Very Nice...

This trip to Chile proved to be better than the first. The whole time was spent with my boss, Jean who was raised by her Greek family in Long Island and spent most of the last decade in Italy. We got along pretty well on and off work. In our field of melons, we took ALOT of notes but for one afternoon, we went to Santiago and toured the main office. We finished our work early so we were able to go to the beach called Vina del Mar. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have come to know. Check out the pics in My Photos. If you ever visit this town, La Gatita is a great small seafood restaurant. All I can say is mozerella cheese on clams with a pico sour and a carmenere red wine on the side is a great way to spend a Friday night.

On Saturday I also was able to do motorcross with Danilo. The bike was a 250. I'm not really sure what that means, I just know that it was much faster than the 100 that I practiced on the week before. We weren't exactly in the mountains. It was a dirt bike trail with bumps, curves and hills. So... I hit the first hill too fast... I shouldn't have been in third gear... and I wasn't wearing much protective clothing beside my helmet... and I was planning to be at the airport in 3 hours... I landed fine, slowed down and swallowed my heart back down into my chest. Danilo measured the jump to about 25 ft. I took the rest of the day easy. We ended a little early and went across the street to a traditional Chilean rodeo. Real cowboys with sombreros, ponchos and huge spurs, all costing less than a dollar. I can't thank Danilo enough for showing me a typical Saturday in his shoes.

Sacramento - Phoenix - Miami - Santiago

In one hour I will start my journey back to Chile. This time I will be evaluating the fruit that I helped pollinate last time. My boss is going to be there too, so I definitely regard this time as more of a training time. I doubt if we will have time to go to the beach, but hopefully we will be able to visit the mountains.

Last time I was in Chile I became friends with a co-worker named Danilo. He and his wife enjoy exploring the mountains on their dirt bikes. The pictures he showed me were very cool. When we said goodbye, he insisted that I ride with him when I returned. Well, I had never ridden a dirt bike before, so I contacted people at the Lodi Motorcycle Club for lessons. Yesterday I met with Ralph and he showed me the basics. I learned how to shift, brake and drive up hills. You can view the track on their website. So I'm ready for Danilo and the Chilean mountains.

Before I arrived at the airport, I had breakfast with my roomate Mike and my new friend Robin. She and I met three weeks ago from an internet dating website. She is very cute, friendly and a bundle of energy. I have a lot of fun with her and I anticipate a DTR talk sometime in the near future!

Refrigerator Poetry

headache s drive hot music
deadline ing the ugly dance
defend walk
tonight kiss love clean (as a triangle with kiss in the middle)
how I take outno show dissertation
little what professor
shop at could would make
please her
if you want
look now ask when
wild cook thing
you are crazy money
today committee can't
he is for research
like we need it
smile and have
old night live
I'm going
yes I am
on good time
why did they all ride me
tell thesis
will eat car
she said
let's talk !!!
can do
see food
big bad MSU
go get them cold
lab where ?
a day to do him
don't major the man

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The Barking Dog

This Lodi bar has a cage around the dance floor. Seriously! And it is full of old people. Our waitress had to be 70 years old. The average age is about 55. A country band takes one side of the cage as a disco ball shines down from above. There was one man with a Don Johnson style haircut who was dancing with all the ladies, young, old and really old! He was about 5'2" and he wore a shirt that had a pig bathing in a tub and with big bold letters read "Hot Tub Club". The highlight of the night came when he took his shirt off and he had a wifebeater underneath! This is some crazy hic town.