The Palacio Pages

And 2007 is here!

2007-01-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure how four months passed without an update, but they did. Suffice it to say that I was in Europe for four weeks in August, I came back for a funeral, and I also began spending more time on a certain extra-curricular endeavor. Nevertheless, now, after 2006 has passed and 2007 brings new challenges and opportunities, I'll sit to summarise the time since my last entry.

Sixth annual west coast nephews reunion
Shortly after returning from Europe and bidding farewell to TLC, I went to visit my UT and AC in San Mateo, CA for the sixth consecutive year. My cousin, Chris, and two brotherly friends, Devlin and Mark, were in attendance this year. We enjoyed some good wine, great food and plenty of high-quality and well-intentioned banter of the sort that comes with years of familiarity and love between people.

It's funny how a place ~3,000 kilometres away has become such a home for me. Even our adopted (step) family out west have become great friends and I always savour the moments spent with each of them. Whether up in Duncans Mills or in San Carlos or in good old San Mateo, it is good to re-acquaint and build the bonds that tie us in the family tree and vine.

One specific highlight of the trip this year was when my old friend and travel buddy, Colleen, stopped by UT's house on Labour Day. She brought photographs from Granada, including many of me, and even a few of Mark. We had many a laugh just remembering our first European adventures. And of course it was interesting to hear tales of her recent adventures as an assistant district attorney!

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Without much time to settle back in the Palacio, I hopped on a flight and headed to Puerto Rico. This trip was somewhat difficult because, until 21 August, I was talking with Tracy and Mark about having them come to visit me in San Juan. As I enjoyed the September sun and Puerto Rico's sticky humidity, I frequently thought of how much fun it could have been... and how much she would have enjoyed the time.

But, on the other hand, I felt it my obligation to enjoy as much as possible for the sake of TLC. I stayed in Old San Juan this time, and was able to walk down Fortaleza for dinner most nights. On Friday night I ventured to La Plazita #11, where several streets surrounding a market were blocked for pedestrian use only. I ate some of the dirtiest fried food I've ever had in my life, drank some Puerto Rican beer and watched the Boricuas dancing in the streets. I also wrote the following during that moment:

15-Septiembre-2006
La Plazita - Por cuatro lados, la Plaza de Mercado esta enrodeado por gente. Gente afuera bebiendo sus cervezitas o bebidas comprado de una de las promodoras de Budweiser, Coors, Bacardi, u otras. A las 8:00 por la noche, la gente come cosas fritas que no pertenecen en el sistema de seres humanos. Music, proviene de todos lados y hay un ritmo en el aire. ahora no, pero seguramenta van a bailar aqui en las calles. Y Yo, Yo como, bebo y bailare con ellos. Pero ahora, a las 8:05, me siento. Callado, pensativo, y observando lo que puedo ver y escuchar. Estan llenando las calles. El ruido crece. Todavia ho hablo. Espero otro momento. Todo estara bien. En ese moment, todo sera perfecto, sere otro persona, vivire mas que pienso, bailare mas que observo, pero a las 8:15 de la noche, estoy aqui. Callado, esperando, observando. Contento, pero en otro momento, todo mejorara.

Nothing too special, but I was inspired by the energy of the people and little disappointed in not having the gumption to try to meet locals. Anyway, I ended the night by walking through Old San Juan and stopping at a few watering holes that had live music. One place had a guy who was playing Silvio Rodriguez cover songs (nice!) and the other had a band playing sones. Very nice!

On Saturday, I went to my favourite breakfast spot in San Juan, El Bombonera, where I had some good cafe con leche and some Malaguenas. Saturday was fairly laid-back, but Sunday I ended up meeting a couple of new friends at the Condado beach. We spent the day at the beach, just tanning and occasionally swimming. I could get used to that!

Cousin's wedding and Raleigh visit
The weekend after Puerto Rico I went to my cousin Amy's wedding. I also visited my friend's Deen and his wife Wendi that weekend. My cousin's wedding was on the beach and the groom and groomsmen wore guayabera shirts. For some reason I never realised this fact until I got back from Puerto Rico!!! So, upon my return I went in search of a good guayabera shirt. Shockingly, it was a lot harder to find in Chicago in September than it would have been in San Juan! I did end up finding a nice short-sleeved shirt, but I will have to be sure to purchase a suitable guayabera shirt the next time I go to San Juan!

The beachside wedding was beautiful, and I enjoyed visiting family during the wedding; however, as a wannabe latino, I was left wanting when the ceremony concluded at 10:00 PM without much chance to dance. Thankfully, a fellow latino has married into the family, and so my cousin-in-law, Immer, and I went out for a few more drinks. We stopped at the House of Blues and continued onto Gracie's(?), which was down the street from the hotel.

I only danced briefly, but memorably! Three young ladies unexplicably approached me, surrounded me and danced around me for about a minute. Admittedly, I was flabbergasted and unsure what to do, perhaps my lack of gut-reaction ruined my chances with the ladies? I'm not sure, but I am certain that Immer and I enjoyed several laughs about the mysterious occurence!

I should not forget to mention that the night before the wedding I visited Wendi and Deen in Raliegh. We stopped at Duke's campus, UNC's campus, where I saw the place where Deen proposed to Wendi. I must admit that UNC's campus was a lot nicer and reminded me quite a bit of good old U of I. That Friday night, Deen went out for a few beers and caught up on old times. It was generally a great visit.

Two weeks after the wedding, the weekend of 13-15 October, I was able to host UT in the Palacio. Additionally, Uncle Scott came in from Florida, so we had several family get-togethers. On Friday, Chris, Abby, Dan, Margie, Devlin and I took US and UT to Tutto Italiano. Afterward, we went to the Butcher's Dog for a few brews. I was very impressed with the uncles ability to keep up!

On Saturday, no less than eleven family members came to the city to celebrate Breakfast and Brunch Club ("BBC") at Wishbone in the west loop! A highlight for me was finding out that I was sitting where Alicia Keys was sitting just a few days later. After BBC, the family headed north to a potential residence in Lakeview, and then to Chico Blanco's new apartment in Andersonville. We ended up coming to the Palacio for drinks, guacamole, snacks and Lou Malnati's pizza.

It was great to have so much of my Dad's side of the family together. My second cousins Jim and Marci even ended up coming, although they missed the early crowd by about 10 minutes! After such a long day of visiting, entertaining, eating and drinking, UT, Devlin and I ended the night by watching some of "Da Ali G Show"... and the next morning, after BBC, I headed north on the Blue Line, while UT and Chico Blanco headed south in Billie to visit the family in the 'burbs...

Buenos Aires
My friend Eva was in need of a vacation and it seemed logical to escape late October cold in exchange for the spring of Buenos Aires. For me, it also meant that I was unable to rest, working during the day, and dining/drinking every night! But I can think of no better way to do Buenos Aires. And, thanks to Eva's knack for finding the coolest spots, my co-workers, Eva and I had a very successful bar crawl through Palermo on Friday night... and on Saturday we went shopping in the day time, and out to dinner and drinks with our friend Erica during the night. On Sunday, we went to Boca, and relaxed a lot.

During the whole trip, I was very concerned that Kevin's new progeny would be born before I got back. So far, I've been outside the country for every niece or nephew's birth, and I think it's a good streak to keep. So, I was grateful when I received a text message on 27 October 2006 announcing the arrival of my niece, Cannon Ellerie!

Another unusual occurence during my B.A. trip was the moment when I was gtalking with Brian, who was in Bogota, and my Dad, who was at home, at the same time. The former was cool because it was the first time Brian and I were in South America simultaneously, the latter nearly knocked my socks off because my Dad, who doesn't know an email address from a disc drive, was actually using gtalk! Of course, reality struck when, after the dialog screen disappeared while gtalking with Brian, he became concerned that Brian might be stuck in the keyboard!

Three weeks after returning from Buenos Aires, and after getting to hold Cannon for the first time and catch up on life, I went one another trip of a lifetime...

(Germany), Austria, Slovenia & Slovakia
While I was originally thinking of going to a sunnier spot during week of Thanksgiving, I ended up finding a much more reasonably priced flight to Munchen, Germany. As would be the case, Mark was easily convinced to join me, and, since Bratislava is not too far from Munchen, Allan was excited to host us during this trip! And so we went to Europe.

I left alone on Sunday, 19 November for Munich. After laying over for eight hours in Brussels and finding enough time to fit a Belgian waffle, Belgian chocolate and some Belgian beer in my stomach, I arrived in Munich at around 7:00 PM. I departed immediately for Salzburg, Austria.

One of the reasons I wanted to go on this trip was to research my family roots. My maternal granfather's father came from a town called "New Church, Austria," and based on that I wanted to see if I could trace my Mom's maiden, Crepinsek, name further back.

After finding a suitable hostel for my first night in Salzburg, I walked around the town to stretch my legs and eat a Frankfurter, but I didn't stay out too late, because I aimed to catch a 7:00 AM train to Neuekirche bai Lambach!

Somehow, I made the train and found the town. I was the only person on my car when I got off the train, and the only person who got off at the Neuekirche bai Lambach stop. I looked in every direction and did not see evidence of civilisation beyond farms and a heating room for anyone waiting for a train (duly noted). I chose a direction and walked before I saw a sign that let me know that Neuekirche bai Lambach was back in the other direction, and so I did an about-face with more confidence of my direction.

After a few kilometres of walking, I came upon something like a sub-division, except that one of the houses had horses in its acre-plus yard, and there weren't side walks, and no commerce to speak of ... alas, but there was a church!

As has been my custom in other ancestral towns, I walked the cemetary in search of any relevant surnames. And, as in other ancestral hometowns, my search was in vain. My best guess is that one needed money to bury oneself at the church, and most of my ancestors did not fit that description. In any case, I enjoyed the 15 minutes it took to comb the cemetary, and I walked toward what appeared to be the main street. I must say that, besides one restaurant/pub that was not open (at 9:00 - 10:00 AM), and a post office and fire department, there wasn't much going on! But, on my return walk, I noticed a building next to the church that had someone in it. And, having nothing else to do, I went in!

Three kind ladies greeted me with smiles and German phrases. I responded with one of the few German phrases I know, "Sprechen sie Deutsch?".

"Nein," was the unfortunate response! But my query was simple and I proceeded to butcher the German language in such a way as to make the ladies understand that I wanted to know if there were any birth, baptism or other records of my great-grandfather, or others with his last name. I explained to them (again with butchered German) that he was a Slovene who, on his U.S. citizenship papers, indicated that he was from Austria, which would have been the Austro-Hungarian empire at the time. They graciously offered to look into the kellar for any useful evidence! And I exchanged emails and returned to Salzburg.

I considered heading to the second Neuekirche (am Grossvenediger) that same day, but, as it was a 2 to 3 hour train/train/bus ride away, I opted for an afternoon in Salzburg, reading in a trendy cafe called Carpe Diem, which served Kombucha!, and otherwise enjoying a stroll through the town.

At dinner time, I returned to the hostal and was reading when I met a South African-Canadian. He, a Korean girl and I went for a quick dinner and then returned to the hostal to share some drinks and conversation. The Korean girl found two friends from Buenos Aires and the five of us sat and talked of travels, cultures, politics and, of course, the Sound of Music! It was a lovely time, but I retired shortly after midnight in anticipation of another early morning train to Neuekirche am Grossvenediger.

I took a two hour train to a connecting train to a bus, which brought me to the beautiful resort town of Neuekirche am Grossvenediger("NaG"). As I got closer, I got further into the Alps and further away from English-speaking Austria! Of course, besides the possibility of finding my ancestral homeland, this was a lot of the fun! And so, when I got on the bus, I once again used my limited German to communicate that I would like to go to NaG, and the bus driver kindly pretended to understand!

My walk through the mountain village of NaG was just as delightful as the previous, but the scenery was much improved, as was the church. I once again did not find any relics of Crepinseks in the cemetary, nor did I find anyone at the church to talk to. But I kept walking in search of someone who might help. I ended up finding a tourism office, who referred me to a community centre on the second floor. The lady in the community centre not only offered to look into the archives of NaG, but she also offered to look into the other five Neuekirches as well as the Neuenkirche, on the chance that "New Church" might have changed its spelling to Nine Churches.

The beauty of my Austrian experience is that I went where few travelers would bother to go and met people that few travelers would meet. The disappointing part is that the lady in NaGa has already written back stating her inability to find any of my ancestors. I'm still waiting for Neuekirche bai Lambach, but now I'm beginning to think that New Church might have originally been "Nova Cerkev".

And so, on Wednesday night, after returning to Salzburg, I headed southeast toward Ljubljana, Slovenia!

Ljubljana, Slovenia
For a few reasons I really wanted to go to Ljubljana. First, my great-grandfather spoke slovenian and was a slovene, so, regardless if he was born in modern-day Slovenia or Austria, I consider him to be Slovene and therefore, I consider myself to be slovene. Second, Slovenia is part of the new wave of EU members (joining in 2004) and was going to convert to euro usage in 2007. And, third, it's a lesser-visited, small and humble European capital. My interest in Ljubljana was further piqued recently when a girl I met mentioned a prison that was converted to a hostel. Naturally, this is where Mark and I wanted to stay!

On Wednesday night, I arrived in Ljubljana, checked in at Hostal Celica (the converted prison) and went straight back out to walk the streets. I didn't stop anywhere, but I got my bearings and sufficiently exhausted myself for a good night's rest.

On Thursday morning I walked the city, visiting Tivoli Park, the History of Modern Slovene History, and walking the old town and the business district. I stopped off at a few cafes along the way to write or read. And then I returned to the hostel to recheck in and, as luck would have it, I was able to get a cell for Thursday night! (I stayed in a dorm-style room in the new section of the hostel the previous night).

I entered my cell and met my cellmate, a French photographer working in Brussels, and trying to make contacts for his eventual return to cover Slovenia's impending EU presidency. He and I had a great conversation about our respective governments and societies, and about traveling, working and many other things.

Eventually, the time came to eat dinner, and we left together to grab something quick in town. After dinner, we met for a beer in the hostal's bar. A group of slovenes he knew came to sit with us. They offered me a kind of bread that had swirls of a rainin/pecan/walnut mash. I immediately recognised it as 'potica', the same bread my grandmother makes every Easter! They were surprised/impressed that Slovene culture might be known in Chicago! They also let me in on a slovene belief that a woman who makes good potica will make a good wife. Way to go Grandpa! (and, of course, Grandma!)

After eating potica (which wasn't as good as Grandma's, for the record) and finishing my beer, the Slovenes invited me to go salsa dancing. And so, for Thanksgiving 2006, I went salsa dancing! I must say that slovenes impressed me with their ability to dance, and with their knowledge of English-language culture, including familiarity with "Da Ali G Show"!!

I ended up staying out kind of late and going to bed thinking that Mark would text me when he arrives. Unfortunately, Mark did not have his mobile phone. And, needless to say, I had little reason to doubt that he woul darrive at 6:30 as his train was scheduled to do. But, in an altered state, I chose sleep over heading to the train station without hearing from him (sorry Mark!). Eventually, at 9:00 AM, the hostal receptionist woke me up and let Mark in. And, after showering and leaving our bags, we hit the town.

We toured the entire town and scoped out places for the most important event of Friday in Ljubljana... PSN! As has always been the case, PSN Ljubljana was a success!

Onward to Bratislava
On Saturday morning, in a very tired state, we got on an early train to Bratislava. Instead of confirming our connections, we slept... and slept and woke up a few minutes after we were supposed to have gotten off the train for a different connection! And so, we spent more time than we would have liked in Maribor, Slovenia, but at least we were able to find roasted chestnuts and sing about it to several passersby.

Eventually, we made it to Allan's home away from home, Bratislava, and Saturday became PSN Bratislava - aborted. For reasons I cannot discuss, PSN Bratislava was aborted and we plan to re-do it soon.

On Sunday, we woke up early, had a european breakfast, walked around the town all day, learning about Bratislava from Allan and catching up on many things. We spent a good amount of time at the Christmaskindlmart, and eventually visited with some of Allan's friends on Sunday night. On Monday, we similarly walked the town. We ended the day in Bratislava by eating a goose dinner at the Slovak Pub. And what a dinner it was! We had to order it 24 hours in advance, I guess they had to kill the goose in the meantime!

Monday night we commenced our journey homeward, Bratislava/Wien/Munchen/London/Chicago for me, and to NYC for Mark. I got home late Tuesday night and had to pack for a trip to Memphis the next day...

Memphis
The good thing about flying 24 hours after getting back from Europe and after 20+ hours of trains, planes and metros is that I was so exhausted that I forgot about jet-lag! So, after work on 29 November, I flew to Memphis for a two day work trip. I must say that I liked Memphis. Beale street was barren on Thursday night (due to inclement weather), but I still enjoyed some music. And I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people in the office.

But I was glad to return to Chicago on Friday night.

December
The first weekend of December included a night out at Caliente for Mark's birthday dinner, followed by a visit to Tropico Club. Tropico is a place that was identified by Tracy as a diamond in the rough, with a great location, great space, but horrible management. Since then, Mark and I have dreamed of what we would do to improve it if we were so lucky as to buy it. That has inspired several visits to one of the dirtiest bars in town.

December 2006 was a good month for catching up with friends. As I was in town for the entire month, I celebrated many BBCs and have enjoyed night-time activities around the city. And, as has been my adult tradition, I spent Christmas eve at my parents' house, and woke up on Christmas day to the greasy, but ohh so tasty elephant ears. I shudder when I think of how many ounces of Crisco are still flowing through my blood due to that one morning! But, I'm sure that I'll do it again next 25 December!

New Year's Eve
This year, Allan was in town for new year's eve. He came to the Palacio that night, and we went together to a party hosted by an ex-Andersen friend, Kari and her boyfriend, Jeff. We brought some Illinois gin with us and some cookies baked by Allan, and had a genuinely great time. I don't much care for New Year's Eve, but I always enjoy a night with friends, especially when the party was just eight blocks north!

End of year / beginning of year reflections
December was a good month to catch up and to remember the blessings of 2006. Two trips of a lifetime, the Polish road trip and the Slovenia/Slovakia trip took place, not to mention that I was able to chase my ancestry. I continued to enjoy my job, even if I am starting to feel less and less challenged by the work. My brothers and sisters-in-law brought two new sobrinos for me to love! And a few other goals were accomplished. It was a good year.

In 2007, I have a few travel ideas, namely, a return to Poland for a wedding in August, to be combined with a trip to visit extended family near Krakow. In preparation for that, I plan to learn Polish; I've heard that my Polish cousins do not speak any "American". I'd also like to travel to a sunnier spot. And perhaps this will be a year to make significant career changes. We will see what God brings my way. I am sure it will continue to be a good ride.

And, if I really feel inspired, maybe I'll post some photos from the year. But I'm working on a myspace website, so I think I'll share my photos there instead... look for myspace to be announced soon!

Tallinn, Estonia & TLC

2006-08-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon in Tallinn's town square, two people born on the same day of the same year got up from their table and danced. They were inspired by a couple that were at least twice their age who had already been dancing for a few songs. They told their waitress that they were going to dance the kaerajaan.

As to the quality of their rendition of kaerajaan, the Americans decided to believe the waitress when she said it was great. And did it matter? Just to think of dancing Estonia's national dance on one of Estonia's independence days was grand.

On 20 August 1991, Estonia formally declared its independence as a nation. Fifteen years later, I visited Estonia's capital city with two co-workers and a friend. We took an early morning, 90-minute ferry from Helsinki, arriving in time for a mid-morning coffee and breakfast to energize us for a walk through the medieval streets, past the Orthodox and Lutheran churches and many Hanseatic buildings.

It took all of three hours to walk the town, we then stopped for a lunch and went to the town square to see what sort of independence day celebration might ensue. Before anyone took the stage, most of the seats in the square were taken, but we were able to get a table at one of the bars with a view of the stage. And so we sat and awaited the show as we savoured our Ale Coqs.

The show began with an adorable, seven year-old girl singing the Estonian national anthem. Maybe it was the beer, but tears came close to my eyes as I listened to her song. After this, Estonia's president, Tallinn's mayor and another military figure took their turn on the stage, with other patriotic songs interspersed among the speeches.

I did not understand a word of Estonian, but I appreciated the importance of national pride to a country has mostly been subject to larger powers throughout its history. And I thought of a comment from one of the Estonians I had met that day: In 1917, Estonia declared its independence from Russia; in 1991, Estonia declared its independence from the USSR; and in 2004, Estonia joined the European Union. In any case, let's hope that the EU is a more beneficial larger power than tsarist Russia or the Soviet Union ever was.

After the speeches and patriotic songs, the melodies took a definite festive turn. It was at this time that the aged couple were dancing something like a polka, but not identifiable to us or to the wait staff in our restaurant. This, of course, did not inhibit my desire to try to dance to the music. And so, Rita and I danced what we believed to be the kaerajaan. Does the name of the dance matter? I think not.

After the dance we learned more about Estonian and Russian culture from our servers (Maria and Trinu, or SDG), ate our dinner, and then walked back to the ferry. On the ferry to Tallinn, I spoke to an Estonian girl the whole time and I never got to the observation deck. So, Rita and I made a point of visiting the deck on the way back. There is little in this world quite so pleasing to me as being on a boat and feeling the wind in my face. Even more so when the weather is pleasant!

The long Sunday in Tallinn came one day after a very long day in Helsinki, and that after a late night, and, I think, I felt the consequences on Monday morning. I had nasal congestion that lasted until recently. It didn't help when, after dinner at Aino's on Monday, I went to Fazer's for dessert. Truffle ice cream and a cinnamon roll, to be exact. And then I learned of TLC's passing on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I decided to leave a day early, so I stayed at the office until after 7:00 to make sure that the work would get done in my absence.

Of course, our Finnish counterpart chose a night like that to invite us to dinner. No matter, we went to Porvoo for a lovely dinner overlooking a lake. Porvoo is Finland's second oldest town, almost 700 years old, and it includes many cobblestones, as previously mentioned, great views of the lake from the hilly city centre. Despite wondering whether I would have time to pack and sleep off the cold before my 5:30 AM taxi-ride to the airport, I decided to imbibe a few glasses of wine along with my escargot and lamb dinner... Later on, when reception woke me up with a call at 5:37 to let me know that my taxi was there; I sort of regreted the over-exertion.

TLC
Despite the full days in Helsinki, I managed to get to Chicago in time to join friends and visit the wake of our friend, Tracy. Here, I'm not sure what to write.

Suffice it to say that I still expect a response from her from an email I sent on Monday morning (Helsinki time). She was thinking about flying to Puerto Rico to visit me; she might have joined another friend, and the three of us would have enjoyed San Juan in style.

And let me add that every summer was more enjoyable for her part in it. And now, as summer 2006 comes to an end, more than just a terrestrial season has passed; a life has ended, a body no longer moves on this earth, a personality no longer contributes to my life.

I'll conclude with the fact that good memories and thoughts of her have swarmed in my mind in the last five days, from Burger Time to Boise, Idaho. Her spirit will be carried onward in the memories of the likes of me and her other, dearer friends. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for her response about Puerto Rico...

Helsinki, Tallinn, Tragedy

2006-08-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Helsinki is described below with a series of words and phrases that will mean very little to anyone other than me and the friends who were with me. Tallinn could be described with a similar series of thoughts; I hope to do that soon.

Yesterday morning also merits many more words, but I'm not ready to write them yet. On Tuesday morning I learned of the death of a friend of mine. This is when it's hard to be 5,000 miles from home. The wake is tomorrow, funeral Friday. I'm not sure if I'll be able to fly back. I have to wait until people in Chicago wake up.

Helsinki, Finland

2006-08-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Finn Air, cockpit view, Fazer's Geisha, Scandic Marski, kiitos, tacksi, yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljä, hyvää...ää, "that famous monument", Finnish lesson, esplanade, Lapin Kulta, Lordi, menna, senna, hen, HIM, singular and sundry fashion sense, olut on a bench, La Bodega, butt-buss, Tex-Mex place, 8:30 AM on Saturday, market, pulla, post cards, Suomenlinna, Spanish, lighthouse on a church, UNESCO, swammakammalanalannakanna, Hanseatic, Sibelius, Cafe Kämp, "Anteeksi, saisinko laskun", long amble, Church in the Rock, Finnish microbrew, smoke beer -- it tastes as bad as it sounds, yksi, kaksi, cuusi? the monument, the bus, the tacksi, the long walk back, siesta, Boathouse, closed, "saisinko pöydän neljälle", we're in, perch, seafood starter, aurora borealis, hate, clouds, nope, "revontulet", jetty back, Fazer's closed, Teaterri, scary man, hot Finns, early night, Estonia, Robert's Coffee, head cold, Aino, Fazer's open.

"Menna? Hyvää kiitos!"

Paris for the weekend, and now back in Upplands Väsby

2006-08-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

It was so great to travel with just a backpack last weekend. I think that the staff at Le Meridien were a little confused, but they welcomed me nonetheless. A few hours after my arrival, Ceebs arrived on schedule at 11:30 PM on Friday night and, after a quick shower, we opened a bottle of wine, quaffed a glass, and then went for a long walk to the Seine river and back. Thus began our weekend.

Paris is beautiful. The Seine, the boulevards, the Eiffel, statues throughout the city. On Saturday morning, after croissants and coffee at Le Meridien, Ceebs and I took the Metro to Sacre Cour. This beacon on a hill offers some of the best views in Paris and, as a building, it certainly pleases the eye.

After Sacre Cour, we hopped on another Metro to the Ile d' Cite, where we saw Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. Having visited the key holy sites, we went in search of lunch. Then, after stopping for a crepe, we went for a long amble to the Louvre, down the Champs d' Elysee, around the Arc d' Triomphe, to the Bois de Boulogne, before heading to the Eiffel Tower. Did I mention that Paris is a gorgeous city!

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower in time to go up, take pictures, then come down and witness the twilight light show that happens most days just before sunset. The lights on The Tower blink alternately for an amazing spectacle. We spent a few minutes documenting the moment with video and photos.

After the Eiffel, we went back to the hotel to refresh ourselves for an 11:00 PM dinner at Montparnasse 1900. We dined right with escargot, steak and duck as entrees, then a plate of cheeses for dessert. A Burgundy Margeaux accompanied dinner, while a port came with the cheese.

And, so, a full day ended when we closed the restaurant down after 1:00 AM. Saturday was great both for the full tour of Paris and for the chance to amble in Paris with a friend who is quickly approaching a momentous change of pace in his life.

On Sunday, Ceebs left after breakfast, and I went for one last walk through the city before I hopped on the Metro. I found a lovely outdoor market between the lanes of one of Paris' boulevards. Cheese, salmon, steak, fruits, vegetables, and more were for sale. I thought about buying something, but I wouldn't really have any use for it for at least 2 weeks, and by then the stuff would have rot.

In the market I did overhear one American woman ask her husband if they should just go to the nearest Starbucks. A Frenchman interjected with what I presumed to be sarcastic agreement before I could suggest an alternative to them. And so I kept on walking.

Much of the weekend was spent walking through the rain, but that did not dampen a perfectly delightful time. The companionship of a good friend and the cheerfulness of random Parisians left me smiling as I took the Metro back to Charles de Gualle, and on to my hotel in Sweden.

Arlanda...and peace

2006-08-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here I sit in Arlanda International Airport, awaiting my flight to Charles DeGaulle. Thank goodness that in one small part of the world a man can fly from one country to another without unending security lines and with liquid, electronic devices and carry-on luggage! Call me a sceptic, call me naive, call me a pig-headed libertarian, but I oppose the overreaction of the United States and the United Kingdom to the recent terrorist threat. Colleagues of mine will be flying across the pond without their iPods, laptops and, well, just about anything else at their side tomorrow. I look forward to hearing their stories, but I wish they weren't subject to such knee-jerk control measures

It's been a quiet week in Sweden, my ancestral homeland. Each night the sun sets, and the forests beckon me. A few nights ago the full moon even called my name. I've enjoyed seeing a mother nursing her child in the office, a father, who happens to be the financial manager of the Swedish subsidiary, leave before 5:00 PM each day to pick up his twins because his wife is out of town on business.

The fact that I would have to pay a nominal fee for a plastic bag at the Ica grocery store wasn't necessary to convince me not to use a bag to carry my few items a few blocks; but I liked that Ica charged others for such extras. Recycling bins are abundant in the office and in my hotel. And I have to put my keycard into a slot in my hotel to turn the electricity on in the room.

Today I spoke with a Swedish contemporary and colleague who has been studying for 8+ years. College is free here, in fact she receives a stipend of approximately SEK 2,000 (USD 300) as long as she studies full time. Meanwhile, it seems that most cabbies and housekeepers I meet are Swedish nationals. That is not to say that there are no immigrants, just that it seems that Swedes can live off the wages of many honest occupations.

I like Sweden. I've often said that it's my favourite non-Hispanic country (for the record, I count the US as a Hispanic country). The blonde hair and golden tans are attractive. The soft-spoken confidence and efficiency is endearing. The regard for the environment and others is inspiring. And so, even in a quiet week in the outskirts of Sweden, a pleasant week has passed.

Now, look out Paris, for I shall roam your streets within hours!

Uvulitis in Małopolska

2006-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

A perfect ending to a perfect adventure: uvulitis. For the second time in my life, I woke up after a horseradish-laden dinner and a long night of drinking to find my uvula swollen to the point of making it difficult for me to talk without feeling a strong gag reflex. Thankfully, over the course of Sunday, my uvula deflated to a normal size and I can now swallow and speak without discomfort.

I must say that my six day adventure in Małopolska left me wishing that I could take more time to get to know the area. And to see this area with good friends and adopted family greatly enhanced the pleasure.

First, I should summarize the "where?"s and "what?"s. On Saturday afternoon, Mark and I arrived in Dublin, where we walked around the city, saw Trinity College, went to the St. James Gate Brewery and celebrated a Pink Shirt Night. We slept altogether too much on Sunday morning (9 hours) and woke up in time for Mark to go through the Guinness Brewery tour and for me to write post cards and meander. We met up with an Irish friend of mine, Liam, that evening and, after Liam went home to Wicklow (a suburb), Mark and I closed down the bars again. This left us a short time to sleep before catching an early morning flight to Krakow on Monday morning.

Mark’s Vuyek Jusef and cousins Sabina and Andzrej greeted us as we left the customs area in Krakow’s airport. We looked around for Ceebs and texted Allan to see how far from the airport he was. Allan texted back that Ceebs had missed his flight and that he was stuck in traffic, but an hour away. Of course, we thought he was kidding; who misses an international flight? But, as it turned out, Ceebs would not be coming until the next day, so we decided to leave in Vukek Jusef’s auto and have Allan meet us in the town where his family lives.

It soon became apparent that Allan was frustrated in traffic and would prefer not to navigate his way to a small town, so we pulled over in Libertow to wait for Allan at a gas station. Allan looked exasperated when we saw him in Libertow. The drive from Bratislava took eight hours instead of the four hours suggested by mapping programs. We soon learned that traffic in parts of Małopolska were interminably bothersome!

It took four hours to drive 120 kilometres to Vuyek Jusef’s house. Allan, Andzrej and I took a few short cuts that ended up getting us there at the same time that Vujek Jusef arrived. The traffic was unbearable, but when we arrived at the Basara family home, the warm hospitality and great food and company soon caused us to forget the long hours in traffic. Chocha Ilena cooked us some soup, cotlata (pork cutlets) and potatoes, and after dinner we sat around their patio talking and drinking until well after midnight!

We met Mark’s three uncles (Jusef, Michaul, Bobek), aunt (Ilena), and three cousins (Sabina, Richard, Andzrej). Most of the conversations were in Polish and I participated with translation assistance from Mark or his cousins. Allan and I immediately felt like one of the family, and I would count that night’s fellowship as one of the highlights of the trip.

The next morning we awoke rather late, ate a Polish breakfast, and Allan, Andzrej and I went back toward Krakow to pick up Ceebs. We stopped in Bochnia on the way to research my great-grandmother’s family. We stopped at the first church we saw in town where we knocked on the parsonage door. While we were loitering, a nun asked us if we needed help and Andzrej asked her if anyone was available to review baptism, birth or confirmation records of my ancestor from the years1890 – 1910. Soon thereafter, a charming Polish priest invited us into his office and asked about my story and kindly told us that we should go to the oldest parish in Bochnia, where they are more likely to have old records. He began giving us directions to the church, but then he decided he would simply drive us there and introduce us to the other parish priest.

The parish priest from the older Bochnia church was equally helpful and nice, although he did have a very gruff demeanor. At one point, he even told Andzrej that if my mother spoke Polish, why don’t I speak Polish? Obviously, some things were lost in translation, but I didn’t bother to correct him. And, at the end of the day, I will need to look further back into documents from Kansas for the correct spelling of my great-grandmother’s name and the parish in which she was baptized before I can further research my roots in Poland. I plan to do this and to fax new questions to the Bochnia church soon!

After our visit in Bochnia, we picked up Ceebs in the airport and then we decided to stop by Bochnia on the way back to the Basara household. I took a picture of the town square, the main church, and I bought a book on the history of Bochnia. Ceebs, Allan, Andzrej and I then had a Tyskie in the town square before we headed back to the Basara’s house.

During the first night’s conversation, Vuyek Jusef promised to have pierogi ruskis for us if we came to stay with them for a second night. We did not need such enticement, but we thoroughly enjoyed some authentic pierogis on Tuesday night with the family. After pierogis, we went to Andzrej’s girlfriend’s (Ania) house for a kielbasa barbecue. Ania’s family lives across the street, so it was a very short walk. Once again, we enjoyed conversations with Mark’s and Ania’s family.

On Wednesday morning, we had pierogis for breakfast and left at around 11:00 AM for Dembica, where Sabina works. I said my goodbyes to the uncles and aunt in the morning, and we said goodbye to the cousins after eating ice cream together in Dembica. Sabina will be getting married next August, so Allan, Ceebs and I have been invited. I have every intention of coming back next August for the wedding and other adventures!

Our road trip officially began as the four of us got into the car and headed toward Bielice. We got there just in time to get to visit the salt mines. Allan chose not to visit the salt mines (it would have been his second time) and instead he found a place for us to stay. We stayed at a couple’s house up the street from the main square for 100 zloty (US$ 30). Not a bad deal!

The next morning we got off to an early start and drove to Czestochowa. Along the way, we stopped for some photo-ops at rock formations and castles. We also wandered for a while in the only desert in Central Europe. That’s right, desert. Apparently, this desert is becoming overcome by vegetation, however, so at least in one part of the world the de-desertification is in place.

In Czestochowa, we saw the Black Madonna and the church grounds around it. Unfortunately, the only sight to see in Czestochowa is the church grounds, so we left town immediately after we ate dinner. So, on Thursday night we headed to Krakow in search of a hostel.

We shopped at a few hostels before finding the perfect one: Orange Hostel. It truly doesn’t get better for four Illini alums. And, as it cost 40 zloty/person, we were consistent with our low-budget theme.

After checking in, Allan, Mark and I went out on the town. We went into one of Krakow’s cellar bars and grabbed a drink. What was originally going to be a one drink night, turned into a bar crawl. At the second bar, Allan secured some clove cigarettes. To make a long story short, Mark went home earlier than Allan and I. Allan and I closed down the last pub and ate kebabs and had a random conversation with two guys from Ulster to kill time before we had to leave for Auschwitz. A few hours earlier we had made the decision that returning to the hostel for sleep would risk us not waking up timely for our big day.

By 7:30 AM, the four of us were on our way to Auschwitz. We arrived well before the first English-language guided tour at 10:00 AM. We took that tour and tried to absorb the gravity of what happened under a fascist state not too long ago.

The experience spurred many discussions among us, including whether we should be worried about our own government and its tendency toward consolidation of power and disregard for the rights of individuals. Specifically, the so-called “War on Terror” could be used by those in power to justify the taking away of citizen’s right in the name of ‘protecting’ those citizens.

At the end of the tour, our guide said that the most important thing we can do is to remember what happened here. I think an even more important activity would be for each citizen to be ever-vigilant of his government and to oppose such things as imprisonment without charge, regardless of the category of person for which these rights are stripped. Okay, that’s all the politicking I’ll do!

After Auschwitz, we went to Wadowice, where Karol Wojtla was born and raised. We saw the church and the apartment wherein he spent much of his early years. The town itself had a very nice town center and ambience.

As Ceebs was much more interested in this town than Allan, Mark and I were, we left him there and went on to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains. We stayed in a cabin in Zakopane. Although it had rained most of the day, we found enough kindling and wood to start a decent fire and roast our kielbasa for kielbasa sandwiches. We enjoyed the fire for a while and then went into downtown Zakopane for a beer. At midnight, we headed back, being very exhausted.

I slept well that night in the cabin and woke up fairly early. The three of us were packed and we hit the trails a little after 8:00. The scenery and fresh air of the mountains were amazing! But, we had decided to go for a quick hike, so we returned to the campsite before noon, and were on our way to Slovakia for the Slovak national dish by 12:00 PM.

We stopped in Zaidr, and went to one of its three restaurants to try the national dish. The dish consists of a gnocchi-like substance in a lamb cheese sauce with bits of bacon. It was very hearty and tasty. Before dinner we had stopped at the local pastry shop (more like someone’s home), so we ate those on the car ride out of Slovakia.

After lunch, we drove directly to Krakow, and we checked into the Sheraton by 5:00 PM. We had invited about 12 people to PSN Krakow during the long Thursday night out. We told them to wear a pink shirt and meet us at the bell tower at 6:00 PM. Allan and I rushed to the bell tower on the odd chance that new friends would come to meet us. Unless they came at 6:00 and left before 6:22, we had no random participants, but we did run into two of the invitees, albeit without their pink shirts on! The only thing I will say about Pink Shirt Night Krakow is that it started out at a lovely Polish restaurant where I ate a little too much horseradish sauce, and, as always, it was a great success.

That takes me to Sunday, the day that Ceebs left for Interlachen, Mark returned to New York City, and Allan drove back to Slovakia. I flew to Sweden, where I’ll be working. The trip was everything a guy could want out of a road trip with friends through a beautiful countryside and in a great country. My head is full of fond memories from so much time shared with great people, both old friends and newly adopted family.

And now it’s back to work so that I can have a similar experience soon! I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again: Life is good.

Buda & Pest

2006-05-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, I find myself quite tired from a whirlwind of a weekend in Budapest. I had about 40 hours between my arrival to the Le Meridien hotel on Friday evening at 9:30 and my departure from said hotel on Sunday afternoon; to be brief, I spent all but a few of those hours awake!

Both Buda and Pest are charming places to explore. In Buda, the castle, with its subterranean labyrinth was one of the highlights, as were the baths at the Gellert Hotel. On the other side of the Danube, Pest provided most of my meals and my Saturday evening stroll, as well as a couple of tasty morning breakfasts of coffee and pastries! Of course, the Elisabeth and Chain Bridges across the Danube provided some of my favourite views of both the Castle on the Buda side and the Parliament on the Pest side.

I should say that Budapest was surprisingly full of tourists and more expensive than I would think. At first glance and compared to what I had previously heard about the city, it seems that Hungary's capital city is making strong advances in its efforts to catch up to the rest of Europe in wages and wealth. I should also say that Hungarian is a bloody difficult language!

The Hungarian word for "thank you" is cursurnurm. Somewhat to my surprise, all Saturday long, every time I attempted that word on servers or others, I received no acknowledgement. Of course, I have to admit that I would hate to think of just how severely I butchered the language. Nevertheless, just this afternoon I finally heard a Hungarian say what I presume meant "you're welcome" after I said cursurnurm.

In other language fun, my guidebook spoke of a dish called "fatanyeros." Coincidentally, if you pronounce that dish in English with just one syllable modified, you would say a phrase that describes what might result from eating a predominantly Hungarian diet. In any case, today for lunch I asked if they had any "fatten your oss". Unfortunately, they didn't, but, thanks to my sometimes juvenile spirit, I now will likely never forget the name of that Hungarian delicacy, even if I already forgot what mix of meats, sausages and potatoes it comprised.

February ... May?

2006-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Where did March and April go?

Well, even though there has been, until now, no documented evidence on these Palacio Pages, life has continued here in the Palacio. The single biggest change in the last month or two has been the re-addition of Devlin into these quarters. Also, progress has been made on my foray into real estate investment. Otherwise, my job has taken me to Dallas, Mexico City and, soon, I'll be heading to Warsaw and Budapest.

On 10 March, 2006, Devlin flew back into town. I left work to pick him up and ended up taking him to the Palacio before heading back to the office. (At the time the two and a half hour lunch seemed a bit extreme, but by now it should be a distant memory in the mind of those who influence my career.) That night, the Palacio boys went back to El Nandu for some empanadas and vino with two of the Palacio boys' favourite girls: Eva and Olga. Needless to say, it was good to have our long, lost Palacio boy back.

On Saturday, 11 March, we hosted a moderate gathering of friends and family for a welcome back bash in the Palacio. Then, on Sunday, I was off to Dallas for the first of two weeks in Texas. I daresay: life was strangely back to normal!

After my Dallas project, I found myself with three weeks before I had to leave again. Not knowing what to do with my extra time, and coordinating with Devlin's excess of leisure time, I cashed in some AA miles for a quick long weekend trip out to the warm embrace of my uncle and aunt's hospitality.

We flew out on Thursday 6 April. By 4:00 PM in the afternoon, Devlin, Katie and I were smoking apple-flavoured tobacco out of Katie's hooka pipe in the courtyard of my uncle and aunt's condominium building. It was agreed by all present that UT was sufficiently surprised and pleased by this scene upon his arrival!

The rest of the weekend was full of great conversation, old wine, and delectable food! On Saturday Devlin and I went up to Duncans Mills, Sonoma County to visit our cousins. The day was spent hanging out in their cabin, and the evening was spent playing bingo with some sisters and eventually dancing a bit in one of Guernesville's bars. On Sunday morning, Devlin and I drove home the long way, along Pacific Coast Highway. Then, on Sunday evening, Devlin, Katie and I enjoyed a warm, home-cooked meal from AC's kitchen.

The weekend went by too fast, and before we knew it, Devlin and I were on the Blue Line heading back to the Palacio on Monday night. Through a few limited conversations from the El, Devlin arranged to meet one of his friends and some of her friends. Although we got back to the Palacio at 9:00 PM, there were three good reasons to go out for the night waiting for us around the kitchen island in the Palacio. Those three young ladies, Devlin, Chico Blanco and I tasted some wine at the Tasting Room and had some wonderfully random fun.

That brings my life story to Semana Santa. For the rest of that week, I recovered. Except that on Wednesday night I went to the last of three Samba lessons I took, up on the north side.

Oh, and Thursday night I ended up attending my first Jewish Seder. My friend Raquel invited me and another friend Bob, to her family's Seder. Jews and gentiles alike read from the Haggadah, drank kosher wine, and ate unleavened bread, as we recalled how God brought His people out of Egypt through a series of miracles, thousands of years ago. Truly, this experience was one I cherished deeply, both for the ability to share in an ancient tradition and for the ability to share it with a good friend.

The fact that Bob and I went from the Seder to the Hot House for samba, in all honesty, does not for a minute indicate a lack of respect for the seder. However, I will say that Bob and I both were not in the mood to dance, so we mostly sat back and watched as Devlin danced for the rest of us!

This was the second Easter Sunday in a row that I left the country. Last year it was to Roma, this year it was to el Distrito Federal. So, after enjoying some patitsa, polish sausage, hard-boiled eggs, potatoe salad, and more at my Grandma C's house, I departed for that most-polluted of cities, Mexico City.

Unfortunately, I did not stay in Mexico City for the middle weekend. Nevertheless, I did enjoy my time greatly in the city. Every single night I went out for a tasty meal (the tapeworm that my co-workers claim lives in my stomach is not going hungry!). I revisited Zona Rosa and Polanco, but the highlight was the dinner in the colonia of Mixcoac. My friend, Adrian, took me and an American co-worker out with his family for the best tacos that I have ever eaten. The ironic thing was that the dinner for the five of us was cheaper than the meal for my co-worker and I the night before. It's safe to say that a little local knowledge comes in handy wherever one goes!

Last Friday I returned from my second week in Mexico City and, before going to the Palacio, I got off at the Western Blue Line stop to meet Devlin. He picked me up in Billie, and we went to visit our friends Adam and Teresa. We ate some good goulash and enjoyed our friends, but we called it a night early due, largely, to my exhaustion!

On Saturday, US came into the city for a day with his Chicago nephews. Chico Blanco, Devlin and I took him to Humboldt Park to Nellie's, a new breakfast joint. We then enjoyed US' company in the Palacio, and eventually joined him in a walk up to Millenium Park to work up an appetite for lunch at Zapatista's. The weather was gloomy, but it was good to hang with kinfolk on a Saturday morning!

On Sunday, to close the loop on a briefly mentioned theme, I saw a building that my LLC will likely be writing an offer on tomorrow. That's enough about that!

Now, this week, the big news is that I decided where I'm going to go for the middle weekend in Warsaw. After flirting with Berlin, Riga and Bratislava, I settled on a flight to/from Budapest! I'm quite excited about it, even if I only have enough time for a Saturday AM walk past famous architecture, a Saturday afternoon bath, and a Saturday evening visit to the opera. I should think that such a Saturday, and whatever may come of my Sunday, will be well worth the Malev Airlines flight south from Warsaw!

That's the abbreviated narrative of the last two and a half months. And it's quite enough for this Tuesday night. After all, tonight is salsa night at Green Dolphin, where are my priorities?

Mexico City

2006-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Upon arrival at the office this morning, and still in the haze of a 17-hour time zone difference from Sydney, I learned that I'll be going to Mexico City on Tuesday night. A company vice president is going down to follow up on some questions and he requested my assistance! Hopefully, I can help him my knowledge of the language, culture and operations in Mexico City, and with an outsider's point of view. Regardless, this trip will spice up the waning winter season!

Senador Obama

2006-02-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is cool! Barack Obama gave the Democratic Party's response to the President's weekly radio address this week in Spanish. It mostly deals with the corruption in Congress, Jack Abramoff, corporate welfare/cutting social programs, and how the Democrat's have a plan to limit lobbyist's influence and reform Congress. The Senator from Illinois does a decent job in Spanish:

http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/hispanic/obama_hispanic_radio.mp3

A Few Images

2006-02-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

I hope that no one will be offended by the following images. Particularly, the photo of the 4' 2" scientologist jumping on a couch. I, for one, am terribly disgusted by any image of him, to the point where I can no longer consider Penélope Cruz an attractive woman because she has dated him. And she's Spanish!

Nevertheless, partly to test my own comfort level and mostly in solidarity with a few Danish cartoonists, the editor of the Daily Illini newspaper and freedom of thought, expression and the press everywhere, I officially publish these images for the public domain.

I'm sorry for the delay.

2006-02-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

Mohammed

2006-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

Tom

Jellyfish, Abalone and Sea Cucumbers

2006-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to Golden Century, allegedly the best restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown and a frequent destination for celebrities. It's also the restaurant at which I ate shark fin soup back in 2002.

In the spirit of adventure and defiance of my common sense, I had stripped jellyfish as an appetizer and abalone with sea cucumbers (ie, squirmy, cucumber-shaped seafood) as a main dish. The nicest thing I can say about the meal was that it was probably prepared exactly as it should have been and I finished most of what was on my plates. However, I will never again eat any of those creatures, and I'm further convinced that, apart from dim sum and peking duck, I don't like traditional Chinese food. And I think I'll wait until I'm in China to test my palate again.

In other news, it's shaping up to be a grand weekend. Sailing is on the agenda, and I'm working on trying to attend a barbie. Actually a friend of mine is taking me with to a birthday gathering hosted by a friend of hers. The gathering will take place at a bar and it should include barbecued food, so for all intents and purposes, I'm chalking it up as a barbie. Sailing and a barbie, what else would a guy do when he is in Sydney!

Back Down Under

2006-02-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

"Back Down Under," now those are three prepositions that I wish I could phrase together more often! The weather is great, the food is great, and the people are great down under in Sydney, Australia.

Upon arrival on Sunday, I revisited some of the highlights of the city such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, The Rocks, and Darling Harbour. I earned a slight sunburn by walking too long without sunscreen.

On Monday the locals took us out for a long dinner. Generally, the guys here are always up for a good time, and they see any visitors to their office as a perfect excuse to make a night of it. We went to a great restaurant called Waterfront for excellent seafood, beer and wine. I tried a white fish called John Dory, a lager called James Squire, and a cabernet/merlot blend from Barossa Valley. Between the food, drinks and catching up on company-wide gossip, we were out until midnight.

Somehow, I woke up early Tuesday morning to get a work-out in before getting to the office. After work, I met up with an old friend and co-worker for drinks. She was out with some of her friends and the group of us ended up dining at a nice Malaysian restaurant called Melea. In two nights so far, I've had seafood and Asian food, both genres that are very well mastered in this city and genres I plan to eat much more of in my remaining days here in the Australian summer.

A Long Winter ... And Summer Will Soon End

2006-02-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

For no particular reason worth sharing, this winter season has been dragging on. This Friday I'll leave Chicago's winter and head toward Sydney, Australia, but I'm only about 60% excited about that. There must be something wrong with me!

Don't get me wrong, I am truly looking forward to experiencing some of the dog days of February with my Australian mates. The crew down under are very amiable and fun, so I'm sure that after work we'll be spending some quality time enjoying Australian local brews, Asian food, and perhaps I'll eat some wallaby or kangaroo. I think it's just that I'm ready for the next step in my life.

For me, at least, the next step would be to work for a company or organization that I can truly believe in or else one that is a little bit more dynamic and fun. If I knew precisely what company or organization that would be, well, my life would be a lot easier. All I do know is that, after almost four years working for the same company, I'm ready to start looking outside. But that is tremendously boring, so I'll switch the subject.

Weekends in 2006
Some of the great experiences of 2006 thus far have been the more frequent visits with family and friends. Thor and Kaylin continue to amaze me with their progress. And on 28 January, Thor came to the Palacio for the first time!

During Thor's visit, the Palacio phone rang. This truly is remarkable because we rarely use this phone. Anyway, my cousin Kyle was calling from downstairs, he was taking a break from the work he was doing in the building right next to the Palacio. Needless to say, Chico Blanco and I had quite the busy early morning, much to the contrary of our typical young bachelor habits.

Back to a typical weekend's activities, on last Saturday Chico Blanco, Mark and I went to a diner in Humboldt Park for some breakfast. After breakfast, Mark and I scoped out four possible locations, including one close to the diner in Humboldt Park. As of today, there are three places we like and, as soon as something newsworthy occurs, I will share more details.

Super Bowl 2006
For the first time in a few years, I watched the Super Bowl. I can't promise that I'll make a habit of it, but I can say that it was fun to hang out with some of the old Calvary crew, even if my preferred team lost.

Back to Today
In a few days I'll be back in Sydney's summer. This is the fourth local winter in a row that I'll get to exchange some of the winter for Southern Hemisphere summer. If and when I move on from this gig, this pattern will be one of the features I miss most.

But, any amount of summer is good, even if it will end soon. Now, it's off to work out so that I'll be ready for Bondi Beach!

Where Have You Been?

2006-01-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

At least a few times in the past 6 weeks, I've asked my inner writer that question. For various and sundry reasons, the part of my id that often likes to express my thoughts and reflections on life has been hibernating this winter. Alas, and it wasn't the groundhog, nor was it the unseasonably warm winter that awoke this bear from his slumber; rather it was the unusual occurence of several postings to an erstwhile dozing blog from Sherman Street that finally spurred me to pick up the pen again.

Where Have I Been
Back to that question, where have I been. The short answer is that I have not strayed from the well-trod paths between Chicago and my two most common destinations: Melrose Park and Tinley Park since the day I returned from Honolulu. The lack of travel has allowed me to see my family nearly every Sunday just as it has given me some quality time catching up with friends around Chicagoland. Of course, it also has given me the chance to sit back and think about the year that passed and the year to come.

My 29th Christmas and New Year's Eve
I must admit that this year's Christmas came and went and I never felt like it was Christmas at all. It's possible that spending Thanksgiving in El Peru threw off my internal calendar, or maybe it was a symptom of my being a little too stressed and distracted by work. For whatever reason, this year's Christmas season lasted for two days, no more, no less. Nevertheless, the Christmas eve and Christmas day celebrations with my family were truly delightful.

A few years back I realized that New Year's eve is best spent with a small group of good friends. Keeping with that theme, Chico Blanco, Mark, Ceebs and I decided to spend our New Year's Eve together in and around our neighborhood. We didn't plan for much beyond hanging out and playing Nintendo or Atari until Ceebs suggested we do a Condo Crawl. I must say, this idea bore much fruit. The four of us plus our friend J-Jo started the night by going to Jim's Original for some tasty polish sausages and fries. We proceeded to the Palacio for some 312 and conversation. Three young ladies joined us at the Palacio before we went on to View 19 (Ceebs' place) for some vino, beer and Nintendo Ice Hockey. Just before 2005 came to an end in the Central Standard Time Zone, we went to the 18th bridge to watch the Navy Pier fireworks and drink some New Year's champagne. Then, the night ended at the Flophouse where Jennifer and I battled for domination in Pac-Man. Of course, Mark forced us to play his "name that celebrity" game, but even that couldn't stop 2005/2006 from being one of the best New Years yet. And that's coming from someone who really doesn't think New Year's Eve should be any different than any other night.

Onto January
Let's see, in January I've watched many Illini basketball games, I've shopped around for real estate with Mark, I've been much more consistent with working out, my Employer announced that it is selling off a division that comprises approximately 65% of our annual sales, and the SoLo crew went sledding for the first time last Friday night. The latter event merits further discussion.

Last Friday night was Ceebs' 29th birthday. It was also the night that Sovanski was billed for an official show up at Gunther Murphy's. So, I went to watch Sovanski, but after the show was over, we headed back to SoLo to have a few birthday drinks with Ceebs.

A little background: after probably 30 days of mild, mostly above freezing weather, we finally got snow that stuck on the ground. We also purchased sleds about a month ago for just such an occasion. So, at about 3:00 AM when I was driving the crew back to the Palacio, it seemed natural to go to the sledding hill by Soldier Field for a few runs. I must say that it was the best sledding I've done in year! In the interest of full disclosure, I should also say that it was the only sledding I've done in years, but that doesn't change the fact that it was ridiculously fun to hurl our bodies down the hill on those $5 Target sleds! (Oh, and I really should record that the indisputed distance champion was the birthday boy himself.)

But the photographs speak for themselves.

2006-01-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

Sovanski on stage

2006-01-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sledding on the concrete bridge - bad idea!

2006-01-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

A summit of sorts.

2006-01-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

Sledding on the bridge...

2006-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

Faster than falling snowflakes

2006-01-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ceebs setting the distance record

It's Good to be Back ... Now -- onto Honolulu

2005-12-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

It's been eight days since my return to Chicago. Last weekend I saw most of my family and several friends for the first time since October and, through a strange twist of self-determination, this Friday I'll be heading to Honolulu for the weekend.

First a Summary of Last Weekend
Last Friday I donned my trusty mullet and went out to celebrate a good friend's half-life at a bar in Old Town. The instructions for the gathering were to dress as a celebrity or rock star; I bent the rules a little and went as Joe Dirt. Not only did I enjoy the night a little more thanks to my mullet, from the comments and looks I observed from onlookers, I think many others at the bar went home with good memories of their own.

On Saturday night, Chico Blanco and I went out with a friend to a Pueblito Viejo, a Columbian restaurant. Arepas, salsa, merengue and good company were enjoyed by all. On Sunday, I had breakfast with a friend, went to church, and visited a friend's house where I saw the Chicago Bears pull off yet another victory, this time against the Green Bay Packers.

And Now for This Weekend
It's complicated and somewhat embarassing, but in the last week I was looking for a reasonably priced way to fly about 8,000 miles before the end of the year. The most reasonable solution I found was a trip to Honolulu, HI for only $540. So, Waikiki Beach, here I come!

As far as I can recall, this will be the first time that I leave town on my own for purely pleasure without a companion, and without going to visit someone. Of course, I end up travelling alone a lot while I'm working, but that is not purely pleasure.

And So
And so, I'll visit Hawaii for the first time. And then, maybe then, I'll come back and settle into the Palacio for a few weeks in a row. But this cold weather already has me thinking about how I might escape once or twice more to warmer air. But for now, all I can think about is lying on Waikiki with a mai tai in one hand and a good book in the other...

Thanksgiving on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

2005-12-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

After three days in Cusco of seeing local ruins, hiking local trails, meeting Peruvians and backpackers, and adjusting to the two mile high altitude; Devlin and I left on a bus toward Ollaytaytambo, to begin our hike of the Inca Trail. After lunch in Ollaytaytambo, we left civilization as we know it and began our four day, 43 km hike toward Machu Picchu. And so began my 29th and most memorable Thanksgiving Day.

Eleven porters, two guides, and eleven of hikers accompanied us on the trek. Notable among our group was an Aussie named Bruce who was a good 40 years older than the second oldest in our group. At 75 years old, he showed us all a few things about persistence, pace and attitude. Four Israelis, two Irish, and one person each from England, Luxemburg, Denmark and Spain rounded out the group. And so we went on our first afternoon of hiking.

The idea of the first day's hike was to break us in. I don't think we hiked more than ten kilometers. The second day was a little over ten kilometers, but it included one kilometer of climbing, and about half a kilometer of descent. The third day was the long day, I think about fifteen kilometers, and the fourth day was a short few kilometers before arriving at our first view of Machu Picchu, and then a shorter descent toward that citadel on a hill that we all were there to see in the first place.

Let me say that the 26 mile hike was very challenging! At the end of the longest climb on the second day, I had to stop several times to fill my stomach with sugars and water to keep me going. On the third and fourth day my legs' muscles and joints were tired and sore, but that did not make it much easier to sleep through the nights on the hard, cold floor of the mountains.

Each night, Devlin and I slept in a tent that was prepared by our porters before our arrival. We set our belongings in the tent and then went to a communal tent to share a dinner that was also prepared by our porters. To say the least, those porters were incredible as they carried all of the essentials ahead of us each day.

For the most part, the first three days consisted of hiking up and down mountain passes as we got to know our hiking companions, but the trip climaxed at about 6:30 AM on Sunday morning. Just as our group arrived at the Puerta del Sol, we heard the groups ahead of us applauding. Perhaps it's our inherent cynicism, but Devlin and I were convinced that the groups were clapping because our group (one of the last to arrive) was finally arriving. We were wrong. It turned out that we made it to the Puerta del Sol just in time to see the fog rolling away from the valley, providing the day's first views of Machu Picchu!

For about an hour, we just relished in the exhiliration of having arrived. If it were possible, the views we had of Machu Picchu were more impressive than all of the photographs and videos I have seen before. My eyes and brain were definitely thanking my legs and lungs for bringing them this far. No doubt about it, the four day hike added to the sense of satisfaction that we felt upon viewing this wonder. We were finally beholding the one and only Machu Picchu.

After soaking in the views from the top, we headed down to Machu Picchu itself for a guided tour and then for some free time to explore to our heart's content. To be perfectly honest, for all the exploring and meandering through the ruins that I did, my favorite moment will always be the first sight of Machu Picchu early Sunday morning. For me, there is nothing quite like sitting back and enjoying a view.

2005-11-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

Plaza de Armas

Back to Backpacking

2005-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

Due to a delay in Buenos Aires, I missed our flight to Cusco on Saturday afternoon, so I had to spend the night in Lima. Lima was an okay diversion, but the trip really began when I landed in Cusco on Sunday morning.

The 11,000 feet of elevation has been playing games with my head and lungs, but that has not stopped us from hiking several miles yesterday and going for more today. We have arranged our hike on the Inca Trail for Thursday thru Sunday.

Cusco
Once the capital of the most expansive empire in the world, Cusco is still a beautiful spot to visit. The surrounding mountains are beautiful and the colonial architecture and the narrow, climbing roads have been fun to wander.

Devlin and I have been staying at a hostal up a hill from the plaza de armas. It's been great to get back into the backpacking lifestyle. We have met Argentinas, other Americans, and Australians all on their respective adventures around the world or throughout South America. It's amazing how many people from various countries are taking the time to get to know the world.

Backpacking is a subculture that is several worlds away from the Sheraton in Buenos Aires, but there is something about roving the world on a shoestring budget that appeals to me. Especially when that part of the world is South America. It's been great to talk with Peruvians about the rest of their country and to talk with Devlin about his plans to visit Colombia. It reminds me that there is a lot of South America that I have yet to discover!

Coca
One of the best parts of the trip so far has been drinking mate de coca and eating coca candies. For thousands of years, coca leaves have been chewed and used in teas and food to help the natives tolerate the difficult conditions. Since arriving here, I've had at least a couple doses of mate de coca per day, and more than a few pieces of chocolates de coca!

It's Good to be a Rock Star

2005-11-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Devlin and I were exploring the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman when a flock of girls must have recognized us as two of the Palacio boys. They were on a ledge above us and it appeared that they were taking our pictures, but I didn't believe that they were doing so until a couple minutes later when we climbed up the ruins and ended up walking toward the group when one of them suggested they take a picture with us. For the next 10 minutes, approximately 50 girls and 10 mother-chaperones took their turns taking pictures with us. I think 10 cameras were being used, and lots of people were saying, "quiero una foto con el gringo." One of them was leaning against me, with her head near my heart, and she said, "siento tu corazón, gringo." I think the funniest part of the experience was that the mothers even wanted to take their pictures with us. Personally, I think it was because of the authentic poncho that I was wearing, but common sense would indicate that they do not get to meet many nice gringos around their parts (in Guadalupe, Peru).

When the paparazzi was finished, we took the photograph above for our own scrapbooks. I must say, for 10 minutes at least, it was good to be a rock star...

Reflections on Buenos Aires

2005-11-19T02:23:00.000-08:00

In the last two weeks I really learned to appreciate Buenos Aires and Argentina. The people are very friendly, the accent is fun, the nightlife is vibrant, and the food is of high quality for a low price. The following are some of the more notable memories and observations from this great city.

The Subte
In a desperate attempt to avoid street-level pollution, my co-worker and I inquired about the local Subte (Subway). We liked what we heard and for the entire second week we took the Subte to and from work for only 0.70 Argentine Pesos (about a quarter per ride). Besides representing a savings of approximately US$5 per ride as compared to the cost of our 8 mile taxi ride, the Subte provided much fresher air, the ability to stick your whole torso outside of the windows (if you were so inclined), opportunities to jump off the train while it is moving, and last but not least, the satisfaction of knowing that we were not responsible for any of the cars that were at that very moment emitting visible and toxic particles into the dirty Buenos Aires air.

Kisses
I´ve known for a long time that most women who speak Spanish as their first language customarily greet both women and men with at least one kiss on the cheek. However, in Buenos Aires it is also common for a man to greet a man with a similar kiss. Each morning at the office I observed most of the guys in the office kissing each other hello. Also, last Saturday night Devlin and I went to visit a friend´s house in the suburbs, and upon saying goodbye we kissed all the family members, male and female on the cheek. While I must admit that it is very hard for me to imagine doing the same with my male friends and family up north, this act of affection felt very natural down here.

La Lengua Argentina
I´ve made a decision that if I become a high school Spanish language teacher, I will teach the `vos` form as it is used in Argentina. I´ve been using it in the office and with our Argentine friend and I´ve had a lot of fun. Che, capáz que vos no podés entender si no hablás castellano, pero vos debés darte cuenta que es muy divertido hablar como argentino, entendés?

Apart from the vos form, I´ve also really enjoyed the so-called `lleismo`, or when they pronounce the `y` as a sound that is somewhere between an English `sh` or `j` sound. Whether in English or Castellano, accents are just plain fun.

Garbage Picking
One of the difficult parts of visiting any country where poverty is pervasive is when those people who are in dire circumstances approach me for money or help. Perhaps I´m wrong for thinking this, but in the United States I can easily decline to help panhandlers because I assume that those in need have easy access to charities run by professionals (governmental and non-governmental) who can help them more effectively and with more accountability. Also, a dollar given to a person on the street might just as often go toward a bottle of whiskey rather than toward food. With that said, when an adolescent tried to sell me pens while I was in a taxi and I declined each of his various combinations of quantities and prices, his sarcastic farewell in which he hoped for me to enjoy the bread on my plate that night made me stop to think. In a similar vein, it is with difficulty that I decline to give money to younger children who are sent by their parents to ask for money from wealthy patrons of outdoor restaurants or any passersby on the main shopping street (Avenida Florida).

These pleas for help would be a lot easier to ignore if I didn´t also see various families picking through garbage bags on the streets for food, recyclables or anything else of value. I certainly don´t have the answer or cure for this problem, but I´ll carry these observations and thoughts with me as I return to the wealthy world. And I´ll pray for compassion to give what I´m able to give in wisdom and discretion.

This Moment in Ezeiza Airport
I should rise up from deep and dark thoughts, and describe my current situation. My flight from Buenos Aires to Lima is delayed approximately three hours and I will miss my connecting flight to Cusco. There are many flights to Cusco, so that won´t be a problem, the only problem is that Devlin is flying on a different flight Lima, although we fly together from Lima to Cusco. Anyway, the seat next to him on the flight to Cusco will likely be empty or else filled by someone other than me... No fear, though, our plan B is to meet at our hostal in downtown Cusco.

We will be at approximately 11,000 feet above sea level, an altitude that is bound to lighten my head and complicate my digestion and respiration for the first few days; a small price to pay to visit the ancient Inca capital, and to be closer to one of the destinations I´ve been dreaming of going to for a while, Machu Picchu. With that said, I´ve got to read up a little more about El Perú...

Ultima Noche en Buenos Aires

2005-11-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

The time here has flown too fast. Every night and day has been full and fun, but now I´m on cloud nine because the work is finished and from now until 29 November I am on vacation!

Tomorrow morning, Devlin and I will fly to El Peru. El Peru will be the 28th country that I visit, and I am 28 years old. This is the first time I have caught up to my age with countries visited, and, though I´m not sure why, I think this is a very significant step. If I continue visiting one new country each year and I live until I´m ninety, heck, I´ll almost see half of the countries in the United Nations...

Anyway, that´s all I can write at the moment... now that I´m on vacation, I hope to be able to write more soon...

Buenos Aires – the City of Good Air

2005-11-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

The air here is anything but ‘good,’ the pollution in the air is palpable. During each taxi ride, we have seen the exhaust systems of several automobiles spewing out gray or black smoke. I’m not sure if it’s only because Buenos Aires is fresh in my mind, but I really feel that the pollution here is worse than it is in Mexico City.

Regardless of the lack of clean air, this city has a lot to offer. Devlin and I have been enjoying the local restaurants in the evenings, and, during the day, I’ve been going to work as Devlin goes to a local café to practice his Spanish. As Argentina is famous for its parrilla (grilled steaks), I’ve eaten steak 3 out of 4 evenings so far, and I haven’t been disappointed. And, the prices are tough to beat. We’ve had quality cuts and wine to complement the meals all for less than $30 for the two of us most nights. I look forward to more of the same in the next week.

Last night we saw a Gotan Project concert after dinner. The Gotan Project consists of Porteños and Parisians who play a much modernized brand of tango. Gotan’s music is frequently played at the Palacio, so it was nice to hear them live.

It has been great to catch up with Devlin during this week. After seven months, we had a lot to talk about, and, of course, Buenos Aires is a great location to seek out new adventures. Indeed, this weekend will be a great time. And, as I take deep breaths here in the city of Buenos Aires, I have certainly increased my appreciation of the role played by the Environmental Protection Agency back states-side... Let's hope the air gets better here and everywhere around the world...

Back in Santiago

2005-11-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is good to be back in this city! I have so many wonderful memories here, having come here three times for work and now twice for leisure. After a brief 72 hours in the Palacio, I left the office on Friday evening for O'hare airport and a flight through Miami to Santiago. I must admit that I was still a little bewildered from changing locations so many times, so when I checked in at the American Airlines desk, I said that I was flying to Buenos Aires through Miami. The agent said that he couldn't find a Buenos Aires itinerary, but he could find a Santiago one... "Oh yeah," I remembered, "that's right, I'm stopping for a couple of days in Santiago on my way to Buenos Aires!"

This morning I hopped in a shared taxi and headed to the apartment of my friend Valeska and her boyfriend, Juan. Devlin has been staying with them for the past 5 weeks as he was taking Spanish classes nearby. I couldn't wait to see Valeska and Devlin, and of course to meet Juan. I arrived at about 10:30 in the morning and knocked on the door to wake up Devlin, who was struggling to smile on 3.5 hours of sleep! Nevertheless, we enjoyed catching up and going out in the Providencia neighborhood for a quick cup of wonderfully average Chilean coffee.

When we returned to the apartment, we woke up Valeska and we all had a morning chat before getting ready for the day and heading to the cerro San Cristobal, where we took in some marvelous views of the Andes mountains and Santiago's skyline. After taking some pictures, we took the funicular down the hill and went to the taxi stand where Valeska's brother works to wait and see him and to make dinner plans for the night. It has been nearly three years now that I have known Valeska and her brother, and it's been a year since the last time I saw them. They are both very dear people to me, so being able to see them again, and on top of that being able to sit and chat with them and Devlin in Spanish has been a real pleasure.

As I walked the familiar streets of Santiago with Devlin and Valeska, and the three of us shared stories, jokes and opinions like three old friends, I was full of wonder and glee. To think of these two friends and the variety of experiences we have shared together and apart, is to remember the mystery and value in each of our lives and relationships. And the fact that Devlin, Valeska and Juan have become such quick friends reminds me that this world is full of good, generous and loving people. I am certainly blessed to know both of them and to be sharing some time with them this weekend.

Closing Thoughts
As I sit in my friends' apartment 5,000 miles away from Illinois, it's great to feel the familiarity and warmth of 'home' and friendship. This Santiago stay may be brief, but I would not have missed it for the world...

Valeska y Yo

2005-11-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

Valeska y Yo en el Cerro San Cristobal

On the Eve of a New York Kind of Weekend

2005-10-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been very busy since my return to The Palacio. Last Friday I got to The Palacio around 8:30 and unpacked, unwound and crashed. I woke up at 7:00 on Saturday morning and caught up on mail, cleaning, and reading before my cousin and I met Mark across the street for breakfast at Solo 1530. The rest of the afternoon I caught up around The Palacio, and then I caught up with Arianna over the phone until my cousin, her husband and one of her friends knocked on The Palacio door!

You see, I lost my cell phone in Ireland, and about a month ago I reduced my local phone service to a mere dial tone for $8 per month (so that I can continue to get DSL for $16 per month). I also acquired in internet phone number that I use to make long distance phone calls, including international phone calls for $.02/minute. Along the way, I also signed up for an internet phone number in Italy so that Arianna can call me cheaply. To summarize a short story that has been made long, my complicated telephone situation meant that my cousin had been trying to call me for a few hours before she knocked on my door! With every step forward, it seems I take one or two backward in the line of technological progress...

So, on Saturday afternoon I visited with my cousin in The Palacio and eventually at Bricks for some pizza and beer.

Sunday morning I drove south for a breakfast at my parents' house, a church service, and an after-church luncheon to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the church of my youth. In many ways the luncheon was like a family reunion. I saw many people I had not seen in years, caught up, reminisced, all in all it was great to be surrounded by those with which I share so many childhood memories. We shared a lot of good times.

Work Week
This week I tried my darndest to finish 10 days of work in four days. I probably finished six days worth of work, which just about allows me to rest easy as I take the next three days off for a quick vacation to New York City. Yes, that's right, New York City! I've just finished searching for restaurants for the weekend. On Saturday night we'll go to a costume party hosted by the girlfriend of an old friend of mine. Monday morning we'll go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. For the rest of the time, we will have to be creative in how we fill the pages!

2005-10-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thor Driving in the Kitchen

A Frankfurt Update

2005-10-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

For the second time in my life, I'm in the country where a plurality of my ancestors (over the past 500 years) were likely to have been born. Frankfurt is not an exciting city, but there is something in the stillness and firmness of many of their manners that reminds me of my family. Silence is comfortable to the people here; laughing and joking are not always welcome. And something about the German language and the accent with which they speak English makes every phrase, whether jolly or solemn, sound like a stern command.

Yesterday we were too exhausted to go out in the city. But tonight I hope that we'll stay in the city centre (Romer) for a nice meal and maybe a walk. I will make the best of my moments here, in the land of so many of my forebears.

From San Juan to London

2005-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

From San Juan to Reading

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind. In Puerto Rico, both the work and play were pleasant. After Puerto Rico, the weekend of 24-25 September was highlighted by a train/bicycle ride down to Brian and Tammy’s house to celebrate their 27th birthdays. Then, after a few days in the office, I went to San Francisco for a training seminar. On 29 September, I was able to dine in North Beach with my Uncle Tom. I then came to The Palacio for the weekend. I went to a Cubs game on Saturday and on Sunday I went to my parents’ house for an afternoon of family time.

The first week in October was very busy in the office as I tried to wrap up some of the last two months’ projects and get ready for the Ireland/England trip. One highlight of the week, however, was that I cooked my dinners and I worked out most every night. The one night I didn’t work out I think I had a very legitimate excuse: I went to see a White Sox playoff game against the Red Sox! I even got to sit in the skybox. The only downside was that my heart was not in it as I clapped for the home team. If only the Cubs will make it to the playoffs again… And why not next season?!

The weekend of 6 to 9 October was fun. Mark, Ceebs, Chico Blanco and I dined at one of our neighborhood’s new restaurants, Cuatro. Specializing in Nuevo Latino cuisine, Cuatro is a welcome addition to our ‘hood. On Friday I recovered from a long week, and on Saturday, my dear parents came down to the city for some breakfast and to help me clean The Palacio in preparation for my uncle and aunt’s visit. After cleaning, I went to Stephanie and Gilberto’s wedding. The service included some Spanish language and the reception included some meringue rhythms. Of course, I had fun! On the Sunday after the wedding I went to Brian and Tammy’s house for a Chicago Bears game. I guess the Bears lost, but Kaylin and Thor were quite adorable!

On 9 October I took an overnight flight to Dublin for a two-day review. For the first time in my work experience, I arrived in Europe on a Monday morning and went straight to work (after showering)… Let me say that this is not an easy thing to do! By the end of Monday, I was a walking zombie, and I fell asleep before 9:00 PM. Of course, Tuesday went very well until I found myself at 11:00 PM wide awake! I ended up getting one hour of sleep, and then enjoying an early Wednesday morning flight to London, with a subsequent drive to Reading, England.

By the end of Thursday in Reading, we realized that we would also have to go to Frankfurt to complete the job. So, what has already been a hectic week of work/travel will become more challenging tomorrow morning when I catch a 6:30 AM flight to Frankfurt. We’ll come back from Frankfurt on Wednesday morning… At the moment I want nothing more than to stay in one place for more than 4 days!

This Weekend in London
At least after a week of long flights, long days at work, and sleepless nights, I was able to enjoy a nice weekend with Arianna. She met me in London, and we enjoyed one of the world’s great cities together. She even lent me some of her Italian fashion sense as I bought an outfit to wear at the theatre on Saturday night. We saw “Fame,” I wonder if anyone will guess whose choice that was! I just dropped her off at Heathrow, and now it’s a little after 9:00 PM and I want nothing more than to sleep soundly for a long time!

Reflections
There’s something about dropping off someone I care for at London’s Heathrow airport and feeling as though this is normal, this is the train I’m used to taking, the airport I’m used to visiting. Yes, something about that makes me forget for an instant that I was actually born far away from here. Perhaps it was the combination of tiredness and the fact that I’m just finished with a week of long days at work, and I’m looking forward to a week full of flights, deadlines and more long days at work; but juxtaposed between these weeks was a weekend of fun … fun with a familiar person in a familiar place, but far from what has always been familiar to me.

Life certainly can be full surprises. I’m sure that four years ago if someone would have told me even a few of the things that I would end up doing, I would not have believed it. Yes, this ride has been amazing. And now I just hope, pray and dream about what I might be doing four years from today. In many ways the only limits are my own imagination and determination. So, now for a determined night of sleep to prepare for an opportunity to shine at my work this week in Franfurt, Reading, Basingstoke and, quite possibly, Blackburn…

Isla del Encanto

2005-09-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

For two nights in a row, I’ve gone for a night stroll along the beach behind my hotel. There is something about the sea, something in the way its waves steadily crash into the shore, something in the way it appears to go on forever into the horizon, something about touching the salty water and feeling the ocean breeze on my face, that brings contentment to my soul.

There is a power and a peace in the sea that brings me back to a proper view of myself. I feel so small as I consider the expanse of the ocean, I feel so powerless as I feel the remarkable strength of even a minimal undertow, and yet watching and being close to the ocean brings a wonderful quietude as I ponder its qualities and I reminisce upon previous moments in my life when I was also privileged to sit back and gaze upon these waters. Perhaps in this way the sea is also a great constant in my life, its qualities don’t change, even as I progress and regress through this life.

Alas, but the Caribbean Sea is not the only reason for which I find myself in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Indeed, I am mostly here at the behest of my employer to complete an audit of the local operation. It’s too bad, really. At least I’ll have this Saturday and Sunday to look forward to as my days on the beach!

Going back in Time to Labor Day Weekend
For the fifth late summer/autumn in a row, my cousin and I went to visit our uncle and aunt in San Mateo, California. Also for the fifth year in a row, we brought an adopted cousin, although this year we brought someone new to the tradition: Mark. No worries, though, Devlin (while in India) participated in our kickoff Friday evening dinner via one of the wonders of late 19th century technology … the telephone!

Chris, Mark and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner on Friday night courtesy of our Aunt Christine, who undoubtedly knows what she’s doing in the kitchen. Before, during and after our meal we shared great stories from the past year and plans for the years to come, as well as a good amount of lighthearted balderdash. After breakfast on Saturday, we nephews headed up to San Francisco for a day of shopping on Haight Street, and a night of dining (Left at Albuquerque) and revelry in the Union and Fillmore area of the city.

On Sunday Morning, we woke up relatively early and had breakfast at a place that proudly served the city’s best wheat cakes before we went up to visit our cousin and his boyfriend up in Duncans Mills. Duncans Mills is a charming little town of less than one hundred people. One hundred years ago, the town was full of the lumberjacks that would eventually clear the surrounding mountains of its old-growth redwoods, now it’s home to some of their descendants as well as some well-to-do Bay Area residents who come up to enjoy the area on weekends. We spent the afternoon lunching at our cousin’s place, then we kayaked in the Russian River, and finally, after dinner, we stopped at a bar in Guerneville before bidding farewell to our cousin and friends and heading back to the our uncle and aunt’s house.

On Monday we deservedly slept in a little, bummed around the house, and then spent a lovely afternoon visiting our cousin Justin and his family.

It was good to see everyone again. Unfortunately, I tend to see my west coast family only once or twice a year, but I like to think that we make the most of it! And if it wasn’t for these darn trips to San Juan, Puerto Rico I would certainly try to visit more often!!

Between Trips
Upon my return to the office on Wednesday, I rushed around the office to try to catch up on lagging issues before heading to San Juan. I almost caught up, but the point is that I made it to Puerto Rico. And now that I’m here, I’d like to take the opportunity to share that Puerto Rico might be one of the best places on earth to live. It’s tropical, Spanish is the official language, many people also speak English, Puerto Rican citizens are also U.S. citizens, and the economy is not overly reliant upon tourism as many other Caribbean nations are. The only downside might be that they do not get to vote for their head of state (the U.S. president), nor do they have representation in the legislative body that sets their laws (the U.S. Congress), but in exchange for that, they do not pay any federal income taxes. I don’t know about you, but I’d say that’s a pretty good deal… Hmmm… as I continue working on this audit, I just might have to do a little lobbying for a job!

TPHS High School Reunion and Beyond

2005-09-01T01:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, life got more interesting since that Yankees/Chi-Sox game a few Fridays ago! To say the least, the highlight of my ten-year high school reunion was the privilege of bringing my beautiful Italian friend (Arianna) as my date. She also stayed for a week in Chicago, working in the same office I work in, and through most of last week, we found time to spend together. The week ended on Saturday when she went with me, Ceebs and CTA Mike to a Cubs game. The Cubs lost, and the sun blasted us in the bleachers, but I would say it was still a beautiful day for a ballgame!

After an afternoon at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, I brought Arianna to O'hare, dropped her off for her flight, and then went to my friend Nick's house for a families reunion of sorts. His family and our family had a dinner to celebrate a sermon that he gave at his church in Tinley Park. I arrived late, but the Portillo's beef was great, and so was the brief camaraderie I shared with my family and his.

The highlight, of course, was seeing Kaylin now able to run around with reckless abandon! I've been a bad uncle and I've missed three weeks of her (and Thor's) progress, so I was quite shocked and amused to see her using her legs to eschew the comforts of laps and arms. Upon my arrival, she was placed on my lap, where she kindly remained for approximately 30 seconds before realizing that she'd rather be wandering on her own two feet!

After hanging out with the famiy and Nick's family, I went home and crashed. Last week was quite tiring, and I had no problem falling asleep early! On Sunday morning, I woke up and cycled up to Cold Comfort's with Chico Blanco. I ate some good french toast with maple syrup, and came back to The Palacio to spend most of the rest of the day at home.

Of course, Ceebs, Chico Blanco and I did manage to get out long enough to check out Zapatista's, the new Mexican restaurant down the street. Our first impression: good food, good price, great guacamole, margaritas taste right, but why don't they come in a traditional margarita glass??? Nevertheless, we'll all be back to this new neighborhood spot, I'm sure.

On Monday after work I went to the airport for a flight to Toronto. I checked in with the AA agent before I realized that I had not brought one important item: MY PASSPORT!!! Don't ask how, I simply forgot that my 1:45 flight to Toronto was an international one. Anyway, I called my gracioius cousin, who kindly took a taxi to O'hare to drop off my passport for me. He came just in the nick of time, and I ended up checking in and getting through customs and passport control with no problems to report!

On Tuesday I visited one of our warehouses and enjoyed a nice change of pace. After a long day in the warehouse, I went out on Queen's Street where I found some decent pizza and beer. I didn't stay out late, though, as I wanted to get back to the warehouse relatively early on Wednesday. Anyway, I ended up back in Chicago by 5:00 PM, and I took care of some errands around The Palacio before I went to meet Mark, Ceebs, and Chico Blanco at Tutto Italiano on Congress. We've all been talking about this restaurant forever so finally Chico Blanco took the initiative and got us all to commit to checking out the fare. We all liked the food, although we were a bit skeptical of the Albanian server. He certainly spoke better Italian than us, but, what does an Albanian know about Italian food? Regardless, it was worth the experience!

And that brings me to this moment. I stayed late at work today trying to catch up. It's no use, I won't catch up any time soon, but I'm getting closer. I've also managed to pack for the impending San Francisco / San Mateo weekend, and now I'm trying to fill Devlin's iPod so that I can send it before I head off for the weekend. Why do I procrastinate all of these tasks until the last minute? I'm not sure. If anyone has an answer, please advise! Either way, I'll hope to get it all done before I head west.

Tomorrow my co-worker will be kind enough to pick me up at The Palacio to take me to the office. I'll then leave at 12:00 PM for the airport to meet Mark and Chris for our 1:20 PM flight. As usual, I'll be flying business class, and I'll have to leave them behind in coach. Damn! -- I'm becoming quite the flight snob! But I swear it's not my fault, they upgrade me for free, what can I do!

But I'm realizing as of late that if I find another job, this era of travel perks will come to an end. I think I am ready for that, but, I'll wait an see. With the coming change of season and this weekend's visit to the west coast, comes an opportunity to sit bck, consider the year that passed, and receive advice, feedback and encouragement from loved-ones as I think about what the next year may bring.

And so I retire, it's been a long and fruitful summer and I look forward to the commencement of autumn. It's time to sit back and think about what this autumn and winter should bring my way, and our trip to San Mateo this weekend will be the perfect occasion for such thoughts.

Maxwell Street

2005-08-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last night after waiting 40 minutes for my luggage to arrive, I left O'hare and eventually arrived at The Palacio around 5:00 PM. Chico Blanco and I snacked on some of his tasty bruschetta before we left for Sox Park to see the Yankees play the White Sox.

Brian joined us there, where we saw the Sox lose their sixth game in a row! Now, I'm a Cubs fan, and I didn't feel quite right cheering for the Sox, but there is no mistaking the fun in hating on the Yankees. It was disappointing, therefore, to see the Sox lose.

After the game, we went to a new bar on Halsted and Maxwell Street. Talk about gentrification, this corner of Chicago used to be the home of the Maxwell Street Market and, I'm told, a place where Chicago blues thrived; now, this corner is a place where young UIC students and local young professionals gather to enjoy new restaurants, a bar, and even an ice cream parlor! I suspect that University Village (the area around Halsted and Maxwell Street) will quickly become the home to many new bars and restaurants.

Saturday Morning
In an email yesterday Devlin indicated he might call this morning, so I've been hanging around waiting for a call from Mumbai, but none yet. I have not heard his voice since early April, so it will be fun when I eventually do reconnect with him.

The day is not even half over, but the weekend is going well so far.

A Year of Anniversaries ... and Other News

2005-08-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

This May marked the fifth anniversary of my graduation from college and my ownership of Billie (my Mazda 626), and on this Labor Day I will complete my fifth year of working for a living. Also, ten years ago this June I graduated from high school, excited to leave TPHS behind and anxious to conquer much bigger challenges at UIUC.

The ten year high school anniversary is really quite insignificant. Mostly, my life since high school has been a lot better than my life in high school. And I only casually keep in touch with a handful of my old classmates, so I was ambivalent when the invitation to the high school reunion came in the mail. And, since it was going to be held in Oak Forest on a summer night (this Saturday); I hesitated to attend the event. Finally, at $88 per person, I could think of a lot of better ways to spend the night. But alas, the opportunity of a lifetime arose; a beautiful Italian friend of mine happened to be coming to Chicago in time to attend the reunion with me, and so what was going to be ritualistic and obligatory for me, became a chance to share an American cultural hurdle with someone who would truly appreciate a slice of the American experience.

It is with some regret, therefore, that I announce that the reunion has been cancelled due to lack of interest! I say some regret because with cancellation comes a refund check of $178 that I will try to put to good use. There is no need to email or comment with suggestions for the use of this money; I’m on top of it!

In Other News
Last week and this week I’ve been in Dallas. The people have been great and I’ve been enjoying the local Tex-Mex and BBQ cuisine, but the heat has been considerable. I escaped the Dallas weather (in the 90s) to come home last weekend. On Friday Chico Blanco and I met up with Mark, Ceebs, Tara and Nick for some drinks, and then Ceebs came to The Palacio for another couple beers on the balcony.

Saturday I did a deep-clean of The Palacio for the first time in too long. After that Chico Blanco and I went up to Arco de Cuchilleros for some good tapas, and then to the Hop Leaf for some good Belgian brews! After that I met up with Mark (who had just left the Kelly Clarkson concert, by the way) and others for a few more hours.

On Sunday I woke up realizing that I still had a lot of work to do before I could return to Dallas, so I had to skip seeing the family. But I did buy a 2006 GMAT study guide, and I’m on my way toward completing the exam by the end of this calendar year! It’s been hard to study in the summer, but I’m thinking I’ll buckle down in autumn. Although, now that I know where I’m going in September, I probably shouldn't say that!

By Land or by Sea

2005-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Whether by land or sea, I enjoyed myself this weekend. Saturday morning I went with Ceebs, Dave and Bob for a morning sail. There is nothing like the quietude of being on The Lake, pushed forward in a boat by nothing other than an easterly wind in the Windy City. Our wind supply was enough to keep the boat moving, which is as much as one could expect on a sunny mid-summer morning.

For the first time in my sailing experience, I jumped off the boat and swam in the open water! The water was surprisingly warm, and floating a mile from shore was a fun form of recreation, including a nice view of the skyline.

Saturday afternoon I hung out in The Palacio for a little while and then went to the Bash on Wabash, just around the corner. Ceebs' sister had her art on display there, so we checked that out and consumed food from some local enterprises, and then I went with Sovanski to his gig at The Black Spot. It was a small gathering of myself, a few of his good friends, and another musician from south New Jersey. Nonetheless, both Sovanski and the Jersey musician played a great set.

After the concert, we went to Dunlay's for some tasty food and beer, and then we retired for a relatively early night. The only problem was that I had been procrastinating quite a while on certain of my work obligations, so I had to burn a little of the midnight oil to catch up for next week. Will I ever cease to procrastinate? Hopefully some day when I grow up.

In any case, Chico Blanco and I woke up early this morning for a breakfast down in Bridgeport. We cycled down Halsted to Ramova's Grill, a 70 year-old diner, where our wheatcakes, omelette and coffee came to a whopping $10 before tip. And now I'm back in The Palacio, packing and cleaning up the place before an afternoon flight to Dallas.

2005-08-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

A Fun View from the Balcón de The Palacio

2005-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Dave and Me Swimming off the Boat in Lake Michigan

2005-08-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Grandma, Mom, Cousin Lisa and Me in The Bean

2005-08-07T07:51:00.001-07:00

The One and Only Ridda at Millennium Park

2005-08-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Me, and The Bean Under Construction

2005-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

A Critical Mass on Michigan and Van Buren

2005-08-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Waiting by The Picasso to start Critical Mass

So Much to Say for The Last Week

2005-08-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Let's start with Friday (the 29th). I came home early thanks to my employer's summer hours program! While I was changing clothes and taking care of a few tasks around The Palacio, Mark called to see if Ridda and I wanted to join Laura and him for an afternoon of gallivanting around the city! Of course we did!

I reviewed my Chicago bicycle map in search of a good route; I chose a few roads that would take us to Humboldt Park, Logan Square and then back to the SoLo. We met on 18th and State and headed down 18th toward Pilsen. On our way, we passed a dive that proudly served Old Style beer. Perhaps in a dare, I said, "Let's stop!" Mark obliged, and I couldn't back down, so, before we knew it, we were sitting and watching the Cubs beat the Diamondbacks at an empty bar on 18th and Union!

After one Old Style a piece, we headed through Pilsen, up Halsted and toward the Fulton Market area. On our way, of course, we stopped at Mario's for italian lemonade! We considered stopping again for italian ice, but we thought it was best to wait a day for that. When we arrived at Randolph Street, we saw the Chocolate Cafe, and of course we couldn't resist that either!

Anyway, after so much indulgence we proceeded to Fulton Market, where we found an antique store, and on our way out of the antique store, a random cyclist queried us, "Are you guys coming to Critical Mass?"

I had witnessed Critical Mass once in my life, about 5 years ago in San Francisco, but I had never yet participated. I quickly described the concept to Mark and we decided to join the movement. A quick phone call to Chico Blanco ensured his participation as well!

Mark, Chris and I joined at least 1,000 other cyclists at the Daley Plaza, where we began our takeover of the streets of Chicago! We circled around the Loop, went up Michigan Avenue, through the Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, and finally down Montrose Avenue to Montrose Beach. I must say that the event was great! And, it was nice to imagine that one day a further 'critical mass' of cyclists will change the nature of city transportation and the energy required to make city transit work. Some day...

After approximately 20 miles of cycling, we went for a well-earned dinner at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, and then we went to our respective homes. But, I must say, we all took a piece of the bicycle revolution with us!

Saturday, 30-July
It happens once in a while, a day about which I have no great expectations ends up rocking my life. Saturday morning I woke up, cycled to a new breakfast spot on Taylor Street with Chris and Mark, and happened upon a Pilsen community festival, but then had to return to The Palacio so that I could prepare for an afternoon Cubs game.

I took the El to Dave's place, where I enjoyed some afternoon sun at his pool with him and Raquel. We caught up on life, and then walked to Wrigley Field, where we met Bob. The four of us sat and enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the ballpark, if only the Cubs could have won, it would have been perfect! But, anyway, four gametime Old Styles ensured that the festivities would not soon end.

I am of the opinion that quantifying drinks, much like kissing and telling, is never called for, so I will just say that after the game I went with Bob and Dave to Wild Hare for some Reggae, Moe's Cantina for some Tapas, then we meandered through Wrigleyville and the Gold Coast to pass the rest of the night. I woke up Saturday morning with a slight cold, and this long day of fun ensured that I woke up Sunday morning with worse symptoms!

Sunday
After getting home by 1:45, then staying up a while to text message and call a friend, I did not end up waking up until 11:00 AM. Once I awoke, I got ready to go toward the suburbs, and Chris and I headed to my parents' house to see everyone, including Uncle Scott.

It was great to see Kaylin walking from uncle to uncle to dad to grandfather! She is growing up fast! And it was good to see that Uncle Scott is looking in great shape. I had a great time visiting my family, but then headed back to The Palacio for a quiet evening of recovery.

This week
The highlight of this week was Tuesday evening when I went with Olga to an Aterciopelados concert. Aterciopelados is a Columbian rock group that is extremely creative and critically acclaimed. As Olga and I were looking for a place to stand against the balcony before Aterciopelados took the stage, I ran into my old friend Max!

I had not seen Max in three or four years, but we used to hang out a lot back when we both studied abroad in Granada. We even went to Morocco together! But, life happens and we have simply not remained in touch very much in recent years. Nonetheless, it was great to see him and to meet his Venezuelan wife. We talked about trying to meet up soon to catch up in greater detail; I hope this happens soon!

Besides the Aterciopelados concert, I have laid low this week. On Monday night, Mark needed a car, so Billie and I took him out to the suburbs to pick up his golf clubs and go for a sushi dinner. On Wednesday my department went on our annual outing. This year it was a lunchtime cruise from Navy Pier, after the cruise, I took a long nap, and ended up going to bed early, mostly to try to recover from Saturday and Tuesday night.

On Thursday Chico Blanco and I watched the Brazilian flick "City of God". Talk about a great (and true) story! Sometimes its realism was painfully sad, but at the same time, the characters were very likable, and the story always gripping.

Today
That brings me to today. I had a hurried day at work, running around, trying to wrap as much up before I go to Dallas. I finally left the office and got to The Palacio by 3:00 PM. From there I immediately left for Millenium Park on Ridda, hoping to meet up with my mom, grandma, and cousin. They were in the City for grandma's birthday! (Happy Birthday Grandma!) They eventually found their way to Millenium Park around 4:00 PM; we walked around Pritzker Pavillion, the Lurie Garden, the BP Bridge, and of course we took a gander at The Bean!

After my they returned to the suburbs, Ceebs met up with me at Millenium Park, and of course we headed to the Park Grill, where Chico Blanco, The Murph and Mark eventually met us. After a few aperitifs, we headed to The Elephant and Castle for a good British dinner. Then, The Murph, Chico Blanco and I went with Leavitt to the Artist's Cafe for another beer.

Alas, Chico Blanco and I then headed south for The Palacio, where I now sit, writing this tardy update on the recent events of my life. And now, a tad before midnight, I will retire ... happy to have so many friends and family in my life, and the possibility of better things to come brings a smile to my face.

I've said it before, but I should say it again: Life is good.

A Quiet Night

2005-07-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight I finally invested some time looking into MBA programs and the GMAT. For a while, I've been thinking that Autumn 2006 would be a good time to go back to school, and ESADE is my first (and possibly only) choice for a school. It seems I have until springtime 2006 to complete applications for next year. Nonetheless, I need to get on a studying regimen for the GMAT so that I can take it this calendar year.

As I was exploring the ESADE website, I realized that in order to matriculate in the Spanish section of the their 18-month program, I must pass the DELE Superior test of Spanish proficiency. I hope that one of my local bookstores sells books for this purpose!

Another side project I am beginning is the learning of Italian. The results of our recent Milan audit ensure that someone in our department will return to visit that office within a year. In order to boost the odds that I am sent in that direction again, I would like to be proficient in Italian. This is one of the reasons, anyway, that I am now interested in the Italian language.

Quiet Week
After a busy weekend entertaining my Mexican friends, and then a fulfilling Sunday of visiting my family, and then after a lively and victorious Cubs' game on Monday night, I have enjoyed three nights of consecutive quietude. It's been good to sort through some documents at The Palacio, and equally beneficial to retire early each night as I awake at 5:30 AM for early mornings at the office.

Other Chicago News
Many of you should have heard about the Fordham Spire, a new skyscraper, designed by Santiago Calatrava, set to be built in the next 5-10 years (if the contractors can change the zoning of the land on the north bank of the Chicago River, along Lake Shore Drive). Can I just say that my Spanish blood is overheating with desire to see this project come to fruition! Of course, I am biased toward my fellow Spaniard and his work, but really, he is internationally reknowned, and his buildings are so much fun! Prices for one bedrooms will be at least in the US$600,000 range, so I don't think I'll move from The Palacio just yet, but I can dream!

2005-07-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Thor and Kaylin

2005-07-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Me with Luis, Carlos and Nitzia at Hop Leaf

2005-07-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Primos at Moda

Work, Ginger Ale, and a Late Night

2005-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today was an intense day at work, and for that reason I really enjoyed myself. I left at 6:45 having finished exactly what I wanted to finish. I wish every work day were like that! (except for the 6:45 part). Anyway, I then worked out, ran, and drove home.

On my drive home, I broke the law and called (without a headset) my colleague to see if he had arrived in Chicago. He is indeed here with two friends, they're staying just up the street from The Palacio. Of course, while I showered and was ready to go out for dinner at 9:00 PM, they asked to dine at 10:00 PM. And so, it seems they will be bringing their Mexican lifestyle to my life for a few days!

On a side note, I just tasted my latest (and first in a really long time) batch of ginger ale. I spiced this one up quite a bit, and I must say that it tastes good! Previously, my ginger ales were good for their strong, natural ginger kicks, but this time I'm really enjoying the complex taste. I daresay, when I start that brewery, I'll have to offer some ginger ales as well.

There is plenty to keep me busy around The Palacio, so now with the ginger ale tiding me over until dinner, I should get busy with those tasks!

It's Tuesday, and life is good

2005-07-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Life is good. It was a busy day at work, even though I probably spent too much time emailing (but, so long as I email good people, is that really possible?). After work I had an exhilarating workout, and now I'm eating some food from Whole Foods' fine kitchen. Presently, I will be trying my white-collar hands out on my kitchen food disposal, which requires a new thingamajig on the whatchamacallit. Lord help me!

Yes, this day was a fairly simple one, but fulfilling nonetheless. To repeat myself, life is good. Now, I've got to get back to living it!

2005-07-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

Kaylin and bluebird 2

2005-07-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Kaylin and a little bluebird

2005-07-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

The moon over State Street

Back in The Palacio Bello

2005-07-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

My taxi back from O'hare ran into some serious traffic, so I asked if there was an event. To my surprise, the Chivas v. Real Madrid game was slowing traffic all the way from the I-90/I-94 junction to The Palacio. I still arrived in time to shower and head to the game, only missing five or ten minutes.

Real Madrid ganaron!!! Asi que estoy muy contento!

Ahh, but after the game I enjoyed sitting on the balcony of The Palacio bello, where I took in a nice-looking waxing half moon, and a softly setting sun. And I reminded myself that la vita è bella. And so I'll retire for the evening content, having finished a lovely week in Milan and a good day in Chicago!

Heathrow is Beginning to Feel a lot Like Home

2005-07-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

Once again I did not make my connecting flight back from Europe! The details are boring, but the upside is that I'm at Heathrow where there is a flight to Chicago every two hours. If I make it on standby, I'll arrive to The Palacio only two hours late, which means I should still be able to attend the Chivas v. Real Madrid football match. Let's hope.

Reflections on Milano
Overall, I liked this city a lot more than I thought I would. I think the main reason for this was the hospitality of the locals. We went out for a long, Italian dinner every night, and the food, conversation, and caffe normali (espressos) were first-rate. Italy has jumped quite a few notches on my unofficial list of favorite countries.

Italiano
I find it incredibly fun to speak the Italian language. I am really horrible at it, but I love when I can just modify my Spanish, throw in some Italian phrases I know, emphatically move my hands around, and somehow be understood. Italian might be the most fun language to speak (and not only for the beautiful Signorinas! ... okay, but that does have something to do with it!)

Withdrawal
While I was in Milano, I drank an espresso (with sugar) three times a day. This, combined with the wine and the lack of sleep literally caused me to shake by the end of the week! I don't expect to drink any coffee for a while, and I'm concerned that I'll experience my first caffeine withdrawal. We'll see!

Okay, I've got to go to the gate to see if I can get on the 12:20 flight!

Milano -- without Luggage, but with Great People

2005-07-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

My luggage dallied for 48 hours before joining me in Milano. This is the second flight mishap in two months, but it caused some fun experiences. Okay, showing up to work on Monday morning wearing the same jeans, shirt and running shoes that I wore during my ten hours of flying was not glamorous. But, the Monday evening trip to a local clothing store (Celio) to buy a neat linen shirt and cotton pants was quite fun. Before dinner on Tuesday, I went to Zara where I bought another outfit, but it turned out that my luggage arrived during dinner that night. Nonetheless, I have some exciting new clothing and I fully expect British Airways to reimburse my expenses.

Our office in Italy has five full-time employees, and then some salespersons who operate in and out of the office. Four of the five speak English, and two of them have quickly become some of my favorite co-workers around the world. One of them has worked for our company about five years, including some time in the English office. Her goal is to work in America and it has been fun exchanging ideas and opinions of what she loves about America and what I love about Spain. For those of you who know me, imagine someone as fascinated about all things American as I am about all things Spanish. She even went so far as to say that she supports whatever we (the U.S.A.) do with our foreign policy. When I questioned this, she reminded me of the help offered by the U.S.A. to the Italian people in World War II. I still think skepticism toward the most powerful government in the land is preferable, but it has been fun to learn about her perspective as well as the perspective of several others during my time here.

Other than that, I tried horse meat for the first time on Monday night. In Spanish, "caballo" means horse, so when I asked what "cavallo" meant I had an idea of the answer. But when the financial manager responded by whinnying, an adventurous mood inspired me to try it out. What I didn't realize (I was caught up in the moment, I suppose) was that it was cavallo tartare. In my opinion, no land-based meat is tasty when it's raw, but I still ate the majority of my plate.

Tuesday night an American co-worker and I joined one of our Italian hosts at a hotel bar for some aperitifs, after which we went to a lovely alfresco pizzeria for dinner. Our dinner began at 10:30 PM! Late dinners were becoming a trend until tonight, when two American co-workers joined me and two British colleagues out for an Italian dinner that ended by 10:30 PM. Without our Italian guides, we really had a hoot trying to translate the menu. One would think it would be easy, but it was written in calligraphy and it contained so many proper names of sauces and cheeses that we understood only a few items. We finally received an English menu where we saw that one of the unidentified items was donkey. This time, I declined to be adventurous, but the risotto with funghi e formaggi was top-notch!

Friends from Around the World
Co-workers from two countries, Italy and Mexico, will be visiting in the coming months. After experiencing so much heartfelt hospitality in their home towns, I am thoroughly looking forward to showing each of them "My kind of town." A while back a friend shared a quote with me, "The world is small and round ... we shall soon meet again." I love that this is coming true for me in July and August 2005, and that it has been true so many other times in life.

Considerations
After more than three years of performing essentially the same job, and after having visited all but a few of my employer's world-wide locations; I was recently thinking that I should consider moving on from this gig. The recent 24-hour flight delay and luggage mishap certainly encouraged that notion. But now, as I'm getting to know a new operation, and after meeting a few more interesting people in this office, I am reminded of how much fun it is to work for this good, global employer.

No matter what eventuates, this summer is not over, and neither is my run around the globe. As I look back and look around, I certainly enjoy the view whence I am. It's when I look ahead that I realize that the path is not nearly as straight as an arrow. I can see quite a few potential curves and turns, and I'm quite excited by many of them. Returning to school? Working abroad? Working in the Loop? Only God knows how the rest of these Palacio Pages will be filled. And that is quite an exciting prospect!

Off to Bed, Looking forward to a Fun-filled Day!
Tomorrow will surely be a long day at work, after which I will join my co-workers for dinner. The dinner attendees consist of three Americans, three Italians and a British guy, who will soon transfer to Italy. This dinner is sure to be long and entertaining! And I've got to get to sleep so I can play my part at the table effectively!

Buona sera tutti!

Fun with Cooking, and Independence Day Weekend

2005-07-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

A long, long time ago, I was a more habitual chef, but today I prepared a meal in The Palacio for the first time in months. The meal of choice was a quinoa tabouleh, a very refreshing preparation that is cooling off in the fridge at the moment. I would promise myself to try to cook more often, but once the tabouleh runs out, I will be counting down the hours until I leave for Milano, and so I'll probably eat out until my flight on Saturday. Perhaps this is why a good friend of mine now calls me "Fat Alberto"?

The Last Few Days
The last few days my body was fighting a very subtle cold, mostly evincing itself via a ticklish cough. Luckily, it was not the sort of cold that kept me from work or fun. Forgetting work for a moment, the fun of the last few days included a dinner at Osys, pub trivia at Grace O'Malley's, dinner and a movie (Batman Begins), a brief sailing outing, and lots of cycling along the Lakeshore Path. Of course, I could expand on each of these moments, but I won't.

On Sunday, I was pleased to attend Thor's dedication at the church of my youth. I also broke a promise to myself and went to the Taste of Chicago. My brother and sister-in-law came to the Taste on Sunday with Kaylin, so I couldn't resist walking up to meet them. Then, in the interest of catching up with Ceebs and doing a little people-watching, I went back to Michigan and Randolph to see the Taste fireworks.

The one observation I'll make about the Taste of Chicago is that the percentage of obese people in the crowd is significantly higher than that of a typical American crowd. And, given the amount of money one would have to spend to over-eat on un-healthy food at the Taste, I now fully understand the ironic correlation of poverty to obesity in American people.

The Fourth of July
229 years after some mostly Anglo-Saxon Americans signed their names and pledged their lives and treasures to fight for American independence from King George III, I enjoyed a sunny bicycle ride, lunch and a quiet afternoon in The Palacio. I did re-read the Declaration of Independence, and I found the time to organize files and goals on the computer, but as the sun came closer to setting and the neighborhoods, municipalities and scofflaws began their fireworks shows, I realized that The Palacio's balcony was a perfect place to watch the firework shows.

So I grabbed a 312, turned on some bossa nova, and sat on my lawn chair, marveling at the show. To be honest, the highlight of the show was the sunset. Humans have spent years trying to match Creation's beauty, but the Creation will always please my eyes most. (And it doesn't leave a smoky cloud that nearly made Sears Tower invisible from my balcony!)

But back to the Fourth of July evening, as I sipped on a beer, reclining on a lawn chair, enjoying the view of fireworks and the sounds of bossa nova, I had a moment of quiet pride, pride in the good that the U.S.A. has represented, and the blessing it is to have been born here. As Astrud Gilberto serenaded me in Portuguese, the irony of the moment was not lost on me. I was watching the spectacle of fireworks in honor of American independence as I was enjoying some very Brazilian sounds. Maybe it's not so unusual; exposure to a variety of other cultures is one of the features of American life I enjoy the most.

This American life can be really interesting for those who take the time to listen and look around...

2005-07-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is why I went to the Taste this year!

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A Buckingham Fountain photo-op

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For some, it was more than a Taste

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Kicking back, watching some 'works

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Sunset on the Fourth of July 2005

A Few Days in a Nutshell

2005-06-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

I got back on Saturday afternoon, completed some mundane tasks, and then took a nap to prepare for a night out celebrating my cousin's birthday. We went to Liar's club, where we danced, drank and made a night of it.

On Sunday, Chris, Dave and I went to Marina Cafe for lunch (a place to which I definitely will return), and then Chris and I continued on to Kaylin's first birthday party.

Monday I didn't do much.

After work on Tuesday, I was pleased to notice that a rainbow was showing in the sky to the south east from my balcony! I snapped a photo and called a local friend to ensure that at least one other person witnessed the beauty.

I am too tired to write more now, but I have posted pictures.

2005-06-28T20:18:00.001-07:00

A rainbow in the east!

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Kaylin in the trees

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Kaylin tasting the myserious, colourful frosting!

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A happy first birthday for Kaylin!

From the Business Centre in Manchester

2005-06-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the 'scheduled maintenance' of one of Iberia Airlines' airplanes, I arrived three hours late to Frankfurt yesterday and missed my connecting flight. I spent the evening in Frankfurt and woke up early to take an alternative flight through Manchester to Chicago. I will hold back the words I would like to write about Iberia Airlines and suffice with saying that it is good to be back in the Anglo-Saxon world, and in the good hands of British Airways and American Airlines. I now feel much more confident of timely departure and friendly service for the duration of the trip.

I should land at O'hare at 1:00 P.M., only 21 hours after the scheduled arrival. And I will say that this is the first such delay I have experienced in 3 years of international travel. Let's hope this is also the last such occurrence.

Now, it's back to the comforts of the British Airways VIP lounge, with its free snacks and drinks. Sure, it's nice, but it doesn't make up for the missed time with friends on Friday night and Saturday morning... Don't worry, Primo, I still plan to see you at Liar's club, tonight.

A Good Day at Work

2005-06-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day at work, one of those days where I enjoyed every moment. I spent the morning at the warehouse just outside of Madrid, then returned to the office and spent a good 2 hours talking through some questions with the accounting supervisor in the office. He and I both enjoy peppering our work-related conversation with the occasional exchange of cultural differences.

Today's discussion (both work-related and personally intresting): vacation and other benefits. Everyone in the Madrid office earns 30 days per year, but this includes weekends. So, essentially, they earn 21.4 working vacation days per year. This is considerably more than I earn, but their extra public days off make the difference more pronounced.

Also, both vacation days as well as salaries and other benefits are negotiated on their behalf by their industry's trade union. Each industry has its own trade union, which negotiates many of requirements for salary and benefits from management down to warehouse workers.

And this is to say nothing of the 15.5 'monthly' paychecks they receive during a year. This is too complicated to explain on these pages!

Yes, it is these differences that sometimes enchant me and sometimes make me glad to call Chicago my home. Tonight, for instance, after appetizer, dinner, dessert, and coffee, we waited 30 minutes in a hot, smoky room for the bill. As I got impatient about leaving the restaurant after coffee, I realized that I am quite the harried American!

However, today, on our way out of the warehouse, I saw a warehouse worker driving a forklift with a few pallets of material on the fork. He was lackadaisical, not minding the bumps on the road up to the receiving dock. The best part of the moment was that he was casually smoking a cigarette as he drove the forklift into the warehouse. I wish I could have snapped a photo. It would have captured the Spanish carefree attitude, even if this same attitude is sometimes foolish, dangerous, and backwards, part of me admires it. All I can say is, "Viva España," and may the differences among nations and cultures continue to intrigue, inspire and make this world a wonderful place to live!

La Luna Llena from my Hotel in Madrid

2005-06-21T15:38:00.001-07:00

Don't worry lunatics, I took the time to admire the full moon tonight after dinner. I even gave a howl from the balcony of my hotel, though it was muted so I would not wake the neighbors.

2005-06-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Tio Pepe sign in Puerta del Sol

Mamma Mia … and Papa too!

2005-06-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

My weekend in Madrid was nice. On Friday, I continued my streak of opening restaurants when I got to Lia … Me at 8:15 P.M. and I was the first person to sit down! No matter, I enjoyed the Dominican fare. And, since it was Friday night, I even enjoyed the 30 minutes it took the staff to prepare the bill after I requested it. I guess trying to eat and leave in less than two hours is too much to ask from España! But, as they say, “No pasa nada.”

After dinner on Friday I walked around Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, enjoying the energy of a Madrileño night along the way. After a few hours of strolling, I went home for a 'relatively' early night.

Saturday morning I went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid’s third most important art collection. After that I lunched at Plaza Mayor, then wandered the shopping district north of Puerta del Sol and finally headed back to the hotel for a siesta. I rested briefly, reading and relaxing and then went out to see my first ever musical in Castellano…

Mamma Mia!!!
It was incredibly amusing to hear ABBA songs in Spanish! … “A vivir, A bailar, eres una fiesta sinfín!” -- That’s right, you’re the Dancing Queen! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get tickets to a Spanish production called, Hoy no me Puedo Levantar, which similarly puts Mecano’s music into the musical form. Perhaps this show will travel to Chicago?

On Sunday, I went out to the Rastro, Madrid’s flea market. It was fun to see the activity and variety that every flea market seems to attract, but I only spent an hour there before heading back to the hotel. Sunday was meant to be a zero day, and I did naught for the rest of the day, besides reading and catching up on a miscellany of tasks.

Papa Too
Of course, I also called my dear old Dad to wish him a Happy Father’s Day! One of the unfortunate parts of this dream job is that while Mom, Dad, the brothers, sisters-in-law and little ones are all hanging out, I am stuck in a far off land. It’s strange, but even being in the capital city of my adopted country, did not sufficiently distract my desire to be back with the rest of my clan. Alas, but in this day of emails, blogs and telephone calls, we are truly only a few touches of some buttons away from each other; and so it was nice to wish my Dad a great Father’s Day from this far off land.

Monday and It’s Back to Work
Our work has been productive. As I rehashed our findings to my manager, he shared my premonition that we will have to return to Madrid within a year or so to ensure they improve their practices. It's unfortunate for the Madrileños, but I won't mind returning to the land of rioja, tapas and sevillanas ... ¡Olé!

Guia del Ocio -- Local Knowledge

2005-06-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

A Spanish colleague just recommended a website for restaurants and entertainment in Madrid (and all of España): www.guiadelocio.com

With the help of this site I should be able to plan this weekend out pretty well. There is definitely something to be said for local knowledge! Of course, there is also something to be said for planning ahead, but I am simply running behind schedule in many areas of my life right now, including planning weekends abroad; I hope to catch up by the time I return from España...

La Oficina en Madrid

2005-06-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is my second time to the office in Madrid. Although smoking is allowed, and sometimes the air-conditioning does not keep up with the sun’s heat, I enjoy the office because I really like all of the people here. So it’s been good to see them again and to hear a steady flow of the Castilian brand of the language commonly known as Spanish.

Earlier this week, as I was saying hello to the accounting staff, several of them asked how Los Sanfermines were. Wow, I had almost forgotten! The last time I came to this office was in May 2003, when I was anxiously looking forward to running with the bulls in the streets of Pamplona. I guess these Spaniards were so impressed (and undoubtedly stupefied) that I was planning to run that they have not forgotten even after two years. Many of them claimed to have been watching the TV as the casualties were announced each day, hoping not to see evidence of this American named Tim being hurt.

I guess it is good to be remembered, whatever the reason!

La Venganza de Los Sith

2005-06-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I saw the third episode of Star Wars this evening. I think I enjoyed this one the most and those who know me well might guess why: I saw it in Castellano!!! Seeing Yoda speak in Spanish was my favorite part, though at times it was challenging to keep up with his turned around phrasing in my second language.

Fire, Tobacco and Nicotine
Several thousand years ago, mankind learned how to make a fire, and I’m sure that shortly after that he figured out how to smoke various substances with that same fire. The majority of mankind has been enlightened since then, armed with the knowledge of the residue in the lungs and veins of the smoker and the short-term and long-term health defects caused by this smoke. (Not to mention the damaged sense of taste and smell!)

Mankind in España has not got this message.

It’s not so much that I mind that others smoke. Truly, as a libertarian, I believe that each person owns their own self, and should be free to do as he pleases so long as he does not harm another’s self. And that’s my beef: second-hand smoke does harm another, actually several others.

So, since I certainly won’t complain about this at the Madrid office, where I estimate that I have inhaled the equivalent of three cigarettes in three days, I vent here in the Palacio Pages. It’s official, my number one complaint about España is that they allow smoking nearly everywhere, including the office. It’s vulgar, it’s disgusting, and it decreases the happiness and health of many while satisfying the urges of a few (okay, in España, more than a “few” smoke). God Bless California, New York City, Ireland and Ohio for banning smoking in public!

The two duties I expect of smokers are:
1) Avoid smoking into other people’s lungs.
2) Pay for the cost of the lifestyle choice either through appropriate
taxes on the purchase of the harmful substances or through modified
health/life insurance premiums to reflect modified health expectancy.

I think the same two duties, if applied to every other substance under the sun, would suffice, at least from the Law’s point of view. And then we could all be a little bit happier.

That’s my rant for the night. Besides this small complaint, I am quite happy to be back under the Spanish sun. And I will savor my smokeless night's sleep, as I look forward to another day of smelling the smoke at the office.

Back in España

2005-06-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

I ended up sleeping in quite a bit on Saturday morning in The Palacio, so when I got on the plane at 6:50 P.M., I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping during the flight. After catching up on The Economist and Newsweek, I actually watched some movies.

I started with Maria, Full of Grace. Wow! This story was amazing and depressing at the same time. I only wish it wasn't based on real life. Besides being a compelling story about a young Columbiana named Maria, the story reminded me of what I have believed for a long time: that the "war on drugs" as conducted by the United States causes more harm than good.

After Maria, I had to switch to something more light-hearted, Spanglish did the trick. I laughed out loud several times, trying not to stir any of my sleeping neighbors.

To continue with the Hispanic theme, I then watched Mar Adentro. Unfortunately, we landed just as Ramón Sampedro was about to publish his book. It was difficult to watch and get to like a character who is so adamant about ending his life. I wish he didn't feel that way, but the movie makes it difficult to hold the position that a government should prevent him from fulfilling his wishes.

In Madrid
My co-worker and I walked around Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. We browsed around in an El Corte Inglés, and dined at a great Jordanian restaurant. For those who don't know, España has experienced great economic growth in the last decade, which has brought many North Africans across the Mediterranean Sea to fill unskilled jobs. An excellent side-effect of this trend is the abundance of great Maghreban and other Arabic restaurants. I plan to probe more of these establishments before I leave!

Un Poco en Castellano
Pues, estoy encantado estar otra vez en mi segundo país. Aunque Madrid no sea mi cuidad favorita, en estos días voy a tratar de buscar lo bueno de ésta ciudad, la mas poblada de España. Seguro que podré disfrutarla de alguna manera, y mientras tanto, gozaré escuchando, viendo y viviendo un poco de la vida española.

This week in June

2005-06-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

The week at work was intense as I tried to wrap up 4 weeks of projects and tried to sort my thoughts out for the upcoming project in España. On Wednesday, I spoke briefly with the finance manager in Madrid and I must say that I'm excited to be surrounded by the Castillian accent again!

After work, the week was very pleasant and relaxing. Chris and I caught the sunsets on Tuesday and Thursday evening. This is probably one of the best features of living at The Palacio, to be sitting on the balcony in the summertime, with a bottle of beer in hand, just watching the sun go down and talking about the various experiences life has brought our way.

On Wednesday evening I went to dinner with a long-time friend Carrie. We met back in Granada, España, and have each gone on to use our Spanish language skills in interesting ways. She has followed her heart and passion and worked with children of all sorts in some very admirable ways. It's always inspiring to see a friend following her passions.

A Day Off in the Life
In gratitude for some long and intense days in México two weeks ago, my boss gave me a free day off on Friday. As I planned for the day, I got a little carried away with the itinerary, but I think I followed in the spirit of Daniel Burnham, Chicago's famous architect and urban planner, who once said, "Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men's blood ... make big plans, aim high in hope and work." Even for a day of fun, those words rang true for myself and my friend Natalie.

We awoke early to observe the sunrise over Lake Michigan at 5:15. We then marveled at the quietude of Chicago's early morning, before we rode bicycles up to Ann Sather's for some great Swedish pancakes, meatballs and waffles (not to mention her famous cinnamon rolls!) By 9:00 AM, we were on MJ (one of Chicago Sailing Club's boats) on our way out of Belmont Harbor.

We sailed for three hours through steady winds on Lake Michigan, enjoying the stillness and silence of the morning. While we were sailing, it was easy to forget the hustle and bustle that must have been occurring only a few miles away among the landed folk. Indeed, sailing was the perfect way to get away from it all for a moment and rejuvenate myself for another two weeks of working abroad!

After sailing, Natalie and I rode our bikes south from Belmont all the way to 31st Street beach. It should surprise no one familiar with Chicago that the color of the skin on these beaches changed drastically between Ohio Street Beach and 31st Street Beach. As we lay on the 31st Street Beach, it was hard to imagine that we were in the same Chicago that also is home to Ann Sather's and Belmont Harbor up on the North Side. Besides the skin-color, the language, behavior and the apparent income level were also markedly different.

It is amazing how persistent Chicago's color and economic divide has been. Nonetheless, I hope for a day when the colors are more intermixed, whether on the beaches, in the neighborhoods, or even in sports and in the working world. Perhaps in a humble way, Natalie and my afternoon on the 31st Street Beach, chipped a little piece off of the dividing line.

After the beach I came back to The Palacio, showered and took a 20 minute siesta until Chris came home from work. He and I then met Mark and Tracy out for Happy Hour at Rivers in the Loop. By the time I got back to my bed on Friday night, I fell fast asleep.

That's all I have for the week. Now I've got to put my luggage together and head to my favorite country outside the United States. I won't complain!

2005-06-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday's sunset from The Palacio's balcony.

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The sun also rises (a view from the east side of the Adler Planetarium)

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Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán, soy capitán, soy capitán!

2005-06-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Tres amigos celebrating happy hour at Rivers in the loop.

Birthday celebration at Mi Tierra and Nacional 27

2005-06-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Out of respect for my life-long interest in latino culture, many of my friends and family met me out for dinner at Mi Tierra and dancing at Nacional 27 on Saturday night. Mi Tierra was great! The highlight was seeing many of us (including my Mother and Grandmother) get up for the Conga line. Mi Tierra is pure Mexican fun, and it did not disappoint on the night of my birthday.

After dinner, Jason, Ceebs, Tara, Alex, Natalie, Marlena, Joan and Maria came over to The Palacio for a drink and some views of summer lightning storms from the balcony. Everyone except Ceebs, Tara and Alex continued on to Nacional 27 for drinks and dancing. Several others were already sipping on mojitos by the time we arrived at the club.

What can I say? Every time I go out dancing, I think to myself that I need to go out dancing more often! I had a blast. Even if I haven't improved as much as I would like with my salsa, merengue and bachata skills, I've learned that to have fun on the dance floor, it's not as important to know the exact steps as it is to smile and try my best. Many thanks to those who were kind enough to follow my lead on Nacional's dance floor!

Sunday
Chris and I went out for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's in the west loop. The place has been open since 1923 and the food was superb. It's only 2 miles away from The Palacio, so we returned on foot and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the Loop and along Michigan Avenue. This helped to burn off the bacon and pancakes I over-indulged on and make room for lunch!

After breakfast, I headed to my parents' house for a birthday lunch. My brothers, sisters-in-law and sobrinos were all present and accounted for. I saw Kaylin for the first time in about seven weeks. She and Thor are growing so fast. It's a delight to share some moments of their budding development.

I visited with the family until about 5:30 when I headed back to The Palacio. Soon after I got back, Chris and I went for another walk, this time to da 12th Street beach over dare by da' Adler Planetarium. (I'm sorry, I just spent a few hours mimicking a strong Chicago accent and my writing has been overcome by this thought pattern! I'll stop that right now.) Chris and I were joined by our friendly neighbors, Marlena and Natalie, who pretended to be amused by our exaggerated Chicago accents. All told, we each enjoyed some splendid lake, skyline and sunset vistas. And on this hot and humid Chicago day, I was particularly thankful for the cooling effects of Lake Michigan.

It's been a great weekend. Now I've got to get back to the business of being 28!

2005-06-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Chicago from 12th Street Beach

2005-06-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Chris and me at the beach

2005-06-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our shadows on the beach.

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Kaylin and Tio Tim

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Kaylin and Tammy

2005-06-05T19:35:00.001-07:00

Kevin proudly holding his son.

2005-06-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Kaylin and Thor, figuring it all out.

2005-06-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

My parents and I at the dinner table.

2005-06-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Grandma, bailando in the conga line.

2005-06-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Natalie, Chris and I marching in the conga line at Mi Tierra

2005-06-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Feeling 28 on the balcony of The Palacio