Happy Friday, Y’all! ALL Y’all! T.G.I.F then.
Feeling some kind of wonderful! While I’ve always enjoyed a bit of traveling in my life, as I have matured physically it is necessary for me NOT to travel so much. With “crickety crackity” hips and knees and all, it takes a bit for me. Yet, this last trip to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up my mail for EE and me, to investigate tax filing and to get a new cellphone was quite cool for me … successful, to be exact! You know when you hit a city like Ft. Lauderdale the last days of “Spring Break – 2019” and hang out with “The Crew” at Capone’s Night Club, things are bound to get “turned up”, as they say for a bit drunk nowadays! Me … I am still a “tea totaler” I think the British call it … and I don’t drink to get drunk, just to be sociable … and I know WHEN to stop!! So, I was cool at the Clubs downtown for both Friday and Saturday night. I relaxed all day Sunday, watching NBA and March Madness Basketball during which Auburn of Alabama won and is going to the “Final Four” teams for the first time in their school’s history!! My friend whom I stay with when I travel to the FTL now, Johnny Ace, said his Dad graduated from Auburn University! Nice little surprise for him as I watched from his couch in Tamarac and he and his Lady, “Candy” watched from the infamous “Elbow Room” on “The Strip” in Ft. Lauderdale.
On Monday, I woke up bright and early and left out of Johnny’s apartment with him as he drove to work and dropped me off at a nearby local bus stop. It was so kind of him and I bought a full day pass and began my mini-journey to the Main Post Office downtown where I have had a mail box for over ten years. The good thing about this is that the people there “know” me personally from my early days as an “aspiring writer” who sent and received “bulk” mail from the self publishing “house” that I use called “iUniverse”, as well as sent books to my early clients. They had my mail placed in one of those “white plastic USPS” containers and I spent nearly an hour going through it one by one, looking for tax documents and the like. I didn’t see any so I decided that this was the year that I will NOT file taxes since my income is strictly pension monies from New York State United Teachers and Social Security. There were NO TAX DOCUMENTS in the mail for me that specified how much was taken out etcetera. So, I mounted up the bus again, went to Publix Supermarket and asked them to prepare a “turkey breast and Swiss cheese sub” for my lunch with a raspberry flavored tea and a bag of chips on the side! I sat inside and chowed down before checking around for a few other items that Publix carries that I can’t get here in Puerto Viejo stores!
The next day was even more fun as I took my chances walking from Johnny’s place to the “Super Walmart” located just across one of Ft. Lauderdale’s “main busy streets” – McNab Road – and picked up a few pair of boxer shorts, some socks, a few t-shirts … one for me and one for my “star Bri Bri” English student “Ivon” … and a new pair of sneakers!!! That’s what I said … SNEAKERS!! I got some foodstuffs for lunch, a few beverages and my favorite ice pop treat from “Outshine”, a box of Acai Berry fruit pops! Shucks, I even got a new pair of sunglasses as I forgot the pair I bought here in CR on the airport “kiosk” at Customs in Ft. Lauderdale. Now … I was ready! I actually woke up Tuesday with no place to go and relaxed on the couch packing my one bag that I also purchased at Super Walmart, having lunch and just resting up for the next day’s long trip by plane and bus back “home” to “La Casita Azul” in Puerto Viejo. The trip was a success and I was extremely grateful for all the help my friends provided, especially Johnny Ace and Candy, and Joel Valencia who picked me up at the airport, took me to the bank, then to Metro PCS to check on cell phone service plans, then to “Best Buy” where they sell lowered priced “off mark” brands. I got a “BLU” phone (Bold Like Us!) and returned to Metro PCS to get a chip and purchase a new monthly plan for the cell phone.
All in all, I felt great the entire time, especially once I started to take the 14 day treatment for my acid reflux, “Prilosec”. My appetite increased a little more as I felt much less discomfort in my belly as I ate everything that I could that I wouldn’t see for a few months or until perhaps on my next trip to “the States”. Last night was my first full night back in this Caribbean “casita” near downtown Puerto, and I rested like a champ. My plan is to head to yoga at 9am as my body may need some stretching. In the meantime, I will be back to working on the manuscript dedicated to my mother, and healing my maturing body and my spirit … and The Blog!
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend!
Peace,
John I. Cook, Director
Educational Excellence 