Honkytonk Hoedown

Man, I've really let this thing go.  I guess I was keeping up with it much better when I was actually doing something.  These days we just hang around the dive shop, have the occasional barbecue or dinner together, I listen patiently to everyone complain about how tough it is to get Ticos (native Costa Ricans) to actually do anything, and that's about it.  We had a big dinner party the other night, and this couple from Brooklyn, Dave and Lauren, had two of their friends from Brooklyn come down and visit.  Turns out their friends are professional musicians (or trying to be), and so they brought out a few guitars and just kind of started up.  They were great, and it really helped make the evening a success.  My shameless plug for their music is:

www.myspace.com/brandonwilde and www.brianawinter.com

So yeah, that was fun.  Another thing on the radar is this weekend's "Honky Tonk Hoedown."  Rocking J's (the hostel/bar/restaurant that we essentially live at these days) has paid to have a few bluegrass bands come down from the United States to play a big festival here in Puerto Viejo.  I absolutely cannot imagine this is going to be a profitable venture (virtually everyone I know who's going is going for free because they know someone who knows someone who's in charge), but hey, that's how the dive shop around here works too.  Know the guys, dive for free.  It's the exact same kind of nepotism that they all whine about George Bush practicing back in the States, but hypocrisy is a big word for such a hot climate.

So I'm hanging in there.  My lease on both the apartment and the ATV are both up on May 15th, and the way things are looking, I'll jump down to Bocas del Toro, Panama for a weekend just because I'm told it's something to see, then spend a few days in San Jose waiting for my dad to get in.  He's coming in for Memorial Day weekend, which should be a blast, and then after that, three short weeks.  Gettin down there...