Heros. If you stand in the right spot, you can hear someone on the opposite side of the room speaking crystal clear, even at a whisper. It is rumored that years ago, just after the construction of the building, the politicians did not know this. This caused their conversations to be overheard by opposing members, and crucial strategies were given to the other side without their knowledge. After the tour, we witnessed the final process of the vote, and heard all the congress men either say yeigh or neigh on the bill (and yes, they do still say yeigh, and neigh!), which was passed on to the next level. There was someone down on the floor level smoking a cigar. This was funny to me, because the man running the sound show told us that it was a non-smoking building. Imagine that, one of our nations lawmakers in direct violation of a law that he probably helped make in the very room that it would have been given approval. Politicians, what a bunch of hypocrites! Another interesting thing I learned, is that after the State of the Union address, reporters will ask various political figures, such as the members of congress, their view about the president’s stance on something. However, he or she will already have chosen a response, regardless of what the actual question is, and the media later goes back and edits the question to match the response. The media really plays a huge role in shaping the world around us. Reality becomes futile in a world of editing, where one can simply change history with the touch of a button.
To end the night, we had dinner at Bull Feathers, a little place with a pub-like atmosphere that people of the area, such as congressmen, go to unwind, grab a bite to eat, and have a beer after work on capitol hill. I had a hamburger with pepper jack cheese and a couple of Sam Adams Light beers. Over dinner I discussed school life with a congressman and my mom. He was very encouraging, and suggested that I may be able to get published in the Mobile Register, for his brother is the editor, overseeing a staff of 120. He also placed a big emphasis on getting a lot of exercise. We separated after this and he left me with these words: "Live Generously." Good advice, I think. I have been blessed with so much, I can only try to pass along some of this great luck to those who don’t have quite as much. This of course does not refer only to money, but to kindness and influence as well. This goes along great with the book that I am reading right now, How to Win Friends and Influence People. It is so weird, things always happen to me in a sequence. It must be a sign. For instance, while I am reading this book on self improvement, leadership, influencing others, and becoming more positive, a congressman tells me to live generously. When I decide to start my own business, The Wall Street Journal sends me an email containing a link to a website dedicated to the entrepreneur. I desired to become a travel writer, and The Lonely Planet sends me a solicitation of just this. Coincidence? I think not! Serendipity? Possibly! All of this is very encouraging, and I know that I will be able to live my dreams, I just cannot forget what they are. Oh yea, one last thing, On the way home, we missed at least one turn prolonging the short drive into a slightly longer trip. Yep, I will definitely take the Metro next time! Until Next time. Travel Tip #4 In a bag that you will have on you, like your carry-on bag or a back pack when exploring the city, always bring something to snack on and a bottle of water to control hunger and thirst. This also helps save money, cuz you can snack and avoid an expensive, potentially bad eating experiance. I recommend nuts. Chips will become crumbs, candy will melt. Nuts are also a good source of protein!

Journal Entry #2

2005-05-23T23:18:00.000-05:00

I had a pretty good day today. The most important thing is that I got a lot acomplished. I awoke, well, sometime this morning. Come to think of it, I did not check the time. I ate breakfast with Gpa, always good to chat with him. It is very important to respect your elders and listen. Although everything may not be all that exciting, some pretty interesting stories come up occaisionaly. Unfortunatly, today was not one of those.
Later, took a walk through the woods with my dad. My grandparents property was a great place to experiance a childhood. They own twenty acres with two houses and a lake. As a child I experianced many great adventures there, playing in the woods, riding horses, shooting bows and arrows and guns, and hiking the depths of the Mini-Grand Canyon (this was just a small ravine that seemed really big to me at the time. A kid’s imagination will take him anywhere!). Back then the property really had no bounds, because the woods went on forever, and the closest neighbor was miles away. Now it is a lot different. There is a trail that circumnavigates the property, cutting through the woods, traversing a dam across the lake, and connecting back to the driveway. From this trail, where you could at one time embark on an adventure into the woods, you can now see the surrounding residential buildup of boring, look-alike houses that are claustrophobically close. The trail was very overgrown today, but we did a little bit of pruning to put the growth in check. I could probably work 40 hours a week for 2 months straight and still not finish everything that needs to be done around here. It was nice spending that time with my dad. Don’t get to see him as much as I would like to these days, him living in CO/GA and me down in FL. Before returning home, we picked some roses for Gma. Anything to brighten up her day, even if only for a minute. When we got back, I remembered how much I hate ticks! I pulled 4 of the fuckers off when we got back.
After that, I went on a jog on that same trail. Ran around the property 3x and then did 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups. This is very important to me, cuz I need to get in shape. Made a deal with my friend Andrés a little while ago that we would not do any partying unless we had done our exercise for the day. My goal is to run 5 miles a day and do 200 push-ups and sit-ups a day by the end of the summer, and get a 6pack.
I also spent some time analyzing stocks with my dad. He is interested in investing a lot of his inheritance from Aunt Martha Ellen’s death. So far I have done a little bit of investing, and have seen a 10% increase in only 2 months. We have been looking at investing in hybrid car technology, and after reading an article in Wired Magazine, decided Toyota was the way to go. So he cut me a check which I will put into my Sharebuilder portfolio. Worth mention here are my top earners, Whole Foods Market, Dean Foods, and the mother-load, Google.
I still need some equipment for my journeys. Top priority is a digital camera, backpack, tent, and sleeping bag. All of these will help me travel. Did some research on consumer reports and backpackers magazine’s website, and selected a few items to buy from amazon Afterwards I packed my bags and was off to the Atlanta Airport, headed to DC to see Ma Dukes. Airtran has a deal so that you can fly standby for 59 bucks called the X-fare, of which I decided to try to take advantage. I called to check the availability and found out there was plenty of room, went to the Atlanta Airport, and got it with no problem. After taxes the fare was still less than $70US, and now I am sitting in my mom’s living room in DC.
The arrival was a bit more exciting, depending on how you look at it. We of course did not make the right turn and missed the scenic way into town, from which one can see some of the monuments and memorials, like the Lincoln memorial, in honor of the 16th president. Then we went to Matchstix, a restaurant in Chinatown at the corner of 7th and H st., that was closing at about 10:30. What a shame, because it had a really nice ambience, and according to my mom has great pizza. With her seal of approval, it must be good, as she is one of the pickiest people that I have known. This part of town looks really cool, with Chinese architecture and artwork lining the streets. There was even a Hooters restaurant that appeared to have its name in Chinese above the door! However, seemed a little sketchy at night. Maybe it was the drunks or the crack-heads (I think I even saw a hooker), but I just had a weird little feeling of anxiety being there. There also seemed to be some people just hanging out that seemed out of place. Drug dealers, robbers, or even rapists perhaps. I hate to sound judgmental, characterizing people by their looks, but that is part of being street smart. Sometimes you just know to look out, and these things, along with a gut feeling telling you that something is not right, are things you need to know and sense when you are anywhere, especially in a strange place. Even if you are wrong about your judgements, it is always good to trust these instincts, cuz it is a lot better to not know if something bad would have happened, than to find out if it does. I also don’t like it when people go out of their way to approach you, trying to help you out or sell you something. Hustlers can spot a tourist from a mile away, and it is best just to ignore them. I don’t even say anything, just keep on walking, keep on movin’. And that is what it is all about, just moving on along, getting by right? Well, more later.

Journal entry #1

2005-05-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

Today the journey begins, the journey that will transform my ordinary life of a college student into a lifestyle of adventure, action, romance, and whatever else may follow. I just finished up my sophomore/junior year of college at Eckerd College in St. Pete, FL, where I will receive a double degree in International Business and Spanish.
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DOWNTOWN ST. PETE

I have devised a plan which will hopefully carry me throughout the rest of my life. This summer I will travel in between Florida, Georgia, D.C., and Colorado. These travels will no doubt be full of exploits, danger, and adventures, but the highlight will come in July; I have a one way ticket to Córdoba, Argentina, where I will study at La Universidad Catolica de Córdoba for a semester. From there I will do some traveling and write about my experiences, documenting the differences in culture and language, lifestyle, and standards of living. But enough about the future, lets talk about today’s adventures.
I started the day out at my house in St. Petersburg, Fl. It was hectic, as all travel days are. I awoke at about 9, and began the day with a hot cup of coffee. Good god o’mighty what a great way to start the day, with some freshly ground coffee beans that I bought at the local Albertsons Grocery Store (The Albertsons on 54th Ave S has got to be the worst store in the world!). After drinking that, I went to work, trying to tie up some loose ends. First, I had to make some flyers advertising some furniture that I will be selling before I go to Argentina. I placed these around at laundry mats and mailboxes at a few apartment complexes in the neighborhood. After completing this task, off to St. Vincent Paul Thrift Store on 34th st., to donate some stuff out of the goodwill of my heart! (Actually, I knew that I could not sell this stuff, so off to Charity it goes. When I am rich I will donate lots. I really would like to try to end poverty, it is ridiculous that 2/3rds of the world lives in abject poverty.) Finally, I was able to pack up my car with some stuff to store at the Gparents house in Maconga (Macon, GA). I hit the road about noon, and was amazed, no, astonished that I did not hit any traffic going through Tampa on 275 N. I think that this was a first. The trip was pretty uneventful. Along the way I saw some road-kill: a racoon, an opossum, and a dog. I had to stop for gas, and ate some Mickey D’s. Ran into a little bit of traffic in southern GA, but nothing to cry about. That section of the highway has been under construction ever since I first moved to St. Pete two years ago, reckon it will be for at least another two years, although I can’t quite figure out what they are doing. I arrived in Mactown around 6pm, right on schedule.
I haven’t been doing much since my arrival, other than unpacking and visiting with the Gparents and my dad. Gene Bass and Catfish stopped by to do some fishing at the lake. I haven’t seen them since the good ole days of traveling around with the JC boys. Catfish is touring with the Marshall Tucker band, told me to check em out next time they were in FL.
Gma is ok, struggling with Alzheimer’s as best she can. She is pretty advanced now, but seemed happy to see me, even if she doesn’t know who I am anymore. She recognizes my name, D3, but not the face, and every time I leave the room, I must remind her who I am and where I’ve come from, if not everything else about me. I don’t mind going through it over and over again, they say it is best just to go along with it instead of trying to argue with someone in her state. Don’t know who is worse, her or Gpa. Bless his heart. He always seems so worn down everytime I am here. It must be hard to see someone that you’ve known your whole life, and this is over an 80 year long life, morph into some one so helpless. It is a very strange disease, completely eating away at the mental functions. Regardless of their condition, it will always be good to see them. What a funny world we live in, where people grow up, move out, and see their loved ones just a couple of times a year, if their lucky. A hundred years ago that would have seemed absurd. So busy we are with the hustle and bustle of life, money, school, etc... Is this our purpose on this globe? It would be nice if we were all well off, and did not have to worry about what happens next, and we could hold and cherish those that we keep so dear to our hearts more often. Yet, I would not be happy with that; I was put on this earth to wander, searching for something that I have not yet found. Or maybe I already have, it is hard to say, as I do not yet know for what it is I am searching. Well, I don’t know what else to write, so I will leave it at that.