Platypus Dreams

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2007-09-27T14:27:00.000-04:00

Chiles Rellenos
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Entrée:
(4) Poblano Peppers
Mozzarella (Whole Milk)
(1) Egg

Sauce:
(1) Medium-Large Red Tomato
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Chicken Bouillon

Preparation (Entrée):
Wash peppers and sear in a dry pan over Medium-Low to Medium heat until skin is blistered (not burnt) and pepper has softened just a little. Rotate peppers to ensure all sides are seared.

Take off heat, place in Ziploc bag, and wrap in a kitchen towel for 30 minutes to allow the peppers to sweat. This makes removing the skin much easier.

Remove the outer skin and then slit the pepper to remove the seeds and veins. Doing this under cold water from the faucet can make them easier to handle.

Stuff with Mozzarella cheese or Queso Fresco if you can find it and close the pepper back up. Don’t get carried away with the cheese or it will leak everywhere.

Separate egg yolk from egg white. Whip egg white until it is thickened like a meringue. Pop the yolk and then fold it in with the egg white loosely.

Coat pepper in the egg white mixture and then drop into a pan over Medium heat with a thin layer of oil. The egg mixture browns pretty quickly.

Serve with sauce and rice when nice and brown.

Preparation (Sauce):
Wash and halve tomato. Boil until tender.
Drop tomato in blender. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and chicken bouillon to taste.
Blend
Pour blended sauce back into a pan and simmer for 10 minutes or so to allow it to reduce a little more.
Pour over chiles rellenos.

Enjoy!!!

Moon Dreams

2007-07-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Tap, tap, a tapping on my shoulder

I turned to find the moon basking

and with a subtle flourish asking,

"Sir, have I in someway offended,

you always visited so unrelenting

singing of dreams and finer things"

Eyes downcast, I mumbled response,

"No, gentle sir, but can't you see,

I am no longer foolish and free"

With an uproarious laugh, he mused,

"I do see what you believe to see,

but foolish is what you came to be"

© 2004 Mike

I'm Alive!!!!

2007-07-12T16:11:00.001-04:00

Wow. It has been since November since the last time I posted a blog entry. I knew I had been neglecting my blog (and everyone else’s), but I really didn’t realize that it had been so long. Time flies when you are having fun. The first question that comes to mind is how do I catch up on 8 eventful months. I think the answer is that I can’t, but I will hit some highlights at the very least.

While not the most exciting detail, first and foremost, it is perhaps prudent to establish that I am in fact still alive. I find this to be a rather important point as otherwise the past 8 months would probably be a bit boring primarily revolving around worms playing pinochle on my snout as the kid’s chant goes. Luckily, that is not the case and in fact my world has been a rather delightful place of late.

On May 22, Ale and I were married on Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina. Not a day has gone by since then (really since she was able to get her visa and move here in March) that I have not woken up and realized just how lucky of a person I am. My only frustration at this point is being able to adequately express just how wonderful she is and how complete life has become with her in my life. I can only just keep trying…and smiling!! :)

We are still working our way through the immigration challenges, but I will save that for another entry sometime as it cannot help but to devolve into a rather critical treatise of the current state of the process. Regardless of the frustrations, things are progressing slowly but surely and hopefully things will start to resolve over the next few months so we can focus on more enjoyable things.

Hmmm…what else has been going on…

I planted a garden this year with a co-worker who had an ideal spot on his property for one. I have not gardened since I was a teenager working in my parent’s garden. I can still remember the vehemence with which I swore I would never have a garden in a typically overzealous teenage fashion. While it has been over 15 years, here I am working in a garden again. It is doing fairly well despite a bit of a drought and the inept skills of its caretakers. Perhaps I will post more about that on another day in case anyone is having trouble sleeping.

Having been rather lax in taking care of myself over the years and now facing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, I have been working on losing weight this year. While I have not been very consistent in diet or exercise, I am happy to say that I am down about 15 kilos from where I started last year and am still going down slowly but surely. Hopefully, it will have some positive impact.

Our spare time lately has been consumed by projects like painting, pressure washing the house, replacing fixtures and a multitude of other little home improvement projects. Before and in our spare time we have been running around the countryside enjoying various diversions from hanging out on the beach in Wilmington for the Azalea Festival, the waterfront in Beaufort for Memorial Day, catching Cirque du Soleil in Raleigh, seeing the exhibit “Temples and Tombs” on loan from the British Museum at the NC Art Museum, visiting my parents in Georgia, to a number other little adventures.

I am sure I have left out numerous things, but suffice it to say that life is good. I have been blessed with the love of a wonderful woman and for that fact I am ever awed and grateful. Hopefully, I will do a little better at updating my blog now and actually have a little more detailed posts in the future.

Spam

2006-11-24T23:44:00.000-05:00

After a recent post by A., I decided to cease deleting spam messages to my gmail account (which bordered on an OCD compulsion) and just really see how many I get per day...and more precisely in a week. I began this just before midnight on Friday exactly a week ago. I have started typing this just before midnight this Friday. At this very moment I have 335 messages in my spam box on gmail. Easily 90% of them involve Viagra, Cialis, and\or some other form of male performance or size enhancement. The remaining 10% involve drugs (prescription) in general, software, or just outright porn solicitations.

The biggest thing I am left to truly wonder is what kind of moron actually responds to these kind advertisements to make them profitable and\or worthwhile to continue to be such a nuisance and so frequent in occurrence. I have to assume that people do actually respond to them for the nuisance to continue.

I personally have always had an extreme hatred of junk mail, telemarketing, and spam. I have never returned a telemarketing call and have always cut short anyone I had the misfortune of picking up to hear the beginning of their pitch. I have returned some junk mail at times with coupons from another source just to know that they paid for the return mail as well.

While bemoaning telemarketing calls in the past before the "do not call" list, I was shocked and finally understood the motivation to find out that it was a multi-billion dollar a year business for companies that engaged in that kind of supreme annoyance. No wonder they are so persistent and willing to lose money on the likes of me.

The sad thing is that particularly in the case of spam there is a very real cost to the victim associated with the reality of trying to block this waste of human potential both in bandwidth requirements and temporary storage which is also projected into the billions globally.

In my former company of nearly 25,000 email users, roughly 1 million spam messages per month were blocked (which carries a distinct cost both in mail performance and software to perform the check)....and we still got a sad amount of SPAM to waste storage space.

Bad Day

2006-11-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Some days would be better spent in bed unacknowledged...

The corner of a coffee table is not a friend to a falling laptop while it is open!

God of the universe that is within us

2006-11-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Staring at the star specked sky
I am left to wonder at meaning
in this enveloping panorama
ever so steadily sliding by.

The scale is far too grand.
How can I comprehend infinite
when I am defined by limits,
but how can I fathom a limit
knowing not the other side?

Ten planets orbiting the sun,
we mere specks on an electron,
contained within the molecule
that we call the milky way.

Perception then is the quandary
and I am looking the wrong way
for I must be a vast universe
to the speck on an electron
that is contained within me

It must be beyond that speck
to know of what it is a part,
but I cannot help but know
that I am comprised by it.

As we are specks in God's universe
perhaps we are the all encompassing
God of the universe in each of us.
Eternal by the arbitrary measure
of time within an electron's orbit.

03/24/2004

50 Things About Me

2006-10-01T18:35:00.000-04:00

Reading lists from other blogs it seemed like an entertaining thing to try myself.

1.) I am in love with a wonderful person and we are hopeful that we will be together in the near future.

2.) I enjoy cooking and am not a very picky eater. Fish is probably the thing that I am least fond of but even that is not a horrible prospect for me if it is on my plate.

3.) Shrimp are probably my single favorite thing to eat.

4.) I was born in Mississippi, raised in Georgia, and now live in North Carolina.

5.) I have set foot in 21 states in the US.

6.) I have set foot in Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.

7.) Needless to say I enjoy travel and hope to greatly expand my list of places visited (With A. to share them with me, of course :) )

8.) I like and get along with all animals, but I am more of a cat person than a dog person.

9.) I have never broken a bone (although I should have a few times)

10.) I have impaled my foot on a nail two different times as a kid.

11.) It took me 5 years to get my 2 year degree although I finished my 4 year on schedule after that mark.

12.) I spent much of my early childhood on a chicken farm with roughly 20,000 chickens laying eggs that had to be picked up.

13.) I don't remember not knowing how to ride a horse (or how to fall of one...heh) although I would be saddle sore quick nowadays.

14.) I have never had a reaction to poison ivy even after distinctly rubbing it on my skin to prove the point.

15.) My degree is in computer science.

16.) I am 33 and honestly kind of enjoying my 30's...at the very least it seems each year keeps improving.

17.) I tend to be shy in a group especially if they are strangers although I am not often timid. I would just rather listen.

18.) I am a Leo. (but don't believe in the Zodiac beyond its recreational value)

19.) I played the clarinet throughout jr. high and high school including sitting first chair, making district band every year of high school and qualifying for state band twice although the closest I got there was first runner-up. After school was over I have never really played again although I still own a clarinet.

20.) One of my gym classes in college was dance. We learned the basic steps to a number of styles like the Waltz, Foxtrot, Jitterbug, Polka, Tango, and several more. I don't remember how to do a single one....

21.) I had shoulder length hair and an earring in high school...I am now close cut and have long since lost the earring.

22.) I was voted most likely to rebel by my graduating class in high school.

23.) I smoke (but I am trying to quit...ack)

24.) I enjoy photography, poetry, theatre, art, architecture.

25.) I also enjoy white water rafting, primitive camping, hiking, boating.

26.) I would love to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. (although I am not sure if I will ever do this one)

27.) I have clearly seen most of the bone of my right middle finger (construction accident).

28.) I have a bad habit of either not thinking or over thinking most things. I seem to end up at one extreme or the other much too often.

29.) I tend to prefer deep vibrant colors.

30.) Although I am not color blind, I have difficulty really distinguishing subtle shades of color in dim or fluorescent lighting.

31.) I wear glasses (I have never been able to override by blink instinct to be able to wear contacts)

32.) I organized a pet show at the age of 11 (or so) including finding a "Corporate" sponsor to pay for trophies, a local business to host the show, another to setup tents, etc. We had a reasonable turn out and my cat at the time won the trophy in the innovative category of "cat with the loudest purr" albeit amidst scandalous claims of judging bias (also arranged by me consisting of a few of the local vets). It was for a scout badge that I later found out was supposed to have been a project for the whole pack.

33.) Key lime pie is probably my favorite dessert (although peach or blackberry cobbler is close)

34.) I am not a very consistent blogger, hence a supremely boring one.

35.) Did I mention that I am in love with a wonderful person? It certainly bears repeating! :)

Ummm...did I say 50...I meant 35...:)

Brine and Breath

2006-10-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

I felt you in my dreams again
in a momentary touch that speaks
of today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

You whisper of weeping willows
and meandering mossy glistenings
hanging on a feverish dawn's blush.

I sighed the morning's tidal wash
of brine and breath overflowing
knowing the crashing wave's courage.

Touchmarks gleaming upon cheek
and lips scald with heat unchecked
as the horizon peeks in fiery envy.

Dreams, desires, or consumption
what is this momentary sensation
hope's despair, or life as a dream?

08/16/2004

Arabian Days

2006-09-23T06:19:00.000-04:00

Under the sun's scintillating smile
morning's breath dries dawn's dew
upon dancing strands of lush green
gyrating in gentle rhythmic breeze

Pawing the ground with equine dignity
prancing playfully in fiery delight.
Bowed bay neck with head thrust high
starred forelock flashing the light.

Blue skies aching late spring's ardor
I mount bareback with grace of youth
mane entwined hands light upon crest
as she saunters testing the merging flow.

Muscles loosened by the morn's gaiety
easing quickly through gaits we sail
motions flowing into motions, fluidity.
Man, horse, joined perfection; centaur!

A toss of her head, eye's sparkling power
feeling the transition as we break free
flight without wings, racing the clouds
merged raw power hearing desert call.

Drinking the feral wind as we pass it by
guttural howls of delight escape unbidden
for the moment we are one; raw, primal
released of our earthly shackles. Free!

04/10/2004

Memory recalled and inspiration from: And God took a handful of South wind and from it formed a horse, saying: "I create thee, Oh Arabian. To thy forelock, I bind Victory in battle. On thy back, I set a rich spoil And a Treasure in thy loins. I establish thee as one of the Glories of the Earth... I give thee flight without wings." -- from Ancient Bedouin Legend (Byford, et al. Origination of the Arabian Breed)

Sunlight Tarries Not

2006-08-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

Crimson stained ink strokes your face
in sepulchered hues of white and trite
as parchment burns pure birthright fright
dipped in dalliance and ambiance stripped.

Sunlight tarries not in the simmering truce
of bitterness and gentleness governing
angry askance of scarecrows and furloughs
as shadows stalk their sorrow in the light.

Salt stained creases and treatises strain
to scream the dream of tomorrow's sorrow
even as care stares into a hallowed hell
of swallows falling in feathered fright.

Flight is the plight forever aching
wishing only for release and peace
sand beneath the toes bartering prose
to close the past however shallowly sold.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Ale!

2006-08-25T22:50:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you.
Happy Birthday, dear Alejandra!!!
Happy birthday to you.

I hope you have a wonderful day!! Next year we will celebrate it together!! *BWSK*

Shrimp Creole

2006-08-02T04:28:00.000-04:00

I have always been fond of Cajun\Creole dishes. This style of food really developed in Louisiana and to this day seems to remain remarkably localized for such a tasty cuisine. Given the importance of the port of New Orleans as the Europeans settled this continent, it tended to be a melting pot period, but then add to that the having of various owners (Spain, France, etc.). The indigenous population of the time (primarily Choctaw tribes) and the infusion of African influence once the slave trade came also added significantly to the flavor and range. The diversity of skills and experience was bound to mesh into something new and distinct even while continuing to carry elements of its various origins.

The picture above is of a Shrimp Creole dish from a recent dinner. It started with a touch of olive oil, minced garlic, a little chopped onion (shallots are more commonly used), cloves, bay leaves, chopped celery, salt, black pepper, and cayenne (red) pepper. The cayenne pepper being one of the most distinct flavors should be added to taste but in my opinion it is best when it carries the hint of heat lingering after each bite rather than melting the spoon, but that is a matter of personal preference. Once that had simmered for just a minute to start blending and releasing flavors, I tossed in sliced green and red pepper covered it and let it cook for a few more minutes. The goal being to soften the peppers but having the dish finish before they became mushy either. The shrimp came next and after only a minute or so I added the fresh medium diced tomatoes. I then left it to heat for a few more minutes until everything was hot and the shrimp had finished cooking. After cooking I let it sit a short while to make sure the flavors blended and then removed the bay leaves and cloves. All around I love this dish. It is light but filling and preferably served with some nice light rolls to be able to mop up every last drop of sauce when it is done.

Birthday Dinner

2006-08-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

I seem to be moving toward a food blog nowadays but that is ok for the time being, at least for me. I need to practice more anyway to remember those skills that have been slipping over time from lack of use. I do enjoy cooking although I am not fond of recipes. I enjoy myself much more when I can just play based on what is available and what my taste buds think will taste good on any given day. It usually turns out at least edible if not excellent. Even so, I am always consoled by the fact that pizza is only a phone call away if it is a failed experiment. The plate above was what I cooked for my birthday. Regretfully, I ended up working much of the day but it is all good. The chicken roulette was stuffed with minced sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh spinach leaves, parmesan and various spices and then baked with a little bacon. I sautéed the rest of the spinach in butter and garlic and then scrambled in an egg to make sure any bitterness would be sucked out. The tomato is fresh from my plants and those have been a delight all around this year. The zucchini and squash were sautéed in various spices and a touch of olive oil. While I thought my spice choices could warrant some adjustments it turned out overall to be a nice dinner. If Ale had been with me, I am sure it would have been a perfect night!!

Tastes of Summer

2006-07-18T21:21:00.000-04:00

I have never been a big fan of summer simply because I am a polar bear at heart and the heat really is trying. It is hard for me to remember how we survived growing up without air conditioning although I do remember being scolded many a time for sticking my head in the freezer just to breathe cool air. That being said though, I do love the tastes of summer. While I grill year round (and have stood in the snow barefoot while checking something cooking), there is definitely something defintive about fresh vegetables and the smell of grills that does make summer seem almost worthwhile.

Love

2006-07-08T02:17:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that I am doing poorly at blogging. The time to write is so scarce right now. I do have to say that I am in love with a wonderful person!! I need a mountain to stand atop and shout from. She is so incredibly wonderful, it is hard to describe. When I am with her, it is like all is perfect in the world. Touches, kisses, every moment makes for heaven again and again. The moments apart are hard to bear, but I can only hope that this test of resolve will strengthen us in the long run! I dream of the day that distance will no longer be a challenge for us. Salutations and sweet dreams. :)

Puerto Vallarta with Ale (Part 2)

2006-06-02T20:19:00.000-04:00

Monday:
We got up Monday refreshed and relaxed. For me it was nice to know that we were finally at our destination and didn't have to worry about traveling anymore. While being at the beach was certainly a perk, my only real concern was that I was with Ale and that we took care of her back.

For breakfast, Ale prepared a nice fruit concoction of mangos, pineapple, jicama with a little fresh orange juice and lime squeezed into it. It was then topped with fresh cheese and salsa en polvo. I got to peel the pineapple, but for the most part I just watched. It made for a very tasty breakfast and it was nice to sit down at the table with my love and talk while we ate.

We noticed not long after getting to the condo that there were a couple of cats with three kittens hanging out on the grounds under our balcony. It is amazing how many pictures we took of them simply because they were entertaining to watch and a good target every time we were out on the balcony and they were around. The nice thing about a digital camera is that you can take pictures with impunity because there is no film being used and you just have to download them to a computer to keep taking more. The bad part is trying to sort through the hundreds of pictures you have taken after the fact. Heh.

We ventured into Puerto Vallarta again in the afternoon looking to pick up some items. We ended up at the Mega where we picked up some Tequila and most of the ingredients for the enchiladas although we were again too late for the tortillas which we had to get at a later time. Not really being in a hurry, we also ventured into old Puerto Vallarta and drove along the Malecon a little checking out the sites but we really didn't stop to check anything out at the time.

Heading back we stopped by Paradise Village and got properly checked in. The biggest annoyance to the place was that we had to get arm bands to use the facilities. Ale's was loose enough that she could slip it on and off but I was stuck wearing mine all week which was a bit of an annoyance, but hardly anything major.

We also checked out Paradise Plaza while we were there. It is a little mini-mall that was pretty nice in terms of the offerings of restaurants, stores, and a little market. Having, only had the fruit for breakfast and it was getting a little later in the evening we decided to have a late lunch\early dinner there at a place called Angelo's.

Angelo's was a nice little Italian restaurant and the timing was actually very nice for us because we were essentially alone in the restaurant the majority of the time that we were there. With a little bit of cajoling, I talked Ale into trying some calamari for an appetizer. They were very good which I was happy about since it was her first time trying them. One of the bad things about calamari is that if the rings are too old or overcooked it can taste more like breaded rubber bands than anything else. It was a nice enough restaurant that I figured they would know what they were doing and I wasn't disappointed. I am pretty sure Ale enjoyed them as well at least when she wasn't thinking about what she was eating. Heh. We both had the chicken parmigiana which was also quite well done. Being rather full after dinner, we opted to get desserts to go for later since they were a bit to tempting to turn down completely.

Back at the condo, we ended up sitting on the balcony enjoying the ocean sounds and breezes while we drank tequila and had a very nice time chatting and making faces at one another. Ale rarely drinks and the tequila was flowing rather freely so regretfully she paid the price later that night and wasn't too happy the next day. I feel a bit guilty as I should have known better being a bit more "experienced" as well as having more mass to absorb the alcohol. I just really didn't think about the fact that she was matching me shot for shot. The sugar from our desserts that we ate while we were drinking probably didn't help either. Live and learn, I guess. Other than the unfortunate ending, it was still a very nice night filled with laughter and smiles.

Tuesday:
Tuesday was definitely a take it easy kind of day. Ale wasn't feeling 100% and her back was bothering her a bit more. I think we had both been a bit worried about how her back would hold up but luckily Tuesday was the only day that it really seemed to bother her a lot although she was careful the whole time.

For lunch, we made a nice chicken caesar salad (no anchovies though! Yuck!) since it was quick and tasty. Otherwise we really were just bears lounging around our den. Ale fell asleep for a while in the evening, but I couldn't sleep so I took the camera and wandered around the complex taking some pictures. I spent a bit of time stalking the kittens hoping I could get some good pictures of them playing. They were hiding in a bush row when I came around and although they were obviously in a frisky mood their mother had taught them well to stay away from strangers. Even after sitting without moving for nearly 30 minutes they wouldn't come out of the bush line while I was there. Such are the trials and tribulations of kitty stalking.

One of the nice things about the condo complex was all the flowers and landscaping period. The walkways on all the floors had planters and the flowers and vegetation were plentiful. This had the added perk of attracting a lot of birds. There was a particular type of bird that was very abundant. They didn't seem to nest but would sleep most anywhere perched on lights or nooks around the place although it did seem they had their specific hangouts each night. The groundskeepers were probably not as fond of them as I was as I saw them washing floors and walls a few times during the week trying to keep the place clean from the inevitable side effects of the birds. They kind of reminded me of little finches although I am fairly certain that is not what they were.

We did go out again for a little while to run to old Puerto Vallarta where Ale had seen a pharmacy where she could get some meds for her back. We opted to return to the condo pretty quickly though and just order pizza for dinner and continue taking it easy that night.

Wednesday:
Wednesday Ale was feeling much better and her back was a little more rested. After asking around a little about where to go, one of the residents told me about a seafood market (or at least that was the impression I was under) a couple of towns north of us (Bucerias) so we headed out looking for some fresh shrimp. We didn't find the market but we did find a fresh seafood shop and picked up a kilo of some nice probably 25-30 count (if measured in pounds) fresh shrimp.

I am a bit of a shrimp zealot and I had been promising to prepare Ale some grilled shrimp for a while so I was happy to have some good shrimp to cook. The only thing I don't like with shrimp is the time it takes to prepare them since I am kind of particular about how I do it. For the best shrimp they simply need to be deveined. I will eat shrimp that haven't been but my preference is definitely to have the vein out because you will occasionally get grit or a touch of bitterness depending on whether getting caught was sufficient to scare the poop out of them or not. hehe There was a time when I could peel and devein them very quickly (years of restaurant work while in school doing 100 or more kilos of them a day will lend some speed), but over time my hands have forgotten the motions so it took a little while to get them prepared and properly skewered.

Skewering is another thing I am very anal about. One of the biggest mistakes made with shrimp is overcooking them and if you don't skewer them very evenly you inevitably have to overcook some or parts of them to get them completely done. Regardless, with the shrimp nicely skewered and laid out I heated some butter to baste over them and bind the seasonings. The one thing that I forgot from home was my seasoning mix that I had intended to bring. It has been several years since I had made a seasoning blend from scratch since I have found one that I am partial too that is pre-blended. Luckily, the seasoning cabinet in the condo was well stocked and overall I was satisfied with what I came up with and Ale didn't complain so I think it turned out well.

There were some pineapple slices left over from the fruit salad earlier in the week so I took a few of them along with the shrimp down to the grill and left Ale to tend the zucchini and mushroom mix I chopped up to sauté along with the shrimp. After figuring out the rather fancy grill, the smell of grilling shrimp and pineapple filled the air quickly. The nice thing about shrimp in contrast to the time it takes to prepare them is that they cook very quickly. It was definitely nice to sit and eat our lunch when it was finally all done. A kilo was definitely too much for the two of us but they made for another meal and munchies later in the week so it was all good.

We had booked an outing the day before to go to Rhythms of the Night this evening. Just to be safe, Ale decided to have the shot that we picked up for her back at the pharmacy the day before. She prepared the medication, but the actually stabbing fell to me which made me a bit nervous, although not horribly so. Growing up on a farm I have given animals shots before but that is where my experience ended never having given a person a shot before. I am sure Ale was a bit nervous too about me doing it...but doing it herself was a far worse thought I think. She did remind me of the trick that she had told me before to ease the shock of the shot which was to warm the syringe (medication) up a little with her hands before actually getting the injection. I can say with absolute certainty even more so than presents that giving is 100% better than receiving in this regard. It went well though I was happy that I didn't cause any bruising and injected at an ok speed not to cause extra discomfort or take forever either.

Feeling good and ready to go, we headed the short distance to one of the offices of Vallarta Adventures for the Ritmo de la Noche (Rhythms of the Night) outing. We got there at the prescribed time but were obviously amongst the last to arrive as attested by our ticket number. I did get us booked for the Sea Lion encounter the next day which we were looking forward to as well. It turned out that we ended up on the second boat which was smaller and less crowded than the first which I personally was very happy about. It took roughly an hour to get there in the boat partially because we had to stop in Puerto Vallarta to pick up a few more passengers. The ride there was a bit bumpy because we were headed into the tide but the boat was big enough that it really wasn't bad. The crew was entertaining and efficient and honestly seemed to really be enjoying themselves which always makes for a better experience.

It was wonderful being out on the open water of Bahia de Banderas with Ale talking and sharing kisses especially when the lady filming the outing was pointed our way. I even got to drive the boat at one point while the captain was flitting about. Albeit, by driving I mean I got to hold the steering wheel in place, it was still cool in a macho boat captain daydream kind of way. We had a fairly bold sea gull that joined us part of the way too although I don't think the other passengers managed to coax it quite close enough to grab the Doritos they were offering up directly from their fingers, it did make for a couple of nice pictures. The ride was also nice in that they served little hor d'oerve plates and drinks were handed out frequently. The rum punch was especially nice and after a round of margaritas stayed the drink of choice for the night.

Upon arriving at Las Caletas, we were ushered off the boat and directed to an outdoor theater. Along the path, a trio was playing tribal drums to set the ambience. The path was short but gave the feel of being away from the rest of the world in its construction and meandering through the natural flora. The theater was laid out well in my opinion. Set into the side of a hill there was a place for the musicians and a set of stairs that led down to a platform for the show. The seating was rustic benches but from what I could see they all had a good view of the action.

The show itself called Ritmo de la Noche was in essence a dance interpretation of an ancient Mayan wedding ceremony. While I am certainly not an authority on dance or the authenticity of the performance, I did find it entertaining and felt it was well produced\presented. The costumes were elaborate and interesting and I definitely enjoyed the music being performed. The best part of course was being with Ale off on another little adventure. After the show, we exited to head to our tables for dinner.

As an aside, Las Caletas is a very secluded little nook of Bahia de Banderas that is only efficiently reached by boat. It was a private retreat for the director John Houston for a while. Being so remote and inaccessible, there were not typical public utilities (phone, electricity, water, etc.) although since the bathrooms were modern I assume they have devised some way to distribute water either by pump or gravity.

By the time we were heading to dinner, the sun was mostly set and the paths were lit by torchlight which kind of added to the sense of seclusion and being in the "wilds". The tables were laid out kind of sprawling across the beach with nice views and in a way in the light of the torches so that there was a feeling of intimate private dining even while being in the midst of a fair number of people. Dinner was a buffet however there were several of them for each area of seating so it was not badly crowded. Thanks to Ale's sharp eye we were able to get a table kind of in a corner and with a superior view out over the beach and bay. The buffet had a nice variety on it and I piled on a little of most everything so I can't begin to remember what all it was however I can say that everything I tried was delicious. Once again taking in the sites and smells of all around us and chatting was the most memorable and enjoyable part of dinner. The desserts were also very nice.

The only thing that was kind of frustrating that night was trying to take pictures of both the surroundings and us. My hand simply isn't steady enough to take low light pictures and I still don't have any kind of tripod or monopod. Ale was a little better but even she struggled with not getting blurry pictures. However, the memories more than make up for the lack of pictures.

Leaving there was an interesting delay when a torch was apparently tipped over on the deck and a fire ensued which caused a bit of a commotion to get it put out. We were far enough away that we really couldn't see much other than to know why there was a delay. The trip back across the bay was much smoother since we were running with the tide and overall it was a very nice night with the wind in our hair and being together. The girl filming the excursion did talk me into buying a DVD of the excursion (she didn't have to try very hard). Getting that DVD turned into a bit more of a challenge than we had anticipated but in the end it was not a huge problem. Either way, we headed back to the condo after a very enjoyable night and I for one was certainly very content that night.

Puerto Vallarta with Ale (Part 1)

2006-05-28T22:08:00.000-04:00

Friday: Tomorrow I am going to Mexico again to visit Ale and spend a week on the beach. It has been 5 months...5 long months. I walk through the house time and again wondering what I am forgetting and not really thinking about it. I am going to see my love tomorrow!! That is the main thing going through my head time and again. It is late but I don't want to go to bed either. It is after 10 and I am starting to worry a bit that I will oversleep or something horrible since I am leaving so early, but i have two alarm clocks so all is good.

Saturday:I had to be up at 4:00 A.M....I woke up at 3:00 A.M. bright-eyed and bushy tailed long before the clocks went off. I went ahead and showered and started pacing the house again pretending I was making sure I hadn't forgotten anything but really counting the minutes until I could leave to begin my trip to see my love!! The minutes ticked by terribly slow. It is always interesting how slow time crawls when you are are excited and how quickly it can pass when you are having fun.

The flight was mostly uneventful. I flew into Atlanta from Raleigh which was a short flight (about an hour) and managed to eat breakfast and check if I had gotten any last minute e-mails from my love as she was traveling today too to our rendezvous in Guadalajara before driving to Nuevo Vallarta Sunday morning. The flight to Guadalajara was uneventful and other than wanting to get out and push the plane along faster the three and a half hour flight went by quick enough.

I made it though immigration and customs in record time and was in a taxi barreling toward my destination for the night in no time. After checking in, I called Ale and after a short nap she arrived an hour later. Opening the door and finally seeing her again was a wonderful moment!! After showers and catching up a bit we headed out to run some errands and eat dinner. We ate at La Noche Azul again which is a delightful little fondue restaurant that was a nice reminder of my first visit to see her (not to mention the food is tasty). We had talked about going to a movie but the day was catching up with us so we returned to the hotel and turned in for the night. I fell asleep smiling at how wonderful it was to be with Ale again!

Sunday:I had booked the reservation for the rental car for 8:00 AM because we had originally intended to get up and leave early. However, we were unable to complete one errand the night before and had to wait until noon to complete it. Due to that fact, we slept in a little and didn't get to the rental place until 10:00 AM and they informed us that because we were late they had rented the car. This caused a bit of frustration trying to find another car that was of adequate size and price. We almost rented a tank of an SUV at one place but luckily Ale talked me out of it. It would have been a pain driving that behemoth around not to mention the extra gas. We finally found a place with a VW Jetta that turned out to be a good car to drive around as it was big enough to be comfortable but small enough to be easy to get around in. Comfort was a big issue to me because I did not want us straining Ale's back too much especially knowing that all the driving was already pushing things with her back.

We headed out for the beach around 12:30 or so. It took a little longer (5 hours) than I had hoped but overall was a nice ride. Winding through the Sierra Madre’s definitely slowed things down but at the same time it did make for some nice scenery along the way. It was a welcome relief though to finally see the ocean and know that we were close. The directions we had were sufficient and finding the condo was not too horribly difficult. The condo complex was a very nice gated building and well taken care of which was another nice relief. I always get nervous booking places online because you never know for sure what they will be like. I have had a couple of times that I have booked a place only to get there and it be a dump. Even with pictures posted, you never know if they were taken recently or 30 years ago before the place fell apart.

We checked in and got the keys. The condo was very nice and well kept. It had a big living room and pretty nice kitchen setup that was open to the living room. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master had a nice king sized bed and a big bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and big walk in shower as well. The other bedroom had two full sized beds and the bathroom that was attached also opened to the entrance hallway which made it convenient. The balcony was one of the best parts as it was a nice size and had a table and chairs as well as a couple of plants out on it. The view was over the marina entrance but we also had a very nice view out over the actual ocean.

The grounds were well taken care of and there was a pool and hot tub as well as a palapa to lounge under when the sun was too hot. There was also a fancy grill that we put to good use one of the days we were there. A gate led out onto a public beach which was nice as well although it wasn't taken care of quite as well as some of the other beaches being that it was public.

Being a bit tired from all the travel we took naps and regretfully I slept through the first sunset which kind of disappointed me but certainly wasn't the end of the world. We headed over to Paradise Village on the other side of the Marina to get checked in there. Paradise Village was more of a resort set up covering about 400 acres with a hotel, condos, a golf course, several restaurants and a much more well kept beach. The same developer had built both our condo complex and Paradise Village so there was a deal where you could check in there as well for $1.50 a day (that still strikes me as a weird fee) and we were given a fake room number to be able to charge stuff around the place. Regretfully, I forgot to bring a document that we had to have from the room so we couldn't complete that process at that time. We went ahead and ate a nice dinner out on a veranda at one of the restaurants (El Faro de Tulum) that night though. Ale had some Shrimp with a nice garlic mango sauce and I had a steak. Both dishes were quite tasty. It was nice to sit and talk as we ate outside. One of the nicest things during my trip was the conversations about this, that and everything with my love!

The weather all week was very nice to me. Prime season had officially ended at the end of the previous month (which was nice for the wallet) primarily due to heat and what not, but honestly I thought it was pretty mild most of the time we were there and I am a polar bear by nature. Except for a few times when the breeze quit blowing and the humidity got stifling, I was very comfortable all week and I always prefer vacationing off season in places because the crowds are less. As ironic as it may sound since I was one, tourists (especially my fellow gringos) annoy me to no end especially in other countries.

Although it was rather late after dinner, we headed toward Puerto Vallarta to pick up some groceries and what not that we needed. We ended up at Wal-Mart since they were still open at that hour. As we discovered when we returned later in the week, it was a good time to have been there as it was not too horribly crowded. The only real issue was that we couldn't get any fresh tortillas for the enchiladas that Ale had promised to cook me during the week so we skipped getting the stuff for them. I was looking forward to them because she had sent me a recipe a long time ago but I had never really gotten it right so I was ready to see them prepared. We got some nice fruit for breakfast and snacks along with some other food and beverages. With groceries in tow, we made it back to the condo for the night.

Memory's Shimmers

2006-05-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

Whirlwind flurries of fate's fervor
dance, ever delighting in the spite
of might's solemn soulful promises
tenderly wrapped in memory's shimmers.

Recollections of stone cracked cobbles
feet finding cadence without notice
in the crooks and shallows of lips
memorized,mesmerized in tender touch.

Bazaar aromas entwining with skin's
soft subtle glows teased to appease
hunger's growling, gentle demands
of smiles and denial's waning succor.

Distance aches in the dusky hues
subdued in willful wonder's askance
as the shadows caress light's waning
I wander in wonder waking just to dream.

Of adventures in Mexico...

2006-05-11T17:55:00.000-04:00

This was posted elsewhere back in November, but I am moving it partially because I will be returning to Mexico this Saturday for a week in Puerto Vallarta with Ale and hope to have a new adventure to write about soon. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I feel like I am five again waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. This week has certainly crept by almost unbearably slow.

Of adventures in Mexico...
11/04/2005 06:02 p.m.
I have never been good at this journaling thing, but I wanted to get my trip down in writing. I just got back last night from a much needed vacation to Mexico. It was truly a wonderful experience and best of all I got to meet Ale who is just a wonderful person which is a distinct understatement given her hospitality and charm.

I flew into Guadalajara Saturday via Dallas Fort Worth airport which was honestly one of the easiest trips I have ever had traveling out of the country. Everything was on time and smooth which set the tone for the trip early on. After a quick nap at the hotel, I called Ale and she left work to come to the hotel. After chatting for a bit in the hotel, we decided to head out for a bite to eat since I really hadn't eaten that day other than some small airline snacks. We walked around for a bit until we ended up at Sanbourne's where I had some chicken enchiladas that were quite tasty (the picture is from some enchilada's that Ale made at home another time...not from the restaurant). After dinner, a group came in singing that was reminiscent of Karaoke quality and quickly ran us off. After meandering a bit more chatting, I walked Ale to the bus stop (just a short walk that couldn't have been more than 10 miles..heh...not really but it was a bit further than I first expected) and returned to the hotel to get some much needed rest before Sunday's adventures.

We met up Sunday in the late morning and headed out to walk to where we could catch the bus to the market in Tonala which is only there on Sundays. The market was huge from my perspective although I understand it is called the "little market". The stalls were packed tightly together with cloth strung from stall to stall providing some shade but being the bright person I am I did not wear a hat and had a rather nice sunburn by the end of the day that I am currently peeling from (joy of joys). The variety of goods from obviously homemade to quasi-commercial was impressive and the various food stalls interspersed throughout made for a sensory smorgasbord of sight and sound. The market was very busy and the press of so many people did become a bit oppressive after a while and I think we were both really ready to get going after a couple of hours and we decided to look for a restaurant. Coming upon the bus stop before we found a place that was appealing, we decided to head back to Guadalajara and found a restaurant in downtown that was quiet tasty in its variety on the buffet. Afterwards, we wandered around seeing the sights. The old architecture was particularly neat to me and in this area there were street performers and various stalls were set up here and there. I got drug into a mime act for a moment which was a bit more attention than I was seeking, but it was entertaining. There is also a legend there that if you are headed South on Warlock Avenue and someone asks you the time and your respond that will be the time you will die (not day or year or anything) which Ale was nice enough to explain to me AFTER asking me the time. Such a nice thing and now I will spend the rest of my life getting really nervous around 4:51. Heh. We took a double-decker bus tour later that evening which was a welcome respite from all the walking and the weather was so nice sitting in the open air portion of the bus. I swear we must have walked 20 miles or more that day. My legs are still sore which is a rather sad statement about me in general (note to self...must start exercising more!). After getting directions to her work since Ale had to work a half day Monday morning, we took her home in a taxi and I headed back to collapse in exhaustion although it had been a very nice day and walking is certainly the best way to get to know any city.

I slept in a little Monday before making arrangements to rent a car which they were nice enough to deliver to the hotel. After making a dry run to Ale's office just to make sure I could find it, I went back to the hotel to load up and check out. I picked up Ale at 2:00 and we headed out for Morelia which was about a four hour drive. The open country side was very nice and the autopista (interstate) had very light traffic so we were flying down the road (massacring many, many bugs along the way as the windshield attested). In Morelia, we met up with a college friend of Ale's, Adriana, who had gotten us a discount on a couple of rooms at a very nice Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was laid out kind of weird though and I had to keep asking where my cheese was since I felt like a mouse in a maze. We headed out to dinner at Tacopolis with Adriana, her boyfriend, and another lady. We ordered a few different kinds of tacos and it was interesting to note the differences (and superiority) compared to Taco Hell's varieties that run amok in the US. We also stopped at the store for some munchies for the rooms and after taking a poll of what was the best Tequila in the store settled on a bottle of 1800 Anejo which was very smooth and tasty being 100% Agave unlike many of the "regular" varieties available here that are actually 49% grain alcohol which is part of the reason for tequila's notoriety for bad hangovers. A couple of shots later it was time for bed still being tired from all the walking the day before and then the drive down.

Tuesday we walked around downtown Morelia seeing the sights in the afternoon. Again, the old architecture was very nice and the Cathedral in particular was very interesting being open so we could walk through it. Regretfully, the pictures I took inside were all too dark and didn't come out. In the plaza next to the cathedral was also a very cool arrangement for Dia los Muertos of flower petal designs that covered a significant amount of ground. The designs were elaborate and impressive in their layout. We stopped in a nice candy shop and I tried a sugary rose petal that was interesting in flavor and texture. We also stopped in a little shop and picked up some Gazpacho's that were essentially various chopped fruits with a little juice, cheese and Chile powder which was quite tasty. With food in hand, we headed back to the car and went to pick up Adriana, Adrian, and Paola to head to Patzcuaro an hour or so away for the actual Dia los Muertos celebration. We detoured up the side of a mountain to an overlook that allowed us an impressive view of the lake and city of Patzcuaro. It was a bit windy though and my less well insulated friends were quickly cold so we headed on down to the city. The atmosphere in downtown was very festive with a number of stalls selling Dia los Muertos items and food. There were a couple of people twirling fire batons to a conga drum but the press of the crowd was too much to get a good look. After walking around a little, we decided to head to the lake docks which prompted a good conversation on the pronunciation of dock since I thought they said duck. After finding a parking spot, I chatted with Adrian a bit in my poor excuse for Spanish, but in the ever reminded fact that it is a small world it turned out his father used to work for the same company I did. The festivities were in full swing on the docks with plenty of revelers and we decided to take a boat ride out to a tall island that had a number of shops and a whole bunch of steps (Oi, my poor legs). The boat was full of "happy" people and they sang all of the 20 minutes or so it took to get there complete with chants of "otra" (another) each time a song would end. The laughter and festiveness was certainly infectious. Being the driver, I had opted out of drinking anything up until the island but Adrian convinced me that I had to at least try a glass of Pulque (pul-k) which was a fermented fruit drink that dated back to the Aztecs and was drank by the priests and warriors. It was an interesting drink that really was tasty although regretfully I think that is what unhinged my stomach a little the next day. Thankfully, that passed after only a day (no pun intended) so it really wasn't that big of a deal. I also had forgotten to take my meds that day so combined with the steep climb up the island and just generally being worn out I was starting to feel bad and we had to start making our way back a little early (after midnight) which prompted more jokes about me being an abuelo (grandfather) that had started a few days before with me whining about my poor legs from walking so much. It is tough getting old ;)

After sleeping late and having breakfast, we headed back to Guadalajara for my last night. Returning the rental car was a bit painful in that I had forgotten to fill up the car before we got back to the hotel and decided not to worry about it figuring it would only cost a little extra for them to fill it up like it does in most places. I found out too late my assumption was wrong and it cost me 4 times as much (a tad over a hundred dollars for a tank of gas!!), but I was just too tired to argue with them about it. We took a taxi to a really cool small restaurant that night called La Noche Azul (the blue night) where we had shrimp and filet fondue and then some really good chocolate fondue with various fruits and sweet bread. The restaurant was mostly lit with candles and had cool murals on all the walls. There was a neat candle lamp that Ale pointed out to me with the candle set in a star that was protruding a little which cast interesting shadows on the half moon portion that made up the rest of the candle. I was a bit sad heading back to the hotel knowing that it was my last night and the fun was running out, but I crashed rather quickly.

Thursday morning Ale joined me one last time for a late breakfast and then we bid rather sad farewells after such a fun and wonderful week. The flight home was uneventful and seemed twice as long as coming both from sheer exhaustion and not wanting to get back to my normal routines after having such a great time for a week with such wonderful company. It is hard to fully express just what a great week I had and I am certainly eternally indebted to Ale for her hospitality and kindness in showing me around Mexico as it was certainly a far superior trip compared to a typical tourist trap vacation.

Spring Fever

2006-04-10T19:19:00.000-04:00

This time of the year here it is hard to stay indoors and concentrate. The weather is magnificent during the day and carries just enough of a chill at night to make you want to snuggle up close to the one you love. The world is waking once more as signaled by the bright colorful displays of the jonquils, dogwoods, and azaleas. The birds flit to and fro once more and best of all the mosquitoes and other pesky insects haven't arrived yet.

Leaving work for lunch is a risky affair, because the force of will it requires to return is no small feat for even the most miserly of souls. Spring is in the air and I am ready to be out playing. These are perfect days to be strolling hand in hand through the historical districts of towns like Wilmington, NC where the Azaleas are mature and plentiful or sitting in open air cafes enjoying the sun and chatting about whatever tumbles out.

Spring is here...and I have the fever. Forget a doctor, just send me my love and let's go walking. A nice afternoon picnic in the park complete with big smiles and sloppy kisses and I will be in heaven.

Test

2006-02-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

I wish I knew what I was doing.