Friday, March 31, 2006

Abstract Photo of the day

It's Friday, I'm working Saturday and going to a funeral Sunday. Saturday we're broadcasting from a department type store, I plan on buying a plain white dress shirt and black shoes for my suit, which I seldom wear. I have two good suits, one black and one tan. Last time I wore a suit I was shocked by how small the shirts had gotten. They must have shrunk, hanging in the closet un-worn for so long. Ha ha!
Here is my abstract photo. It is lights on a ceiling.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Iliana De La Cruz











Last night I went to the memorial service for Iliana, the girl who died in a car crash. Her funeral is Sunday. There was a photo slideshow and a lot of recordings of her voice from the Youth Flex radio show. It was very emotional.
I remember every week at the end of the show she'd almost always say "Granny! I'm coming home! I hope you have some food for me when I get there!" And I'd always tell her after the show "Ili, you shouldn't say that on the air, it doesn't sound good" Then the next week, she'd say it again, looking at me, with this twinkle in her eye and this sly smile on her face.... After meeting her Granny, I understand how it was OK for her to say that on the air.
I wish I could experience it just one more time.....

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Abstract Wednesday

Today is my split shift hump day. I like it.

My boss retired yesterday. Today is the first day without him. The new boss is exactly the same, only he's a she. And she gives me more freedom to do things my way. The trouble with me, if you give me more freedom, I'll get into trouble. Give me enough rope. I'll hang myself. Another thing about the new boss, once her mind is made up, it is made up. No amount of logic and reason can change her mind. Just like a typical female! ( I mean that in a good way!)
Weeeee shallll Seeeeee how things go, on a day-at-a-time basis. I think overall she'll be an improvement.

Last night I was sorting through some old photos. I found this, one of the ones I consider abstract. I need to look up abstract in the dictionary, I realize I don't know exactly what it means!
Here it is, from one of my favorite websites, Answers.com

ab·stract (a(b-stra(kt', a(b'stra(kt') adj.

1. Considered apart from concrete existence: an abstract concept.
2. Not applied or practical; theoretical. See synonyms at theoretical.
3. Difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract philosophical problems.
4. Thought of or stated without reference to a specific instance: abstract words like truth and justice.
5. Impersonal, as in attitude or views.
6. Having an intellectual and affective artistic content that depends solely on intrinsic form rather than on narrative content or pictorial representation: abstract painting and sculpture.

Uh, I guess so, I mean, exactly what I thought! Except for the intellectual part. Ha!
Have a great day!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Snorkeling video

This should be a link to a video. I'm setting up a new photo account at a place called Photobucket. I'm still mad at Yahoo and Flicker, because of my MarkD60 account screwup.

laziness

I think I've posted about this before. I'm lazy.
Yesterday, something at work came up and I had to skip lunch. Luckily, I was able to take off early.
When I got off, I was excited, it was over 4 hours till sundown. I could have done a lot. Diving, beach, kayaking- a whole lot can be done in 4 hours.
But when I got home, I didn't leave again. It happens not infrequently. I plan on coming home, just for a sec, and then heading right back out, but when I get home, I find that I don't leave again. I know it will happen as I am driving home but it happens anyway.
Sunday, after the botanic park, I came home "just for a minute" and ended up staying home all day. Sleeping on a Sunday afternoon! I'm wasting my life.
The answer, I know, is to not go home after work, but I tell myself I have to walk the dog. Even though I know I'm early and he can wait till the normal time at least. I tell myself I don't want to leave my laptop in the car while I'm at the beach, but I've done it many times with no problems. It has a good padded bag and doesn't even get hot in the car. And I can't allow myself to worry about someone breaking into my car and stealing it, that's crap. Life isn't about sitting around, guarding ones possessions. There's always scuba tanks and wetsuits in my car anyway, I never seem to worry too much about THAT getting ripped off!
I go home, for just a second, end up staying, then hate the way I feel.
And I know it's going to happen before it happens and it happens anyway.

I want a college degree, but I don't want to enroll in college. I want to sail a sailboat solo around the world, but don't want to take sailing lessons. I want to be an expert at something, without ever being a beginner. It's laziness, lack of self discipline. It disgusts me.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Let me tell ya

I don't want to go to work today, I just want to go back to bed. Yesterday, I didn't end up painting, I ended up with a pickaxe and shovel and wheelbarrow and I was moving some earth in a new iguana pen because the iggys could have jumped from the mound to the top of the wall. Then, after I got home and since it was cloudy, I took a nap. I didn't wake up till about 5:30 and wasn't tired at bedtime. I woke up at 2 and was kind of in and out after that. Now I just want to stay in bed.
Here's a pic of a frog that was on the door at work last week. Looks like he still has a little tail! (It's kind of gross actually.)

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Cloudy Sunday

I'm eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and typing. This morning I'm going to paint a fence at the Botanical Park.
Here it is very cloudy and very cold. 70's
Yesterday I got called into work. It wasn't a bad day for it, if there's any such thing as a day suitable for working.
Don't worry, it will be nice and sunny tomorrow just in time for Monday!

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Rainy Saturday

Its cloudy and rainy, supposed to get worse before it gets better. It's actually just sprinkling. I should clean my apartment. Or go take a nap.....

Friday, March 24, 2006

Old Dogs

I got my cell phone fixed. They put a new SIM card in it. I still have the same number.

I feel very groggy this morning. I went out on my kayak yesterday and my shoulders hurt a little this morning. Also last night I rode my bicycle a little too.

I've been reading Lentula Vitae's blog. Lately she's been posting about the ill health of her dog. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my dog. My dog is 5 but I still think he's a puppy. He seems so "new" still. But he has a lot of grey under his chin and I keep getting reminded how old he is getting. I don't know what I'm trying to say. I don't want my dog to get old and die. Or yours.

The good thing is that it's FRIDAY! I am painting a fence Sunday at the Botanical Park. I don't really have plans other than that. I am really really glad it's friday.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

hmmmm

I'm at work, just dropped the OI girl at the airport. It was nice seeing her. She kept dropping little hints, like "when we get our house". hmmmm
I've got a little work to do.
So I'm going to go.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

New Girlfriend

No not me, my dawg.
Walking the dawg this morning, he met this girl dog. He was really coming on to her and she followed us home. She might be the mother of
PePe, the neighbors dog I was calling Gargantor. Now she's outside, and won't go home. I guess she's pretty hot, for a girl dog, big ol dangling boobies, and nice perky erect

ears

(what did you think I was going to say?)
Maybe I'll get a picture of her later.

The OI Girl is here, still sleeping. And I'm going to get more coffee.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

No news is good news

I can't think of anything to post.

I went to get my phone fixed yesterday and they wrote down my symptoms, same as everyone else who has a phone like mine, and the customers who have data service. I didn't get mad, I didn't kill anyone and no Digicel employees were harmed by my visit.

The OI Girl arrives tonight for two nights and a day, I have the day off tomorrow.

Yesterday was a good day at work, I feel better when I'm productive. I can sometimes get away with this:
And then I notice that I don't feel as good. People don't do the right thing because they are good, people are good because they do the right thing. I have noticed that things go my way more when I am a good boy.



Special note to Carnealean: I think the only reason they said that the evening of the 19th was the best night to view Saturn was because the 20th was the equinox, which means that the Earths equatorial plane crossed its orbital plane. I don't know what difference it could possibly make for someone looking at Saturn through a telescope. So if you have a chance to look through one of those big observatory scopes, then by all means do it! And tell us about it!

Ciao for now!

Monday, March 20, 2006

things work out

Today will be a busy day. I got a lot done last week, but today I have to tie up some loose ends. So I'll be out running around out in town this morning like I did on Friday. Which is good!
It turned out to be a really nice weekend even though I didn't dive. I got a call from an old friend who came to the island on vacation, and he had plans to go freediving with a friend who works at the dive shop. Small world, funny how things like that work out. I told him I was already freediving with this girl and we'd try to make it. Then I called her and asked if we could go with him, she said she wanted to go later and couldn't make it that early, so we rescheduled (her idea). Then I went to the beach and when the time came to go, I didn't feel like going, so I didn't. I just stayed at the beach all day. I really don't want to see an ex girlfriend, especially just the two of us, alone.
While I was at the beach, I went snorkeling with my camera, I took some pics. Blogger is giving me a hard time uploading them.

A gold and black lobster

A snapper. Last night a friend stopped by to show me a fish he caught, I think it was the same fish!

Last night I went back to the beach with my binoculars and looked for Messier Objects. I want to try to find all the ones I can see with binoculars. Now I can lay on the beach all day AND all night!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Red Eyes

I went out with my binoculars to the canals where it's nice and dark. I could shine my light down into the water and see many pairs of red eyes.... spooooooky! And there were big creatures splashing in the water that I never saw! With the binoculars, I saw a lot of cool stuff, but you know what? They make me want a telescope!

Yesterday morning, at exactly 5:16AM, my phone started receiving text messages. "Your SIM card has been updated by Digicel. Please turn your phone off then back on again". I turned it off and on and started getting messages "You have new messages, Please dial 123" I'd dial 123 and have a message of someone hanging up. This happened several times before I quit dialing 123 and playing their games. Around 11:00, wondering how late the OI girl is going to sleep, I pick up my phone, and find I have a voice message from the OI Girl, funny, the phone never rang. Using my house phone, I called my cell phone, and it goes straight to voice mail and doesn't even ring. Basically, they messed with the system and my Treo doesn't work now. My old Nokia does. I called and complained, but nobody got back to me. I'm a little P.O'd!! Plus they had to do it at 5 on a Saturday morning.
story to be continued....
T
his afternoon I'm supposed to go freediving with that girl. I don't really want to.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Good Saturday Morning!

It's Saturday! I am up and the coffee is brewing, I'm waiting for "the sound" that lets me know it's done.
Nothing to post about today. Yesterday was a great day at work, I got a whole heap of "little things" done, and I got us off the backup transmitter and back on out main transmitter. (That's a big thing)
I was supposed to go diving this morning, but my buddy cancelled, (SSDD). So I guess it will be a beach day.
Here's a pic I took the other day. It's supposed to be kind of abstract.
Have a good weekend!

Friday, March 17, 2006

The Snooze Button . . .

. . . is an evil device. This morning I apparently hit it more times than I remember, and now it's late! I want to be awake, not asleep! When I am sleeping, I think I want to be asleep, but I don't really, its an illusion or a dilusion, I'm not sure which. Life is too short for sleeping. I got my first cup of coffee at 5:52 this morning. When I went outside it was already light, almost sunrise! What a waste of the day! What if this had been a weekend, instead of a workday? I'da wasted almost a whole hour of my day off!
he Heee HEEEE! If you're wondering if I'm crazy, I am!! EYE YAM!!!

Last night I watched the International Space Station go over in its orbit. It was very bright, unmissable. I said it before and I say it again, go to the Heavens Above website, create and account, enter your city or location, and you will have all kinds of cool information. If you live in a dark area, you can see sattellites every night. If it's not so dark, you can still see lots of cool stuff.
I am soooo glad it's Friday. I have a lot to do today, because all week I've been putting off (rescheduling) the little things till today. Now I go to work, get the van, and fun around and do work related errands at least all morning, maybe on into the afternoon. Nothings better about my job than not being there!

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Thursday already!

Yesterday was an OK day. I had a good beach lunch hour. I sunburned my nose and the top of my pointy head. I took this picture from my car on the way back to work. I think I've taken pictures in my car from this spot before. It's just a cruise ship, but they are huge! This isn't even a particularly big one!
(Of course already you know, click to enlarge)

The talk show wasn't as emotional as I'd feared. We played a lot of cuts from wen she was on the show, but the show wasn't only about her.

On the way home, not yesterday, but the day before, I stopped and took this picture of the sunset. I was getting home late and stopped because I've been trying to get a picture of the greeen flash, but there wasn't one. The green flash occurs at the last possible instant before the sun drops below the horizon. this is just one of many many nearly identical pics I took.
I'm drinking a cup of coffee made from the first bag of Costa Rican coffee I've opened that I brought back with me. It's very smooth, I think it's a little weak. Tomorrow I'll use heaping scoops instead of level ones.
Yesterday evening I got a call from an old girlfriend. She wants to go freediving this weekend. I said Ok. I'm not interested in her any more. Her best friend, our mutual friend, has left the island. I don't know what she's been doing, but I think she hasn't been freediving since the last time we went. Nothing is going to happen, in case you're wondering.
Another week has flown by! It's Thursday already! Today I have to make it out for some transmitter work. Also, I'm trying to get pcAnywhere to work but am having no luck at all..
Well, that's it for now! Have a great day!!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

the old days

It's Wednesday morning, the week is flying by! Yesterday was the full moon, and I'm looking forward to a waning moon and darker skies. (Because of my binoculars)
Today is my split shift day. Today in the afternoon is the talk show. That girl who died last weekend used to host the talk show and todays show will be dedicated to her. It should be quite emotional.

It seems like my blog used to be more interesting, I'm trying to figure out what happened. Maybe it's simply because I don't take as many pictures. I go back and look at "the old days" and it seemed so much better. Oh well, I probably just haven't had enough coffee yet today!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Titleless

Woke up and we're off the air. Going in early, working late.
Watched the movie, Transporter 2 Last night. Not recommended, too many impossibilities.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Weird Yesterday

Beck commented that it was a weird post yesterday, with the pics and then the death announcement, and I agree. After I posted it I was thinking about making the pics a separate post but didn't. I was on my way to do the dive when I got the call and the whole dive I was thinking about it. Hoping it was a mistake. Normally when I dive nothing from the surface can intrude on my thoughts. When I got out of the water I had 6 text messages and 3 missed calls, confirming the worst.
We tried to go diving again yesterday, but the current was much stronger. we basically swam out to the main wall, aborted the dive and swam back, a short 30 minute dive. Before I got in a couple came and asked, "Are you Mark?" I said yes, and it turned out to be Jeff and Lisa. Now, I've met 3 real people who've read my blog. Wonder how they recognized me... :-)
I went to the beach for a while in the afternoon. Last night, I saw the Hubble Space Telescope go by. It is very bright. How do I know what it was? Check out the Heavens-Above website, you have to open an account but they won't spam you and it's free. You enter your location and it gives info for your specific location.
This morning I got up and walked the dawg. Then I got the binoculars and looked at Jupiter. I can easily see the moons. Very cool. Venus is very bright in the morning and it is in the constellation Capricorn. But I can't see Capricorn yet. It is dim because of light pollution, and it's still very low in the sky.
Today I have about 3 days worth of work scheduled. Looks like the start of a rough week.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Good news and bad

I went diving yesterday and it was great! It seemed like everyone was hiding on this dive. I took a lot of pics and here's a few:
click to enlarge
the eel was hiding in his hole


the Boxfish was hiding behind a piece of coral and I spent 5 minutes playing roun de round with him to get the shot.


and the green and red fish was hiding behind the elephants ear (orange) sponge.

The bad news is that a good friend of mine was killed in a car crash. She is the Carnival girl who was in my November post from Pirates week. Her picture is here. A couple of years ago, she was also the hostess of the talk show I do every Wednesday. I knew her really well and just saw her on Thursday and talked to her for a long time. She was looking for a job and I talked to her about getting one in our sales department. She told me about her boyfriend. It was her boyfriend who was speeding and ran into a parked car. She was one of the most perfect people anyone could ever imagine, only about 17 years old. It is a real tragedy.
Anyway...

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Intimidation

Yesterday, we had a meeting with all the engineers from all the radio stations on the island. I felt intimidated, I felt like everyone in the room knew more about radio than me. I feel the same way when I get aroound a lot of scuba divers. A girlfriend once told me that I never needed to be intimidated around scuba divers because I was one of the most qualified, experienced divers anywhere. On one level, I can agree, and realize that she's right. My feelings of insecurity come from within, and are mostly unfounded. But it is hard to stop feelings from popping up.
Yesterday, everyone except me was a college trained, experienced engineer, bragging "Oh yeah, I designed this station and that station". I never designed any stations, I never went to college. I got out of school and went to work and have been working ever since. At my prevoius job, I was a "Communications System Technician" and I got promoted to "Engineer" but when I get around other engineers I don't have the confidence I should have. I'm afraid if I open my mouth I'll sound stupid. I'm not a real engineer, I'm just wearing his hat.
Anyway, last night and this morning I'm feeling kind of low. I can do my job OK. Most of the guys yesterday were traveling consultants contracted by the other radio stations because of some problems with the stations interfering with each other. My station doesn't need any taveling consultants because they have me. I am what you call a jack of all trades, master of none. I feel intimidated when I get around a master of a particular trade. I am painfully aware ofthe things I DON'T know.
Life is too short for me to learn everything I want to learn, plus do all the goofing around and playing I want to do.
Yesterday the neighbors dog wrecked my cactus, I'm going out now to repot them. It was cloudy last night. I wanted to go look through my Binocs. Tonight the OI Girl arrives!

Friday, March 10, 2006

OOooooboyOboy

Woke up last night and went out to the front porch and was looking through my binoculars. I came back in to go to bed and the alarm was going off. I saw lots of cool stuff near Scorpius and Saggitarius. Nebula and I think galaxies. I'm having a little trouble navigating around on my chart. I look at the sky and pick a star, then look through the binocs and see millions, and can't pick out the one I was looking for.
Today is day number 3 of taking the dog to work. It's a little inconvienent today because I have an important meeting to attend away from the station and I am kind of leery about leaving the dog at work without me being there. Soon I will have him trained and HE can go to work and I will stay home.
I still don't know if I'm working Saturday or not, I'm hoping I don't but assuming I am.
I'm tired. I will be drinking a lot of coffee today!

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Thursday? Already?

I am glad it's almost the weekend. I was dreading work more than I needed to. I thought the OI Girl was coming Friday, but found out yesterday she's coming Saturday. I didn't even protest when my boss asked me to work Saturday night.
I got my new binoculars yesterday! They are fantastic! I was at the beach till late and didn't get to bed till almost midnight. I was looking mostly at nebula and star clusters. and the moon. I got up this morning and looked at Venus, I could see it fairly well, it's showing a little more than a quarter right now. I'm going to need a tripod and more books.....
Ditto the dog is coming to work again today, The repairs look almost done to me, but I don't know diddly squat. I was able to bring the dog home at lunchtime yesterday and that was very convienent. Hopefully I can do the same today.
I guess that's it for today. I haven't touched my 365 blog since I went on vacation, I am plagued with guilt.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Working dog

Today I'm taking my dog to work with me. I haven't asked my boss or anything, I'm just taking him, and I'll tie him up to the satellite dish. They're (who is they? nobody knows!) coming to do some repairs in my apartment, and the dog can't be here, because he'll be in his guard dog mode. today is also my split shift day, we'll see how that goes.... I'll NEED a beach lunch today, I can just tell.
Surprisingly, work wasn't too bad yesterday. I spent most of the day at customs, clearing some equipment. One of the newscasters commented that while no one really notices while I am here and things are running smoothly, they notice when I'm gone because things really go to shit. That made me feel pretty good, in a way. But if I was better at my job, things wouldn't go to shit when I was gone.
My Binoculars left Louiville Kentucky this morning at 3:15 am. I think they go to Miami then here. Maybe today! Probably tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Back to work.

Well, the dreaded day is here. Back to work. I have never worked anywhere that it is more difficult to go back after a vacation than here.
I feel pretty negative.
I dislike my boss's usual snide insinuation that since I've been on vacation, I should be supercharged and want to work twice as hard now that I'm back. Like I should actually enjoy it when he screws me over. My life isn't about work, it's about my time off. Work is merely what I do for money to spend when I'm not working.
Hopefully, it won't be as bad as I anticipate.
Ugh!

Monday, March 06, 2006

Astronomy binoculars



I've been itching for a pair of astronomy binoculars for a long time. Now I think I've found a pair.
Nikon Astrolux 10x70's for $650, regularly $1200. They're big! 12.0 x 9.3" (304 x 235mm) WxH
Spending so much money is scary for me! I feel nervous!I can't stop myself from getting them.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

lazy

Yesterday I didn't do much. I went to the beach in the afternoon and went grocery shopping in the morning.
I woke up about 2:15 and couldn't sleep, weird dreams I can't remember-work related. I got up and went outside and looked at the stars. It's not nearly as dark here as Costa Rica was. Too many street lights.
This morning I'm going diving.
But first I have to drink some coffee-Costa Rican Coffee!
I just got backfrom a long dog walk. We went way down to the end of the road, because I saw a new for sale sign pointing there. They bulldozed a whole bunch more land.
I slept real late. 8:15.

Friday, March 03, 2006

click to enlarge pics

I took a lot of pictures in Costa Rica. These are just a few.


Frog1

Frog2

Hummingbird


A not-uncommon sign


Manta ray at Catalinas Islands


White Tip Shark pic taken at Catalinas Islands

View from OI Girls Aunts, Atop a 900 foot cliff to the Pacific.

A repaired bridge we crossed (it was worse at the other end)


Preferred mode of transportation in Ario


Boats at low tide at Ario


A guy jumping from a cliff at the waterfalls at Montezuma


This was a GOOD road! (really, there are a lot of good paved roads)


Carrots at the Agriculture Sale


Veggies (Agriculture Fair/Sale)


Papaya (Agriculture Fair/Sale)


Bananas (Agriculture Fair/Sale)


A Toucan

The lights of Alajuela and San Jose near sunrise from OI girls Parents house


A flower


Another Flower

I'm HOME!

I'm Home! I got home around 2PM and just got unpacked and all my email done. I had a great time and I'm glad to be home! Here's my posts from the past few days. I had NO internet access at all! thesse were typed on my cell phone then transferred to my computer, then pasted here.

23Feb06 6:25PM
Today was OI Girls Birthday. We went to the hotel where her father is the manager and had breakfast and looked around a bit. We went out to lunch with some of her friends. then we went to a big shopping mall in San Jose and looked for jeans for her (but didn't find any) I got a new bag for my laptop and some pants.
Now its dark and we just got home.
Tomorrow we are going to the rainforest and day after that to a beach even more remote the the one we were at a few days ago.
I am tired right now.
I'm looking forward to the beach.

24Feb06 4:34 PM

today was a kind of lazy day. The OI Girl slept late and I read. We went out and got pizza for lunch. then we went to this huge Agricultural market. We just now got back. Tomorrow we get up super early and vamos a la playa.

26 Feb 2006 7:04 am

Yesterday we got up at 4:30 AM and came to the northwest coast ofCosta Rica. we are at the IO Girls aunts property. It is a nice 2 bedroom place on a huge cliff and a 40 minute walk to the beach. My GPS shows us at 894 feet above sea level. the living area is outside and the master bathroom is designed with no roof! It is super-nice. the only electricity is from a generator. the stars were fantastic last night.
Yesterday I met Chang Diaz, a Costa Rican astronaut who works for NASA amd has been in space several times.
Here I saw my first scorpion and there was a poisonous snake found by one of the girls in a closet. this is called "dry forest" and it is very desertlike, lots of cactus and bees and eagles and wildlife. This morning, there are millions of small yelllow wasps that apparently, dont sting.
Today is my Moms Birthday and I plan on callng today. I expect max roaming charges as we are far from civilization with only a weak phone signal.
tomorrow morning we leave and go diving.

26Feb 06 4:29PM
We just got back from the beach and town. the beach was very nice and it was almost exactly a mile long. We saw whales out in the ocean from where we were on the beach. (We also saw them yesterday from the clifftop.) We went to town to get ice and coffee. Apparently last night there was a small confict between the OI Girls parents and her aunt so her parents left first thing in the morning, inadvertently taking all the coffee with them. So this morning we had some old thermos coffee and that was it.
The longer you drive here the better the roads seem. Im 4 wheel driving pretty good now, beating our poor rental car to death!

28Feb06 6AM
right now we are in Playa Del Cocos. Yesterday we went diving at Catalinas Islands. It was pretty good. The viz wasnt great but we saw mantas and sharks. There was a nudibranch that stuck itself to my head and everybody was taking pictures.

29 Feb 06 504PM
Aranol volcano
Wwe left Playa Del Coco this morning and came to the Aranol Volcano. i got a ticket on the way. We are at a fancy hotel called Tabacon. Our room has a view of the volcano. Soometimes you can see smoke rolling down the side and hopefully when it gets dark we'll see some lava. This afternoon we went to these hot springs. It was like being inside a terrerium. The water is very hot from the volcano. Tomorrow it's back to Alajuela. we left some of our dive gear at the dive shop and have to get it from San Jose. One of the divemasters is coming to San Jose and will bring it. Lucky.

2Mar06 504AM
came back from Aranol yesterday, it was a great drive' through the rainforest then through a cloudforest. (rain then fog). There was very low visibility through the cloudforest. Then we stopped and got souvieneers and picked up our dive gear from the bus stop. we got to OI Girls parents house about 4 PM. I stared packing because I'm leaving tomorrow. Then we went out to a nice dinner with OI girls parents and brother and sister in law.
We were very tired when we got home, both from Aranol and from dinner.

3Mar06 0517AM
I am now at the San Jose airport and not too happy about it. I am sad to be leaving.
Yesterday, OI Girl, her brother and sister-in-law and I went to La Paz waterfalls park. It is a super nice park on the way to the Poas Volcano. we saw a lot of hummingbirds, frogs, snakes and of course, waterfalls.
Last night we had dinner and after dark the dogs started barking. 0I Girls father went out, came back, got a gun and went out and fired a few shots into the air. The neighbor fired a few shots in the air too. Apparently, there was someone down in the woods and they needed to be scared off.
Then we went to bed and woke up at 3:45 to take me to the airport. Right now OI Girl is having breakfast with her father and returning our rental car. In one week she'll be returning to Cayman. My baggage was 11 pounds overweight and it costed me 25 US dollars. Bastards!
I'll be home in time for lunch.