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Home!
I have arrived, It is over. no wait... its never over.
Although I am returning from one of the most revitalizing and perspective changing experiences in my life, I cant tell you how excited I am to dive right back into the good energy that is Minneapolis. I really do love this city. Its warming being back here. Cant wait for spring, and all the smiles that come with it. As for progress, anybody and everybody knows that this spring will be huge! for all of us. This is the big one, I can feel it.
Right now Its fucking cold, but how can I complain, Ive got fantastic friends, Music everywhere, no job, no money, and some really really big plans. YES!
I love you Minneapolis!
Keep it real
My Phone is dead my car is dead, but these things do not stop me. Nothing can stop me!!
TRIP:
Febuary 19thish
SAN BLAS:
I wnt to a place for 1 week, my brain relaxed, my body rejoiced, and my energy refilled, San Blas:
Paradise, words dont work, changed man, seriously cant explain. ask me about it.
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Carnaval
Without a doubt, an event comparable with all the most intense and fullfilling experiences in my life. The quality and quantity of fun and beauty I experienced was Literally breathtaking. It is an event celebrating Family and Tradition of the Panamanian people, and letting everything come to a peak. My Family here in Panama welcome me with such love and acceptance, to the point that If I think about it too much I end up in tears.
Here is a basic rundown of the day activities, One wakes up at 9-1 (later and later as the 4 days go by), the earlier the better but you gotta make sure your well rested. Then I go get some orange juice, a water and a pinapple. I eat to my nutrition with my new friends I met the night before who are sleeping in the house Im staying in. Then we get dressed (for me, I wore a T-shirt, radikal shorts, and a radikal fanny pack filled with the essentials for the day, sunscreen, money (waterproofed) a nalgen, coins, a condom, and a mini water pistol). And off to the "La Tuna" which is all the peoples from Calle Centro (middle street)(there's three). It may be hard to find but asking around will always work. The Tuna is a parade of sorts made up of all the people involved, they walk from house to house with a Band, a truck of alchohol that fills up your nalgen with whatever it is you like ($15 a wristband for all 4 days), and a tanker (Tio Rene sits atop it with a major big water canon pumping high pressured water onto all, scaring kids and taking off loose tops here and there) along with the Tuna, there is also a team of "tambores" (congo-like drums). Each house will have something different to offer, food.. Juice... and all kinds of water antics. Durring this all there are plenty of Kids with water guns, old ladies with buckets of Icewater to really wake the sleepers up, and old me with garden hoses. The people will all (and I really mean all) be dancing and jumping around making up chants and when the band stops, the drummers start up on their congos, and we all start dancing traditional dances, while we all sing and clap the traditional songs (really easy to learn).The women in the circle go onto the floor one by one, this takes about 1.5 hours each time and happens 3-4 times a day, Ive become quite a bit of an expert at this dance, due to my expert uncle teachers. I was also lucky to get a chance to dance with two princesses these carnavals. There is a princess for each day, and its her family that is responsible for making all the loviness happen later at the Posada. And you chat, and you dance and you smile. Soooo much smiling. Its amazing, as if everyone has decided to forget any kind of judgments or indescepancies. They all CHOOSE to have a fantastik time, and love everyone there. Something that really really got to me.
At dusk, you eat, hit on the ladies, and new friends, then sleep. at around 9-10ish you head out for the night life, which is filled with options - A discoteque, a traditional dance Posada, and the public land (where all the regulars knew me as Jesus Christ, and would be plenty drunk, and always get me to do blessings and jesus dances with them, a good bunch) at one point, I was walking and a little girl of what might have been 3 (tiny) came up to me and asked for a blessing. so cute. One night, I found my way into the back yard area of our neighbor family, and I knew alot of the people there from the tuna. Anyway, it was a concert, by three mariachis and a handfull of young girls(16-26) taking turns singing, with about 10 people around listening and schmoozing. They were all family, and were just having a great time drinking, playing with the little ones and joking with eachother. The songs were familiar to everyone and they were played with amazing talent, Talent Ive only ever seen anything comprable to at Cal-Arts. It will be hard to communicate how amazing this night was for me. I was absolutely taken aback by the love I felt, the family strength, and the privlage I had to be there, and would have to frequently shake it off because I was going to break down in tears. One way I can describe it is: All I had to do was open myself to absorb, and the beauty would just flow in, a wave of... Extasy. It was extremely spiritual for me, better than any drug experience Ive ever had. At one point a young boy of 4 or 5 took to singing, was really shy at first and it took the support of all of us to get him to do it. When he sang, with his dad (lead mariachi) I just watched with amazment, I looked around at all the family members with such adoring smiles and accidently let myself go, before I knew it I was full on tearing. Such unbelievable beauty. I had to snap out of it, and I did wiping the tears away. I looked over to see my uncle looking back at me smiling, he winked as if he knew exactly what I was experiencing. Such a fantastikal feeling, and this feeling carried on into the night, where I went dancing and took the dancefloor on by storm, making new friends and fans... dancing with a circle of 6 year old girls, combat dancing with a spunky panamanean kid, dance move teaching with all my family, Learning really high quality salsa dancing from my aunt and uncles, Smiling perpetually. Perpetually experiencing love.
That night really was unbelievable, the next day it even made me feel like I feel after extasy, as if I had expended all the seritonin my brain was capable of producing. Had to spend the day layin low. waiting for the last day, where I expoded into a fresh new wave of Fun.
Anyway, Im going to try and shoot a movie there next year, Ive got everyone behond me on this one, and my cousin is next years princess, so I will have alot of pull when it comes to planning our the whole thing and getting permission for lighting and locations and all that. I want to really get deep into the heart of it all, semi hidden camera style, shoot it as a kindof documentary with a script. Try and truly capture calle centro Ocu, the greatest carnaval in the world.
My Family gave me a T-shirt of the Family, "Los Gonzalez Ocu 08" the font, is that of "the Godfather". Its now my favorite shirt.
Plus I ended up on television, on a show called "Hecho en Panama" (made in panama) and I will hunt down the footage sos I can get it up on "the tube".
Anyways, I hope you all are having a majestic winter, and may your snowball fights be filled with laughter.
Smiles to you all!
- Jesus Christo, "El Gringo loco"
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Panama
Panama is definitely my second home. I feel my blood turning panamanian, and a panamanian family that is too good to be true. Im actually very lucky to have such a fantastik family. My sister wants me to move here and keeps trying to convince me. It keeps sounding more and more appealing. There is nothing but perfect weather, and smiley faces. Im probably going to end up spending 2-3 months a year here in the winter, Its the perfect ice-escape. That way all yous guys can come visit, and we can beach bum it to paradisikal levels.
I am working out / biking / running everyday, since my brother has gone all health crazy. He quit smoking and now is crazy for the endorphins. So now Im all energized and cant sleep much, but that might be due to the excitement Ive got for the adventures to come once I get back there in Minneapolis. Im super juiced with motivation. I guess when it comes down to it, a change of scenery is the best thing you can do for yourself.
So tell me, what time is it?...
Adventure Time!
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Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Volcanic Dreamz
Today I embarked on a voyage to the summit of the most active volcano in all of South America! A nice 5 hour climb and two bananas later I was on the top breathing in waay too much sulfur dioxide trying to get a good summit moon pic. When the day is through my legs are Jello-yellow and Vladamir (tumor time) is poppin head veins. Totally worth it though, Got to slide down the whole mountain on mi back. Speeds were substantial but I was wishing for a metal saucer the whole time, wanted to take it to the limit.
New Years - Super mega Discoteque, dance off, 3 hour walk, awoke on the beach in a van backseat with garbage in my pockets, very confused. Continued the walk and realized I was collecting trash from the beach all night. another 3 hour walk. bloody hand and wire hair, got some real strange looks. Big Sunny Fresh Year SMILE!
I wish you all a wonderfull day!.. this webcafe is really uncomfortable.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
Chile 2
So now Im living in the belly of a volcanic crater. Its fantastik, Im running everyday, swimming laps every night. Meditating on the rocks in the lake and getting ready to do a zip line through the canopy. Its fantastik. On my runs I discover different natural amazements everyday.
I have built up a tolerance to all the family dysfunction and have a planet of opportunities to escape. The fish are delicious and the fruit is flowing with flavor. Tonight I hope to escape my family and go party with the locals at the local bars and discoteques.
And for all of you who say damn, I wish I were in another country right now... Come to Panama! anytime between Jan 19 - Feb 26, but early feb is carnaval (the best time to come).
Smiles to all the boys and girls!
P.s. The Dog was gone the next morn, Indicating a probable LIFE LIVING status
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Thursday, December 27, 2007
CHILE!
So I guess Ima gonna blogga while in vacationz, numero uno pues:
Chile is beautiful and the beaches are nice, its a great place to be very vibrant.
Great local way to make money: on every street stop-light, in the downtown area of vina mar, there is a duo of acrobatic young "breakers" if you will, that do multi spin hand flip-stands and backflips and all kind of wierdness then walk down the row collecting performance pay. Absolutely loved it, best part were the smiles. Loved what they did. and did it fun-style.
Today at my fathers farm/office we spent the day picking avacados, and plums. This place is a haven of meditation and rural exoticatiosness. On a exploration expedition me, my bro, sis, and cousin found a dog shivering and mute, as if in his last breaths lying in the irrigation canal. It was a sad sight, we got him to get up and move, soaking and obviously freezing. We startled him with a rock in the 4 inch high water and he walked down the trench, we tried to build a ramp for him to escape, but to no avail... So we went back to base, got some rope and slip knotted it round his two front legs and head and pulled/draged him out into the sun, he would not move nor respond to anything, difintally sick. we got him food and water, and are now awaiting his health. Hopefully he is in hypothermic shock and after he warms up he will hop up and live again. We will see. Hopefully he dont die.
Family chemisrty sucks and complications are annoying, but its just 10 more days.
Sun is good and shorts are great. Hope all is well with the minneapolis kidrad crew. keep it real slicicles.
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