Thursday, January 30, 2014

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

LIFE=SHORT/RIP Lizzie



Welcome to the book of life friends.

I woke up this morning after having another round of crazy dreams last night that left me feeling so alone and isolated this morning.

"What am I going to do with myself today?" (A writer often asks himself this question.)

But I remembered this blog and the gift I was given 7 months ago of being able to share my life with the world.

And the message today, kids, is LIFE=SHORT.

Yesterday as I was returning from Jetsetting to San Francisco, my mother's ferret died. Lizzie was 8 years old. My mother is very upset.

And meanwhile I was off living life. She's at home in Missouri, distraught, in the frozen tundra that is the Midwest right now. And I, on the other side of the continent, was sipping hot chocolates at Ghiradelli and riding cable cars, soaking up LIFE.

Honestly, I think that's what my mom and Lizzie would want. They'd want me to keep going and living my life the way I love to live it: through self imposed adventures that I love.

Am I upset over the loss of my mother's last pet? Yes, because I feel the pain in my mom's voice and the reconciliation that she won't ever get another pet for herself. I feel sadness because I was there when she brought Lizzie home. She has been a good addition to the family and an anchor for my mother. I had hoped that Lizzie would survive a few more years for my mom's sake. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

Because life happened.

My grandfather that I mentioned a few months ago when I was in Milan is terminally ill. My immediate family has all descended upon the nursing home where he is staying and I have even gotten word from my sister that I MUST go visit him before he passes further into his dementia state or even passes away.

Honestly, I just don't think I have it in me. 2013 was the hardest year for me ever and the heartache I felt was insurmountable.

And I have chosen to LIVE.

I feel terrible that my last remaining grandfather is slipping away, but I don't think it would necessarily do either of us any good me seeing him before he dies. Because I want to remember him as the warrior and champion I remember from my youth, not some feeble vegetable slowly fading away.

I'm terribly saddened by the loss around me, but I cannot help but LIVE.

I have so much to accomplish in my life that I want every day from now on to be the BEST day.

One of my friends has a saying: It's gonna be great

Anytime any situation arises, she says those very lines IT'S GONNA BE GREAT! no matter how grim or how sunshine and rainbows the situation around us may be.

And you know what? It IS gonna be great. Because for this moment, right here, right now, we are all still alive.

And that is certainly something worth celebrating.

Today's gonna be a great day!





Tuesday, January 28, 2014

GLAD Francisco!!!


I just had one of the top 20 best days ever! 

Friends I met a few years ago just tied the knot and have decided to move to New Zealand and start a new life down undah. 

They fly out of San Francisco later today, so my cray cray ass flew up to The City by the Bay for less than 1 day to see them off!


Tickets were cheap and I had the time. We divided and conquered SF in the 20 hours I was here and I head back to Los Angeles better for it. 







At the beginning of 2014 I told myself I would save money and not travel. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case does it?

No Ma'am!

To Dr. Danielle and Dr. Dustin: Bon Voyage and god speed. I am proud of everything you've accomplished, look forward to keeping tabs on your new Kiwi life, and cannot wait to visit! 

Friends: life is too damn short to not just grab it by the balls and ride it like a rainbow!



#iheartsf
#newzealandfuture
#sanfrancisco



Monday, January 27, 2014

LOOKING



So I went to the library to return some books- yes, I still go to the library!

Anyway, the library didn't open until 10 and I hadn't realized this until I drove over there. So as I contemplated waiting for the biblioteca to open, I sat in my car.

All of a sudden a really hot guy walks up walking his dog. He's looking down at his phone, then up at me. Then down at his phone, and up at me. I look down at my phone, pretending not to notice him looking at me, and then I look up at him. I smile. He smiles.

He walks his dog closer to my car. Embarrassed and always so insecure when it comes to handling meeting really hot guys, I looked down again at my phone. He won't stop starring. I start to sweat.

I look back up at this hottie- In his Oakland A's hat turn backwords, his basketball shorts and hightops, and I blush. He's super cute.

He looks at me, but then stops with his dog right next to my car.

"God- what do I do? What do I do?" I'm thinking. How do I handle this? Why can I not lift my left index finger and lower the passenger side window and talk to this guy?

Finally, I regress to being a chicken shit and look back at my phone as he decides to walk back in the direction he came from with his dog.

But one more glance back in my direction told me that he was obvio interesto in Koelo.

So why couldn't I just be a man and say something to this hottie? Yeah, maybe he is totally ripped and out of my league, but I am sexy too, damnit, and driving a smartcar that closely resembles a Star Warsian Storm Trooper helmet must give me a leg up in his world, right?

"Ok Koelen, you can do this!" I said to myself as I noticed the guy sat down on a retaining wall and again looked back in my direction.

Just drive up, tell him you noticed him checking you out, and that you don't have much time, but oh here is your business card and if he would like to call you (me) that would be rad.

"What have I got to lose?"

I shift my car out of park and into drive. I pull up right in front of where the guy is sitting and roll down my window.

-"you can do this!"-

So he walks up and sunlight hit his green eyes. *WOOF* I swallowed hard and began to speak when he walked up to my car.

"Hey," he said. He was really sexy in his addressing me.

"Hey," I said back. Right as I was about to tell him godknowswhat, he asked

"Are you the guy with my keys?"

Wait...what?

"Keys?" I asked. "No I am just returning some library books."

So stupid.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah some friend of my roommate is dropping off his keys and so I am waiting for him. I thought it was you because I have never met the guy!"

"Oh," I said. And like an idiot, I said "yeah, no just returning my stuff to the library."

"Oh well they should be opening soon, if you want to wait. There's the guy," hottie said, as the perpetrator pulled up with this guys keys.

"Oh ok," I said and drove off!

HAND TO FACE!!!

I don't know if it is the fact that I am taking a short, sweet, quiet little trip to San Francisco for the day or the fact that i just watched episode 1 of HBO's Looking, but i just felt so dumb!



And why i didn't just hand the guy my business card and tell him I thought he was hot instead of driving away like a little pussy I will never know. At the very least he probably would have checked out my blog!

Oh well. Lesson learned: Man up when you really want something or someone!!!




Sunday, January 26, 2014

Glammys and Macklewhores

Tonight's Scrammy awards only give further evidence of how ridiculous the pop music world can be.

While I don't deny that Lorde's song "Royals" is catchy, 2013 was the year of the gay and the top honor of Song of the Year should have gone to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Same Love". 



I'm grateful that this was one award show I skipped, even if it meant Queen B and Jay Z performing together...


34 couples of all walks of life getting wed during "Same Love" in the middle of the Grammys seemed contrived and like they tried to be controversial deliberately. 



A bigger controversy would have been to award best song of the year to a song that actually has meaning, not necessarily one that's currently in the middle of its 15 minutes of fame.



Saturday, January 25, 2014

Time to Build an Empire



I've done a lot of thinking especially since Costa Rica.

I'm officially announcing my full time retirement from the event industry by the end of 2014. I've been saying for 2 years now that I don't want to be working in this field full time anymore, and I think this will be my 8th and final year working in this industry.

I will of course keep clients and events that I have done annually for years and will work on an event by event by event basis, but I will no longer be counting on the event industry as my main source of income come 2015. I want to start doing what I love to do as my main source of lively hood as soon as possible.

I am a writer. 



Writing and chronicling my life and daily adventures is what I am meant to do with my life. I love making people smile and laugh. I love having a good time and writing about my experiences. It's high time that I dedicate 100% of my professional life to being a writer.



It's time for me to build my empire. 



The construction starts now.


Monday, January 20, 2014

Latin Lover


What happens to the love affairs of Christmas past? 

We've all heard of the one night stand, but what about the love affair that lasts a week while eating, praying, and loving 2000k's below the border?!?

The one week stands we met whilst on holiday in Costa Rica that have now moved on- just the same as you- one year later ?

Love is a tricky thing. I don't think any of us would disagree that most of us aren't necessarily looking for love when we find it. That doesn't mean that it won't find us. 

I wasn't looking for it. Lord knows that living in Los Angeles can take such a tole on our self esteem that we easily forget just how great we are as individuals. To the point that we don't recognize when someone just as extraordinary as ourselves comes into our lives.

I found love in a hopeless Costa Rican place last year when I was here for a week. 

I'll just call him Latin Lover. 

But first, let me tell you something about Latin lovers: 

They have a fire in them. An internal heat that is sexy, curious and eternal. An air about them that gives them this sort of suave, savoir-faire attitude and disposition. Maybe it's the constant tropical heat, maybe it's the intensity and passion they display towards life, or maybe they are just rich with energy. Maybe it's all the above. I'm constantly attracted to Latinos. Maybe it's the fire in me craving to be stoked.

And why is it that all Latinos know how to dance really well? They all know how to move their bodies in such synchronicity and sexuality that I find it exceedingly erotic.

My Latin lover is all of this and more. As I said before, we met nearly a year ago. We stayed in contact, but it waned as time went by. I assumed he probably met another tourist in his coastal paradise of a well-visited village and moved on. But he didn't. I contacted him again a few weeks ago and we have been keeping in touch.

When we returned to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica a few days ago, Latin Lover and I met for drinks. I had forgotten how cute he is. My heart stopped when I saw him again. He is like a Latin Tom Daley in the face with a smile like gold. I find him to be really handsome.  

And his personality and mine click very well. We have laughed and talked and hung out and had an amazing vacation together the entire time I have been back. We just have a great time together.

I call him Latin Lover because that's how I feel about him: he is a sexy guy that I have really loved getting to know again. I certainly haven't had this good of sex in a long time: Latin Lover isn't just good at moving on the dance floor! 

However, my time with LL is ending: we only have one more day together before that big bird in the sky whisks me away back to Los Angeles: city of my solo dreams.




What the future holds for Latin Lover and myself I cannot say.

But I know that right here, right now,  I'm living la Vida.

 La Pura Vida.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Kylie released her new single and here it is:



Hold onto your hats boys and girls:




Kylie Minogue has released her new single Into The Blue a few hours ago!

Checkity check it before you wreckity wreck it!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Dolphin Hunting

Today we went dolphin hunting.

No, not like in the movie The Cove.

Nope, this was a sunset cruise that involved dolphin spotting, snorkeling, plenty of booze, and a sunset that could take your breath away.










La Pura Vida


Ah, Costa Rica. Te quiero!












Friday, January 17, 2014

Greetings from Costa Rica!

Happy Friday from the tropics!

I woke up with a big smile on my face this morning- not because I slept well, I might add!

Nope, I've dived right in and was living La Pura Vida within minutes of my arrival. You see, I had a red eye flight from Lost Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica's capital city. Thanks to the French bitch that kept kicking my seat the entire fucking flight, I got NO sleep and arrived yesterday at 6 in the morning.

I had a few choices: I could have slept in the aeropuerto. I could have slept in the rental car. Or I could get out and conquer San Jose and La Pura Vida by storm!

Which do you think I chose?

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Rarely in life do we remember the nights when we got enough sleep! I took my tired ass and hit the streets of San Jose. What I found was a grimey, Latin American hustle and bustler epicenter. It was hot, it was dirty, it was chaotic. But it was also amazing. Here's a glimpse of San Jose:


Inside Catedral Nacional-




For my brother in law, a true beer champion!

Teatro Nacional-





Cutest faux on a kid ever:




And I conclude with this amazing statue I saw by the national theatre. I was shocked and moved by its beauty!