May showers...

I'm not sure about other parts of the world, but it's been raining like crazy down here in Guatemala. May has seriously been an extremely wet month, specially the last two weeks, when it pretty much rained every day... and it's not soft rain, when it rains down here, it pours...

My ankle is doing better, I stopped wearing the air cast about two weeks ago, and started going to therapy three times a week. The therapy is almost a blessing in disguise, since I have to leave work around 5:40 PM at the latest to make my appointment, so there's no excuse for staying late. I can walk without any problems, but I'm probably about a week away from playing basketball again... though we do have a game this Saturday, which I'm debating if I should go or not.

Last weekend was lots of fun... we got together with some friends for lunch over at a friend's house. I wasn't sure if I was going, since I didn't feel that great, I had a cold / cough thing going. Anyways, I did end up going, and I must say it was a blast... at the end, someone brought "Dance, Dance Revolution", that PS2 game where there's a mat and you follow the steps the game tells you to do (you may have seen this game at your local arcade, with kids dancing to some techno / electronica music). The girls ended up dancing for hours on that thing, and there was only one guy who tried it... and it wasn't me! Afterwards, we headed to this new club called "Tantra" and drank the night away, with some Portuguese guy one of my friends knew picking up the tab for all of us... wooohooo!!! Free alcohol rocks!

Work wise, things are still as hectic as always... we had this activity planned on Tuesday to reward the best vendors at the company, an event attended by pretty much the entire company. I was scheduled to go, but because of some "crisis", I was asked to stay behind and finish some project... hooray for me! Still not sure about my future here...

Movies that I've recently seen include "The Family Stone" (didn't like it that much, but Mom wanted to watch it), "Lord of War" (which I highly recommned, very entertaining), and "The DaVinci Code" (went to see it purely for entertainment reasons, as a fictional movie). Next on my list, X-Men III, which apparently did really good business over Memorial weekend in the US. The one movie I can't wait to come out is "Nacho Libre", which stars Jack Black as a priest with an orphanage, who happens to fight in Mexican style wrestling matches at night... too funny!

Can't believe that the World Cup is only 9 days away... let's hope Netherlands has a good run (they're my favorite team, since Guatemala has never made it, at an early age I had to pick a second favorite team to root for, and the dutch have won my appreciation and affection since I was young). Arriba Mecanica Naranja!!! Of course, I'm also rooting for Costa Rica, since I have to support other Central American teams... speaking of Central America, Carlos Ruiz has six goals on the young MLS season, and his goals keep getting better and better (back to back goals of the week). Bosox are still in first place, the Heat are leading the Pistons, so as far as sports goes, I'm a happy man.

Hope all my friends / family are doing ok... saludos a todos!
Carlos

P.S. Have any of you listened to the World Chart Show on the radio? They play it here every weekend, sorta like Casey Casem's Top 40.

Joyeux Anniversaire Mickey B!

Joyeux Anniversaire Mickey B!!! Feliz Cumpleaños!!! Hope you had a great b-day... turning 27 eh? As you get older, are you getting wiser or drunker (not sure this is a word)? Anyways, hope you had a blast on you day... It would be a nice occasion to go back to Citronelle, maybe this weekend. Will there be a PARTY at Mickey B's? Hope is a classic one!

Un fuerte abrazo,
CRCP

Feliz Cumpleaños Alan Sperber!!!

Happy Birthday Alan! How do you say in Ecuadorian, Feliz Cumpleaños!?!? Anyways, congrats on turning 26... another birthday, another year of drunkennesss, another year of stupidities... Hope everything is awesome and wicked in Ecuador, don't drink too much... but drink till you see the "Green Fairy". I have two wishes for you on your da: Tubo, tubo, subete a mi tubo, tubo (that somebody does that to you) and that Ecuador does well in the World Cup.

Alan (birthday boy), Mickey B, and Carlos... our last beers together... almost a year ago!

Un fuerte abrazo mi ñaño,

Carlos

P.S. Let us know what your up to dawg...

Another weekend...

So, another week has gone by and my ankle is feeling better and better everyday. I have a doctor’s appointment this week, when I hope they’ll tell me I can stop wearing the air cast. It’s just really annoying to use it while wearing your shoe, plus the one shoe I wear on my right foot is now really stretched out on the sides because of it. My ankle does feel stronger, though I’m probably about a week or two away from playing sports competitively (the question is, have I ever played at a competitive level…. Hmmm).

My brother had a free pass to go see Mission Impossible III on Thursday night, which I regretfully had to decline because it was the second to last episode of Survivor (yes, I still watch the show), though I do want to see the movie… have any of you seen it? Apparently, Tom Cruise’s antics have really annoyed some people and affected his box office appeal… Anyways, Survivor Sunday turned out all right, though I was rooting for Terry at the end, and Aras ended up winning the million bucks (much more deserving than Danielle). And by the way, why did everybody love Cirie, she was the mastermind behind three or four people being ousted, and nobody seemed to hate her…

Friday, since my ankle was feeling a bit better, I decided to test the ankle at this new bar / club called Tantra. It’s really nothing special, but it was a new place to try out. Of course, it took like ten minutes for us to get in (I absolutely despise waiting and pleading with bouncers), which I’m not sure if it was worth the wait or not. Anyways, bumped into a bunch of people, had some beers and some “micheladas”, and the ankle didn’t bother me till the very end…but I was able to limp out of the bar without any help.

Saturday we took it easy; running a few errands and then partially watching “About a Boy” (electricity went out because of a thunder storm). By the way, I forgot to mention that we assembled a TV stand last week (my brother did most of the work) for the new TV my brother bought. It wasn’t quite as easy as we had planned (yes, I read the instructions), as a couple of times we messed up, though I take the blame for the mistakes, since I had the bum ankle, I was directing the entire operation. Anyways, after a few hours of cursing and sweating, the new TV stand was ready! So now we are really ready to enjoy the World Cup GAMES! By the way, Carlos Ruiz scored another goal… three so far for the FC Dallas star!

Besides that, my sister called on Sunday and informed my brother that they wanted him to be the Godfather of the upcoming baby. He was quite excited, plus the baptism is supposed to happen in Haiti around December, so it might be a chance for us to visit… though I’m not sure I’ll be able to take off, November and December are crazy times at work.

Here are a couple of nice pictures from two weekends ago when my dad was still in town….

Your host, my dad, and my brother (nice touch we’re all wearing baseball caps)




Cousins…

Take care,
CRCP

Speaking of Mission Impossible, another Top Ten List…


Late Show’s Top Ten Impossible Missions

10. Watching an entire WNBA game

9. Getting that fifth dentist to recommend Trident Sugarless Gum for their patients who chew gum

8. Trying to make cupcakes even more delicious

7. Figuring out exactly what Willis is talking about

6. Stealing a cookie from Kirstie Alley

5. Finding a copy of "O" magazine without Oprah on the cover

4. Trying to figure out the plot of "Lost"

3. Persuading birds that Donald Trump's hair is not a nest

2. Finding someone willing to go hunting with Dick Cheney

1. Keeping Tom Cruise's couch cushions clean

Friday – 5 de Mayo! (For the last time, I'm not Mexican...)

Well, it’s Friday! I should be excited because of this, but since my ankle is still not 100% and it really bothers me if it’s not raised, I’m gonna stay in tonight. It’s still a little swollen, and at this point my ankle looks like a flag from Venezuela (yellow, blue, red, purple). Everyday during lunch and right after I get home, I ice my ankle for about an hour or so, the swelling has really gone down, but it’s still a little painful. There’s a basketball game this Saturday, which I won’t be able to make… hope to be ready to hit the floor in a couple of weeks.

Last weekend, we had lunch with my dad and a whole bunch of family members… everybody wants to get together since my dad is in town... for some reason people actually like him. After lunch, I had to go to work for a couple of hours, since it was close at La Licorera. Monday we had off (Labor Day), so the family went to Antigua, stayed at my aunt’s apartment, so it was a nice chill day… once I got home, the Bosox where playing the Yanks, game which featured the return of the traitor Johnny Damon. Happy to report that Big Papi, David Ortiz, hit a HR and the Bosox won.

The rest of the week I’ve been taking it easy because of the ankle, but playing a lot of FIFA Road to the WC 2006 on PS2, which I can play with Guatemala (sorry, no Haiti)! Finally, we’ll make it to the big event. Also, reading when I get a chance and feel like reading (one Bosox book and one about global economy… guess which one I’m reading more?).

Happy 5 de Mayo for everybody… have some Coronas and Tequilas for me, since I’ll be staying in…

CRCP

P.S. Another Late Show Top Ten…

Late Show´s Top Ten Ways President Bush Can Raise His Approval Rating

10. Hire Jack Bauer to find Osama Bin Laden
9. Reunite Nick and Jessica
8. Announce his next big mission is to get those people on "Lost" home safely
7. Replace Laura with the First Lady of Soul, Aretha Franklin
6. Get Eva Longoria to give his speeches for him
5. Pass a bill that forces Ben Affleck to stop acting
4. Put brother Jeb in charge of counting approval ratings
3. Free tacos when approval rating hits 40%
2. Since that 2000 election was so darn close, let Gore be President for last two years
1. Fire Cheney, hire Oprah