Isaida the poet: Candy for your eyes and ears...

Go check her out Saturday April 5. She's a freaking superstar !
http://www.myspace.com/spokensoulshowcase

Stormy weather.

The last few days the weather has been pretty stormy here. This is a pic this morning of the beach behind our condo. The water made it all the way up to the basketball court, that's @ least 125 feet inland. Our unit is a few hundred feet away, closer to the gate and the hill we'd have to get to in order to survive if things got crazy.

Iguanas everywhere.

So there are so many freaking iguanas in PR. Driving on the streets here is like going to a fucking African safari. I know I'm gonna kill one of these fuckers soon. Here's one I did NOT kill. This is the road just outside our condo.

Jesus !

I saw Jesus in Isaida's folks house the other day...

Anonymous wimps

Ok, leave comments but show your faces !!!

One week and counting

So I survived my 1st week as el Jefe de Fotografía in the paper in PR. I have to admit that I wasn't ready for the amount of work I've had to do. I have a good idea of what needs to be done. Changes are coming very fast.

Success today !

I was able to get 3 required documents today, SATURDAY !
Got a certificate of good conduct from the police dept. An updated birth certificate and a marriage certificate from a fast and efficient government agency. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes.
I'm starting to like this.

Reciprocidad Total=Respeto AND Dignidad

Today I got my PR driver's license. I had to make use of some smooth talk to convince the clerk that I was grateful for the great nation of PR's respectful treatment of a fellow driver from another country. Thanks to PR's "Reciprocidad Total" program, I was reminded of the great things that can happen when countries treat each other with honor and dignity. Thanks to the International treaty between the nations of Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida, I was able to obtain my license after only producing a birth certificate, passport, SS card, a printed copy of my Fla driving record, my old Fla driver's license, two bills showing my stated address, a letter handwritten by my wife confirming that those are OUR bills and a form w/a medical report, 3 passport photos, some rubber stamps and shit that I was charged $38 for. BUT, I was treated nicely.
Thanks.

Reciprocidad Total my ASS

So this morning I went to get my P.R. driver's license, reciprocidad total and all. I went to the right bldg., paid for my MEDICAL, photos and stamps. $38. I wait in line only to be told I have to come back w/a couple of official bills w/the address of the place I'm gonna live in. Also, birth certificate, s-s card, passport and a printed copy of my Fla Driving record. WTF ? I'll try again tomorrow.

Reciprocidad Parcial y Total

So the gov. agency that regulates driver's licenses has a system in place that grants full driving rights to people from SOME states and GERMANY ? The rest of the States drivers are screwed or @ least have to take the written test. But if your DL is from one of 4 these states; Hawaii, Rhode Island, Washington and Oklahoma, you have to take the written AND driving test. Fortunately, I have a Fla DL and I qualify for the FULL RECIPROCITY program. This makes no sense. I mean, I understand Oklahoma, but Tennessee and South Dakota also qualify for full reciprocity.
I love red tape.

A coupla things

So I bought a car, a very vanilla Subaru Forester. I confess I blew this one. I probably coulda haggled a bit more. On top of that, I didn't realize the spare tire was bad and there was a broken fog light AND the digital compass/watch thing didn't work. I shoulda negotiated a better deal. Still, the car is sweet. Blue Book value was about 2k more than I paid. I get about 300 miles per tank of gas. My old Element used to give me 240. This is my 1st ever automatic car. I always wanted a Subaru.

Mija is a hit with everyone she meets. Her good manners and friendliness are winning everyone over. I get stared @ when I scoop her dumps. I'm so freaking civilized.

I got laughed @ the other day in the local supermarket. I brought an earth friendly bad for my groceries. The cashier mas mocking me for doing that even though I xplained the benefits to the environment. Nada, the bitch still laughed @ me. It's all good. I don't care.

I miss my Sunpass. PR's version, the AutoExpress system is fine but you only save .05 each time you roll through the booth. You do save time.

Traffic in PR SUCKS !

For $99 you can get the mandatory $3k insurance coverage. Full cover for one year is about $600. Not bad.

Living on the beach is awsome btw !

Oh yeah, reggaeton sucks too. Pero Tego rules.

I got another hammock to hang on some palm trees on the beach.