The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men....

Whew. Where do I begin. I'm sitting in San Jose, Costa Rica....ok...so suffice it to say I've had a lot on my mind pre-Costa Rica. The things I've always wanted I don't really care so much about anymore and likewise the things I thought I didn't want, I kind care more about now. But that's neither here nor there at the moment. Things are happening at an accelerated rate and I'm tuned into what's happening and why it might be happening. Maybe I think too much about all this stuff but hey, to each his own right? So my dear loved ones were over my house on Wed. night to see me off. It's not like I'm going to Mars but it IS a big step for me and even as I sit here now, completely comfortable and at ease, I know there are big changes on the horizon for me. This might bore you as my reader but perhaps you can identify...we've all had times where life is just amplified in every way due to situations or circumstances so on and so forth. So everyone was over...stayed up late...got up early....nothing unusual with that. Got to the airport in record time (12 minutes) and got on the flight with ease. Yes, I probably packed too much but whatever, I'm here for three months and my agenda is everything from backpacker style to Cancun proper and I've even already worn my heels (even though it was just to walk to the store to buy a bottle of wine ha HA). I wish I could convey more of what is going on but there just isn't time right now for the hustler from Cali named Vincent or how I was feeling before I left or even for my amazing Florida trip which I will never forget. *swoon* & soul. SO....Dave arrived from Denver...my besties were over to see me off. I didn't sleep until like 1:30 and had to wake at 3:30....ended up not getting up until like 4:15 but made it to airport by 4:30. Which was perfect. Everything was perfect. Got on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale...crowded pinche spirit airlines with your knees in your face seats kinda sucked ass but whatever, I was going to Costa Rica. With my mind in a million different places it actually allowed me to just let go...and be. Being the structured person I know myself to be, structure kinda went with the wind. This was my first indication of things to come. Touche to myself. As I'm on the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to C.R. I even muttered some random comment about my affinity to Florida and JOKINGLY commented about how I didn't want to leave Florida. BIG mistake. Coincidence or not, I got halfway to C.R. on the plane and realized my passport was NOT on my person. Dave tried to tell me it was in one of my bags. I knew if it was not in my purse, it was gone. I went through so many thoughts in one hour and mind you I couldn't even reach my bag to search it because this flight was literally a human pretzel. I got cramps trying to finnagle my bag from under the seat. Looked seventeen times through everything I had. My passport was gone. I told the flight attendant who called ahead to Costa and also back to USA to try to find my passport. I was LITERALLY praying to God, the universe, my mind....whatever the fuck is real and exists as good karma in this world that my passport was SOMEWHERE I could find it. Landed in Costa Rica....took a few pictures from the airplane window and in the hour I was on the plane...went through the thoughts that I just might have to go all the way back to the Chi and deal with a lot of drama I would be very unhappy about. But in the back of my head, I trusted in the way things were meant to happen. Hijo la madre. And they did. I literally took about five steps off the plane in C.R. and they were like "this plane leaves for Ft. Lauderdale in about ten minutes. You have to go back to Ft. Lauderdale and they found your passport in the seat you were on the last flight" Blessing and a curse. See, it cold have been worse. It can always be worse, unless you look at the bright side of things. I had been traveling for 6 hours and had to literally turn right back around and go back to U.S.A. leaving ALL of my belongings except the bag I had with me (originally I had my backpack with me with all of my clothes in it but checked it last minute due to a full flight...they let me check that bag for free because flight was full) so all I had was a pair of flip flops and a lot of chargers and magazines...all except the charger for my laptop. The ironic part of that still to come. So I turned back around...all five steps....sent Dave to San Jose with a telephone number of a hotel and said, I'll be back tomorrow...same time, same place. I admit, I shed a few tears....that this shit was even happening. But what happened after and since is nothing short of believing in the course of life and going with the flow and just really laughing in the face of adversity. Got back to Florida (what is it with Florida these days? *smirk*) and had a gaggle of shit to take care of. Get another flight tomorrow, eat, find some deoderant, book a hotel or make decision where to stay, get my passport (sorry, that was first and foremost.... I kissed my passport when it was back in my hands.) and just process all that had just happened...all on like 2 hours of sleep. So I smelled, hadn't showered, was all alone, and after two hours finally sure that I was going to C.R. the next day thanks to Spencer at Spirit Air (it really helps to be a girl....for the record) it was time to have a Guiness and a ciggarette and just chill the fuck out. After that, the hilarity ensued. Guess what...I wanted to be on the internet....tell my peeps and family (mom and sisters) that I was ok, kinda frazzled. but ok. When I realized the charger for my laptop was in Costa Rica. Not only that but I had downgraded my cell phone plan the day before so I didn't have the ability to text or get online. Truly I think it was preparing me for Costa. The everything happens for a reason thing. So I did what I could Twon was an angel....booked me a hotel through hotwire.com...shit, this post is really long and I haven't even gotten to the best part about the kindness of strangers. People in Ft. Lauderdale were amazing. The flight attendant offered to let me stay at her house if she wasn't on call (which she end up being on)...a random older gentleman who had to take the train back to Miami offered to drive all the way back to pick me up and take me to a hotel if i was stranded was nothing short of amazing. I like to think that my generosity in all I do comes back to me and this proved that I was right. People were SO kind. But I didn't want to make someone drive an hour back to take me somewhere so I got a hotel. As I was standing at the shuttle stop two guys were asking questions about how much hotels were and such. They got on my shuttle to go to Red Carpet Inn. We got to chatting and they were from Colombia. Piqued my interest as I have a fascination and adoration for Colombia. Next thing you know we are drinking Jameson and Guiness and making new friends and speaking a lot of Spanish. Again, pre-cursor and happening for a reason before C.R. Which by the way, since being here I've been told that my Spanish is commendable. I wouldn't say fluent but everyone understands what I'm saying and I'v even been the translator. this post is too long and it's late. there's so much more here there and in between that I haven't even conveyed....let alone the photos.....I met Eduardo who is a cool ass cat and with most of the people journeying into my life.....I hope that I can keep up this blog and I hope that you all appreciate my lengthy stories. I need a devide connected to my brain that just automatically transcribes my thoughts. I got so much luv for y'all. so much. more than you know. I'm gonna continue this stream of thoughts tomorrow....because you have to know all about getting back to C.R. and the possibilities that lie ahead. Vaya con last estrellas.

Seasons Change

Never fails right? When the seasons change, (well at least for those of us that have a distinct four seasons) we all tend to get that weird feeling. Change is on the horizon. I'm unable to describe it. And events in our lives unfold and create new paths and we look back to past years and reflect. I'm convinced of the mind-body connection and what thoughts you harvest have, in some way-shape-or-form, an impact on your reality and the outcome of your life. Quantum physics and Buddhism and other schools of thought support such theories. Face it people, the mind is a very powerful thing. We don't even use but a small percentage of it. I won't get all deep down the specifics of all of that because I have before. But I feel it. I feel the change, but this time I have a feeling it's a bigger change for me. I mean, yea, duh, I'm leaving the country for three months. One could consider that a big change in and of itself. But it's more than that. And being the tried and true Capricorn female that I am....although it has gotten a LOT easier over the years to ride the wave, go with the flow, what have you, it still feels weird and I'm anxious of the outcome. I used to fear the outcome....but now, I'm anxious in a good way. Like a kid waiting for Santa to come. Eager anticipation. Impatient anticipation. I'm ready to get on with the next phase of my life. I could sit here and try to speculate what that looks like, or what I WANT it to look like, and that's important to put those thoughts out there...but that's only half the battle. The other half is being proactive and doing it. Can't wait to see what experiences I will have in C.R. Who knows, maybe I have to fulfill some life destiny in Costa Rica or just get back to calm...living in a big city is anything but calm, not that I'm complaining...chaos and confusion are good friends of mine. But calm is something I need right now. Hopefully I'll find my mentor in a field where I finally decide that's what I want to do with my life. Because I have so many ideas of what I want to do....some people don't have any clue, I have too many clues. lol. Here I go speculating again. It's what I do best. What I am sure of is my willingness and fearlessness to do the unthinkable. Be fearless. Blaze trails. I already manage to do things that most people consider outlandish. But I am willing to stop at nothing to get what I want. But first I have to decide what I want, which is the hardest part of all. Anyway...I'm feeling a bit emo today. Life's most important issues on my mind. Family, friends, love, nature, blah blah blah.

Enough seriousness already! SO, I got my ticket and the date is November 5th. I'm lame and haven't written since I got laid off. This is a repetitive cycle, me saying I'm going to write more and then not writing. I've had so many wonderful experiences this summer too! Alas, I will try harder because I'm really trying to push my goals to success and also try to at least moderate some bad habits I've got. I had a really good time this weekend with my sister and Karl and Mel n J and Vanessa and Tavo and T, someone I met through some crazy fucked up in a good way 6 degrees of separation. And Angela! ha ha. Love love love family and friends to the point it makes me sentimental. ha ha. I'll post some pics when I get the chance. And I gotta post some pics of the T.J.'s Michigan trip with the wifey. Those cats are pretty awesome too. Much luv!

Anything With Bacon

The man wanted anything with bacon for his birthday. Really, that was his response when I asked him what he wanted me to bring. He said "Anything with bacon". So I gave him what he wanted and as usual (not to sound immodest...) it was a success. Asparagus wrapped in bacon baked in the oven for 20 minutes. I'm sorry I don't have pictures to encourage salivation or grumbling stomachs. ;)

I'm watching the Mad Men series right now. It ties into my personal studies at the moment. I can't believe I came this close to entering the world of mass consumption via public relations and advertising. I'm not going to evolve into an extremist of the sort...you know, the ones that give up their life of living on the radar, those who are brave enough to completely erase government propaganda, media control of the mind, and leave the societal systems that were created over the time span of humanity...no I'm an American born and raised in the 20th/21st century. What I'm good for is being conscious of the lies we are fed on a daily basis and to basically talk about them. Because lord knows I can't give up everything I know about myself. That's an interesting statement though. If anyone is reading this and you still know me in 20 years and you remember this at all....ask me if I know myself to be the same person I was in 2009. ha ha. Anyway...Mad Men, for what it's worth, allows me to peek inside the past. I would die if I had to be a housewife in the 50's. I'm certain I would have been the single girl shacking up with the unhappily married men. And really, the whole advertising industry...what does that mean? I get it that people created this monster of consumption through this industry that was created called advertising. So how do we create a paradigm shift around media and advertising? I don't want to take down the industry. Or picket the big guys. Just asking for a paradigm shift around the industry and the public's perception. Is that too much to ask?

Calling All Language Nerds.....

Whew. That was some hiatus there. Three weeks have flown by. That's how long I've been unemployed and it feels like I haven't had the time to sit down and delve into some "Staci" projects, one of them being blogging. Needless to say it's been on my mind. A lot of things have been on my mind, which is not in the least bit unusual. All in all, having the opportunity to spend my days the way I want to spend them has been nothing short of comfort for my soul. Yesterday I spent all day at the beach with someone I have known for a long time but just recently ran into about a month ago. He and I had a pretty enjoyable 8 or so hours. (Not ALL at the beach...lol.) I forgot what the pulse of the city felt like. Riding public transportation and being amongst the strange and colorful characters of a big city, even though I live here, I kinda felt like a tourist. I used to get in my car, drive to work, work with two people, come home and hang out or talk to my people. Anyway...it was a a fun and entertaining social scenario. We took lots of notes. he he. I took some pictures. After the jump....

As for the language nerds....I am trying to find out if Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages. I know ultimately it's somewhat theory but I'm curious to know the scientific theory. What irks me is that when I do some research on google the only pages that I get from my query are those of answer.com or hubpages.com or yahooanswers....blah blah blah. Thank you but no, I don't want the uneducated opinion of a bunch of commoners (no offense, I'm a commoner as well when it comes to topics of discussion that I haven't been schooled on.) Anyway....I've been stubmling across a language called Tamil that some people are saying is the oldest language. I had never even heard of it. Ok. Unfortunately that's all I've got today. I continue to promise to beef up my blog. As in fill it with more quality and substance. Don't lose hope (blogwise) on me yet! Still working on that "structure" in my life to blog once a day, do my Spanish lessons daily, go to the gym, check some things off my list and plan my journey to Costa Rica. I'm such the procrastinator, I haven't even bought my ticket yet. Grrrrr.....Ok, I'm off to Great America!

Chilean Goodies!

In the spirit of cultural exchange, my friend Sara, whom I met because I stumbled upon her expat blog about her daily life in Santiago, Chile, sent me a package of goodies! I sent her a bunch of chocolates and stuff she missed and well, I got some really cool stuff. Tidbit of random information.....we share the same birthday. Yep, Januaary 9th. Which makes her cool right off the bat! lol. Thanks Sara! You can find her blog at http://whatsarasays.blogspot.com/


Items in the picture:

Ambrosos Gomitas (sp?) which are gummy dolphins; Merquen (spicy stuff, or the only spice); drink packet mixes which I have yet to try (update when I do); Carezza Chocolate bar; Sahne-Nusse chocolate bar; Tuaregs which I believe are coconut and chocolate; Capri chocolate bar (which I have already devoured); and in the front the beautiful beautiful jewelry that I LOVE! I'm not sure what the red ones are on the left but they are very very cool, and the bracelet in the middle is Lapis Lazuli, a Chilean stone and the silver ones are Mapuche, a Chilean indigenous group. I pray to the jewelry gods that I don't lose any! Thanks again SARA! I hope to make it to Chile in the next year!

Fancy Pants BBQ and Salsa in Humboldt Park

For your viewing pleasure. Sunday M had a "Fancy Pants BBQ" in Humboldt Park and it was QUITE lovely. It was just as it sounds. We wore dresses and the boys dressed their best and the spread of food and spirits was pretty, gourmet, fancy and honestly, reminiscent of a Vanity Fair photo shoot. You know how I love Humboldt Park and could go on and on.....but I won't this time. I've inundated you with far too many words today. I think I'll wait till tomorrow to share the Femi Kuti experience with you. Anyway.....not only did we have a BBQ BUT I ventured on down to the Puerto Rican and Cuban salsa ensemble. A group of Latin American men assemble a speaker, background music and a five piece or so salsa band EVERY day in the summertime and just jam out, drawing a decent crowd. I love that 60647 is a hispanic hood. I might "look" like the stereotypical juera, but Facebook told me I'm Latina and I believe (what do I term Facebook? It? Them?) it! ha ha ha. Anyway....yea, I'm a juera living in the hood. And I love it. Oh and after the pics and video I've posted my recipe for the most amazing potato salad I've ever had (and served at the BBQ).





G and K (?) posing for the photo shoot....ha ha.

VIDEO:


Fancy Pants Potato Salad Recipe:
SERVES 4 -6

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups potatoes, diced, cooked and drained
* 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
* 1/2 cup celery, diced
* 1/4 cup green pepper or red pepper, diced
* 1/4 cup onion, diced
* 1 tablespoon dill relish
* 2 teaspoons dill weed or dill seeds

Dressing

* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Cook potatoes.
2. Combine in large bowl,potatos,bacon crumbles, celery,onion,green or red
peppers, dill relish.
3. Add dillweed or dill seeds and stir well.
4. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise,ketchup,chili powder,worcheshire
sauce,salt, black pepper and sugar. Stir well.
5. Pour dressing over potatoes and stir to combine.
6. Chill 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

National 40 Oz. Week

Ok Ok Ok....so this is only at one restaurant in Chicago and it started on Monday. I've scolded myself twice now on the timeliness of the news and events I report on my blog. But I'm posting it anyway....to encourage the blog "triggers" (similar to the triggers that kept me in the daily "work" habit. Always remember, human beings: creatures of habit.) Oh and, well you know I'm a festive supporter and hobbyist of the occasional 40 oz. beer habit, because of what it stands for, and well, because I like beer! This is an article that was posted on www.thrillist.com/chicago

National 40oz Week
June 29-July 5 at the Fifty/50, 2047 W Division St, btw Damen and Hoyne; Wicker Park; 773.489.5050


Often by the time official recognition comes it's long overdue: it took 18 years after his tragic assassination for MLK to get a holiday, and secretaries struggled with hateful oppression for decades before Russell Stover negotiated a day of coconut-filled reparations. Finally giving the most economical of beverages its day (or week) in the sun, National 40oz Week.

Starting tonight and running seven days strong at the Fifty-50, National 40oz Week's a celebration of the 40's special place in American culture, commemorating everyone from those who've fallen in the hood to those whose taped hands helped them fall in their hoodies. Each night rocks a different $5 40oz selection (Olde English, St. Ides, Big Bear, etc) along with other malt liquor-themed discounts and tomfoolery. Some highlights:

Colt 45 'Works Every Time' Launch Party: Scoop up gratis Colt 45 merch Monday while you gorge on half-priced wings, pulled pork sandwiches, and the jalapeno/habanero "Hell Burger", which comes with a side of studying for the GMATs.

Four Courses to Freedom 40oz Dinner: On Wednesday night 25 bucks gets you four courses (stuffed mushrooms, cheese fries, fried chicken, baby back ribs w/cornbread) painstakingly paired with four different 40oz pours selected by a real live sommelier, 'cause how else would you know what to pair with the earthy, oaky notes of '09 King Cobra?

Cubs vs 40oz party: The first inning of Friday's Cubs-Brewers game will be spiced up with Jameson-spiked shots of Mickey's while the rest will feature $6 Mickey's Irish Car Bombs and a 6pm showing of Rocky, after which the Mickey's (and Mickey) will have you ready to eat lightning and crap thunder, but hopefully not until you get home.

Appropriately, they're wrapping things up Sunday with Schlitz Hangover Day, helping you rebound from exercising all your freedoms with $8 Schlitz-infused "Wobble Stopper" bloodies and half-priced biscuits and gravy w/ thick-cut maple-glazed bacon, meaning the only hateful oppression you'll struggle under is having to go into work the next day.