About Myra
I'm retired in Costa Rica, having lived in Philly, State College, Salem Mass,
and Kawagoe Japan. You might call me a career gypsy, but my last and best job was teaching English to some of the best and brightest kids in Philly.
I'm new to blogging and websites, and will probably make all the mistakes there are, but now I'm sharing my writing.
I moved to Costa Rica in June of 2009 with my husband Jack, my dog Buddha, and Jack's two cats, Hobbes and Noir.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the South Street Renaissance, and I’m thrilled that my visit coincides with the festivities. I’m sure South Street will have changed in the year and a half I’ve been gone, but not as much as it did between the seventies and eighties. Continue reading →
Posted in Costa Rica, Current events, Family, Life, Philadelphia, Travel
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Tagged Bo Diddly, Burger King, Dobbs Let My People Come, George Thorogood, Grendel's Lair, Kentucky Fried, McDonalds, Philadelphia, Robert Hazard, South Street. South Street Renaissance 4oth reunion, Taco Bell, The Police
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Joan Rivers said: “I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to exercise, he would have put diamonds on the floor.” But she’s skinny; I need to exercise because my middle is growing, even though the numbers on the scale … Continue reading →
Posted in Costa Rica, Life, Retirement, Retirement abroad
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Tagged exercise. bicycling, fittness, Joan Rivers, Philly, running, Salem, Tai Chi, walking, Wii
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I’d have felt boorish if we’d visited Cuba and not checked out Havana, but the words “beach vacation” ricocheted around my brain. After all, this trip was my escape from the rainy season. I booked three nights in a hotel … Continue reading →
Posted in Life, Retirement abroad, Travel
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Tagged all-inclusive resorts, beach vacations, BlueBay, Buffets, Cayo Coco, Ciego de Avila, Cuba, Havana, Jamaica, Sandals, The Prisoner
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Tom Wolfe’s novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, introduced me to the phrase, masters of the universe. Wolfe’s novel opened my eyes to the immensity of corruption and greed within our financial and political systems. That same year, Michael Douglas … Continue reading →
Posted in Current events, Education, Life, Reading
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Tagged anti-intellectualism, Bandwagon, bedbugs, Bonfire of the Vanities, Card Stacking, corporations, corruption, elected officials, financial insstitutions, Glenn Beck, Glittering generalities, greed, Institute for propaganda analysis, insurance companies, Name calling, Newt Gingrich, Plain Folks, political discourse, Rush Limbaugh, Testimonial, Tom Wolfe, Transfer
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This year is the 52nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, as signs trumpeted from Havana all the way through the countryside to Ciego de Avila, 460 kilometers away. Fidel, Ché and Raul gaze down from murals, statues and billboards as … Continue reading →
Posted in Current events, Life, Retirement abroad, Travel
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Tagged Batista, Che, conditions in Havana and in the countryside, Cuba, Fidel and Raul Castro, Political slogans, private enterprise, restaurants, scams, the embargo, The Revolution
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Occasionally I fall into a funk. Lately, it’s been about the insect bites describing designs all over my torso; the rain; the ever-greedy mold trying to consume all things leather, paper, and wood inside the house and out; and about … Continue reading →
Posted in Costa Rica, Life
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Tagged Butterflies in Costa Rica, butterfly bushes, calla lilies, caterpillars, chrysalis, hummingbirds, insects, metamorphosis, mold, Monarch butterfly, pupa, the rainy season
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My brother David swears that everything goes wrong with communications when Mercury is in retrograde. In case you’re wondering, Mercury rules communications, so when it appears to go backwards in the zodiac, things tend to get messed up. I don’t … Continue reading →
Posted in Costa Rica, Life, Retirement, Retirement abroad
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Tagged AXA Equitable, Banking for US citizens abroad, Banking in Costa Rica, Capital One, communications, credit card fraud protection, Customer Service, ING Direct, Living in Costa Rica, Mercury in retrograde, Netflicks, Skype
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Every Thursday, we drive to Escazu, one of the best-known upscale locations in Costa Rica. This opulent and gorgeous enclave of wealthy expats and Ticos has all of the luxuries we crave from the States and can’t find out here … Continue reading →
Posted in Costa Rica, Life, Retirement abroad, Shopping
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Tagged acupuncture, EPA, Escazu, food choices in Costa Rica, Gringos, Hooligans, Multiplaza, people-watching, Philly, Ticos, Toy Story Three
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This January, I almost quit smoking. Again. I can hardly keep track of the myriad times I’ve almost quit. I started smoking at about twelve, and have continued off and on for most of my adult life. Luckily, I’ve lived … Continue reading →
Cuba is a trip in a time machine, and cars are the gateway. As Jack furiously snaps shots of meticulously maintained vintage Chevies, Fords, Studebakers, Packards, Pontiacs, Plymouths and Buicks from the 40s, 50s and 60s, his camera seems another … Continue reading →
Posted in Life, Retirement abroad, Travel
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Tagged antique cars, Batista, Capone, Che, Cuba, Cuban Cigars, Fidel Castro, Havana, Hemingway, Lansky, Luciano, mojitos, Museo de Bellas Artes, Museo de la Revolution, restoration, Siegal, The Cuban Revolution, touring by horse and carriage
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