But, of course, they are not terrorists

Assholes invade Capitolio in San Juan.

I love reading bad reviews

Tomorrow will be a good day to read www.rottentomatoes. com and www.metacritic.com

Capote

Excellent movie about Truman Capote's visit to Kansas to research his masterpiece "In Cold Blood". Capote is treated like an outider when he first arrives but then he begins to win them over. We see as Capote interviews all sides involved in the tragic multiple murder and the emotional strain it brings to his life. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is excellent. I thought one had to have read "In Cold Blood " recently or seeing the movie in order to enjoy "Capote", but actually something happens in the movie that works better if you haven't read the book recently.

Amor en el Aire

When I was little boy my grandmother would drag me to Spanish musicals starring Rocio Durcal. I went with her because I would drag her to truly awful Disney movies and she would never say no. Anyway, Rocio Durcal died the other day and I was reminded of all those times. The poster is from a classic of sorts "Amor en el Aire" with Palito Ortega. I actually enjoyed this one, I swear. And I know some people who secretly enjoyed it too. You know who you are.

Gerald McBoing Boing

I had not seen this cartoon in many, many years. And yesterday I bought it at Borders. And it was so cool. This was created in the 1950's by a company called UPA. They were the most stylebreaking studio in animation. Every cartoon on Nick and Cartoon Network owes their style to them. They were so ahead of their time that they went broke. Their most famous creation was Mr. Magoo. But their most amazing creation was Gerald McBoing Boing, the boy who didn't speak words but simply went "Boing, Boing".

Finished at last

My new bathrooms!!!

I loved this

Jellyfish exhibition at the Monterey Aquarium.

remember these?

Nothing is Lost

Maybe because my 45th birthday is coming up soon, I was touched by this poem I found in a book.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing is Lost

Deep in our sub-conscious, we are told
Lie all our memories, lie all the notes
Of all the music we have ever heard
And all the phrases those we loved have spoken,
Sorrows and losses time has since consoled,
Family jokes, out-moded anecdotes
Each sentimental souvenir and token
Everything seen, experienced, each word
Addressed to us in infancy, before
Before we could even know or understand
The implications of our wonderland.
There they all are, the legendary lies
The birthday treats, the sights, the sounds, the tears
Forgotten debris of forgotten years
Waiting to be recalled, waiting to rise
Before our world dissolves before our eyes
Waiting for some small, intimate reminder,
A word, a tune, a known familiar scent
An echo from the past when, innocent
We looked upon the present with delight
And doubted not the future would be kinder
And never knew the loneliness of night.

Poem: "Nothing is Lost" by Noel Coward,

photo

I took this picture when I was on the way to taking the ferry from Alcatraz to San Francisco. I just stopped and looked at this bird and how it was in a perfect position in front of the watchtower. People at work laughed at the photo, but I thought it was kind of nice.

Great movie

This is such a great movie. A drama about how divorce affects a family, this is a film that feels so realistic. There are no good guys or bad guys, just regular,flawed people dealing with life, pain, loss. This should have been the Academy Award Best Picture of the year, instead of..eehhh...what was the movie that won the Oscar? Anyway, check it out. It's on DVD. Found it at Video Avenue.

Quote

"Show up on time. Hit your mark. Look 'em in the eye. And tell the truth."
James Cagney

Dorado Beach Hotel

Where do I begin about my memories of the place? It was the place I used to go with my whole family every summer, with my grandparents, uncle and aunt, parents. It was a place for lazy days at the beach. A place that taught me early that vacations didn't have to be all about the excitement of a city or an amusement park, but also about the quiet. The reading of a book in front of the ocean. The breeze hitting your face. The silence during the day, the sound of a thousand coquis and crickets during the night.

I stayed there last about 10 years ago for a business meeting and all the tell tale signs of the demise were there. The poor service. The bad food. One could tell this was not the same place. And this week they anounced it would close down. Goodbye, Dorado Beach. Nice knowing you.

Saw this

Unwritten law. Any movie with Julianne Moore can't be bad. But this is no exception. If you liked "Pleasantville", you will like this movie (based on a true story) about a housewife in the 1950's dealing with 10 kids and an abusive, alcoholic husband who spends all his money on booze. She makes ends meet by entering "jingle contests" from 1950's tv shows. This is a really nice little movie. Nothing incredible and you can wait for it to appear on cable, but if you have nothing else to see, it's a fun movie.

Just a thought

Well, supposedly the work at my apartment will be finished today and I will be able to move back tomorrow.
I can't wait to get back and sleep in my bed.

Ice Harvest

A film noir by the director of "Groundhog Day"? Yes, and it's great. Two guys decide to steal 2 million dollars from their mafia boss. They think they have pulled the perfect crime. Well, they had not. This is a fun, violent and funny movie. With great acting by everyone involved. And contrary to movies nowadays, it is only 90 minutes long! A really terrific movie.

Mandarin Oriental

This is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at.

bring a beer

What is the rest of the world doing today?

view from room

Kind of nice.

Pretty good reasons

South Beach.
Shops at Merrick Park.
The Keys.
The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Why I haven't posted much.

sea lions at Pier 39

These sea lions were originally on a tiny island but they got scared during the 1989 earthquake and moved to Pier 39, a tourist mall similar to Bayside in Miami. So they have become the main tourist attraction there. They changed a natural environment for a mall. Amazing.

Today

Today is a travel day. So I really won't be posting much. I tried posting a photo, but it seems the airport wifi won't let me.

Indoor day

I should have gone to a museum, but hell, no...I went to Nordstrom.

Rainy day in San Francisco

It's cold. windy. and rainy. Was planning on going walking around the city, but had to change my plans. Have been hanging around the stores in Union Square and at the Virgin Megastore...especially at the Virgin Megastore. This photo was taken from the cafe there. Notice the lack of sunshine. Tomorrow I leave for warmer climates.

wine country

Went to the wine country today, to Napa and Sonoma. Did a bunch of wine tastings, pretending to know what I was doing. Still, it was fun and the area is amazingly beautiful. By the way, they serve you so little, it's impossible to get a buzz. So I'm fine, I guess.

The Pacific

What can I add?

The Mandarin restaurant

When I used to visit San Francisco with my parents, we always used to come to this Chinese restaurant called "The Mandarin", a wonderful place in Ghirardelli Square. I had so many great memories of the place, of meals with my father. So I found out it is still there. And yestarday I had lunch there, maybe sat in the same table I used to, although probably not. But anyway, I had a nice quiet lunch watching San Francisco Bay. Pure nostalgia. I am so happy to have gone there again.

Today

Today the city doesn't look like San Francisco. It looks like Philadelphia in March. Cloudy and in the 40's. Some people say we might have snow showers, something that happens very seldomly here. Anyway, went to the SF MOMA. Some terrific work there, some Mattisse, Picasso and a Calder exhibition.

From a cell in Alcatraz

This is a view from a cell in Alcatraz.Going there is a pretty impressive thing. Especially if one takes the audio tour and listens to former prisoners talking about how they dealt with solitary confinement "close your eyes and imagine a movie in your mind". Chilling. But fun, you know, in a morbid way. And they were the meanest criminals, anyway.

an allegedly famous tree

This is a the world famous (so the tour guide said) tree at Pebble Beach. It's the logo of some compnay, isnt it? Fuck!!!! I thought about advertising...shit...ok....I am well again now.
Anyway, Pebble Beach is the site of a famous glof tournament and a place where people like Bill Murray and Clint Eastwood play golf for fun. I didn't see them there though.

on the way to Monterey

I saw some of the most beautiful sights in my life yesterday on the way to the town of Monterey. Just look at the mustard flowers leading up to the Pacific Ocean. Well, they are kind of blurry in this photo, but still it's gorgeous. I was in awe all the away.

I'm here

I have been really busy so this is the first time I'ce connected to the internet. On my fist day I basically took a city tour, saw all the main sights and realized this city is as wonderful as I remembered it from so many years ago. Just look at thi sight! And it was a so-so weather day fot San francisco standards. It is very cold though, really cold, no photos of ghetto booty on this part of the trip!!!!!

one day in miami

I got a one night layover in Miami. So I went to South Beach.They were filming a video for a rap star and here is the shoot. Don't ask me the name of the rapper. He was a fat black guy, which I guess describes 60% of all rap singers. Anyway, it was a strange first thing to see when I took my first walk in Ocean Drive. What can I say???
Only in Miami.

getting ready

It's finally sinking in. I'm going on a trip tomorrow. I am finally really excited about it. I was so busy at work that I had not realized that my vacation time was coming soon. I made a slight change of plans today which will alter my schedule by one day but it's alright.

The trip- the reasons why

The real reason behind my upcoming trip is kind of strange. It has to do with plumbing. A plumbing work that my building force me to make cause the removal of a bathtub from one my two bathroom. So that required me to build a new bathroom. So then, my other bathroom started having leakage problems, so I was forced to build that one too. So I had to leave the apartment for two weeks in order to avoid all the dust and of course the fact that I had no bathroom. I was pissed off for days for having to go through all this hassle. So I decided to plan this trip to San Francisco and Miami. Making the best of a hassle. Two weeks away from home.

In a way, it was also a good time to take a break. I am really tired of some weeks of working really hard. I am exhausted. Mentally and physically tired. Too tired.

I chose San Francisco because I have not been there in maybe 20 years. I went there with my whole family, including my grandfather. It was a wonderful trip. And Ipromised myself I would return there someday. So it was an easy choice. I decided to go back to the wonderful city by the bay. It will be interesting to see how I look at the city now as a fortysomething person. One's perspectives change over time and one notices different things about a place at different ages.
Miami I chose because I've always liked the city to get away from it all and just hang out. In Miami I will be meeting with my father who is visiting some friends there.
So there you have the reason behind the trip.

a park and a song

In a couple of days my vacation begins. I really need it. I am mentally tired and physically tired. I just want to see new people, see new places. I want to to sit in a park, put "Tea for the Tillerman" on my Ipod and just watch people go by.

"Bring tea for the tillerman
Steak for the sun
Wine for the women who made the rain come
Seagulls sing your hearts away
’cause while the sinners sin, the children play

Oh lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day"

dilbert

Gaby, Fofo y Miliki

Does anyone else remember them? They had a kiddie show in th late 1960's. I remeber going to Telemundo to see them live and I recall perfectly the day they called me to come up to the stage with them for some kind of Big Boy restaurant promo. Of course, they chose me because my family's company was a sponsor of the show. So there was a little bit of cheating involved. Still it was a thrilling moment when all my friends told me they saw me on tv (in those days tv meant 3 channels).

Anyway, the other day I saw a CD of their music at Walgreens and I thought of buying it. But I didn't.I guess some things are better when you don't revisit them.