feeling like a wee bit of a catch up

so after a year and a half in far and forgoetten lands, i've fallen from the sky into the fair chocolate city of washington dc. i'd say that things are as they were, but oh no, my strange and confused readers; things are different in a way that is dark yet dusty. in a way that drives one between utter depression and average happiness.

people.
aren't here. the ones that are here aren't necessarily the people i want to be here. or the people i want them to be.

places.
i'm going to have an endless ability to brood and ruminate on the state of the universe in my new studio apartment that costs -<= $1,155 =>- a month. double when i paid before living in dc previously. grr. they used to have a roof deck but somebody jumped off it. that closes doors pretty quickly!

things.
for work i have to buy a car. anybody know somebody who has a running example of the paragon of our modern society's development. i'd appreciate the referral. i also don't own crap and an gonna be broke after apartments/cards. should be able to find a bed, but things will be quite minimalist.

external things.
a snoozey couple weeks is on the way.

Back?

I'm back in DC.

Semi-sick.

Cold.

Searching for apartments that are entirely too expensive.

Hmm...

...and counting

I return to this US this Friday, and the anticipation is killing me!

Costa Rican National Beach Volleyball Championships

I was jogging this morning (this fact never ceases to shock even myself) and came across an event in the Costa Rican National Beach Volleyball Championship. 4 Court, men, woman, and sand. The odd thing was that these beach volleyball championships weren't even near a beach--they were in the park across the street from my house.

As per usual there was reggaeton blasting, people semi-paying attention, and bits of trash breezing across the courts every once in a while. I'm no student of the sport but the quality was--to put this nicely--variable at best.

Playa Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

El fin del camino

My departure date from Costa Rica is inching ever closer. On some levels I'm feeling extremely excited to be heading back to DC; a city I wasn't sure I'd ever live in again.

On other levels I'm nervous about what comes next. Will I fall into a rut doing the same things that drove me out of the city, or will the experiences of the past year or so have some profound and deep-seated impact upon my psyche, thereby causing me to change things up? No way to tell right now, that's for certain.

Flavours of the moment--some old, some new:
- Jamiroquai (so 90s!)
- Imperial
- Nerds

Upending the pyramid

It's been a bad food month for me. Primarily, it's been a month of idiotic and uncontrollable cravings; for example, tonight my initial plan was a dinner consisting of:
- Cucumber Rolls (12 pc)
- Carrot Cake (1 slice)
- Ades brand Apple/Soy Milk Beverage (several glasses)

After my plans were foiled by the ever-so-less-surprising lack of one-or-more items (see: Cheerios shortage/San Jose/circa odd periods 2005), my dinner ended up being:
- McDonalds French Fries (large)
- Carrot Cake (still 1 slice)
- Trapiche Pinot Noir - Mendoza - Argentina (half bottle)
- Campbells Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup (one can)

Balanced diet, my ass. Maybe I'm pregnant.

North of Malpais/Santa Teresa

Where I spent New Years Eve Day...

Food coma

A Peruvian friend just cooked up a massive lunch this afternoon; I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open and it's only a little past 5 o'clock.

Entrada: Papas a la Ocopa - slices of potato covered with Ocopa, which is a greenish sauce unlike anything I've ever had before. The oddest ingredient was "Black Mint", which to my palate tasted nothing like mint.

Plato Fuerte: Carapulca con Cerdo - essentially this was fried pork with "papas secas" or dried potatos. Delicious, with more than a hint of both garlic and onion. To prepare you first take the seasonings/dried potatos and boil in water for a bit of time. Next, you lightly fry the pork (or chicken or steak) in some oil, and then add to the reduced potato mixture. Serve over plain rice, and ya esta!

Digestivo: Mate de Coca - this was a type of tea made from coca leaves. Contrary to what you might think, in conjunction with the food it had a distinctly narcoleptic effect on me. I suppose the Pisco Sour and Cristal (beer not champagne) that I consumed *might* have played a role in the sleepiness, but let's just blame it on the food and coca.

Getting sleepier...need...a...nap.