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Repatriating for Health Care
Like many Americans, I have gone bankrupt because of our for-profit health insurance system. Unlike most Americans, I am leaving the system altogether, and coming to Costa Rica. International moves are expensive, but the cost of repatriation dwarfs the risk of becoming financially crippled for simply getting sick. My daughter has a pre-existing condition. She is four years old. There is a cyst on her heel that will, we are told, go away naturally in a few years. We made the mistake of going to a doctor, and having this bump examined, so [...]
Editing Across Mediums
Today, I had the good fortune of working on two separate editing projects Writing -Editing: a nonfiction book proposal Video - Editing: a 30 minute multicamera interview and I learned a valuable insight. Editing is the process of removing the fluff that helps us tell our stories. This fluff, consisting of ums, false starts, poor phrasing, and repetition, ramps us up to say what we really mean. We have to try expressing an idea a few times until [...]
Easter Present for my Fairy Daughter
My daughter has a dream-friend called Moonhorse. She visits Moonhorse in her dreams, and he flies with her up to the moon, where they have friends (like Yojo the Unicorn) and they play games and have adventures. A few weeks ago, Indilea made a painting for Moonhorse, and wanted me to leave it out on the porch for him to come find that night. She had me write a message on the bottom: Dear Moonhorse, May I please have some [...]
Parkour Injury – Out for the Season
Parkour athletes care about their own safety much more than any bystanders could. And it's not because we fear pain, or because we are excessively scrupulous in observing the proper way of doing things. We are overly concerned with our own safety because one minor injury can take Parkour away from us for three months. At the moment I injured my ankle, nearly 4 weeks ago, I had a level of fitness that is now lost to me. It will [...]
Pura Vida!
The words 'Pura Vida' when translated literally mean, 'Pure Life.' When taken in its most metaphysical sense, this is the correct way to use it. What is curious about the Costa Rican culture is that everyone uses this term, everywhere. Bank tellers say it to customers at the front of the line. Strangers say it in passing, the same way North Americans (Norteamericanos) say Hello. Actually, it is used more liberally than Hello; a better comparison would be with the [...]
Costa Rica!
We are repatriating! As I recently told my friends (as in, those who subscribed to my newsletter...hint hint) I am moving to Costa Rica at the end of the summer. My whole family is coming with me. My wife's parents, my two kids, my wife, and me, all going down south to live in Tropical Paradise, where we can afford health care and there is a decent standard of living for a moderate cost. There are so many advantages it [...]