Tag Archives: Costa Rica

Gifted – FridayQ

Posted on December 30, 2004 | Leave a comment
FQ1: What’s an impressive gift ($50 US or less) on your wish list?
Probably the Star Wars Trilogy DVD (widescreen) set.
FQ2: What’s an expensive gift ($500 US or less) on your wish list?
I don’t think I have anything on my list that’s greater than $50 and less than $500. I’d love a plane ticket to somewhere warm. Oh, wait! I want an Alpine car stereo with the iPod adaptor!!! (Have I told you how much I like my iPod?!?)
FQ3: What’s an extravagant gift ($5000 US or less) on your wish list?
I’ve got a G5 iMac listed, but if I can go up to $5k I want the latest and greatest G5 desktop (with lots of disk space and memory) with a nice DUAL display card.
FQ Greed: Money is no object! What’s the most outrageous gift money can buy on your dream list?
A nice place on the west coast of Costa Rica. With high speed internet hookups and satellite TV and other “necessities”. Just to clarify, when I say west coast, I mean on the Ocean.

I did actually look at my Amazon wishlist to see what there is that I “need”…

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I’m leavin on a jet plane train… – 3x Thursday

Posted on October 14, 2004 | 1 comment
1. When’s the last time you went on vacation? Where’d you go?
London, England. Short vacation – Chicago/Evanston, IL (which I’m currently en route to).
2. What’s your favorite mode of transportation to get to/from/go on vacation? Plane? Train? Boat?
I love the train! It’s a mile from my house. Today I left my house at 5:25 for the 5:34 train. Parked 100 yards from the train. And guess what? We left at 5:34!!!
3. How important are vacations for the human spirit? Do you think it’s healthy for someone to go 20 years without a vacation? Why/why not?
I need them. I think that some people don’t, it just depends.
Bonus Question for Comments: What’s your ideal vacation/time off from real life?
I really liked my last trip to Costa Rica. Mostly staying in one place not running around crazy from place to place. It might have to happen again this winter.

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Six months to live…

Posted on September 18, 2004 | Leave a comment

Tinne was talking about it here. So I started thinking about it, my “before I die” list definitely changes if I know it’s going to be that short. I’ve got stuff I want to do but honestly most of the stuff I want (marriage, kids, etc.) isn’t going to happen in the next six months. So what would I do? This is all assuming I “know” that it’s six months. And that I’m not in excruciating pain or something.

I’d quit work. Cash out all my savings and retirements. Actually I’d take a leave so I could keep the health and the life insurance (if I’m gonna be crazy for 6 months, mom might as well as benefit if I slip or fall or something). Probably work for free at a day care or something like that (I love kids).

I’d be traveling with friends. Probably some busy trips and probably some go to a destination and just relax for a while. Never made it to France so that’s be on the list and maybe a cruise or three. Definitely some time on the beach in Costa Rica. And I’d like to see the pyramids. I usually try to travel conservatively but since it’s not like I’d have to pay the charge cards back or anything, it’d be first class all the way. Of course I’d be traveling with the latest electronic gizmos and such. I’d have to blog my last six months, maybe sell the book rights…

I’d like to think there’d be lot’s of sex and such, but based on my recent experience, I’m not sure why that would change. But I guess I wouldn’t be looking for commitment and if they know I only got six months, I’m assuming they aren’t either. Besides, that’s such a good line (I’ve only got six months to live…). Besides this would help me to sell the book rights, right?

I’ve always wanted to go into outer space, do you think the trip would be cheaper if it was only one way?

I’d probably throw out / sell / give away bunches of stuff so mom wouldn’t have to dig through it later. Or at least use a bunch of post-its so she knows who gets what and what might be worth something and what’s trash.

I’d buy and give away lots of music and books, I always have stuff that (I think) friends/relatives should read/listen to. I assume they’d do it if it was some final wish…

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If I could, I’d… – 3x Thursday

Posted on September 9, 2004 | Leave a comment
1. If you won the lottery, and could win as much as you wanted, how much would you take? What would you do with it?
A hundred million would probably be enough. Take care of family and friends. Some of the schools I’ve worked at (toss a couple of mill’ where I always would have put some tech dollars. The shelters and the crisis hotline where I’ve worked. I don’t know if I’d want to do some outreach here or in another country. Probably set up some institute to further technology use/adoption, if it was in another county (Costa Rica?) I’d probably need 200 million they have a lot less infrastructure. A very low number of students have technology and even less have Internet (and those are mostly around San Jose). I was just reading something on this today so it sticks extra in my mind. Oh! And I’d blow 20 million on a trip into outer space! Is Russia still selling rides?

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Don’t Leave Home Without Them.

Posted on July 30, 2004 | Leave a comment

A lot of people asked me about ATM fees when I used my money card in London. The only fee I had for using the card was $-1.00. My bank doesn’t charge me any fees (I think) so it it was just the fee from the other end (although if that’s true I don’t know why only a dollar and not a pound). My experience with ATMs anywhere world wide (England, Costa Rica and Prague) has always been that the ATM has been perfect for a good exchange rate.

Charge cards are good everywhere and as far as I can tell have no extra fees and the banks calculate the exchange rate. Be sure to use one at Garfunkel’s because they use a cool remote gizmo to scan it at your table and print your receipt right there.

Be sure to get a good phone card (AT&T) from Sam’s club or somewhere so you can save $$$ on your calls back home. Be sure to look up on-line what the International numbers are to dial first to call back home. Read the instructions on the card, you can generally hit *** after making one call so you don’t need to dial all the digits again. If you have a 200 minute card you get about 30-60 minutes when calling back to the US (they calculate and tell you how much you have left at the start of each call) and you can add minutes with your charge card at the same really good rate (which is generally > 4 cents at home and 25-35 cents to call home). Use it from a pay phone NOT your room, they’ll really nail you from the hotels overseas. (Use change to call locally when you are overseas, otherwise it seems like you’re actually calling from the US to overseas when you use the card.)

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Share your two favorite… – Tuesday Twosome

Posted on July 7, 2004 | 1 comment

1. ways you cool off from the summer heat: Air Conditioning and Ice Cream.
2. summer activities: Rollerblading and Bicycling.
3. cold beverages: Coca-Cola and A & W Root Beer.
4. summer memories: Hanging out at the beach and hanging out with the guys (building floats keeps popping into my mind but that’s more of a fall thing.).
5. vacation spots: Costa Rica and England (and Miami Beach)

From Tuesday Twosome

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We Wanna Know – Sunday Brunch

Posted on July 6, 2004 | Leave a comment

1. Looking back on the past week, what was your favorite moment? I had a really nice day Friday, I took the day off because the weekend was supposed to be yucky (and it ended up being nice most of the time). Blading, happy hour, errands (crossed a lot off my list) Fireworks at The Henry Ford with Kelly, Liz and Thomas.
2. Tell us about funny moment that had you and others laughing ’til it hurt. My buddy Mark was moving and we we lifting some stuff of the edge of the patio (it was about 6 feet off the ground and very long, the door from the living room and bedroom open to it). Heather and I were pushing the mattress up and no one was there so I yelled for help. Mark comes running out, into the closed glass door (and I swear the glass bowed out a few inches) knocked himself silly and instead of opening the door and coming out, he ran around inside and came out the other door. Every time I saw him for the next few days (weeks) I just burst out laughing.
3. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
4. Tell us about a time when you were traveling when things just didn’t work out as planned. Costa Rica – driving through the mountains to get to Mount Arenal (the world’s most active volcano). Driving around trying to find a hotel or food while avoiding the HUGE wacos (pot holes) by the time we found the place we had blown a tire and the hotel was all but closed. We convinced the guy at the desk who didn’t speak any english to get us some food because we we starving so bad (he didn’t even charge us). He chopped up mangos and fruit and all sorts of stuff for us what a crazy night.
5. Have you ever been in the middle major storm (blizzard/tornado/hurricane/earthquake)? If yes, tell us about it. Yes. Last minute I flew down to visit Christine (West Virgina) over New Year’s (about 5 years ago), I had flight issues (not weather related) just getting there and the day I went to leave there was a huge blizzard there and in Michigan. I’m pretty patient so I checked into a hotel and went to the mall (I figured movie, food, shopping, etc.). During the movie (Step Mom) they close the mall, but no one tells us, so now they have a bunch of emotional people trapped in the mall. All the restaurants are closed, everything is iced over. I took me three hours to get a cab to take me back to the hotel. The hotel had no indoor pool, no gift shop, just basic TV, even the airport which I went to a half dozen times didn’t even have anything. I had actually read all they books they had already (except for the romance novels). It was a disaster when I got back to Detroit, people were basically living in the airport, it was like something out a war movie with all the refugees, I’m not kidding that’s how I felt. When I went down to get my luggage there was luggage from the past few days there stacked 5 feet high. They conveyers were three pieces of luggage deep, when people grabbed luggage they couldn’t dislodge it and got dragged along. It was the only snow day they had the few years I worked at that school district and I missed it…

From Sunday Brunch on Tuesday

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Travel Time – Friday Forum

Posted on June 18, 2004 | Leave a comment
1) Are you taking a summer vacation this year? If so, where are you heading? If you already went on vacation, where did you go?
London, England!!!!
2) Planes, trains, or automobiles…what is your preferred mode of transportation to get to your vacation get-away?
I absolutely love the train. Lots of room, no waiting, no running around (the airport) lots of time to relax and get stuff done.
3) Any vacation locales you would recommend for those looking for ideas?
Costa Rica! I like the Jaco area on the Pacific side of the country.
4) What US city/state have you never been to but would love to visit?
Hawaii would be a nice trip.
5) What international city/country have you never been to but would love to visit?
Paris, France. I’ve always wanted to go.

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