New Threads

Today I have clothes. For work, that is. I went to the mall with my dad and my girlfriend and got myself some new threads! Not much to say about it other than I really like what she helped me pick out. Here's most of what I got:

A New Start to a New Day

This morning I woke up and checked my email. I got some interesting messages about Obama being inaugurated. Now, I was sure that I had read somewhere something about it being in the afternoon so you might understand my surprise when I log on to Twitter just to find a bunch of comments about the the inauguration! So I quickly turned on my TV to catch maybe half of Obama's speech.

I should clarify that I'm not real big on speeches but I really liked this one. He was very clear about what his goals are and didn't beat around the bush a whole lot when addressing things like the economy and water boarding (a.k.a. Torture).

While I'm sure that the poem that was read by, I believe, Elizabeth Alexander was good enough (though it didn't strike me as great) the actual reading of it was just awful. It was like a moribund moment that just wouldn't die! It just comes to prove that being able to write is not the same as being able to read.

The benediction on the other hand was deep, witty, well thought out and, despite the limited amount of time allotted, very dynamic. It was very refreshing to hear someone who is a good orator speak.

All in all it was very enjoyable and joyous experience.

I share with you a photograph of the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama by Jmtimages on Flickr.

Apples Galore...

So you'd think that apples had suddenly appeared at a dime a dozen, the way today went. Before lunch I decided to make some apple butter which I had bottled and in the fridge by 5 pm. After that I went to watch Valkyrie with my dad. I have to say that this is by far my favorite Tom Cruise character. Maybe just the first viewing, time will tell if his performance can stand the test of time.

But I digress. After the movie I decided to make apple pie. Also turned out reasonable well. At some point in the middle of this flurry of activity I managed to put together a little something for Susan.

In life and in Death....

Today I went to a funeral. It seems that Dora Amalia died. Since I imagine that you don't know who she is, I'll explain. She was one of the founding members of VSA arts Guatemala. She had an undergrad degree in psychology and was a choreographer for the wheelchair dancing. In the picture above is a group of wheelchair dancers with her facing the camera.

We met August when for our graduation project my group had to make a social communications plan for VSA arts Guatemala. Dora Amalia was everywhere and her enthusiasm and helpfulness was unparalleled.

Just a few months ago she helped me by appearing in a 30" TV ad (below). It took us about 25 takes adn 45 minutes to get these 30 seconds. It's really strange to have so recently recorded someone that died. It's really hard to wrap my mind around.

Well, I guess that it's better to wish her Bon Voyage than to dwell too long on the tragedy that was her death. She lived well and accomplished much. So to her I say:

"May they rest in the company of the saints,
and their sons and daughters with them."

-Irish Blessing for the Dead

On seaside seafood....

So looking over the past posts I realized that I actually didn't mention my trip to Monterrico, so I'm going to go ahead and take advantage of this moment to go into it. Monterrico, for those of you who don't know, is a little town on the beach in Guatemala. A few posts ago I mentioned that I was going to go, and I did. It was absolutely amazing.



I had the greatest time in a little cabin mere feet from the beach at a place that had two pools. We walked, we chatted, we ate and had a great sunset. Now I don't usually post so many pictures but I just couldn't help myself. I'm afraid I don't have the restraint that I'd need to post the usual one.

Now I'd hate to fall into the whole "let's look at my pictures thing" and I think I at least have the restraint not to do it. Just to share though, I went with my girlfriend, her sister and a friend. As you might imagine it was quite the adventure. Well, in a sense.



You see, for me there's no greater adventure than not knowing what you'll be doing in a few minutes, where you'll eat or what you'll see. Now that really freaks some people out, but I feel like that's an integral part of any decent vacation.

So that's about pretty much it for that. I couldn't really figure any other way to post the pics with out coming right out and saying "look at my pictures" and I like to keep posting frequently enough to keep y'all on your toes wondering if there's anything new, and to hopefully give you something to lighten the mood for a few minutes.

Now, I also promised that I would share the picture of my fish and shrimp, so here it is:



Good bye and until next time!

Unexpected Surprises

So today after church I had the odd experience of having someone come up to me and tell me that one of my pictures is in this months "Revue" (English language magazine. Page 12, bottom. January 2009 edition "Revue Magazine").

My parents and I picked up an issue from a nearby stack and started leafing through. Of course by now I've remembered that I did indeed hear that revue was looking for photographs so I sent a few in. It was a little hard to find because I didn't actually have any idea which one they actually used. Turns out that they picked out the one included in this post.

Oddly enough the person who let me know is friends with the wife of one of the participating photographers (and a friend of mine).

While reading through kitty's blog (Design Backslash), I just couldn't help but notice how few degrees of separation we have between us here in Guatemala city. This isn't the first time I've had this kind of experience. Let me know if you agree/disagree or have anything to add!!

The beginning of a new year.

So a new year begins. This has been absolutely amazing! The first thing was that Susan, the love of my life has agreed to be my girlfriend. This happened on January the third. This may seem rather mundane but the truth is that this has been a long time coming. I've really had to wait for it but she's completely worth it.

The other thing is that after quite a few weeks of sitting on pins and needles, turns out that I got the job that I've been waiting for. It's by far the most formal job I've ever had (by a long shot) but I think that it'll be a very positive experience.

So that's it for today. Thanks for reading!!