Monday, December 29

Choosing Chores

As the year's end draws near, I am reminded of all the projects and chores that were started this year and left undone. Living in Costa Rica, the land of Pura Vida, I have managed to take my procrastination skills to a new level of expertise.

Resources (and $) are not as plentiful here so I rely on myself to get things done. No garderner, no housecleaner,,, I don't even take my car in to get detailed. It all gets done by me. Having a two-story house, four dogs, car, garden, and a big yard, I am overwhelmed at times, like now with all the Christmas stuff to be put away as well. I'm NOT complaining, I do feel blessed.

I remember growing up, us three girls NEVER told our mother we were bored. That was the word (BORED) that would spring our mom into reciting this arm's length list of chores she wanted us to do. She was raised on a farm so she knew chores, like milk the cow stuff. She believed in giving us our daily chores to complete before we could play after school. The "I am bored" chores were stuff like cleaning windows and screens, racking pine needles in the yard, sweeping the driveway, and 20 plus other things she would rattle off in one breath that needed doing. She amazed us.

Stuff like that never leaves you. I was resting from completing a hard project and a million other little projects kept spinging to mind. They were popping up like flashcards so I decided to write each one down on a slip of paper, fold them, and put it in a vase I painted. It eased my mind and let me let it go for now.

Turns out, this is a fun way to tackle projects. Most projects can be completed in 15 minutes or less,,,, amazing when I put off doing it for MONTHS. Somehow, by making it a game and randomly picking chores/projects, it's working! I did put some notes in the vase for fun stuff, too. That lead me to consider making a similar set-up but this one would be "Just For Me". All the things I never get around to doing, just for myself. The slips would include things like beachtime, massage, photo excursion, call home, that sort of stuff. Things I put off doing for getting my chores done first.

This next year it is all about making the time to do the things that bring peace, love, and harmony in my life. (goodbye clutter)

Note: When I pick a chore that can't be completed at one go, I do as much as possible and then mark the date on the slip and return it to the vase for another day. Really small task are written on small pieces of paper.
I think this "Pick a Project" would work great with children. They don't understand the difference between 'work' and 'project' and would probably think washing the car is fun. Sometimes, it is.

Thursday, December 25

Merry Christmas to All


Photo taken at Poseidon Restaurant where I ate grits today. Only restaurant I know in Costa Rica with grits.
Hoping you have a wonderful Christmastime.

Wednesday, December 24

In Search of Bokeh


I have been trying to capture the effect of Bokeh this Christmas. Bokeh is not a Bohemian name for Santa, it's an effect with light and lens in photography. I've had a very stress-free Christmas so far, making treats like Rompope and chocolate covered goodies for my friends. The recipe for Rompope (eggnog) is here: Melekalilimaka Here's hoping your Christmas is filled with magic. postscript....the Slideshow I originally posted is now defunked, so was the link above to Bokeh,,, jeeees! (date corrected and referenced - Dec.15, 2012)now it's not doing hard returns,,,,, go figure.

Saturday, December 20

Children's Christmas Parties

Two shows and two photo storage sites below (Flickr and Slide).
You can click onto orange link to view and download the photos at Flickr.
I put some photos on Slide for the blog so you can look and listen.
Music playing on Teri Tunes is the great Reba with "The Christmas Guest",
Enjoy.

Herradura Elementary School
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ticamachatourscostarica/sets/72157611334151803/show/



Municipality Garabito/Jaco
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ticamachatourscostarica/sets/72157611459256578/show/
I would love to hear from my readers. If you don't know how to leave a comment, just click onto "comments from nice people", type your message and your name and click "anonymous". Blogger should accept it. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Saturday, December 13

Blue Moon AND tope


I've always wanted to take full moon shots but last night, I actually did it. It was fun trying to catch the moon lit inbetween the clouds passing, especially since I had the timer on (it snaps 20 seconds later so the clouds have moved). Anticipating the moment is the fun.

It never fails when I see a big full moon like last night...
that Toby Keith's song "Does that Blue Moon" goes off playing in my head. Great song.

There was another Tope in Esterillos Oeste today! It was wild, up on the mountain with the gorgeous beach down below. Lots of photos. Big turn out, too, considering it was not advertised and no directional signs were posted to find it. You just had to know where to go I guess. So it goes.
Pura Vida. Enjoy the picture show with music (Toby Keith).


Slideshow cuts off the vertical format shots so some of the feet are cut off.
Photos are a little fuzzy because they are downsized for faster upload to Slideshow.

Friday, December 12

New Traffic Laws in Costa Rica

I don't know about the rest of the country but around here, they have been busy marking parking for taxis, painting double lines in the middle of the roads, painting directional arrows and the like EVERYWHERE! I knew something was going on when I saw them pouring a long sidewalk by the school on the main highway. They are busy everywhere, putting in new huge drainage pipes - just where is the money coming from???? (China?)

A friend stopped by and was telling me all about the new fines if you are caught without a seatbelt ($350), run a red light ($450), pass a car on a double line (big bucks), get caught driving and drinking (BIG FINE and/or JAIL). I couldn't believe it. If you've lived here, you know traffic laws are barely enforced. In fact, I've been in a taxi when he passed a police on a double line. Nothing happened. I was doubly amazed that the fines were set so high because the average Costarrican makes this amount in a MONTH. We have to pay Marchamo (car tax) at the end of the year and for most, this is a struggle (lots of cars are up for sale this time of the year because they are unable to pay the tax). If the tickets are not paid, they cannot get their Marchamo sticker and the car is worthless on the road (BIGGER tickets if caught, scratch that, they TAKE YOUR CAR if you don't have that sticker on the front windshield at the beginning of the year. Yep, Transito (traffic police) sit at points with the tow truck and check EVERYONE).

I'm puzzled about the new fines that are going to be "imposed". For "whom" are they intended? I checked the resource blog for CR info "The Real Costa Rica" and it's all there. Check it out and BUCKLE UP! or pay up! The link to The Real Costa Rica is two years old (I forgot to check) but here is what the Tico Times recently published regarding the new laws:
http://www.ticotimes.net/topstoryarchive/2008_12/121208.htm
Thanks Mike at www.jacosun.com for doing the research and catching the date on that 2 year old blog post I blogged.
NO MORE ZIGZAGGING to avoid potholes, it's considered "reckless driving"...

Teri Tunes - Willie's playing - "On the Road Again"

Sunday, December 7

2008 Jaco Tope

'Twas a long day and I didn't stay for them to mount up and ride for the "real" tope ("toe-pay"). The fun for me is watching all the horses arrive and their riders getting them suited up for the group horse ride parade. All of the participants pay to enter and are given a numbered card to wear on their back. The proceeds from the event usually go to help someone or something in the community. It's a very old tradition in Costa Rica. One year, I want to be one of those privileged riders.

Waylon's on the tunes here, TURN IT UP! (sorry, but the music cuts off when you go to the comments. That's just the way Blogger is step up but you can minimize this page and listen while you do other things)

Surf Sunday


I LOVE GILBERT BROWN!!
I guess I've become a 'Gilbert Groupie'. He was great today at the finals in Jaco and what was more impressive..... after his run, he walked around with a plastic bag picking up trash off the beach, talking to people, all the while photographers snapping his photo. Gilbert is pretty amazing and I got some great shots of him today out there on his board.


Friday, December 5

Jaco Tope this Sunday

Usually, we find out about events after the fact so here's an FYI, we are having a Tope in Jaco this Sunday. It's the first one in quite sometime. I will be there snapping photos, of course. One day,,, I'll be on a horse in the Tope but not this Sunday.

If anyone has any info on a Tope in Playa Hermosa like two years ago, please let me know. For sure, I'd like to ride in that one!!

Click onto photo to enlarge for information. It should be a beautiful event!!

Monday, December 1

Heads Up to the Sky Tonight


Be sure to look to the skies tonight if you want to see something spectacular. Venus AND Jupiter will be very close to the crescent moon. Check out this description click here

(http://www.space.com/spacewatch/081128-ns-moon-jupiter-venus.html)