Say Word...

For those not in the know...this young lady has enchanted me these past few months...

She's put a smile on my face and joy in my heart [No Rod & Tod Flanders].

Ups & downs galore, lots of smiles and a few frowns. The pursuit of romance is a winding road.

These pics were an anniversary present from me to her, but really I enjoy em as much as she does. [Photography by Roselyn Fortuna / Some editing by me]

Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

PS I was trying to fit in an Austin Powers 'That train has sailed' reference, but I just couldn't.

Fauxtography Part Two

#1 Rafa & Daisy
#2 Sunel & Bernie

Fauxtography Part One

For your viewing pleasure, some photos I took this past weekend [extending into last night]. I'm no photographer, but I have some Photoshop knowledge. In addition, the lil homie Unik Photography was kind enough to bless me with a processing action from her bag of goodies. Add a few touches by your fave fauxtographer and you get some fun looking b&w shots. Enjoy.

In order:
1) Elsita & Heri Jr. 2) Sunel, Elsita & Daisy 3) A&J [cutest pic ever, right?] 4) A & her mommy Melissa 5) Axel & Dayna 6) Mrs & Mr. Garcia & their daughter Cristali 7) A homeless gentleman I treated to a 7Up.

So maybe not?

Wake Up and Smell the...SANCOCHO?!?!?

I woke up about an hour ago and smelled some delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Apparently my cousin and her hubby are coming over later and my aunt is preparing sancocho for them. [Dominicans will complain I'm sure, but this is PR style sancocho...that's right...TOMATO SAUCE MAKES EVERYTHING TASTY]. Will post pics of the bowl...if I get one.

Caught in the rain

I have about two months of posting to catch up on. So I'll give you the approximate date each of these things happened.

This happened on Wednesday 8 October.

I went to Yauco Plaza, walking of course, as has become my custom [gotta slim down somehow!]. I handled some biz, bought some essentials [grapes, peaches, Cracker Barrel cheddar, Diet Wonder Kola Champagne]. And as has also become my custom, I had a long phone conversation via handsfree headset x LG Rumor x Sprint. And while I'm on the phone with my mother dearest...it starts to rain. A few drops at first.

Everytime I've ever gone out, I've beat the rain.

Sometimes it's by five minutes, sometimes 50, but I've always beat the rain home [this is of note since I walk almost everyday, and it rains ALMOST EVERY DAY]. So the few drops, multiply into a light drizzle. Then into a steady rain. Then the powers that be turn up the throttle and open the nozzle and we're talking torrential downpours. A mini waterfall forms on the hill I have to climb. The last 10 minutes of walking back home are ALL UPHILL. And it's dark. And I have two full plastic shopping bags [single, not double which I will rant about later]. Looming disaster is almost certain. At the very least I'll fall at least once.

Then a car pulls up. Here, they'd call it a 'guagua'. In the states it'd be a small SUV. I didn't get the chance to ask dude for his title, but I'd bet it was a Suzuki of some kind. He looked a little shifty, and a little 'influenced' [and I do NOT mean liquor]...and was shirtless.

I looked at him, looked at his stock fabric upholstery and told him, 'I'm all wet, I don't want to mess up your seats.' He insisted I come in...without asking where I was going.

If you look at my 'Hard 4 Da Streetz' pics, that's actually exactly where I was when he picked me up, about 10 minutes away from my house. So driving it's about 1-2 minutes. He explained he was on his way to Super Colmado Willie [a place I frequent as well], and I told him I live 5 houses before that. DEAL!

He explained he lived in the hood [Barriada / Urbanizacion for those from PR] by the river. When it rains, it's a coin flip that you could lose everything. Bad community planning by the developers, but hey, you gotta live somewhere right?

So basically, in this driving rain, a man with a potentially flooding house was driving up to the bar to hang out, kick back a few, and managed to give a soaking wet fat man a ride to his home while being friendly and talkative as hell
on the way up.

Kudos to you, my white, long haired, shirtless, scruffy Puerto Rican friend. Someday it'll be me in the Suzuki and you on the street...the passenger seat is all yours.