PJS Exhibitions

I'm in my first art exhibit at PJS Exhibitions!  I'm very excited, hoping to move a lot of inventory.  We are leaving for our PR Recon on Monday, so I have to create a number of sculptures to keep up with demand.  The exhibit opens Thursday so my fingers are going to be raw.  I've created what I call Contour Sculptures which are intricate flowers made of one piece of wire, sometimes 40 feet long.  Since they are made of wire and are contour they photograph as flat images.  They literally look like drawings on the wall.  You have to see them in person to really get the sculptural feel.  So head down to PJS Exhibitions in West SoHo and check em' out! www.pjs-exhibitions.com

Pirate Practice!

So we are going to PR for a week in November to get ourselves situated, but we do need to come back to sell the store.  So in the meantime we decided to practice our pirate skills and maiden mayhem.

                             

Sarah was perfecting her beer wenching skills and I was practicing swilling my grog.   We even invited some jellyfish over to practice fighting off sea monsters.

I think I did a good job fending them off and protecting Sarah.  

We also had some practice fending off some Wild Things, because we heard PR is full of them.

Recon....PR style?!?

Matt and I are faced with a decision.  Sadly, our November 15th departure date cannot happen because I haven't sold my store yet.  Being ambitious (and lighting a fire under both of our butts), we purchased one way plane tickets to Puerto Rico for Nov. 15th.  Matt called up JetBlue customer service to see what our options were, and here's what they said; (1) cancel the flight for $100 fee, (2) change the flight for $100 fee, or (3) find and inexpensive return flight and go on a mini-vacay and check on the condition of our new digs!

Clearly, option 3 is my favorite.  We can lug some of our crap down there and see what kind of condition g'mas house is in.  I have no intention of booking a hotel room so I REALLY hope grandma's house has a roof!  If we go, we are adhearing to a super tight budget so that we don't squander away the money we've been working so hard to save.  Matt and I are going to discuss our options tonite and make a decision by tomorrow AM!

    

Check out the fancy new look of my liquor store!!!

THANK YOU MATTY! 

Matt came to hang out w/ me at the liquor store on Saturday and we realized that I still had all of my summer decor up at the store.  Apparently, I was too busy/distracted to notice the change in season!  We had a brief brainstorming session and quickly whipped together a list of supplies.  Matt went off to the arts & crafts store armed w/ coupons and a shopping list.  When he returned, I had an open bottle of red wine waiting for him....some artists need to be really relaxed (and a little buzzed) to be masterful!     

It took him hours to complete but Matt transformed my boring store front into an awesome Autumn scene.  He did an amazing job and I'm so grateful!  I've gotten so many complements from customers and it has really drawn attention to the store.  Who knows?  It might draw attention to a potential buyer!



What are we a couple of Jabroni's?

Since we're not leaving on our scheduled departure date.  We have to make a couple of decisions.  Do we push back our flights? Or do we cancel them and schedule a new flight when we know the store has been sold?  Should I get a permanent job although it's actually temporary until we can bail?  Aah! It's frustrating . . . What should the next step be?  When Sarah and I have our mind set on something it gets accomplished.  But this is such a wrench in ours gears.

I know this sounds crazy, but I love to work.  I love to be exhausted at the end of a day.  If I get a job that I somewhat like, it may make leaving more difficult for myself personally because of the relationships I may establish at that business.  I peruse craigslist sometimes and will apply to jobs that are somewhat interesting to me.  I usually get reply's and interviews.  I went on an interview today for a wine distribution company for an office management position (I like going on interviews b/c they ask you such ridiculous questions).  If I get the job, can I really just quit after 2, 3 or 4 months?  It's kind of a moral struggle for myself.

Sarah has been working at the liquor store full time since she quit her job as a Director of a Daycare center.  She's energetic, excited and putting a lot of effort into the liquor store.  She's gussying it up for perspective buyers.  Hopefully it will sell soon so we can focus on our perspective adventure . . . time will tell.

SARAH DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN CLOUD!!!

Sarah has recently been diagnosed with a Brain Cloud.  Previously looked over by numerous doctor's her Brain Cloud was almost completely missed.  Her smarmy pipe smoking Doctor informed her that the only remedy is a dose of "Quit-your-job" which she gleefully took this morning!  

Uh Oh! Another bump in the road . . .

Sarah was speaking with her Liquor License lawyer about selling the store by Nov 15th.  He said that if it was going to be sold by then she would have to be in contract right now.  So it's looking like we may have bought those tickets a little prematurely.  If you know anyone who is interested in a Liquor Store let us know!  Below is the link to the broker selling it.  As of right now this is the only thing holding us back.  I'm thinking I should get a full time job now rather than taking odd jobs.  But I don't want to get hooked into something that will keep us from pursuing our dream.  I know this is another a bump in the road.  I just don't want the months to start rolling by and before we know it we've never left and never will.  One of our primary goals was to avoid the freezing air of winter.  If we can make it out by January we can consider that a success.

http://www.therealtystop.com/ezapp/Search/ListingDetail.cfm?SysID=903

Now or Never

We've got our tickets! We're leaving early in the morning November 15th on jet Blue Airways!

We still haven't sold any of our stuff, saved enough money or figured out what we're doing down there.  Sarah hasn't sold her liquor store either.  But maybe the pressure will motivate us.  Seven weeks and counting!

Selling stuff on Craigslist is the worst.  Everyone who wants my grill either flakes or is a prince from Nigeria who wants to pay 5 times what I'm asking for, but needs me to ship my fancy American grill to Nigeria before he can pay me.  Aaaah! It drives me crazy!

"Where are we going?"  "I don't know but we're on our way!" - Poqueno Rascals

BE GOOD!

And if you can't be good, be careful!
- Old man by the river

Which drops are we? Which drops are you? Are we the same drops?

“That’s you, drops of water, and you’re on top of the mountain, a success, but one day you start sliding down the mountain and you think, ‘Wait a minute, I’m a mountaintop water drop, I don’t belong in this valley. This river, this low dark ocean with all these drops of water.’ ”

Don't Let Them Suck the Juice Out of Your Eyes

The Three Things

Sarah and I asked ourselves "If we could only bring three things with us, what would they be?"

MATT'S 3:

  SHARK REPELLENT

GOLD BOND  SUNGLASSES

SARAH'S 3:

   PILLOW  BIKINI BOTTOM
Apparently I forgot we have to wear clothes!
What are the three things you would bring?

Sarah Gets To Keep The Leg

After much convincing the doctor finally agreed not to cut Sarah's leg off at the knee.  Instead he cut off the cast and let her poor little footsie finally breathe. The prognoses is good, for the most part.  She has to keep her monster boot on, but take it off every once in a while to do some stretches.  It still hurts her like hell and  is still swollen, but she can put a little weight on it.  Now she's down to 1 crutch.  Pretty soon, none!  I believe walking in sand is the best Physical Therapy, so I think we should head down to PR ASAP!!

Nerves...

We officially bought our plane tickets, one way of course.  We are flying out November 15th at 6am.  Everyday that we get closer to closer and to our departure date the more intense this feeling of excitement becomes, but it's full of tinges of nerves.  Tomorrow Sarah gets her cast off her foot,  she broke it stepping off a curb.  Broke three bones. She says it stills hurts her and we're just praying she won't need surgery.  But we're also really excited to see how pale her leg is!  Everyday passes faster than the last and we keep reminding each other that we need to get this and that done before we go.  Sarah's liquor store needs to sell.  She can't leave it behind.  Everyday that passes and there are no bites on the store it just makes us a little more nervous.  But, as long as we have a positive attitude everything should work out.  Right?

House Survives!

Hurricane skims Puerto Rico.  Leaving Casa de Rijos safe and sound.  We have received word that our potential home is in good condition.  Besides heavy rainfall and some down trees, it's been nothing Puerto Rico can't handle.  The smaller purple blob to the left of the big purple blob is where we'll be living.

Hurricane Earl......Ahhhhhhh!

Early this morning, Hurricane Earl tore through the northeastern Caribbean.  This still-growing Category 3 storm ripped roofs off of buildings, toppled trees, damaged utility poles, and has left many homes without power.  According to the Associated Press, "The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Earl, which formed on Sunday, was already a major hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph, and it is likely to keep gaining force." 

By late (Monday) morning, Hurricane Earl was about 140 miles east of San Juan, PR and headed west-northwest at 15 mph.  Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles from its center.  Heavy downpours pose threats of flash floods and mudslides. 

I spoke to my great aunt Nelli  last nite around 11pm, who lives a block from my g'mas house in Luquillo, she said the winds had already begun to kick up and it was pouring out.  Just waiting to hear back from her today to make sure she's ok and to assess any damage done to her house or grandma's place....   

Hurricanes....one of the few things we put on the "cons" list when deciding to move to Puerto Rico!

Money! Money! Money!

Sarah and I need to save up as much cash as possible before we head out to Puerto Rico.  Our biggest concerns, and our friends and family as well, are that we won't find work, go broke, and have to return state-side empty handed and defeated.  We need a decent purse, about $3,000, to get started and established.  So the first thing we've done is hunt through our couch cushions, car seats and pockets of our jeans for loose change.  So far we've collected about $400.  Sadly, that'll only cover our sun tan lotion budget for the year.

The beach front in Luquillo is lined with these little food shacks (called kioskos) that sell empenadas, tacos, mofongo (which I have no idea what it tastes like, but I hear it's full of pork parts or something) for about $1-$2.  We can probably feed ourselves on about $15 a day for the both of us.  Which is way better than our average $80/nite dinners out.

Sarah and I plan on selling all our stuff, or as much of it as possible.  We'll post blogs every once in a while of things we're trying to hoc. I'm going to try and sell my artwork cause i'm not taking any with me.  Below is one of my favorite paintings I'm selling.

This painting is as close to a perfect replica as they come.  It is Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night"  It's large 24"x36"and dominates a wall.  This was a commissioned painting, but upon completion (1-1/2 years) I was so proud I wanted $300 for it.  Which was asking to much, my head was a little swollen.  So now I'm asking $200.

Where are we going?

The first question everyone asks us after we tell them our plan is, "Why?"  That's been hard to explain (especially to Matt's mother). But the fun part to talk about comes from the second most commonly asked question, "Wait, where are you going?" and the answer to that is Luquillo, Puerto Rico! So far we've found the book Let's Go Puerto Rico to be an incredible source of information on Puerto Rico and Luquillo. We suggest if you want to visit us, or just go to Puerto Rico, this book is incredibly helpful and informative.  And yes, Puerto Rico is part of the US, it's a commonwealth.  But, if you're from the states and live there your called an Expat (Ex-Patriot). In our email we sent out introducing this Blog we said we were leaving the USA....it's still sort of true!


Quick facts about Luquillo:
- Population: 19,817 +2 more in November
- The beach is one the most beautiful in PR
- Cockfighting is legal. Still on the fence about that one.
- Average income $13,631
- Average Home Value $82,000
- Matt and Sarah are starting a Bed and Breakfast there or a cockfighting gym

Typography - Words in Motion

I (Matt) am a visual person and had to make something to satiate my artsy side for this trip.

Check out this Youtube video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-me0tLnzp14 

Here's the Story

The Idea

Matt and I were sharing a few beers late one night.  We were discussing possible vacation spots when I told him that my 96 year old grandma, who currently lives with my family stateside, has a house in the small town of Luquillo, Puerto Rico.  From there, our intoxicated imaginations ran wild.   We bantered back and forth about our pretend life in Puerto Rico; fixing up grandma’s house,  endless days spent on the beach, backpacking through the rainforest, and more.  There was even talk of us having a few chickens and adopting a dog.  The more we joked about our “simple island life,” the more we realized that this wasn’t just drunken ranting, it was an opportunity.  A wonderful opportunity that we would not let pass us by.  This was our chance for adventure. 

The Plan

We have decided to quit our jobs, sell our assets and move to Puerto Rico, where we plan to fix up Sarah’s grandmother’s abandoned house (we have no idea what condition it is in) and start a new life in a small town named Luquillo.  We have three months to tie up our loose ends, make as much money as possible and even sell a liquor store before we go.  Visit our Blog regularly and follow us along our Chance Trippin’.  We titled this Blog Chance Trippin’ because this adventure came by “chance” and we will either trip on our faces or have the trip of a lifetime.