Read, Eat, Sleep, Watch Sports

Watching 4th quarter of game 2 of the NBA finals. Durant is killing it and I want a piece of Westbrook for myself, but I don't get why OKC makes things so difficult for themselves, digging big holes to crawl out of at the end of the game.

Maybe they're just baiting another choke from 'KingJames'.

Anyway, post-Aruba, staying at home for an extra week since it seems pointless to sit in my apartment alone when I could be hanging with my fam and watching the little bro play another tennis tourney especially since I won't have the time to lounge around like this next summer.


The last few days in Aruba were much, much better than the first. We managed to find a few hidden gems frequented by locals but are too out of the way for most tourists. This means we had to rely on the kindness and generosity of people who had cars to give us rides. (Take note: if you're going to visit Aruba and plan to leave the resort bubble, RENT A CAR. Preferably a 4x4 Jeep to overcome the natural landscape.)

Wednesday we went to Mangel Halto, a beautiful little bay known for snorkeling. While the water wasn't as clear and the fish weren't as bright or plentiful as Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, it was a nice piece o beach with a pretty distinct mangrove forest to tunnel through to get to the water. A little farther off the coast there's apparently a shipwreck and pretty good diving-- definitely added to the list of things to try. Then went to dinner on a dock. Really cool atmosphere, good food, and not outrageous prices.

An iguana on the beach at Mangel Halto!

Inter-species marriage?

Love this! Someone built a ladder to a rock. 

Silhouetted Mom in the sunset. We just walked up this dirt
road along the coast from beach to dinner.

Found this anchor on the side of the road.

Our dinner table at Marina Pirata!

 Thursday we hitched a ride down to San Nicholas, site of a huge oil refinery formerly owned by Valero but recently shut down and acquired by China. That was one of the really unexpected things about Aruba-- there are a ton of Chinese immigrants there! Apparently they initially arrived for something oil-related in the 40's and now nearly every grocery store on the island is Chinese-run. That's the other thing. Nearly all of the fruits and vegetables are imported. Did I already write about this? The most easily developed parts of the island are dedicated to tourism and majority of the remaining land is extremely rocky and arid. No space for farming. Anyway, went to baby beach, known for its calm, clear, shallow waters, followed by a undistinct but fun little music festival that night.

Clear blue waters at Baby beach.

Sand crab! He's so cute!!

Charlie's Bar! Apparently an Aruban landmark. Fun place
and decor, but kindof just an excuse for expensive American
bar food and draft beer.

Balashi, Aruba's Beer. One of the few things
actually produced on the island. Aruba also
has one of the world's largest water
desalination plants.

Charlie's Honeymoon Sauce. It was really tasty.

Creeping on the photo shoot next to our hotel.

Gogurt sky sunset! Mom on the dock.

Cool costumes along the back street at the music festival.
Hellions represent!

The last day before airport day consisted of a jeep tour led by the amazing local woman. Mother of 6 and grandmother of 7, she's one of the liveliest, happiest, most carefree yet adventurous and loving people I've ever met. She took us to Andicuri beach on the northern coast, totally secluded and serene but with rough waves and rocky coast. Then the natural bridge was pretty majestic and the natural pool was filled wish fish and eels which we called to the surface with bread.

The Jeep. Janky, but so bad ass. The door latches only work
sufficiently to prevent them from flying outward and the entire
body is covered in Sharpie messages. Canvas top, open air,
perfect for adventuring.

Me on the natural bridge.

Climbing down to be under the bridge = good idea.

Drive through the Arikok national park.

Natural rock formations surround a pool.

The walk down to be poolside. This was after a 20 minute,
bumpy ass ride into the park.

We signed her Jeep. All in all a good trip.
Mom-daughter time!

Since I've been back Nadal won a record 7th Roland Garros title, I've finally finished the Harry Potter series, Charlie is still in Europe, and Boeing's relocation assistance has proven amazing.

Glad I got to see Alex before she left for her internship at Goldman Sachs. And she turned 21!! Happy belated. It's our 10th year of friendship.

D'aww! The caption should be in present tense but Alex was
still in high school when she made this. Forgivable.

Oh, and I get to see Ben Sollee live again! I need to broaden my musical horizons. Suggestions? I'll take book suggestions too!

Aaaaaand after some huge shots by KD to bring the game within 2, the Heat win game 2 100-96. Boo.

Last thing-- a piece of unsolicited advice for those still early in their college careers. Choose a major depending on potential future job prospects. They tell you to do what you enjoy. Don't listen. Unless you also plan to enjoy being unemployed :)