Last night I dreamt of San Pedro...

So, now that I'm understanding spanish I can do important things, like translate the interludes in Madonna's "La Isla Bonita". I'm listening to the song right now...I've loved it since I was a kid.

Tropical the island breeze,
All of nature wild and free,
this is where I long to be,
La isla bonita.

I always loved the imagery and the bittersweet tune. For a girl whose first tape was Madonna's Like a Virgin, this song takes me back to a time when far off places still whispered of romance and adventure (instead of work, deadlines, crime, war and homesickness). And dancing around my room for the fun of it was a worthwhile afternoon pursuit. Maybe I'm getting a bit too cynical...some days I'd give anything to be back there in Pittsburgh dancing. Cynicism is tiring.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about frame of mind. I'm wondering if life would change here if I stopped letting little things like prison, bugs, corruption, danger, and politics get the best of me? What if I just decided to be happy, damn it? What then? Huh, Costa Rica? What. Then.