I sold it. HURRAH

Today I feel like my fun is just starting, like my PR discovery can FINALLY adventure outside of San Juan, like I have the world on a string. *#(&*&%$#@% Pittufo is no longer my set of wheels.

Ironically... that means I don't HAVE a set of wheels...which would explain why I found myself on the train this afternoon with $4,700 in tens and twenties. Sundress, flip flops, pockets full of cash.

Hoy, a mi me encanta la vida.

4 wheels and a headache

Dude 1: Not only did he show up an hour late, he then proceeded to slip the mechanic $$$$ to tell me the car was in great condition (and was stupid enough to think I wouldn't see...). *(@#$^!&*# I hate being a girl alone in a big city - let's just tattoo victim on my forehead, ok?! WOW.

Dude 2: Arrived on time in a suit. The car was beautiful on the inside and he knew exactly how many miles until the next oil change and when the tires would need to be changed. His wife was the first owner and they are selling because she bought a new BMW. BUT, he wants $1,500 more than the Kelly Blue Book value of car. WOW.

Dudette 3: Sent her son to get me when I got lost on the way to their house. When I arrived, she proceeded to tell me that the car was hit when parked in front of her house 2 days earlier and needs the bumper replaced. I couldn't test drive it...and it's really not even for sale until she gets it fixed. Why did I go there today?!?! WOW.

Perfecting the Shadow Puppet

Dearest blog followers,

Sunday night we lost power. Monday work started at noon and ended at 4:30. Tuesday my car swam to work and then got redirected on my way home because all the streets were flooded. (I resorted to back streets and got lost because there were trees down across the road.) Wednesday I got ready for work at the gym so I could shower with more than a flashlight's worth of visibility. Perhaps you think, ahh tropical storm, no big thing? Here are the headlines from the paper:

• Huracán Irene en Puerto Rico deja al menos un muerto y mil 500 damnificados (Translation: Huracan Irene in Puerto Rico leaves at least one dead and 500 damned)
• El paso de "Irene" por Puerto Rico provoca perdidas de 70 millones de dolares (Translation: Irene's passing through Puerto Rico provokes losses of $70,000,000)
• 1 million lose power in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irene heads towards US
  

Somehow, though, PR culture sneaks in and turns this into a party. That would be why I spent hours last night at my neighbor's place hanging out in candlelight with people from the apartment. It was a glamorous shin-dig focused mainly on eating the food that would otherwise rot in our refrigerators and gossiping about PR government/apartment dwellers/famous people. Brilliant.

Work also increased in social exchanges, as everyone is curious to catch up on who has lights and running water. PLUS people stop by constantly to ask how I survived the storm (Let's be serious - I got all the "scared" out of my system with the non-existent storm Emily... I SLEPT through Irene's 60 mile an hour winds!). Overall, it's been an amusing change of pace and routine, but I am sooooooo glad the lights are back on!!!

Here was my drive to work on Tuesday morning (note, this is 48hrs+ after the storm):

La tormenta tropical Irene

La tormenta tropical Irene continúa su movimiento al Oeste-noroeste por lo que su paso por la región será muy cercano al sur o entrando a la Isla. NO DEBE SER COMPARADA CON EMILY. Irene tiene grandes posibilidaes de ganar fuerzas, por esta razón la Isla también se mantiene bajo un aviso de huracán como medida de prevención.

Irene 5:00pm
5:00 PM AST Sun Aug 21
Location: 17.7°N 64.4°W
Max sustained: 50 mph
Moving: WNW at 17 mph
Min pressure: 999 mb

Se esperan vientos de intensidad de tormenta entre las 45 y 60mph, acumulación de más de 10" de lluvia y oleaje peligroso. Es importante que activen su plan de emergencia, aseguren sus pertenencias y eviten dejar objetos sueltos o sacar basura a la calle. El servicio eléctrico se verá afectado al igual que el servicio de agua debido a los vientos que se esperan.

Katie's rough translation: They aren't just calling this one a storm, they also have a hurricane warning out. 45-60mph winds, 10 inches of rain, risk of tornadoes, 6-11 foot waves. It's already blowing and pouring and it's going to hit its strongest in the weeeeee hours of the morning. This storm hasn't even hit and it's already bigger than the last "tropical storm" we had! Good thing I stocked up on water!

Wanted.

Gracias a Angel por llevarme a ver Fast Five.
Gracias a Randall por mi primer mapa de San Juan...y por tu numero
Gracias a Nelson por las classes en Photoshop
Gracias a David por el guía de noche por San Juan
Gracias a Andy por buscar mis goggles en el Nat
Gracias a Antonio por...pues...nada.
Gracias al guarda que me saluda todas las mañanas y me invitó a bailar
Gracias a Frank por querer ser mi primer amigo boricua
Gracias a Miguel por ser atletico
Gracias a Juan por saber todo sobre los carros.
Gracias a los desconocidos que voy a conocer por las risas y diversión

They say it's my crazy light hazel eyes eyes - I am the exotic foreigner. (REMEMBER - I'm from Wisconsin. HAHAHAHA). I am not a serial dater, but it is eye opening how many people I'm meeting that really don't fit my lifestyle! I thought I was just a normal kid, now I'm putting a whoooole new definition around "normal".

Wanted: peace and quiet
Wanted: Conservative Wisconsin boy who likes to work out, loves nature, has a cool family & friends, likes his job, speaks Spanish, and dreams of heliboarding or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. He could be cute too, that would help.

solamente hay de pedir

La semana pasada yo estaba #*$(@#&$(*#&@ con el vegitariano. Lo odiaba. Lo querria. Pense que mi mundo personal estaba en ruinas y yo estaba super emocional (y por la primera vez llore por estar sola). Ah la gloria de ser chica. Summary: #*$(@#&$(*#&@

What SHOULD be happening: El me dijo que ibamos a...

• ir a kayakear
• pasar tiempo con sus amigos
• vender Pitufo y comprar un carro nuevo
• mejorar la factura de agua
• hangear con su familia
• visitar el otro lado de la isla
• quedarnos en su casa en Ponce
• correr caballo
• visitar a MI familia
• hacer ejercicios juntos
• limpiar al parque central
• ir de viaje por la isla
  
• hacer un programa de radio
• asistir a una clase de spin

What WAS happening: cosas divertidas, pero sin proposito si el no cumple con su palabra y me invita a ser PARTE de su vida y familia.

Yo estaba #*$(@#&$(*#&@ y sola. Yo me cuido. Mas que eso, yo me cuido BIEN a mi y con cuidado seleciono a los amigos que tengo. Si algien, especialmente si somos casi novios, no cumple con su palabra, ahhhh no lo prometo. Nadie juega con mis emociones, ni mi familia, ni mis amigos, ni un borriqua joven y guapo. Yo estaba #*$(@#&$(*#&@.

Antes de ser emocional soy pensativa y curiosa - tengo que entender porque la gente se hace lo que hace. Por eso, le explique que me estaba haciendo dano, que yo senti sola y triste (jejej, y que la culpa era suya). Le dije todo y, lo milagroso, me escucho y me endtendio. Ayer conoci dos de sus mejores amigas, fuimos a partes nuevos de la isla, fuimos a la iglesia, y me presento a sus padres (aunque eso era coincidencia porque la guagua no arranco y les llamo de emergencia!!!!!!). En dos semanas, vamos a kayakear. Hoy vamos a buscar un carro nuevo. Me escucho.

Pitufo update

You know how they tell you to trust your gut? You remember how MY gut told me my car was a piece of #**&^%%$@& and then the guys at worked convinced me I was wrong? There's a reason they tell you to trust your gut.

For Sale: Blue 2000 VW Beetle. AC & new tires.