Oktoberfest...

And then God said: Let there be Oktoberfest... and so every October of every year all around the world, people come together and honor this tradition, of drinking beer and... well, pretty much just drinking beer. Oktoberfest was happening this past Friday night here in Guate, so I waited till the 5th game of the World Series to be decided before heading out. The Cardinals were up late in the game and the Tigers looked like they were giving up (the National League hadn't won it since 2003), so I was off I went to join my friends in this once a year celebration of beer. Parking was a huge pain in the butt, as it took me about 10 minutes to finally park the car (not as bad as trying to find a parking spot in Adams Morgan in DC... that was seriously the worst). Met up with my friends there and headed out to get some beer... I didn't wanna have Guatemalan beer, so I got this beer "Tucher" that was sold in the 500ml can presentation. I had never had it before, and it was really good... long story short, I ended up having six of those cans, which if you're good at math, adds up to 3 Liters of beer... damn!!! Besides some drama at the end of the night, it was a great evening of drinking.

Tucher beer... Six of those, and you're good to go!

Cheers!

On Saturday night I met some friends to a dinner party (it was more like a lunch get together, but we were extremely late). Plenty of vodka, shots, and dancing were done... Some pics of the event. Later on that night, some dude I was riding with hit a parked car and didn't leave a note or anything... Needless to say he was drunk, but the car he hit was parked inside a parking lot!!! And that was before going into the bar, hope he made it home safely...

Marta's b-day party (dude, Marta, dudette, me)

Dancing and drinking

Lucky, Cristina, and your host

Sunday caught a movie with Bob, Jud, and some friends of them. Even though I drove for about 40 minutes to meet them at some mall that's all the way across the other side of the city, it was then decided that we should go to a movie theater that's only 10 minutes away from my house... thanks guys! Good thing was we saw the movie for free (The Devil wears Prada... not my choice, but it has some funny moments).

Peace out,
CRCP

P.S. - FC Dallas was eliminated from the MLS playoffs... poor Pescadito!

P.S. II - Back in the lead in the NFL picks with my friends..

P.S. III - Another Late Show Top Ten....


Late Show’s Ten Ways To Make The World Series More Exciting

10. Instead of fireworks, games kick off with North Korean nuclear test
9. Get "Weird Al" Yankovic to write wacky new lyrics to national anthem
8. Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers wears nothing but pine tar
7. Allow top players to use performance-enhancing supplements...Oh wait, they already do that
6. Once an inning, catcher has to take one in the nuts
5. Martha Stewart gives Barry Bonds tips on what he can expect in the joint
4. Give Mel Gibson some tequila and ask what he thinks of Sandy Koufax
3. Oh, I don't know -- shorten the game by 2 or 3 hours
2. Just for fun, bring an A-Rod to choke
1. Screw peanuts and cracker jacks, bring on the hookers

Graduation Time, Hooters, and Music Video

So my cousin Sarahi graduated from HS this past week. There was a mass at 12 PM which I couldn’t attend, graduation ceremony and afterwards a nice dinner with friends and family. School in Guatemala starts in January and goes till late October, with most schools having a break around June (anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month). As for as college goes, the same schedule applies, except for classes don’t end till November. Anyways, all of the family got together to celebrate my cousins achievements… some pics from the events.

All the cousins on my mom's side.... except my sister (graduation girl at the far right)

All the male cousins...

On Wednesday the 25th we got together at Hooter’s (yes, we have that in Guatemala City… in fact, we have 2 of them) to watch the World Series game. Funny thing is, it wasn’t my idea or Estuardo’s, Marianna suggested that we go there and enjoy some fine chicken wings and beer. This was my first time going to Hooter’s in Guate, and if you compare the girls to the ones in the US, the ones in the US are a little hotter and bit more… uhm, how should I put this… they tend to have bigger milk dispensers. Unfortunately for us, the World Series game was suspended because of rain, and it appears that the forecast calls for rain the next couple of days as well (hopefully the Tigers can get their act together and start hitting again).

I also wanted you guys to listen to this artist, M. Ward, who I think is amazing. Not sure how many of you have heard of him, but here’s a link to his video of the song “Chinese Translation” from the just released album Post-War. Please watch it and let me know what you think… seriously so freaking good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToEPFDIzhNA

Love the video…. What to you do with the pieces of a broken heart…

Play ball,
CRCP

P.S. Looks like we might be going to an Octoberfest this weekend… woohoo!
P.S. II - How come all the Latinos are getting kicked out in Survivor??? Only one Latin dude left!

I think I'm crazy + Antigua Pics...

So this past Friday we had the day off because it was Revolution day down here. On Thursday I got together with my cousins and friends for another tournament of FIFA07, plus some beer & pizza. Tournament started around 6:30 PM and we didn’t end till about 11:00 PM… I ended up being fourth, which is not that bad. Also, while I wasn’t playing, I was keeping an eye for the NLCS game 7 match up between the Cards and the Mets… Not sure if any of you saw that catch by Andy Chavez to steal a HR by Scott Rolen… freaking amazing.

On Friday, woke up late, ran a few errands, had some lunch, watch some Seinfeld episodes (The Black and White Cookie / Gortex jacket and the Marine Biologist episodes) and then headed down to Antigua. Bob and I went to Motherland Flava to have a few beers and chill to some reggae music… plus, they also played Hawaii’s own IZ, I was shocked that they had that there. Afterwards, we headed to Monoloco, to say hi to some friends… A new girl bartender from England who had just started last week was there, I thought she was hot and started talking to her. Anyway, after a while, I asked her for her number, but she said she had a boyfriend… She mentioned that he was French and that they had been dating for about three months. We talked for a little while longer, left the bar place and then I crashed at my friend’s place in Antigua. Next morning I wanted to hit the market in Antigua, so I parked near where I thought they used to be a small market. As soon as I get out of the car, I notice that there was a crepe / smoothie place, and since I hadn’t had breakfast, I went in and asked for a smoothie to go. The guy who worked at the smoothie place just happened to have a French accent… didn’t think much of it. Anyways, after looking for the smaller market for about half an hour and not finding it (since it didn’t exist anymore), I went to the central market, got the stuff I needed, and decided to got sit in the central park and enjoy some beverages and do some people watching. After sitting there for awhile, I decided to go back to the car and head home… My car was parked right in front on the crepe / smoothie place, and I noticed that the bartender that I liked was there talking to the guy with the French accent… I thought about saying hi, but decided against it, since I thought that there was a small chance that he could be the boyfriend she had mentioned, so I just got into the car and came back to the City. I came back to Antigua later on that evening, and some friends were hanging out at Monoloco… so I decided to go join them there. Of course I bumped into the hot bartender and said hi, had a few drinks with friends, went to La Sala where a Guatemalan group was playing (La Gran Calabaza). Afterwards, we met up with my friend who is the manager at Monoloco and he mentioned that the hot bartender thought that I purposely went to that crepe / smoothie place to check up on the boyfriend or something!!! I swear it was a coincidence, but now this girl thinks I’m stalking her or something… The manager said he would speak to her, but I don’t know if she’s gonna believe him, since the whole deal is so strange… It’s gonna be awkward next time I see her… plus, not sure if I should explain to her what happened or just not talk to her… She thinks I’m crazy!!!

Chilling at Monoloco on Saturday...

Bob, Laura and Zach before calling it a night..

In other more sane topics, on Sunday I took it easy: talked to my dad in VA, then to my mom and sister in London, read a bit, vegged out in front of the TV… Later on the day, my brother came back from the beach, he had left on Friday with friends and we watched the WS game (rooting for the Tigers to win it all). The WS started this weekend and the series is tied at one game each… MLS playoffs also started with FC Dallas winning their game (with Pescadito Ruiz scoring a goal). Also, my dad’s sister is over there visiting him, so I asked for some music and DVDs from the US, which I should get soon.

Finally, here are some pics of Antigua Guatemala, since a lot of people have asked me why I go there all the time…

El Arco..

Inside of Casa Santo Domingo...

More Antigua ruins..

Central park fountain...

Antigua nights... with volcanoes in the background.

Aloha,

CRCP


P.S. - Moonshine (sometimes known as mooney, hooch, or white lightning) is a common slang term for home-distilled alcohol, especially in places where this production is illegal. The name is derived from the fact that moonshiners would often work at night (i.e. under the light of the moon) to avoid arrest for producing illegal liquor, especially during Prohibition. Moonshine is made by yeast fermenting any number of sugar sources to produce ethanol and then separating the alcohol from the fermenting mixture (the mash) through distillation using a still. Moonshine continues to be produced in the U.S., mainly in Appalachia and parts of the South.(From www.wikipedia.com)

Weekends...

Sorry for not posting for some time... thinks have been quite hectic at work and some long work nights have been had. But let’s start with some more exciting stuff, let’s talk about all the cool stuff I got for my bday: CDs (Jack Johnson – Some Live Songs, Bacilos – Exitos, Nelly Furtado – Loose, and Diego Torres – Andando), that sweet brown sweatshirt I was wearing for my bday, shoes, DVD of the Office and of course some “dinero”. Thanks everybody!

The good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain… (Bob Marley song). Seriously, the amazing thing about music to me is how much a song can bring back feelings from the past. For example, there’s this song by Bacilos (Tabaco y Chanel), which always brings back amazing memories from a certain special person…. Even though I might be thinking of something else, that song brings me back to certain moments and always brings butterflies to my stomach and a smile to my face. Not sure if any songs do that for you guys, but this song brakes my heart (I know, how lame of me).

Anyways, this past week was the worst week ever as far as work goes…I had to work till 10:30 PM three days straight, including leaving work at 9:30 PM on Friday. Plans had been made to pick up my cousin and a friend around 8:30 PM, so I guess I was running a little late. I had also promised Bob and his gringo friend a ride to Antigua since they were in the city, and when I picked them up, there were three dudes there: Bob, Matt, and this Australian dude that reeked (apparently he hadn’t showered in four days or something). I didn’t notice the smell as much, but after picking up my cousin and the other guy, my cousin had to ride in the back next to the Australian dude (about an hour drive all together). He almost killed me as soon as we dropped off the gringos + Australian dude. The worst part was, they kept calling me from work asking me questions and trying to figure out some stuff, I got the last call from work around 12:30 AM. So of course we went to Monoloco that night, had some drinks and nachos, hit and afterparty, and called it a night.

Saturday I had to come into work around 10 AM, worked my ass off, had a huge lunch (some really good carne asada and chorizo), and left work around 6PM. Unfortunately, there was a family event at 4PM which I ended up missing because of work… I was so pissed. On Sunday, we got together for the inaugural family tournament on FIFA 07, on which I did horribly… did not win a single game (my younger cousins are better than me at PS2).

This past Wednesday went to Rattle and Hum (bar owned by some Australian dude, though he’s not related to the other Australian dude mention in this entry) with my cousin and some friends. Not too many beers were had since it was only Wednesday, but it was a chill time anyway. By the way, did I mention that Jud’s brother is a bartender / manager at Monoloco, every so often, he gives us free “gallitos” (6onz Gallo beers). Here’s a pic when Zach (Jud’s brother) first came down this year to Antigua…

Carlos, Lucky, Bob, Jud, and Zach

Zach had me try this shot called chocolate cake, with is Amaretto and Vodka (I think), which is so freaking good. Not too strong, but I strongly recommend I lime and some salt…. Really, you should order it next time you hit your local bar.

Congrats to Tigers for eliminating the Evil Empire… Yankees have fallen on their face yet again! I bet the Tigers will end up winning the whole thing. Speaking of congrats, happy B day to Felicia who turned another leaf in her illustrious life on October 10th, plus congrats to Merky and Sungi whose b-days are coming up.


Here are some pics from this weekend… place The Funky Monkey!

Carlos, Edgar (my cousin), Estuardo, Marianna, waiter, Gerardo, Gerardo's special friend, another girl, Jud

Same people, but I took the pictures this time...

Later dudes,
CRCP

P.S. - Did I mention that Toto will be playing in Guatemala tomorrow??? Weird.
P.S. II – I had been in first place in the NFL picks in my pool, but this week I dropped to the 2nd spot for the first time this year. I can’t believe the Skinnies lost to the Titans and how the Rams lost!

Mi cumpleaños...

Feliz cumpleaños para mi! Go shorty, it's my birthday, we're gonna party like it's your birthday... On September 30th, I reached yet another year of living and enjoying life… first b-day I’ve celebrated in Guatemala since I turned 18 (some time ago). I had invited friends to got out to Monoloco in Antigua for the festivities. Traffic was horrible on Friday night, as there are some road repairs going on, plus there was a bit of rain as well… what usually takes us 30 – 45 minutes took us about 1hr 30 minutes. After sitting in traffic longer than expected, we got to Monoloco around 8:30 PM. We started off with some beers, and eventually we had a bottle of Solera (aged 18 years… so freaking good) I had brought in to celebrate (had to talk to the owner in order to get the bottle in…).

Plenty of beers were had and of course we finished the bottle of rum… ordered some food, took some pictures, had some more beer, and got kicked out of the place around 1AM … Crashed an afterparty, were a few more beers were consumed. Some of my friends left the afterparty around 2PM, we stayed till 2:30… and just as we were leaving, I got a call from one of my friends saying that the police had stopped them because they were going the wrong way on a one way street (streets in Antigua are somewhat confusing). When they asked my friend for the car registration, he did not have it (thankfully he wasn’t drunk)!!! The police took him to do station, and that’s when I got the call to go down and see if I could come help. I had to drink some water and chew some gum to make sure I appeared sober… Funny thing is, I soon as I got there and started talking to the police officers to see how we could resolve the situation, one of the first questions they asked me was if I was drunk, since I was talking funny (my excuse was I had just returned from The States and my Spanish was a little rusty… hehe). Anyways, the police officers were pissed off at my friend, because they claimed he had acted obnoxiously and not been very cooperative at first. We talked to them and talked to them, I finally asked my friend to leave (since they were really upset with him) and finally negotiated a mutual agreement (after two hours of being there). My friend was able to leave after paying a “fine” and I didn’t get home till 5 AM… good stuff!!!

Early Saturday morning, around 9 AM, my grandma was nice enough to call me… and while I appreciate the gesture, it was way too early. My dad called me about 30 min later, and so did one of my aunts. I was able to go back to sleep for a couple of hours, and finally decided to get out of bed, still extremely tired. Through the day a bunch of friends and family remembers called wishing me a great day. At night, we rented a few movies (Hero and Adventures of Dick and Jane) and had some real good “carne asada” at home… very chill evening…. I was seriously too tired to do anything else.

Here are some pics from Friday night…

Friends... plenty of beer bottels and rum.

Similar pick... just later on.

El Gato, Carlos, and Marianna

Doing some kind of birthday dance... don't ask why.

After the show is the afterparty...

Happy b-day to me!

Thanks to everybody who showed up and everybody who called… plus special thanks to some friends who sent me a couple of packages for my CUMPLEAÑOS (I seriously have the kindest and nicest friends).

Un fuerte abrazo para todos,

CRCP

P.S. People I know who were also born on Sept 30th: Eri’s brother, Alan’s brother, Stephen (kid from the preschool), Johnny Mathis, Truman Capote…