Climate Control

They seriously need to knock that sh-t off. We've got the AC running in our office building today so it's freezing here, whilst outside it's all of 54 degrees (that's 12 for you centigrade people out there). Do you really think you need to cool the building in that kind of climate!? I (obviously) don't. And multiply that with a gazillion because this sh-t goes on in pretty much every office and public building around the world. We're depleting Mother Earth in a rapid pace, and to whose benefit? No ones! Who makes these decisions, anyway? The friggin' energy companies big oil and dirty coal?

It breaks my heart, and not in a Regina Spector sort of way.

I contacted our Office Services department, always something, I guess.

Cabrito

I recently read on a blog that Cabrito is closing. Now that's a shame! I happened to be in New York (or Nueva York, more appropriately) last May fifth for the EU admissions test. After the test I walked Manhattan for a good two hours looking for that perfect spot to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. And I found it with Cabrito! They had shucked all their furniture and poured I don't know how many tons of sand on the floor, and had Mexican beer, tequila, and flautas specials. The sun was shining and I had a great afternoon there. Now, what's going to happen to the pink goat? And I guess I'll have to hang out at Fatty Cue, they're way closer, after all.

Brussels sprouts

After over a month in New York, with job hunting and house hunting and discovering a phenomenal city, I have a lot to write about, but for now I'll stick to Brussels sprouts. I was at the McCarren Park Farmers Market yesterday and picked up some super nice sprouts, and cooked them today in a marvelous way that I'd like to share. Together with some carrots, quartered onions, whole garlic cloves and chili peppers, I charred them in olive oil and butter, with some salt and paprika powder. Towards the end I added some Szechuan pepper. Served them on a bed of freekeh, boiled with salt and Old Bay seasoning. It was soo good, the sprouts melting in the mouth. Charring is the key here, way better than boiling or steaming them. Thanks to Brian for the suggestion, I was originally planning on just frying them. That came out of a great brunch at The Diner (where I had scrapple for the first time), with good conversations on food and restaurants.

As for New York, I'm loving every minute of it. Got a job recently, started last week as a Reporting Analyst for J.Crew. It's a temp job through an agency, but still great. Easy commute with two stops on the M line in the Greenwich Village, too.

Marketing myself

In today's competitive environment you have to market yourself. So far I've done that with business cards and a website. Now I'm adding search advertising:

Brooklyn bound, or Going home

Back in August, when I returned to Costa Rica after a month in Europe, the immigration officer in Miami, where I connected, was giving me the usual hard time. I had my travel document (which enables me to stay outside of US for up to two years without risking losing my permanent residency) and was passing through the US. After deliberating with his supervisor he eventually gave me the stamp and the wave, and sent me off with a "Welcome home". It was so nice to hear!

Maybe so nice that I now take heed. In less than two weeks I say goodbye to Costa Rica and move to New York. When I get there I'll be staying in a hostel for a few weeks, but once it's time to find a real home, I'm considering Brooklyn, hence the title. I don't have a job there yet, but am busy looking and will initially spend most of my time trying to get exposure to the job market. So if you know of anything please let me know!

It's sad to leave Costa Rica and Erin behind, I've had some seriously good times here, but at the end of the day I just didn't manage making a living here. However, I'm looking forward to be living in New York, the city I always said I would one day live in. Well, guess what!?

Latest reads

It's been a while, so here's a catch-up of what I've been reading the last months.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, Welcome to the Monkey House

Craig, a doorman at the Tam, was always reading and highly recommending him, and since I had only read his Slaughterhouse Five before I wanted to read some more. This is a great short story collection, from which I only knew about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow from before, but it's a solid collection with lots of good stories in there.

Louis de Bernières, Birds Without Wings

I've read him before, The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord, I believe, and really likes his style. This novel is set in Turkey and really captures the moods, geography, and history well (or at least so it feels like).

W Somerset Maugham, Collected Short Stories vol 1, 2, 4

As you perhaps can tell I really wanted to read some Somerset Maugham. He's great and the short story format really suits him. Excellent travel writing, it takes you away to wherever he is, be it Malaysia, India, or London. Three volumes of short stories (the library thankfully didn't have vol 3 or I'd read that, too), is a bit much to handle, though.

Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer

My first book by Miller. I had something completely different in mind, must have confused him with someone else, Nelson Algren perhaps, but I've read him so shouldn't be. I thought it was going to be more polished, but this is some pretty gritty stuff. Good book though!

Henry Miller, Black Spring

My library didn't have Tropic of Capricorn so I continued my Miller feast with this one. Don't really remember it to be honest, but I think it was good.

Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi

The last book of Miller my library had so I snagged that as well. Great travel writing, really puts him up there with Ryszard Kapuściński, Bruce Chatwin, and Robert Byron.

Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses

McCarthy as you know him, western style, set on the border (across and on both sides) between USA and Mexico. Tough guys with set minds and their adventures. Not as good as Blood Meridian or The Road, though.

Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing

The second installment of his Border Trilogy, unfortunately the library doesn't have the third, Cities of the Plain. Good read just like the first, but I fell pretty done with McCarthy at this point.

Elmore Leonard, Cuba Libre

Felt like I had heard of this so picked it up. Kind of fun, sort of like a western set in Cuba, good beach read I guess, but nothing to make fuss about.

Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony

Ah, Kafka. I'm a big fan. Read anything he's written. This novel is short, too, so you'll have it done with in no-time.

Michael Chabon, Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Chose it much for the cover and for The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which I read a while back. Entertaining reading, all about the rise and fall of the comic world. Some nods to the greats like Stan Lee.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The First Circle

I first read Solzhenitsyn bumming around Greece, it was One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and have since read The Cancer Ward and The Gulag Archipelago (but not The Red Wheel, which is supposed to be good, has anyone read it?), and they have all been really good. The First Circle didn't disappoint. Well written in an engaging way he makes you feel for the prison inmates as well as the guards and the politicians that put them there.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

I'm just going to come out and say it, Hawthorne is overrated. Sure, it was an OK book, had a few memorable passages, but all in all, not worthy the epitaph a classic. Which goes for his The Scarlet Letter as well, I think, even though it was ages since I read it and it was forced reading in school which tends to turn books into less desirable.

Bob Dylan, Chronicles, volume one

I've never been much for biographies, have nothing against them (as long as you care at least a bit about the person, of course, there are far too many b-list types out there with their memoirs, just like every president or prime minister has to have one these days), just never got into them. This is pretty good though, expected more from the writing but the topics are interesting and give a view of the sometimes troubled and doubting artist, all's not always well with the legends.

I keep plugging away at the library, I'm at S now. If you have better access to books than I do and are looking for book recommendations, I can recommend Flashlight Worthy, he has tons of good stuff for you.

The emotional roller coaster that is life

Last Thursday was my birthday, and what a great birthday it was! I felt so loved and special from my friends and family, thank you all for your congratulations and best wishes. Erin and Roshaney surprised with a princess cake, they had slaved over it for three days and it was absolutely yummy. Ben was visiting from Boston so the two of us first spent the day in San Jose checking out the sights. After champagne and cake at our place we went to Lubnan, a Lebanese place in San Jose, for dinner. "We" were the aforementioned along with Robert who came down from Monteverde and Shira. After dinner, a great table-spread of mezes, we were planning on going to Rapsodia, a lounge nearby, for some dancing, but it was completely dead and closing up. So instead we hopped a cab and went to El Pueblo, a labyrinth of bars and night clubs we had heard of but never visited. Sort of like Ios town. We ended the night with an impromptu dance party in our home. The day after me and Ben went to Jacó beach for two days, and by the time we came back Ren had joined from Argentina and the fun continued. Ben left yesterday, Rob today, and now we're back to more normal.

So today is your regular work day. I keep browsing for jobs and applying left and right. Today I found out I didn't make the cut for the EU administration program. I scored 35 out of 40 on their admissions test, and you needed 36 or better to have a chance. So that was a three-month process that ended in defeat, and also, I'm sad to say, disbelief. Because if I'm not even smart enough to work as an entry-level administrator in Brussels, how can I expect to be a top-tier Major Trend Analyst? And I'm not asking that to earn your pity, I really want to know.