mercado central y la capital

childish

this was apparently my favorite cartoon episode ever- i used to watch it like ten times a day.

hairputtery

so today i decided to go get my haircut because i couldn´t take the shag anymore.

for some reason i really enjoyed the road on the way there.
this was the waiting area for the salon, called talking heads. apparently it´s the most frou frou place to get yr hair cut in guatemala. my cut came out to about 20 bucks.


and my cousin was ecstatic about the chic decor


this was the end result. i decided i could copy all the gayboys in san francisco without anyone being the wiser.

first look guate

hey thar! i got my camera to work so i immediately started snapping away, and ive got some pics from noche buena, along with the amazing fireworks at midnight here in the capital.. enjoy!

this is my little corner of mess in my old room in miami.


first look at guatemala from the airport terminal



first up new guatemalan airport terminal... nifty! before this it was a long, dim concrete, windowless hallway that made you feel like you were hiding out in a bunker. it screamed yes! you have entered the third world and the war has begun! now it says hey you, you´re gonna like it here.


christmas dinner. i was famished. i decided it was a good idea to starve myself so i could fit more turkey in.

Christmas dinner time! My uncle´s job was turkey intimidation, obv.

In guatemala it´s tradition to burn as many fireworks as your little heart desires at midnight on noche buena. this year my uncle pulled out all the stops, and so did all the neighbors. the show lasted a good 20 minutes of non stop burning. amazing!

squee!

i fixed my camera! no expensive buys for me today. after taking a look around, i´ve decided i can pull off crazy hair in guatemala so i´m going to get this shag cut off today. no more beatles for me! i´ll post pictures tonight, as i´m sure my mom will love to see all the craziness i´m unleashing on guatemala. i´m supposed to go to the only gay discoteca in guatemala city tonight, and i´m kind of excited. for new years i´m planning a trip to san salvador, coming back to the city the 1st, and i leave to huehuetenango the 2nd. i´m really excited, it´s supposed to be gorgeous this time of year and it is the season of harvest on the coffee farms. woo! do work! after that i guess i´ll head off to antigua.

arrivals.

i lucked out and got on a direct flight for guatemala via miami. there were even some empty seats on the plane! i flew taca' and woah! can i just say how much i hate american airlines. when i flew san francisco to miami, they charged me ten bucks for a sandwich and 3 bucks for a bag of lays. heh. on taca i got free alcohol kids! my first alcohol drink on a plane ever was a double rum and coke, on the house. it was a spectacular flight. i watched my sassy girl and cried. cried!

my couple of days here have been pretty interesting. my camera broke at the gua airport' all i´ve got are shots of the new airport terminal. boo. i´m probably going to end up buying a new camera here because while i like the novelty of disposable film cameras, they are just that. a novelty. unless i get a holga.. helga.. whatever. one of those pseduo artsy fishbowl ones. that might actually be pretty fun. anyways, i´ve got no pics to show for now.

the only interesting place i´ve gone so far is the cemetery, as it´s tradition to visit the graves on thew morning of christmas night. we passed by some flower vendors posted just outside and i really really wished i had had my camera' it was a gorgeous array of red, blue, white, and green everywhere. it was chockful of people from all over the city buying flowers.. people in business suits, gym shorts, miley cirus t shirts and wipils. the two ladies hustling it were decked out in full indeginous decor- head to to toe beautiful textiles and a fierce attitude to match. there was no bargaining on this morning. if you didn´t buy there were tons of others behind you waiting to buy that bouqet. i visited my uncle´s grave and i thought about all the fun he was and how much his spirit is missed at my grandmother´s house. he truly brought any place he went to life.

my grandmother has remained a true blue character.. i only lasted one night there. i´m now enjoying the holidays with my aunt and uncle on the outskirts of the city. squee! internet, tv, fun cousins, booze galore!

!

i've got my tickets! i'll probably be in guatemala by tomorrow evening! i've actually dropped some more of the stuff i was planning on taking- realized they were totally unnecessary- and am traveling lighter than ever. i have to get better at this blogging thing! i'm not exactly sure what to write... i guess i'll list.


packed:
-compass keychain
-old passport
-tevas
-summer sleeping bag
-techie towel
-mini shampoos, mini toothpaste, travel brush
-diva cup
-three books (central america on a shoestring, after dark by murikami, and raise high the roofbeam, carpenters... and i'll probs pick up a sudoku book at the airport)
-my moleskin
-two pens, one permanent marker
-glasses case, glasses repair kit, glasses wipey
-digi cam w/ charger and uploading usb thingie
-two credit cards, one unactivated
-debit card
-200 Q's
-60 $
-7 sets of underwares
tennis shoes (old school reeboks!)
-my fave sweater
-my foxy tee, a long sleeve tee, a techie tee, and a flanel
-travel pants and a pair of jeans.
-bathing suit
-techie raincoat/ windbreaker

thaaat's all folks.


today i :
-watched : click, anger management, recess, burn after reading, and the local news
-cooked with the mams (hilachas, cheesecake, leg of lamb, lasagna, spinach, and stuffed pork loin)
-walked kuma
-woke up at 1 in the afternoon
-played hours of age of mythology on the pc
-waited around hoping my tickets came out
-got my ass beaten at scrabble

this is why i'm not staying here. i'm totally just whiling away my time.

sheisty.

i started off thinking, hey i'm too hard on my parents. and then i thought hey, i'm also way too harsh on my brothers. and maybe i'm just a hater. it's really not that bad being at home, as with most places it's what you make of it. i helped my mom bake cookies- she's getting payed to bake/cook holiday foodstuffs for people who don't have time/ are too lazy to do it themselves. tomorrow she's got mashed potatoes, greens, a turkey, and an apple crisp to make. plus dinner for the fam. danny's doing great, he sounds amazing on the tenor sax now and that's not just cuz he's my brother. for having only played for three years, he's doing outstanding. he's got his tryouts for new world in a month or so and i'm rooting for him. New World would do that kid some good. and yes, i did capitalize that. i'm not sure if i'm taking this trip just to run away from my choices or to run towards new ones. i know there isn't a 'right' thing to do but i just don't want to be running away either- it just seems infantile to think everything's gona be ok if i just hide out in central america for a while. like magic, i'll know exactly what i want to study, and what vocation to pursue, and what makes me happy and why i fight myself so damn much. but on the flip, dedicating three months to myself probably will help me a lot. i just have to force myself to do it. not shit around for three months and make the same choices all over again as soon as i come back.

vid of the day!

till the crack of dawn?

tonight:
art official, playing at the transfer? i'm sure that's not the name of the bar cuz that's a bay area bar but what the heck, i can't remember the bar's name. they were cool. the music that is. met the band. not so cool. does that make a diff? yes. saw people i knew from high school, pretended not to. they didn't recognize me, but that's a given. having weird hipsterish/hobo hair helps.. man i need a haircut.

played megaman, ecco, and ninga gaiden? gaidon? guedion? at sussy's. ordered taco bell. played super mario bash part 8. really, a part 8 already? yes.

miss oaktown. talked about it incessantly. even i'm saying wow? really? i get it. it's awesome.

angsty? antsy?

so. i'm in miami. turned out i'd get to gua faster by walking than by flying out of l.a.-- the airline i wanted to fly on isn't even taking standy passes till after xmas. i have a set of options

a) wait till my standby pass for gua comes out (hopefully monday... hopefully) and try my best getting on a flight (probably friday)
b)stay here and go with the fam to nyc for new years. blah. a car trip. with my dad. for three days, going and back. don't think so. not even for you, miss big apple. sorry.
c)buy a damn ticket to guatemala for around 300 bucks.
d)order a ticket to buenos aires and meet up with abs and co. and count on having a liver transplant by 35?
e) fly to guatemala, then fly to south america once the free tickets come out on the 15h


and my main concern is just getting out of mia. for reals. as quickly as poss.

rebel girl

i found all my old cd's from highschool.










le sigh. when did my angst get replaced by ~emotions~

'home'sick?

so i'm grounded in miami until i get new tickets- should be just another day or so now. So far i've had one pastelito de guava, met up with two friends, and have had 13 beers. not bad for two days. I'm now considering staying in the mia and having xmas with the fam- since i'm already here and all, and since i havent had xmas with them in two years. buuut i'd love to be in guatemala already. video time.







... i miss oaktown. it's hot down here.

relationships

a la adry's blog i too will list my much shorter relationship history.

1. R, 15 year old first summer fling. We met at a gay community even thingie, were gay prom dates, and broke up soon after. she wanted to get my name tattooed on her thigh after two very odd weeks of dating. I had to pull the plug. She transferred to my school, joined all my clubs, and generally made my junior year a lot more awkward than it had to be.
2. A, 16. dated for 1.5 ish years, highschool sweetheart, first love, etc etc. we're still pretty good friends and i know i slayed that relationship all on my own. she really did love me, i was convinced she didn't. ce la vie. wouldn't ever date again though we have entertained the idea. she's more socal and i'm more bay area and those waters just don't mix.
3. D, 17. a friend of a friend- met her at a gay reggeaton dance club. she had her name spelled out in her hoop earings. it was the second summer fling. i think she still dislikes me. i can't remember how i broke it off- might've just stopped calling/ answering. i'm awesome!
4. D2, 19. hah. trainwreck? it was fun, she's a great person, and we're just an awful match together. certain aspects of the relationship were absolutely astounding, everything else was painful and awkward. we're also friends now. this was also a summer thing. i'm starting to think i should switch over to winter things. then atleast i have valentines day covered. plus, its cold.

and that's it. pretty sad. i'm gona go mope over a hot cup of tea and some youtube videos.

tell your gay mom i said thanks

internet debauchery, AM

sighting of unknown imam in downtown hollybolly



icons from livejournal i shall miss while not being an interwebs addict




GOLD

yellow desk?

so i moved most of my stuff, the books and magazines being the smallest box, clothes, the biggest. all i've got left to pack are the misc things i dont really care about, my bed, my computer, and the desk. oh and my zachary's pint glasses. fancy!


i also kicked major ass in my final debate, thank you very much. i got excellent scores across the board, and i shamed my competition. what! i think i saw a little tear in her eye when i was through.

feels good to be a baller.

learned i can't get my gua passport unless i renounce us citizenship, so as much as i flap my lips about how great it is to leave the western world- usa for life sucka!

oh knows.

i can't manage finishing this assignment and i think it may have something to do with the fact that to me this all sounds like

sob sob, no answers, we're jackasses, the end is nigh.

blah renewable energy. blah peak oil. you'd take up too many slots on my limited list of things to care about.

reciprocity?

so packing. box by box, my walls become barer than they were before, though i never did a good job covering them up methinks.

today:
packing, homework, packing, debating, shmoozing, blogging, imbibing.

left to do:
packing, homework, adequate rest, homework.

meh.

i did not envision so much of my last few days being taken up by the mundane.

i guess i'm kind of salty with a side of sullen

Toodle do.

- pack up room
- pick up stuff @ rei
- give up mattress and desk
- drop off excess @ goodwill
- type up debate speech
- write debate final paper
- read chapters 11-16 of human sexuality
- take boxes to richmond
- get guatemalan passport
- figure out flight plan for wednesday
- contact gabs/ mimi (in case i get stuck in la)
- figure out bus route from san salvador to guatemala city ("" in san salvador)
- pack my bags
- throw away all my old smelly shoes that i love
- schedule walk through w/ land lord
- schedule auto bill pay w/ wamu
- deposit last monies
- pay back dad
- love every stinking minute of it.

i know you're leaving to chile and all... but i'm cold.

so this.


some like it hot.


and this.




yep. hah...



self edit.

and i cant find my bike lock.

late lunch.

Image025
Originally uploaded by hopchops

forgot to add this little gem in. yeah. i'm really going for it now.

bart and books and lost ipods.

Debate. and global warming. and alternative energy. and solar panels.

a full bart train, and awkwardly trying to read my book whilst holding on to the railing whilst staying out of the way of people boarding/leaving whilst wishing i had my ipod.

if i had my ipod today's bart soundtrack would include:
bon iver - re:stacks
devandra banhart - michigan state
the dodos - fools
jeff hanson - just like me
jose gonzalez - lovestain

yes, it was that kind of day.

spent 5 hours hashing out a counterplan to energy incentives, then this

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/12/09/kit_naylor/index.html

ouch.

finally, this.

Resolved: i will fictionalize my travels and submit you to my rantings

i realize i should state intent.

1. this will first and foremost be a travel blog, which will surely ramble on and on and will have nothing but inane posts about internet websites i like (metafilter.com) and what food i ate last night (everette and jones) and why i'm still rambling (this is my writing style, get used to it. it goes nowhere and everywhere) untl i actually start travelling.

2. i will begin to capture, catalog and systematically organize the moments of my travel days, for my own benefit and for the entertainment of those poor souls grounded to local earth and restricted of movement

3. i will refuse to capitalize

4. i will use this blog as a means of further procrastination from actual work of real value, including but not limited to bodily maintenance, mind expansion, socialization, and laundry.

roll it over

I'm just going to start off ranting now so that the first post will be of little import, style, sophistication, or decadence. After today, and probably today, I am officially gainfully unemployed. No more pizza, no more customers, no more ass slapping and no more paychecks. Well, not true, I am cashing out those savory vacation hours. And i'm sure i'll enjoy some inappropriate groping in the future but never again will i be getting paid by the hour for doing so. Let's see, things i should be doing instead of worrying about writing a cool first blog entry include
-cleaning this room (such lofty goals are rarely realized)
-washing my clothes (will i wear dirty clothes tonight? yes.)
-getting a haircut (can i look like a hipster just one more time please?)
-shopping for mixtapes (ahem. please make me some.)
-cleaning my shoes
-darning my socks (what does darning mean anyways?)
-working on the end all, voice of my generation, 15 minutes of fame making novel
-charging my camera (will i ever see your faces again?)
- worrying about this trip (i still have plenty of time to plan, i'm sure)
- drinking (it's my last shift, let's go get mimosas)
-playing wii (why are you working ju, and not distracting me from the pressures of this blog entry?)