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Charlie and the Wonderful, Enjoyable, Not Bad, Very Good Day

Sunrise at Tortuguero by Charlie Doggett, 2010

You’ll understand my title only if you’ve seen ads for the kids movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day which I know is a fun comedy, but I felt like being positive today since it was a very good day for me. Or actually a good weekend!

I dragged all my old computers & accessories over to the Treasure Shop yesterday along with my bike hoping some of it would sell. Not one of those items sold, though it too was a good day because I sold one of my more expensive items, the Frederic Remington statue titled “Cheyenne.” Then I lugged the bike and all the computer stuff home and listed it all on Craigslist last night. In 24 hours I had sold every single item except the bike. I got so many text messages on the old laptop for $50 that I could have sold a bunch of them!

The desktop was the last item to go tonight with a delightful visit with George the Egyptian, the buyer and a fellow nature lover and nature photographer. We talked for nearly an hour about nature photography and places to go for good photos. He capped off a very good day! And maybe we’ll have some warmer weather soon to attract bike-hunters or maybe Christmas shoppers? Or a lower price than what the bike shop suggested? $250 is a little steep for a used bike!

I have a little notebook by my bed in which I nightly write one thing about that day for which I am thankful. It helps me sleep better and have a better tomorrow! Tonight I may write two thanksgivings: George & Craigslist!   🙂  And may you have a blessed day also!

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Computer Brings Big Slowdown of Activity

Family Leisure Time on River, Uvita, Costa Rica (at Villas Rio Mar, 2014 by Charlie)

For two or more weeks it seems, I have been wrestling with the new computer setup and the re-installing and/or buying of software that is for use on only one computer.  My evaluation this time around is that online Geek Squad has been much more helpful than the guys inside the Best Buy Store. Adobe and Microsoft basically have no customer service and Quicken has become just about as bad. Four days ago I had to schedule a call back which is not until this Sunday. Grrrr! Okay, that’s off my chest now!  🙂  I’m getting used to the big laptop and it is fast! Computers are hard to live with and just as hard to live without, so I guess we adapt!

Tomorrow is the next to last weekend “yard sale” for me in a room at “The Village Treasure Shop” here at McKendree. Two computers and a great monitor go on sale! I’m having moderate success each weekend and after the 22nd I will give a lot of stuff away and advertise some on Craig’s List, maybe eBay.

A college student who works part-time in our McKendree Dining Room just came back from 4 weeks in Costa Rica in an immersion Spanish language class. That has been a fun connection. My immersion begins in a little less than 6 weeks. Wow! Things will seem to start moving faster now. And maybe I’ll post more often.

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Another Big Step Today

I sold my office furniture, entertainment center and TV today and it was all hauled off in a moving truck. The house is becoming more spacious and life is simpler, except that my internet-only connection with Comcast is not working effectively like it did when I had both TV & Internet – so I have to wait until Monday for a technician to come out. It gives me email, google, and my blogs (all on Google) but no other website. Strange! Tomorrow I pick up my new Asus Mega Laptop (G751) which replaces my desktop that I’ll be selling soon. The transformation to my simpler life in Costa Rica is happening daily and letting go of all that furniture today was another big step. 
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Will Costa Rica Be Surrounded by Canals?

Everyone knows that Panama is just south of Costa Rica with one of the busiest and most important canals in the world that many American businesses have greatly profited from. Now Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica is planning an even longer and wider canal – or should I say that China is planning a canal there that will of course greatly help the economy of Nicaragua, but of China even more, just like the U.S. profited most from the Panama Canal. They break ground on the Nicaraguan Canal in December. 

It will go not far north of the Costa Rica border
through Lake Nicaragua, largest Central American lake.

Those of us who care about the environment and clean water are opposed to it, but “green” people still don’t have that much influence in the world, beyond Costa Rica that is. In contrast to the U.S., China and Nicaragua, Cost Rica is one of the greenest and most ecologically sound countries in the world with 25% of its land set aside as National Parks and reserves. They planning to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world and already produce about half their electricity with renewable sources. Ecology and preservation of nature is one of many reasons I’m moving there. Hopefully the neighbor to the north won’t let greed spoil our pristine Costa Rican environment with spillover affects through overlapping rivers and forests. 

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Costa Rica’s “Psychotropic” Pop Music

With Salsa music big on Costa Rica’s west coast and Reggae/Calypso popular on the Atlantic/Caribbean coast (for tourists in particular), and a world-class symphony orchestra in San Jose, I haven’t really experienced specific Costa Rican pop music. But one local band, Sonambulo, is trying to help the world experience it with a new album “Psicosonorama.” 
Read the Tico Times story about it or to just see the YouTube music video of one weird single, “La Maraca,” on their “Psychotropic” (Voodoo-like) album that is also being released in the United States. It is the most popular group among youth in Costa Rica, selling out all concerts. Interesting! Though not exactly my taste in music. (My age maybe?)   🙂  I suspect that U.S. youth will like it! 
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A Testimony of Living in Atenas

A Rural Road Near Atenas, Cost Rica (copied)

I’m guessing she is a 30-something girl who wrote this descriptive testimony of living in Atenas where I will live in less than 8 weeks.

Check it out to get a different description than I have shared yet. One of her photos is a road outside of town which I expect to find near my apartment. We’ll see!

This morning’s activity was another “Moving Sale” day in the McKendree Village Treasure Shop. I did fairly well, a little better than last Saturday.

This afternoon I will be doing laundry and culling down my files to what I really need to take with me to Costa Rica. And I saved one of my books from sale or disposal which I thought I might read first, Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity (click for excerpts) then I discovered it is available on my new Kindle Fire which I got to avoid carrying so many heavy books to costa Rica. It was just instantly loaded on my Kindle – how cool this is! I’m going to live in the rainforest while building my new library electronically!   🙂   As usual, I’m as excited as a little kid about all of this!

And as has happened before, my post on His Spirit Blog today relates directly to this, the removal of stress by depending on God and simplifying my life as getting rid of all this stuff is doing already!

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The Move is Moving Along Faster!

It is like so much is happening every day that I have not been able to keep up with posting. I have buyers for my car (Dec. 19 release so money in bank that day), Washer & Dryer sold for Dec. 20 release, Office furniture and bookshelves sold and I’m letting go in the next two weeks when the buyer gets transportation arranged. In relation to that I just bought a new mega-laptop to replace my desktop which comes in next Wednesday and two days to get it setup and my desktop cleaned off for selling. Whew!

And before he gets my credenza file cabinet I have to refile everything for (A) Going to Costa Rica and (B) Going in storage. Whew again! I’m still moving books and little things to The Treasure Shop here at McKendree for about 3 more Saturdays of selling stuff though it is slowing down and is much less money.

I’m also looking at the new T5i Canon Rebel since the two I have are really getting old and worn but I will keep and use. If I get the new one I may start trying little short videos and even start a YouTube Video Channel. We’ll see.

Turrialba Volcano on a Pretty Day

And for those interested, another volcano erupted this week in Costa Rica, again not close to where I will live. Here are some nice still photos:
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/10/31/turrialba-volcano-eruption-in-costa-rica-photos-from-the-web?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Daily%20RSS%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email

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Car Paved Around in San Ramon & Theater Anniversary

A Lack of Communication?
I guess in the states the car would have been towed – maybe – but in San Ramon, Costa Rica this guy leaves his car parked on a street on paving day and the workers just pave around it. A little funny from Costa Rica!

See Tico Times article

It is exciting to see how Costa Rica is celebrating the 117th Birthday of the National Theater tomorrow. I look forward to hearing the national symphony or some other performance in that beautiful theater! And by the way, you did know that Nashville, Tennessee’s Symphony Director,  Giancarlo Guerrero, is from Costa Rica? Didn’t you?

Teatro Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica
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Human-Pseudo Orcas Snorkeling Encounter

In the southwest corner of Costa Rica off the coast of Osa Peninsula (Corcovado National Park) is an area for great whale-watching and dolphin-watching. But this encounter by snorkelers with the rare Pseudo Orcas (a type of dolphin sometimes calle “false killer whate”) is supposedly rare and beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6sLoTzTk5k#t=221

If I decide later to live on the coast, this southern Pacific Coast is the area I would choose, even though more isolated or maybe because it is isolated!  🙂

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Why Do “Easy Jobs” Get So Complicated?

Sunrise at Tortuguero by Charlie

In addition to continuing to sell things and/or arrange for the pre-sell of items like the washer/dryer (Sold!) and the car (Sold!), I have to deal with car dealers for appraisals and struggle with unanswered phone calls, etc.

BUT the biggest issue this week was the simple email that said “click here” to upgrade your system to Windows 8.1 (from just 8). Wish I had never clicked! I spent a good bit of two days dealing with all the problems like the sound not working, all drivers needed to be updated, by me of course! Why can’t they make that a part of an upgrade? Then I googled for help on the sound first and some company, implying they represented Microsoft, wanted $200 to get my computer working correctly again. After an hour of “Live Chat” I canceled and found a true Microsoft fix for the sound and downloaded the needed drivers myself. Grrr.

Then, knowing that the address the apartments gave me in Atenas may not be permanent and will not work for internet ordered packages, I spent several days signing up for an Aeropost mailbox and street address in Miami. ARCR would have handled it for me if I wanted to go to downtown San Jose to pickup my mail and packages, but they recommended that I have them delivered to a pickup station closer to where I live, which is the Aeropost Office in Alajuela (near airport). That meant working with the spanish-speaking employees of Aeropost, Aerocasillas in Espanol. After most of a week, getting a USPS Form 1583 notarized today, I now have everything done for my two Miami addresses, except for hand-delivering the notarized form and copies of passport and driver license to the Alajuela office on my first visit.

It is too early to give these addresses out right now, but I will publicize them by the first of December and send change of address cards for Christmas Cards. And make them pretty too!   🙂

And in Spanish Class we are trying to memorize the many versions of the verb “to be” -ser. My head is spinning, but for a good reason!  🙂 And at school yesterday, my tutoring was interrupted with an awards ceremony assembly to recognize perfect attendance and good citizenship, while my kindergarteners are still learning how to write their names and the sounds of the alphabet. Slow progress everywhere this week – but good and important progress! I feel that a lot of things are starting to “fall in place” (with a lot of help!).

PURA VIDA!