My Candle Burns at Both Ends

I think I realize why weekends were invented. And that is to say that I've realized no one should really be going out for more than 3 days in a row.That shit is exhausting. And now I have to cram the last 4 years into two suitcases and a carry on. :(  I can't say that I couldn't use a drink for this project.

I closed out my PRican bank account on Friday and I really almost started to cry. I mean, this is the real deal. I'M LEAVING PUERTO RICO IN 3 DAYSSSSSS!!!!

In happier news, this weekend (my last weekend!!!) shaped up to be something legendary. On Tuesday, I forgot that when drinking with a 230 pound male, you probably shouldn't try and go drink for drink with him... particularly if it involves tequila. Because if  you do, you will end up with double vision by 9pm and have to go home to pass out. WONDERFUL!

On Thursday morning I woke up with sand in my hair and in my ears and in my bed. Sometimes that happens. I also had a huge bruise on my knee from drunkenly chasing JC down the beach before I fell over....something. A piece of bamboo? A rock? A shell? Maybe. The air? More likely.

Friday. I ate and drank with some friends in the afternoon, and then went somewhere else and drank some more. And danced. Some more. Repeat until the wee hours of the AM. I also learned that Ron Barrilito gives my some wicked heartburn. So that's kinda a shame.

That being said, Saturday was not the greatest day for me, as I had the shakes and wanted the Earth to swallow me up and spit me back out when this hangover was over. Instead of going to Skapularo on Sat, which was an event I had been looking forward to for a week or so, I had probably my last date night w/ The Hwy before I leave and watched a movie and then read in bed and looked forward to waking up tomorrow (today!) and not feeling like a junkyard. I think it worked!

The only pic from that night appropriate for the Internet

Medalla: Where would i be w/o you? (at home in bed)

That happened.

"My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light."

 - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Pictures fromThe Great Pincho Adventure (see previous post)

Here are a select few of the million or so pics from when my brother was visiting.


At Villa Cofresi drinking rum from coconuts:







The sunset at Calypso:


The beer cans wait while we go skinny dipping:


(this was a pre-skinny dip pic...yes indeed that is a shot of 151 *gag*burn*gag again*....)


mixing some beverages from the comfort of my lounge chair:




NOW....the moment you all have been waiting for....a PICTURE OF OLD BLUE (aka "Lucky", because dammit if that isn't exactly how i feel everytime it actually turns on) !!!!





....ain't she a beaut? Nick playing in the water

Nick picking oranges from the tree from the local kids and denting my hood :



At Tamboo:
Casa Vieja:
Calypso:


THE KITTEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! looks a little angry here, but i think he's just high:


One for the grandkids:


The three amigos:

The two amigos with a new third amigo:

At playa Buye:


THERE YOU HAVE IT. All of these are horribly out of order, but I think it captures the essence of the trip better that way.

The World Through a Yellow Tinted Cup 'o Medalla.

"It really IS odd how things come into a point of clarity when you are drunk. I think it’s all about the releasing of inhibitions. We do things that we want to, when we’re drunk. You’ll get the classic Catholic guilt over some of them in the morning, but for a brief, shining moment—you did what you wanted, said what you wanted, and be damned to anyone else." - Rebekah M.C.-P.

I've been having sputs of mental clarity when I've been drunk lately. I can't say that's ever really happened to me before. Normally it's quite the opposite. I mean, sure I have AWESOME ideas when I'm drunk, but they usually lean more towards the "you know what would be totally awesome right now..." ideas that involve either Taco Bell, getting naked, or trying to craft a bong out of various fruits. Not so much the ones that help me figure my own life out. I was telling Bekah about it, and she just emailed me the above reflection, and I almost wanted to weep. ALSO, I had a heart to heart with a stray cat that was in the stairwell of my apartment when I got home...I think that means I'm totally insane :/

Jose Cuervo is not a Friend of Mine.

I had a social gathering last night!!!! I'm house sitting a rather lovely place this week, and needed to take full advantage. A very lovely time will all my faves. Will write more later about that but must go to the beach now.

LATER:

So, let it be known that as of Friday, Oct. 17 2008 I will no longer be drinking tequlia (except maybe sometimes). Jose Cuervo, you are not a friend of mine.

To start the night, I got lost in Miraderos because my phone died as Zaira was giving me directions. But after 30 minutes of driving around, I somehow magically found her house. I don't know how I did it, honestly. BUt anyway, it was a good thing since we were going to cook some dinner since the house I'm a watching this past week has a kitchen that is bigger than my entire apartment practically. So, we stopped at Econo (the supermarket) for beverages (Medalla was on sale :)

Long story short: People came, people drank, and when I passed out at 4:30AM people were still doing both. KA and I had a mini dance party in the living room. I shotgunned a Red Bull with JC and fell asleep 30 minutes later. The food was eaten. The fridge was full of Medalla at the beginning of the night, at the next morning there were 4. Jose C. = gone. The million wine bottles = gone and 1 champagne bottle (which i remember opening but don't remember drinking but obvsly must have) = gone.

I love parties :)

What a week. What a year. What a life.

all right, I may have reacted unfavorably to the events presented to me in the past few days...however, despite the fact things are below average on numerous fronts, I'm back in the ring to take another swing.

some photos have recently surfaced that you may be interesting in seeing!!! True classics, in fact, and they ultimately sum up everything remotely interesting that i've done over this break, soooooo......what a gripping life i do lead, i know, i know.

let us start, shall we? Jaybo's bro came to visit, and the good times followed. I present to you a selection of pictures (in random order); my "Top 10 Pictures Taken with Erik's Camera". I would attach clever little captions, but i'm positive they will be more hilarious without them:


1.)


2.)


3.)


4.)


5.)


6.)


7.)


8.)


9.)


10.)

HONOROABLE MENTIONS GO TO:

And that, kids, is how it's done.

Sometimes, ya just gotta.

OKAY, first things first ---- I am madly and wildly in total love!!! But don't tell anyone....it would ruin my image. :) jejejejejejjjeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! i joke, i joke! but seriously...
Where to begin, where to begin...how about Saturday night??? 10pm-ish?? Does that work for everyone...? Well, that's where I will start, because that's when things started to get interesting!

10pm: I am alone in my apartment, debating if it would be a good idea to go out. I have the option to go out with some columbians. I am a little nervous to go by myself, and nervous for language barrier situations. I decide I have 2 options: 1.) to stay home and not go out (which, let's face it, isn't really "me"...) OR 2.) calm my nerves by getting drunk before I go to the party. I decide to call Bekah and debating it out loud with me as I mix my first drink.

10:45pm: Naturally, Bekah fully supports option 2. Some people look poorly upon drinking alone. In the words of Rhett Butler, "Don't drink alone, Scarlett. People always find out and it ruins your reputation." I beg to differ. Bekah takes the situation into consideration, and understands me and my ways. Which is why we are friends. She gives me her blessing, and the advice to "stay away from the cocaine table". Check.

11pm: Columbians pick me. We go to their apt and drink. One of them is a total dreamboat.

12am: Still drinking. Language barriers cannot stop me.

1am: Still drinking. Dreamboat said he is driving us to the beach tomorrow. WONDERFUL.

2am: we decide to go out. many bars are closed, but we find this fantastic little bar with music and cheap beer!!! dancing, drinking, dancing with dreamboat, smoking with dreamboat, dancing, drinking with dreamboat, smoking....

4:30am: Dreamboat walks me home and i am offically in love.

5:10am: I text Bekah and pass out.


SUNDAY: Essentially, I go with Dreamboat to Rincon, he has to find some endangered plant for colegio or something that supposedly grows in Rincon. We went to this beach, and it was fantastic to swim. I fucking love the ocean so bad. I love swimming. And I found a bunch of sea glass, which I've been collecting since Barcelona in 2003. And then we went on this crazy adventure through the jungles of Puerto Rico searching for this plant that i can't ever remember the name of and have no idea what it looks like. So I guess he was "searching", not me...but whatev. He never found it, in the end. Which is truely a shame, because that means we will have to go back next weekend to look again :)