{"id":5554,"date":"2012-11-11T20:03:27","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T01:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/?p=5554"},"modified":"2012-11-11T20:46:39","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T01:46:39","slug":"pura-vida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/11\/pura-vida\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a1Pura Vida!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You may recall that, back in September, I <a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/19\/the-relationship-i%C2%B4m-in-already\/\">vacated<\/a> Durham for a week in Costa Rica with my super-friend Shiv (a.k.a. my sister-wife). You&#8217;re most likely saying to yourself, &#8220;Well, that must&#8217;ve been pretty dope,&#8221; and if so, YOU ARE A GENIUS AND TOTALLY CORRECT.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We stayed at the base of a volcano for a coupla\/three nights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5704\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5704\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2189.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5704\" title=\"IMG_2189\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2189-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2189-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2189-1024x764.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5704\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00bfSee it over there? \u00a1That&#8217;s Arenal!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>We went to a hot spring spa and sat in 100-degree waterfalls that came <em>off that volcano<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>There was a parrot named Estefan\u00eda who lived at\/around our hotel, and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5705\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5705\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2127.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5705\" title=\"IMG_2127\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2127-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2127-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2127-1024x764.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5705\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">she would harass the workers until they gave her bananas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5706\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5706\" style=\"width: 223px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2129.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5706\" title=\"IMG_2129\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2129-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"223\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2129-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2129-764x1024.jpg 764w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2129.jpg 1935w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5706\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">or &#8220;ba\u00f1a\u00f1as&#8221; as Shiv and I took to calling them for no good reason.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>All breakfasts included fried plantains. All breakfasts everywhere should include fried plantains.<\/li>\n<li>We ziplined over the jungle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5714\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5714\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Waterfall.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5714\" title=\"Waterfall\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Waterfall-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Waterfall-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Waterfall.jpeg 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5714\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seriously. Will you look at that.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5713\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5713\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Shiv-Ziplining.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5713\" title=\"Shiv Ziplining\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Shiv-Ziplining-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Shiv-Ziplining-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Shiv-Ziplining.jpeg 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiv=badass (She kept wanting to go upside-down and stuff, and the guides were like, &#8220;OK, crazy lady.&#8221;)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>We went on a gorgeous hike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5708\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5708\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2216.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5708\" title=\"IMG_2216\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2216-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2216-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2216-1024x764.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5708\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Also,<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Mountain-Goat.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5709\" title=\"Mountain Goat\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Mountain-Goat-300x145.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Mountain-Goat-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Mountain-Goat.png 424w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>We met a baby sloth named Cheu, and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5703\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5703\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2249.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5703\" title=\"IMG_2249\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2249-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2249-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2249-1024x764.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5703\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">he did ET-phone-home finger with Shiv.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5712\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5712\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Cheus-Itchy-Armpit.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5712\" title=\"Cheu's Itchy Armpit\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Cheus-Itchy-Armpit-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Cheus-Itchy-Armpit-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Cheus-Itchy-Armpit.jpeg 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5712\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">He also slothfully scratched his armpit for a long time. It was adorable.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>We had two fantastic beach days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5710\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2316.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5710\" title=\"IMG_2316\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2316-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2316-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2316-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2316.jpg 657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here I&#8217;m doing the Handstand Everywhere You Go requisite for people who do CrossFit. (I&#8217;m both proud of and embarrassed by this photo because, hey, that&#8217;s a pretty good handstand but, Jes\u00fas, you could land planes on my thighs.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>(I know. I need to <a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/09\/moar-thots-on-being-mostly-naked-on-the-internet\/\">cut that shit out<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5711\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5711\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2341.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5711\" title=\"IMG_2341\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2341-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2341-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2341-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2341.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My favorite picture of the trip: Shiv en la bah\u00eda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The only obstacles we had to overcome, other than the torrential rains for the first few days, were the incorrigible scavenger animals. To wit, the raccoons and coatis:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mHGjGqwx6jM?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But also one morning, a band of\u00a0capuchin monkeys terrorized\/delighted (tomato\/tomahto) the restaurant where we had our breakfast. I had wondered why the waitstaff didn&#8217;t put boxes of sugar packets on the tables &#8212; you had to ask for them &#8212; but it&#8217;s because the capuchins are junkie-monkeys. They will run through the restaurant, snatch the sugar packets right off your table (sometimes the whole box), and<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5715\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5715\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Capuchin.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5715\" title=\"Capuchin\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Capuchin-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Capuchin-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Capuchin.jpeg 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5715\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">scamper up the trees to get their fix.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The funniest part was that if they happened in their caper to grab any packets of artificial sweetener, they would throw them on the ground. (&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gAYL5H46QnQ\">Pump that garbage in another monkey&#8217;s face<\/a>,&#8221; said the capuchins.)<\/p>\n<p>[Side note: I told my 10-year-old niece this story, and she wrote the following poem.<\/p>\n<p><em>Monkeys Don&#8217;t Like Splenda<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I was sitting in the restaurant, (I was on vacation,)<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I was taking lots of pictures I would send to my relations.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I got a big white envelope; it didn&#8217;t say the sender, <\/em><br \/>\n<em>All it said upon its face was; MONKEYS DON&#8217;T LIKE SPLENDA.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I sat eating bananas, pondering those words,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I was in Costa Rica, but it did seem quite absurd.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Maybe they were picky eaters, or didn&#8217;t like the food,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Either way, this or that, I thought it was just rude.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I asked the waitress, bout the note, the manager&#8217;s the sender,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Each table gets one, and it&#8217;s true, that\u00a0MONKEYS DON&#8217;T LIKE SPLENDA.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Then a monkey raced down and grabbed the sugar packets,\u00a0<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Dumped the Splenda, dumped the box, and just made quite a racket.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>I learned a quite good lesson; that healthy isn&#8217;t ALWAYS good, <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Cause if monkeys don&#8217;t like Splenda, I don&#8217;t think that I should!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not biased or anything, but I&#8217;m pretty sure my niece is a genius?<\/p>\n<p>End side note.]<\/p>\n<p>Shiv and I sat on the beach late in the afternoon of our last day. Pieces of the navy blue mountains across the bay, which itself turned slowly from aqua to slate, chipped off and floated skyward. A lone trawler chugged its way toward the open Pacific. The branches of the guayaba tree stirred above us, and every time we stood up to leave,\u00a0the <em>yaw-kish<\/em> of the waves hitting the beach lulled us back to our chairs,<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5727\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5727\" style=\"width: 223px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2348.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5727\" title=\"IMG_2348\" src=\"http:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2348-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"223\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2348-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2348-764x1024.jpg 764w, https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/IMG_2348.jpg 1935w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">while the sun became an ever-tinier pink sliver and disappeared.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The common Costa Rican expression\u00a0<em>pura vida\u00a0<\/em>means a lot of things, including hello and goodbye. If you say it about a person, it means s\/he&#8217;s good people. But it also translates loosely as &#8220;Life is good&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Which, in Costa Rica, it certainly was.<\/p>\n<p><em>Pura vida.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may recall that, back in September, I vacated Durham for a week in Costa Rica with my super-friend Shiv (a.k.a. my sister-wife). You&#8217;re most likely saying to yourself, &#8220;Well, that must&#8217;ve been pretty dope,&#8221; and if so, YOU ARE A GENIUS AND TOTALLY CORRECT. Evidence: We stayed at the base of a volcano for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/11\/pura-vida\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u00a1Pura Vida!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,8,20,12],"tags":[91,33,83,92,89],"class_list":["post-5554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animules","category-fambly","category-first-world-problems","category-liftin-heavy-objects-over-ma-head","tag-costa-rica","tag-crossfit","tag-embarrassing-photo-of-the-week","tag-shiv","tag-sister-wife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5554"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5732,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554\/revisions\/5732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avidbruxist.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}