Juan Es Su Nombre

Translation: John is his name. Such is the motto of La Isla del Encanto, Puerto Rico. Apparently it refers to John the Baptist. All in all, kind of weird. I still love Puerto Rico, regardless. Here's why:

The world's best bioluminescent bay resides off the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Mosquito Bay hosts more than 700,000 microscopic bioluminescent organisms per gallon, the highest concentration in the world. The result is something that must be experienced in person and in the water. Don't be afraid to take a swim! And when you do go may I suggest taking the kayak tour provided by Heaven Karibe and my friend Jorge.

Old San Juan is one of the most visually enticing cities I've ever been in. The views are fantastic. Being on a small islet Old San Juan boasts oceanic views from any side of the small city, and even from the center of the city if your high enough. The architecture of Old San Juan is colorful and far different than anything I've seen in the States. Accentuating the beautiful buildings old blue cobblestone paves the narrow streets. Furthermore, attractive plazas spot the city which must be shared with the pigeons and statues. My favorite of these statues involves naked people and upside babies...

Honestly, I can't boast too much about the food. I do love the word Mofongo and I thoroughly enjoy a chimichurri steak. When it comes down to it there's too much fried-ness for me. However, I can't get enough PARCHA! Any way it is served: frappe, juice, ice cream, "con rum", you name it, I love it! In fact I want some right now!

Now on to Vieques, where the horses run wild and enjoy showering with the guests. It is just fantastic sitting and eating and watch young Puerto Ricans trot by on their horses with a rope and a blanket as a saddle. I saw my first wild Sea Turtle the first time I was there. Vieques is a wonderful wonderful place.

And finally, Culebra. Home of Playa Flamenco. A beach with beautiful soft sand and warm, clear blue Caribbean water. The waves during this last trip were excellent for body surfing, boogie boarding, or even possibly surfing. Although the locals love to visit Playa Flamenco the beach rarely feels crowded. The camp ground is roughly 20 feet from the beach. When hungry head to the beach entrance for some chicken, pork, swordfish, or shark pinchos (kabobs). They are tasty and cheap!

Truly, a lot more could be said for Puerto Rico. These were just a few of the things that will keep me going back. I feel bad leaving things out like El Yunque, Rincon, Desecheo, and Camuy Caves. All of which are impressive in their own right. My advice: GO TO PUERTO RICO! No passport required!

Just in case...

...you haven't heard enough about Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer you should check out the article written by our good friend and master editor Angie Smith at the SUU Journal. It even has a couple of pictures for ya. Here' the link:

http://www.suujournal.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=1051b4d9-6512-43db-a190-0c71355428fe

The Good Life

So, I was completely unaware that today was a clock change day. It threw off my whole day. And now I can't sleep. So I'm blogging. You know what else?!? I didn't get to eat Ravioli and throw confetti on my bushes because I just wasn't prepared!

The last few weeks have been pretty great. Here's the run down:

• Went camping hyped up on a BFC (bad idea by the way)
• Hung out with Angie
• Danced my face off on several occasions
• Perkins moved back to Utah
• Completed power hour after a night of enchiladas, chips, salsa, and a full stomach (another bad idea)
  
• The night before the power hour party found myself at Beto's (and another bad idea) after a night at Piper's Down
  
• A weekend that consisted of Metal Gods, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Angie (as mentioned before), Slurpees, dress-up, Rockband, Scene it, Blue Plate Diner, Pineapple Express, good friends and good times!
• Runnin' Utes won a share of the MWC title with a convincing win over TCU (I would have preferred them not sharing, though)
• Utah Jazz have a healthy team and are on a 10-1 run after a Friday night victory over the Denver Nuggets
• Hung out with the fam (which I haven't done in too long)
• and the list could go on...

The weeks to come seem to want to continue the trend:

• Corporate games: Volleyball and Dodgeball
• Spring Break = sunny beaches, parcha, and bio luminescence
• St. Patty's Day
• March Madness
• and warmer weather (keep your fingers crossed)!!!
  

Too Legit, Too Legit to Quit

MC Hammer could not have said truer words twenty years ago. He's been gone for a while, but he never quit. I witnessed living proof of that this past weekend. The man is still rapping and dancing at 46 years old. Not only is he doing it, he is doing it well. Initially, I went thinking I would know two of his songs: 2 Legit 2 Quit & U Can't Touch This. I was wrong. Turn This Motha Out, Pumps and a Bump, Addams Grove, and of course Pray were a few of the amazing performances that were unforgettable and kept me singing along. Once his set was over he turned the place into a dance party with tracks off of his new CD: Dance Jams the music. What were we to do but to dance!?!?



As for Vanilla Ice. The dude is hardcore. And yet, very sentimental. At one point he had the crowd chanting "Family, Family, Family..." Odd and intriguing. It was from his heart. For Vanilla Ice, he got caught up in the music game before he grasped the true nature of his talent. And because of that Vanilla Ice will never be taken seriously. Ice has skills. He is an incredible performer and could out perform a handful of these so-called rappers today such as Sojua Boy, Mims, Lil' Wayne (and his stupid synthesizer)--yeah I said it, Unk, and Mike Jones to name a few. The fact that he preformed Ninja Rap made me so so happy! Which, with quality music behind it, is a sweet song.

Finally, the night was amazing with friends and strangers all commencing in 80's fashion to dance and sing and appreciate what was. For all of your viewing pictures I have included pictures to show how awesome it truly was.