Culture: Art, Music, Language, and Buses

Thursday was a banner day for Culture, in all it's forms!

I had a day of ART planned with a friend on the other side of the Central Valley, so I caught a bus into San José bright and early (but not too early!). I walked through downtown (stopping for pastries) to the Alajuela bus terminal, and caught the parando (the one that stops more often). I'm hoping it was only the temporary effect of learning another new language, but I had quite a time making myself understood (sigh, not usually this much of a problem). I wanted to have the bus driver point out to me the different stops in San José, so that the next time, I could perhaps catch the bus along my route, instead of going to the terminal. Well, we finally got all that straightened out, and he did in fact point out the *perfect* bus stop for me! (it's unbelievable how excited I get about figuring out new bus options) So, next time I need to get to Alajuela, I will take the Sabana Cementerio bus (from near Fischel) West to just past the Coca-Cola / Puriscal terminal, down Avenida 1. When I see the "Vida" funeral parlor, I'll get off, walk North one block, and catch the Alajuela bus in front of the "La Estrada" market.

Once I got my bus information, I settled in for the ride by doing my French homework :-). It had been a while since I'd been in Alajuela, but I was still able to find the Grecia bus easily. I hopped on, and we left in a few minutes (8:55 - it leaves every 25 minutes). Half an hour later, I am with my friend, drinking coffee, and getting ready to paint!

I wasn't sure what I would work on, so I had brought pretty much everything - I ended up trying out my new watercolors, and learned a bit more about what I like, and what works for me. It was a lovely, sunny day, *and* it wasn't over!

I caught the 3:26 bus (*so* precise!) back to Alajuela, then San José, and *just* got to the National Theatre in time for my 5:00 concert with Rick. I half-ran the half block, and felt lucky that it hadn't started yet - found out later that the Thursday concerts actually start at 5:10 :-|.

The concert was amazing! It was an hour of pure delight, with just a piano and saxophone. The pieces they chose were *all* "my kind" - romantic, rich, lush... But mainly it was so moving because the saxophonist had such a fabulous tone. I obviously don't have enough superlative words to describe it (drat these new languages)...

If you get a chance, definitely give them a listen.
The program: "Arias y Sonatas"
Piano: Federico Molina Campos
Saxophone: Harold Guillén Monge
Composers: Taktakishvili, Creston, Brouquieres, Ibert, Ravel, Tcherepnine

New Cone on Arenal Volcano

Apparently, Arenal *does* look a little bit different since the recent activity! Here is a short article about it, with a picture of the new cone. I don't think my pictures from our March trip show this area tho.

I Feel All Sparkly!

My house is soooo clean! We have been in this apartment since September, and we finally have a housekeeper - and it feels so good!
I had last week off from school, and so I attacked my "to-do" list. I talked to my neighbor to see if they knew of anyone they would recommend for a housekeeper, and they really liked theirs. They told me all kinds of information about their experience with her - how much you have to explain, how trustworthy she is, how much they pay, how fast she is, and how well she cleans. They even offered to help with Spanish / English when we first talked to her!
Well, we talked to her, in Spanish :-), earlier this week, and we all agreed that she would clean our place too.
Today, she worked and worked and worked - I have a clean stove, and fridge, polished furniture, and shiny floors. Even the *windows* are dirt-free!
I'm going to enjoy my retirement this afternoon - tomorrow, I have school again ;-S.