30!

Home

The airplane touched down and I was home again. Home? Illinois, Arizona, or Costa Rica? Well that depends on where I begin my story. A week before Christmas I arrived in Illinois with a pristine snowfall. Snow was first on my wish list. I always miss fall and winter in the desert. The trees finally lost their leaves here in Arizona, but it feels like the seasons are running counterclockwise. I was surprised to experience that "coming home" feeling as I flew into Costa Rica on the first Sunday of '08. Over a year living there was enough to get the place into my blood. The morning sun and the warm, furious wind were familiar to my skin.

It gets harder to leave Illinois each time I visit. My entire family is there (and it's growing and they're beautiful). My niece watches you speak with such intensity. She repeats back what you say and acts with understanding (even defiance). It's thrilling. I got to see my new nephew Mason and his namesake my grandfather asleep on the same couch while the rest of us laughed and tore open gifts. They slept like babies.

My dad gave me, my brother-in-law, and my little sister's fiance remote control airplanes. It was inspired. Our first excitement was discovering that they were all on the same frequency as propellers leapt to life in our hands. After that we flew them, individually, into trees, the curb, and our neighbor's garage. The adventure was in discovering whether they still ran after each crash (mostly not).

Of course while I'm across the Plains from my desert life the prospect of ever having my own family seems more distant and strange. I was invited to Costa Rica to see two friends tie the knot. They tie it pretty much the same but with a lot more dancing before dinner. The bride looked beautiful even while I was dancing with her which was something because I completely forgot how to Merengue.

It's a wonderful thing to feel needed, and I never experience that more than in Costa Rica. I spared as much time as I could for giving training even though I was there on my own dime for the wedding and still had to attend to other work. I spoke slowly and avoided figures of speech, the better to be understood. Later, as I was saying my goodbyes I took the opportunity to introduce myself to one of the junior employees who I hadn't yet met, a beautiful girl just learning English who said in a timid voice, "My name is Ana-Marie. You are very serious." I was speechless, she was very forward. I also thought, she's been noticing me too.

I left Illinois in another snowfall and Costa Rica on another sunny morning. Leaving is hard even when you are returning home. Especially if returning home means you have to leave another.

Yes, I am still here

You may remember that I was moving to Cebu. Don't worry, you remembered correctly.

As it turns out I'm stranded in the Arizona summer while working on an important project. Right now it looks like it will never end.

When I finally get the go ahead I'll probably only have two days notice. After all, I moved to Costa Rica on less than two weeks notice. That's how it tends to go.

I love it except when I hate it. Mostly I love it. Sometimes I get tired of it. Sometimes, like right now, I'm pumped. Basically, I had a good day at work. That's better than caffeine.

Adios

On Saturday I will be leaving Costa Rica. It's been almost one and half years. I've become aclimated and think of it as my home (even though my Spanish is still pretty uneven). I've found good friends, Ultimate Frisbee, a very comfortable home and car (company provided), plus beautiful weather and countryside. I'll miss it.

I'll be back in Scottsdale for a few weeks, then I ship out to Cebu. I'm getting excited about the role I'll play there. I'll be hiring and training an engineering team almost from scratch.

(On the good side of travel I have so many miles now that I've been bumped up my last 3 flights! Does Continental fly to Cebu?)

I don't think of I've ever posted pictures of my place here in Ribera de Belén, so here they are.

Spaceport Awesome

Frankly I think Spaceport America is a bit cheesy for a name, but being humanity's first commercial spaceport is pure awesome. New Mexico is building it and Virgin Galactic has agreed to make it their headquarters. When my kids graduate from high school they're getting a vacation to the moon. I'm assuming that by then tickets will run for less than the inflation adjusted equivalent of $200k rather than that I'll be a millionaire.

The Love of Machines Is the Love of Creation

The piston descends, pulls the gas, the shaft spins.
The piston ascends, the gas explodes, spins the shaft.
The cylinder is a cannon that fires,
and fires upon itself.
The imagination has yet to invent itself.

© B. Jason Reardon
3/14/2007

Tranquillo

In the States I always kept a frisbee in my car. Tossing it around is one of my favorite activities. Be prepared, you know. I had never even seen one in Costa Rica. There's always a fierce wind blowing through the valley or heavy rain, and I just assumed it never caught on.

Last Sunday night at church I was walking past a guy when I heard that magical word "frisbee". I interrupted him and learned that he plays Ultimate Frisbee with a group every Monday and Thursday night from 8 to 10. They've been playing for years and have a mixed group of Gringos and Ticos. He had a frisbee in his car, and we broke it out right then and there. I had just been thinking how much I missed it.

I went last night and got rocked. I've been running intermittently and taking a dance class, but I was not prepared for the dead sprints of Ultimate. There were some very skilled people there who could throw a disk as well as anyone I've seen (and in high wind). Around 20 people showed up and rotated through teams of 7 each. Hearing people call out familiar commands in another language is a good way to learn. "¡Aqui!" (Here!) "¡Marcalo!" (Mark him!) "¡Pasala!" (Pass it!) "¡Uno cada Uno!" (Man-to-man!) It's also a good way to ruin the play out of confusion. "Tranquillo" (Gringo, take it easy instead of passing to thin air again.)

Yep, Wii

Susan from the office invites me to have dinner with her family to practice my Spanish, play with the kids, and help solve their computer problems. I always enjoy my time with them (except when their computer is showing the blue screen of death). They threw in some extra incentive yesterday by announcing that they had purchased a Wii. Swinging that controller like a bat, a tennis racket, and a golf club is ridiculously entertaining. Their ten year old son was already a pro with it after owning it for a only few days. I'll get him next time.

Snorkeling Manuel Antonio

My parents came down to Costa Rica last weekend (the day after my twenty-ninth birthday) for a vacation. We took off to Quepos on the west coast to spend time at the Manuel Antonio Park. After their last trip my dad became enthusiastic about the snorkeling we had done, and bought the three of us equipment. We decided to find out what we could see at the beaches within the park. Our first try was at beach 3 which looks like the most sheltered, but once we had gotten away from the shore we found the water pretty rough. The sand was too stirred up to see much plus it was difficult to get close to the outer shoreline where the fish gather. I got tired and woozy after an hour of swimming around. It was disappointing after the quantity and variety we saw at the point we visited last year.

Later in the week we tried the south edge of beach 2 on a recommendation. It's a wide beach, but that part of it turned out to be well sheltered. The water was clear and we started seeing fish almost immediately, too numerous to name or count (as if I knew any of their names in the first place). My dad pointed out a brilliant starfish and a small red eel. I saw a pair of large fish (a couple of feet long) that darted away almost as soon I spotted them. We saw many schools of smaller fish. You could float above the rocks and see them weaving in and out and popping out of hiding places. It's incredible down there. You stick your head above the water and you have no idea how vibrant it is right below the surface. As I was coming in at the end passing from the rocky outer area to the empty sand close to shore a tiny yellow fish passed directly in front of my goggles. It couldn't have been more than inch from my face. I turned to find it and was surprised to see that it was sticking close to my body, swimming all around me. I had picked up a satellite. It had taken shelter around me like I was big rock, and as we swam into the open area it tried to hide close. I had to get out but I hope it found its way back to shelter.

We also did one of the canopy tours where you ride zip lines through the jungle. In truth you pay much more attention to the stability of your platform than the scenery around you. It included about a dozen lines, two rappels and a "Tarzan" swing. One of the guides found and displayed a tiny, black and green poisonous frog. It's colors were extraordinary. He also pointed out a walking tree which stands propped up on its roots and shoots down new ones in the direction of greater sunlight (uphill). It actually moves about two inches a year.

At least he seems like a nice guy

Today a Costa Rican who happens to follow the NFL stopped me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Payton Manning?" That's the third time I've been asked that question in six months. The first time when a coworker in the States said it to me I didn't think much of it, but the second time when an American on the flight to Buenos Aires stopped me I was surprised. Three times must mean they're on to something, huh? Personally, I'm convinced that I look like myself. And doesn't anyone notice that I'm undersized by a foot and a hundred pounds?