80s Thanksgiving Bash...

So my mum came back from London about a week ago. She had an absolute blast with the grandkids, but said they really wore her out. Marnix wanted to run all over the place, and Noah was a handful some nights to put to sleep. She even mentioned that if I ever had kids of my own, she doesn’t know how much energy she’ll have to play with and take care of them… better get a move on!

Work wise, there was a workshop this week in Guatemala which we were supporting and I was invited to the opening and closing ceremonies (both late dinners and great chance to network with people). I might be going to El Salvador and / or Honduras this upcoming week, will keep you posted.

Hope of all you had an amazing Thanksgiving! I wasn’t planning on having turkey (or tofurkey), since as you can imagine we don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving Day here in Guatemala. I was planning on going down to Antigua for regular dinner anyway, but the day before we got invited to a Thanksgiving dinner the Monoloco people were throwing at the bar (Zac apparently organized the whole thing… thanks buddy!). Afterwards, they were throwing a 80s party, which was quite a blast… see pics below.

This pic is actually not from Thanksgiving, but a Tuesday night at Monoloco with Carlos H, Lucky and Carlos R.

Yeah food! Punch, mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, mixed vegetables, and that cranberry crap...

David, Min, and Carlos (I really like my headband... hehe)

Britt, Carlos, Monoloco monkey, Pamela and Rob...

Where is Pamela's hand? No wonder the monkey is speechess... I would be too.

Carlos, Min, Britt, and Natasha...

80s group shot: Britt, David, Carlos, Min, Jules, and two people who I have no clue who they are...

Sports wise, happy to report that the NE Patriots won yet again (this time over the Eagles).. They’re very close to having a perfect regular season. The George Mason Patriots are not doing that bad either, as they won their first four regular season games (Celtics are rolling too). I had forgotten to mention that we won our last two games in Flag Football, so we now have something to build on for next season… The one thing I have not reported to you this year, is how I’m doing in my NFL picks… sadly I’ve been in the middle of the pack all year long and can’t seem to get into the top spots.

One of my favorite songs of the moment, “Perfecta” by Miranda (they also have a version featuring Julieta Venega). Enjoy the beats and lyrics… though the video is kinda strange.

Thanks for stopping by and take care,
CRCP

P.S. - The new Eros Ramazzotti CD came out last week, but I haven’t been able to get it, as it’s been sold out everywhere!
P.S. II - I’ve started seen Xmas lights everywhere…. I guess the holidays are right around the corner!
P.S. III – My dad and Brendita just had a birthday this past November 24th… felicidades!!!

My sweet November...

Different events in the past couple of weeks... pics and more pics. This year is ending, and the best is yet to come...

Reopening of a bar in Guatemala City (Soho) with my former coworkers. This was a great evening... free rum and great ambiance. Andres, Kike, Ximena, Carolina and Carlos. This was on a Thursday evening on which I planned to head home early... didn't really happen.

Red Sox Nation in Antigua Guatemala at Monoloco! Celebrating after the last out... I know I've posted about this before, but you gotta understand how big this is (plus, it's a new pic).

Colleen, Carlos and Natasha. So for Halloween I was the guy with his junk in a box! I must say a lot of people got a good laugh out of it. Most people got the costume; a lot of people were just completely confused. Friends were coming up to me and singing the song... costume was a hit! Except that towards the end of the night, some people started playing with the bow...

Bob, Lourdes and Carlos. So Bob apparently wasn't really anything for Halloween (he was telling people he was me), and Lourdes was a butterfly... not sure if you can see her wings. Good times.

My favorite costume of the night (besides mine of course), was this guy in an Elmo suit.. Funniest thing ever was seeing him drink beer... I could not stop cracking up... Elmo at Monoloco drinking beer... hehehe.

So on November 1st we celebrate All Saints day, and there are a number of special activities that happen on this day. This is the day that people eat fiambre (dish only done once a year), visit the tombs of your loved ones that have passed away, and fly kites... So we went to Santiago to see the kites, something that I hadn't done in quite some time. Here we are, behind some of the colorful kites (they're huge by the way)... Bob, Lourdes, Pamela, and Carlos.

Here are some people trying to get some of the kites up, they start running and pulling on the rope. It's so funny because they're running all over the place... we almost got run over a couple of times (I actually brought my Red Sox foldable chair that was given to me last Xmas, which came in really handy, otherwise we would have stood the entire time).

At some point there were about 10 kites up in the air... such a magnificent view. We actually got there around 11AM and didn't leave till about 5PM... so we got to appreciate the entire experience. All we ate was junk / crap food (meaning not an actual meal, just things here and there): grilled corn, pupusas, pizza, ice cream, and candy.

One of the many churches in Antigua... I love Antigua!

Vance, Britt, and Carlos. Britt and Karyn had a BBQ over at their house since Karyn is leaving in about two weeks to do her residency. William and I ended up doing most of the grilling, which was not part of the plan. Anyway, hot dogs, burgers, peppers, and plenty of drinks were had.

The night ended with roasted marshmallows and smores.... hhmmm... so freaking good.

Last week we went to the beach.... We had some amazing ceviche and chilled by the beach afterwards. The ocean was kinda rough, so our time spent in it was limited... still plenty of fun though.

Abrazos,
CRPC

P.S. – Bought the new Juanes CD “La Vida es un ratico”… high quality stuff.
P.S. II – Another Late Show Top Ten

Late Show’s Top Ten Signs You Won't Win The New York City Marathon
10. You frequently hear, "Outta the way, lard ass!"
9. Every couple of miles you stop and ask directions
8. You pulled a hamstring filling out the application
7. Before the race, you eat a Powerbar with extra cheese
6. You still haven't finished the 2006 New York City Marathon
5. Every time you pass a Radio Shack you stop to window shop
4. Some runners are sponsored by Adidas -- you're sponsored by Chips Ahoy
3. You're frequently mistaken for the fat guy from "Lost"
2. Made your own steroids out of Red Bull and Super Glue
1. You've been carbo-loading for 30 years