It would be fun to work for this company.

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Today I resigned from the job where I have been for the last 5 1/2 years in order to write and do my own business full-time. My last day will be May 27th. Right now, I'm feeling a strange mixture of excitement and sadness. Mainly, I'm excited to be embarking on this new path. I mean, I am a little scared at the same time - a little fearful of what lies ahead. But deep down I know I can make it work. I just have to 'get in the game.'

What's disturbing is this sense of sadness that's begun to creep up on me this afternoon. This lump in my throat that begins to well up when I draft another email or do some everyday routine task. It's a sense of loss, really. It's probably natural to feel this way. I mean, when you think about it, I've been a part of this same community of people for the last 5 1/2 years of my life. How could I not feel sadness at leaving it? During my time here, there have been some really great moments and there have also been some really low moments, both at work and in my personal life. But through all those times, there was always the constant sense of security that comes from having a regular job - a place where I know certain things and can perform certain tasks . . . and do so with certainty. It's a sad thing to leave that kind of familiarity. I've felt this way before and, though it's a strange analogy to make, it's very much like leaving behind a close friend or loved one. Even if you know it's the best thing for you, leaving someplace or somebody that feels like 'home' is always hard to do.

Deciding to leave this job was one of the hardest things I've done in a long time. But overall, I know it's a step in the right direction. Instead of feeling sad at what I'm leaving behind, I'm going to opt to feel happy and grateful for the things I've learned over the past several years and for the memories (and friendships) I can take with me.

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Here comes Adobe!

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It's our last day in Costa Rica, and we're beginning to feel a bit sad that we will be leaving soon. I will post more details of the trip when I get back home, but thought I'd take a moment now to post once more before leaving.

Since my last post, we went on a boat tour in the Pacific, saw dolphins, and did some snorkling. Catherine got a bit sea-sick because the ocean was so rough that day, but the boat tour people were very nice about it and made special arrangments for her. Rita, Regina, and I stayed on the boat to do some snorkling and watch the sun set on the boat. Catherine was able to make it back to the mainland to watch the sunset from a nearby hotel called La Mariposa. She took us back there the next night and there are some truly magnificent views from their patio.

In case you're wondering who Rita and Regina are, they are a couple of wonderful women we met at our hotel on our first day here, and who we pal'd around with every day on our trip. They were lots of fun to hang out with and the trip would not have been the same without them. They left Quepos this morning and are probably on the plane back to Los Angelas, CA as I write this. We were sorry to see them go, but we'll surely see them again someday.

Catherine and I also did a canopy tour, which meant zipping through the forest on lines, and repelling from high platforms in the trees. This was a bit challenging for me, especially with my fear of heights, but somehow I was able to manage. The zipping and repelling was actually the easiest part. The harder part was staying up on the high platform in the trees for a long time while the guides prepared us for the next zip. Because there were so many of us on those platforms together, I got a little nervous, but it ultimately passed. There was a photographer who took photos of us on the tour, and we got a CD of the photos, so I hope to post a couple of them soon when I get back.

Yesterday, we basically relaxed by the pool all day. We needed another full day's rest. We spoke to a frequent traveller to Costa Rica at the pool yesterday and he made us realize that our flight back to San Jose would not get us there with enought time to spare to get to the big airport and get through customs, etc. So we booked an earlier flight on a different airline. We'd heard that if we miss our flight, it could mean being stuck for as many as 3 days . . . on second thought, that may not have been such a bad thing!

This morning, I went for a hike and saw howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, some interesting birds, and many, many iguanas. We will have our final dinner tonight and be back in DC by tomorrow night. Talk to you later, and as they say in Costa Rica - Pura Vida! (Pure Life)

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There's an Internet cafe near our hotel, so I thought I'd make a post from Costa Rica to fill everybody in on how the trip was going. Saturday morning, after a late Jones gig at at Staccato, where both The Jones and Communist Bakesale performed a killer set, Catherine and I begrudgingly arose at the unwelcome our of 4:30 am. When you go to bed at 2:30 am and wake up at 4:30 am, your behavior at that threatening hour of the day is slow and confused. The alarm went off and I remember raising my head and staring at it intently, trying to figure out exactly what it meant. What was it trying to tell me? Four-thirty usually means 'go back to sleep.' Not: 'wake up! wake up!' I snoozed it once, but after the second time, I managed to force my legs off the bed and will them toward the shower.

We scrambled to finish our packing, which we had begun the night before, but were unable to finish. Good thing we had made a list. It became a valuable reference tool for us at a time when just putting on our shoes seemed perplexing. Dulles Airport was very crowded. Luckily, a United Airlines rep let us cut in line, but if it hadn't been for that, it would have been close. As it was, we were able to grab breakfast to bring on board with us.

The flight to San Jose was uneventful. We landed a little early. We took our time after we de-planed - stopped at the duty-free for some 'staples,' got some colonas (the local currency) - then grabbed a cab to Pavos Airport where we were to catch a small single-jet engine plane to Quepos. Our cab driver didn't speak much English, so our first interaction with somebody local was a bit challenging. (Since then, Catherine and I are making good strides with the language - learning more and more as we spend more time here.) We got to Pavos Airport very early, but this turned out to be good luck - at the airport we met a guy named Harold who spoke good English and told us he could give us a personal tour of San Jose for $35. A quick assessment told us this guy was trustworthy, so we took him up on it. This turned out to be a real treat and well worth the money. We got a tour of the 'real city,' not just the tourist areas. He took us to the Central Market, where we ate lunch. He even ordered our food for us and advised us on what to eat. We both ordered the Casados, which means Plate of the Day, but also means 'married couple' because it is a mix of lots of different things. I got mine with Chicken, Catherine got hers with beef. We continued to walk around the city and encountered many people trying to sell us lottery tickets. I bought some Costa Rican coffee

When we got back to Pavos airport (btw, I'm using the term 'airport' VERY loosely) we still had an hour to spare before our flight so we spent some time conversing with a couple from Canada, also going to Quepos. The flight to Quepos was a bit scary at first, at least for me. I think Catherine was fine. The plane sat no more than 20 people and was very tiny. But even though there was some turbulance as we went through the clouds, the majority of the 20-minute trip was very smooth. And the incredible scenery kept your mind off of any sudden drops. The airstrip in Quepos was little more than a long dirt rode in the middle of a field of banana trees. From the dirt airstrip, we took a bus into Manuel Antonio and checked into our hotel - Si Como No .

We slept late the first night and got up the next day feeling rested. At breakfast, we saw a sloth and a giant gecko lizard. That day we spent mostly by the pool drinking and conversing with some of the other guests. We had dinner with some people we met - Mitch, Julie, Rita and Regina.

The next day, I decided to take surfing lessons and actually managed to get up several times! Surfing is a lot of fun, but very strenuous. I definitely want to try to go again before we leave. Next time, I think I'll just rent a board and go on my own. Maybe I'll become a part-time surf bum (or is 'surf bum' only a full-time job?)

This morning, Catherine had some spa therapy for her sun-burned back. A little later, we'll be heading out on a boat tour, hopefully to see some dolphins, hump-backed whales, loads of fish, and maybe a monkey or two on one of the islands. We will be stopping somewhere on the trip to do some snorkling. Then hopefully we'll get to see the sunset. So far, the weather has been pretty overcast in the evenings, so we haven't had a chance to see a great sunset, yet. But today looks promising.

Overall, Costa Rica is truly amazing place. There is so much to see and do, and it hasn't become corrupted as a 'tourist trap' yet. It still has a certain 'rawness' and lack of commercialism, which make it refreshing. My only complaint is the hot, humid weather, which reminds me of Houston. But we're getting accostomed to it.

I'm taking lots of photos and will post those when I get back. Adios!

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I'm back from the fishing trip to Ruidoso and already can't wait for next year to roll around! As promised, it was a testosterone-fueled celebration of fishing, drinking, smelling very bad, telling tales, and eating too much meat. These photos should tell the full story. Before too much time passes, I should jot down a few reflections:

1. Looking up at a clear sky full of stars reminds you of how small you are, but . . .
2. Being with your friends reminds you how lucky you are, somehow makes you feel bigger.
3. Life in the city isn't all that different from life in the woods, except in the city you have the illusion of control. In the woods, when you're on a trail alone, the silence can be oddly threatening. Your base instincts kick in - fear, survival. These are the same instincts we have in the city, but there we are surrounded by noise and modern constructs that are apart of our daily lives - cars, machines, the media, other people - which give us a false sense of security and control. But in nature, all those things fade away and you are suddenly aware that you actually have very little control over anything. And, strangely, that can be a comforting realization.
4. Dirt on the body has a way of cleansing the soul.
5. You can never bring enough socks when you're camping in 18-degree weather.
6. Camping seems to cure all the aches and pains I normally have in my back. Or maybe it was the scotch . . .
7. When you're cold, a campfire will warm you up, but if you get too close it will burn your eyes.
8. When you snap a trout's head, it makes a hollow, popping sound.
9. If you have enough guys, sometimes snoring can sound like a symphony.

Overall, it was a great weekend.

Now it's time to gear up for Costa Rica!

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I wish I hadn't looked at the 10-day forecast for where we will be in Costa Rica. Scattered thunderstorms the entire week. Supposedly, April usually only gets 4 days of rain on average. But that's assuming that David and Catherine aren't visiting.

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