Why Mexico?

1. It's inexpensive to travel, eat, lodge and have fun. A small amount of money will go a long way and you can do more and stay longer on a tighter budget.

2. Incredibly diverse and gorgeous nature (waterfalls, lagoons, deserts, Caribbean and Pacific beaches, jungles, snowy mountains, pine forests, canyons, rivers and more)

3. Rich history (Ruins of the Mayan, Aztec and many more civilizations, one of the most lauded archialogical museums in the world, music and art history that will blow your mind (think Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera))

4. They party till 5 AM!

5. Delicious food and and a whole other level of fine tequila and mescal

6. A fun, friendly and helpful people and culture, I felt safe my entire trip as a single American woman traveling alone

7. Mardi Gras Parties are renowned here

8. The Cervantino Festival

9. Dia De Los Muertos

10. It's about time you figure out all the hub bub over the "Latin Lover"

Finally, It Begins!!

Holy Shit, I last posted on February 23rd that I'd be posting about the continuation of my trip. Welp, 4/20 is tomorrow....needless to say I was a little busy, that must have been right around my time in Lago Atitlan, you'll hear more about that. After Guatemala there was my sisters wedding in Cancun, a trip to San Diego to visit friends and a trip to Vancouver, B.C. before moving into my Aunt and Uncles big Seattle home where I now reside and write to you from. I'm going to start from the very beginning....

I saved my life by giving it up aka I quit my job and and started traveling

So I’ve been traveling through Mexico and Central American now for about 150 days, about five months now. I used to live in San Diego and now I live in the cleanest hostel I can find in whatever town I come across. Why did I do it? Well F, I was sick of my damn life, that’s why. Nine months before I crossed the Tijuana/SD border with too much luggage and my best friend I had quit one of the best jobs I had held down for two years. It was in pretty much the most laid back, coolest, funkiest offices you could work in. The kind where your boss gifts the office guitar hero to be played whenever and funds the annual Day at The Racetrack, a big boozy affair where money is no object. Even still, as manager of this dope creative design firm I was still relegated to sitting at a desk and staring at a screen for 8 precious hours a day. Now I know people at all levels and ages are hurting for jobs and I should have been grateful, that I had it so good. But I didn’t, several weeks before I quit I would have nervous breakdowns, bursting into tears while staring at the wall straight ahead wondering how much longer I could do it. I felt half alive and I could feel my dark mood affecting the people I had once taken pride in boosting up. See I had started to realize just HOW LITTLE of my life I was actually living. Here was my daily routine:

1. Wake Up
2. Drive to work
3. Work
4. Drive home
5. Go to gym
6. Sleep

And repeat five times a week…

My weekends consisted of spending my hard earned money on alcohol, weed, useless crap at stores, lackluster dinners out and vague mini-vacations. AKA rushed camping trips or jet sets to Vegas or San Francisco where I did the same thing I did in San Diego but in bars that had different names. More seriously, I was having back problems from sitting on my ass so much, even though I was working out daily. My doctor said even my two hours of daily workout couldn’t reverse the harmful effects of 40 hours per week spent sitting.

Health problems aside I felt like I hadn’t met anyone that inspired me lately, I had no new stories, I was watching other friends move abroad and travel and create new experiences and I just felt like I was living in the movie Groundhog Day where every day I woke up and did the same thing. I felt like I was in a life coma and it freaked me the fuck out. First order of business was quitting my job. I knew I’d never be crazy enough to leave for a big sojourn if I had the constant comfort of a regular paycheck resetting my finances every two weeks. It’s such a human emotion to be like, WHY would I quit this job, I have health care and money, oh and it’s also making me hate my freaking life every day. There’s nothing like the threat of not making rent to kick your ass into reality!

The reality was I ended up with about five jobs in nine months and a serious few months of poverty. I had to swallow my pride and borrow money from my Dad once and I had to say no to a fair share of nights out with the friends and my beloved pedicures. But here’s the deal, I’ve been traveling for five months and I have not regretted those tough nine months for a second. I’m living the dream that I had when I was freaking out and crying, shaking with sadness in my desk. It was all worth it. Shit even the process turned out to be fun as hell and prepared me the resourcefulness, ability to adapt and attention to budget that later helped me out while I was traveling. Here’s what went down in the nine months I saved money to save my life:

I became a mortgage lender:

1. My first job after quitting my desk job was working with my friend’s sister as a mortgage lender. I had no interest, or experience for that matter, in the trade but she made THOUSANDS and said I could too. I was able to work from home and on my own time. Truth was it never made as much money as I had hoped to be worth the stress. But I did learn so much from her, the closest thing I’ve had as a mentor. This brought out the assertive and confident side I’ve always wanted to discover and I learned a new trade.

I worked for the US Census:

2. As money got tight I started getting conventional with new ways to make money without just ending up back at a desk job. I worked for the US Census, one of the most fun jobs I had and paid pretty well too. I met lots of interesting people and got to work outside and on my own time walking around the neighborhood.

I worked at Comic Con:

3. I got to work for Comic Con which meant free access in the internationally acclaimed entertainment festival. I got lots of star sightings out of it!

I bartended at an outdoor concert series:

4. I took a job bartending for Wolgang Puck as part of the catering for The Summer Pops Series at the Embarcadero, this means I saw the likes of Burt Bacharach and more serenade us all under the stars ending every nights performance with fireworks over the bay. They sent us home with delicious dinners and leftovers every night (which helped during times where I’d been eating ramen noodles far too long)

I hosted at a karaoke bar:

5. I took a job hosting at the only place I’d party in the Gaslamp, Analog Bar, a super dope karaoke bar. They had me at karaoke! It was in walking distance to my house so no driving and I got to karaoke with fun crowd all night.

I started my dream of doing stand up comedy:

6..The coolest thing was I started my dream of stand up comedy!! I had all this spare time and also had inspiration from my new poverty and all my new job and people I was meeting. I was still reeling off my fearless move of quitting my job, what’s a little public speaking huh?

I scored three months free rent:

7. What really helped was the house I’d been living in got foreclosed on and law stated that my roommates and I had 3 months rent free. My and my best friend moved into one of the huge rooms together and rented out the other room. The desire to save lots of money for a trip really got out innovative juices flowing.

So after all that I sold my car and sold all of my shit (there’s nothing like watching all the usesless crap you’ve accumulated being bought for cents while youre want to kick yourself for ever buying it in the first place). I broke up with the guy I’d been dating for a bit and threw myself a KILLER bon voyage party. The thing I heard most that night?? “Oh my god I wish I could do what your doing…” How come nobody thinks they can!?! Im just a normal person that had had too much.

Here’s the deal: The year before I had lost 80 lbs and it made me feel crazy bad ass and like I could do anything in the world. Still, quitting my job was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done and the fact that I did it made everything else seem super easy. It made me feel bold, it made me fearless. It made me feel like travel in a foreign county with a friend and then alone for six months was gonna be a snap.

So here is my trip broken down so you can do it too, honestly just figuring it out yourself is the way to go but I won’t say I frantically searched blogs for answers along the way. Mostly I just hope it inspires you. If you’re about to lose your fucking shit at your job or your sitting around on your unemployment bored out of your mind or you’re a rich person with no inspiration or if you’re retired or if you want to take the wife and kids on a mind opening experience or you just broke up or you just started going out with someone or your HUMAN you need to fucking have a “walk about” you need to get out of your comfort zone and travel somewhere on the earth where you don’t know the language or culture. Travel for at least three months, more if you can because it teaches your things and more importantly it gives you perspective, a place to start making some rational decisions about what you REALLY want with your life. And it's fun and you meet people and you'll have some killer stories to bring back to your revamped life.

DO IT.

I just saved my life and I just figured out what I ACTUALLY want to do with my life (for now). I also learned more than I’ve learned in my 27 years to date, about life and about myself.

You can do it, you need to it, sell your shit and get out there, save your life.

Following this I will post regulary on the last five months of travel and then my remaining three weeks. EnjoyJ

The Oddness of W

Not the past president, the letter. Sure this is a thought induced by weed but it still stands true: The letter W is not a pair of U's if written correctly, it's a pair of V's. And furthermore, when every other letter in the alphabet get's it's own name, why was W just a rehashed version of some other letter, and not even the right one. It reminds me of West Virginia which is really just a direction and then some other states name. Anyway, sucks for W.....

The White Stripes Announce Break Up

From Encore:

The groundbreaking rock duo announced Wednesday they are splitting up and "will make no further new recordings or perform live."

Jack White and Meg White say there are a "myriad of reasons" for the breakup, but the main reason is to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band."
year.

Over the years, Jack White has focused attention on other projects, including the bands the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs, as well as his Nashville, Tenn.-based Third Man Records.

Famous Dungeons and Dragons Players

Dungeons and Dragons is probably the quintessential marks of a true dork, dweeb or geek. More than a pocket protector and more than horn rimmed glasses with tape connecting the middle the whimsical game represents the pride of loserdom since the 70's. But now time has afforded it ironic coolness as it has many many things once untouchable. And because of this famous D&D players have been able to come out of hiding.

And Here The Dorks Are!!

• Bill Amend
• Kevin J. Anderson
• Noah Antwiler
• Lee Arenberg
• Stephen Colbert
• Rivers Cuomo
• Vin Diesel
• Lexa Doig
• Tim Duncan
• Jon Favreau
• Ethan Gilsdorf
• Sasha Grey
• Chris Hardwick
• Matthew Lillard
• Michelle Malkin
• Marilyn Manson
• Robert MacNaughton
• Moby
• Mike Myers
• Patton Oswalt
• Brian Posehn,
• Zak Smith
• Karl Urban
• Mark Tremonti
• Varg Vikernes
• Gerard Way
• Wil Wheaton
• Robin Williams
• Rainn Wilson

The Joy's of Beatboxing

Beatboxing can be annoying (when some asshole goes around all day attempting to beatbox but it really sounds like he's imitating a baboon who is trying to beatbox) but it can also be cool, take for instance the video below. If you don't like Dubstep (which I'm all but obsessed with) it might not be your beat box bag but at least appreciate that this is a tough electronic music to duplicate with the human mouth. A search through YouTube for more beatboxing can certainly cure some boredom! Check it out...

The Lady Men of South Mexico

I'm in the midst of a walkabout around Mexico and Central America and have been hitting up friends for any reccomendations of things to do, things to see, places to eat, bars to drink in and dancefloors to grace. Lo and behold a friend sends me an article from Turista Libre on his journey in Oaxaca where I ended up living for 2 months. His article had small mention on muxes, and although I didn't see one I was super intrigued about it, it was hard to find more info on it, even from the locals!

From Turista Libre Blog:

A sidenote on muxes ("mushes"): It's common for Zapotec parents who have no daughters to raise one of their boys as a girl in case anything ever were to happen to Mom. What's more, mothers of muxes often refer to them as their favorite sons and overall they're considered more as a third gender rather than transgender or gay. It's a cultural fluke in Mexico's notorious reputation as a macho paradise that's particular to Oaxaca. I didn't photograph any muxes because in tourist-heavy zones like this, I guessed they have to deal with enough of that.

By The Way, Turista Libre is also a super dope group that take these INSANE not to be missed trips down to TJ, they are always safe, always interesting, always boozy, and always filled with lots and lots of cool people. Check out and join their Facebook and take a break from your boring ass routine!!

TURISTA LIBRE FACEBOOK

TURISTA LIBRE WEBSITE

The thing that could cure drug addiction is illegal

It's called ibogaine and I heard about it on an episode of Law and Order and thought it was fake. Then I looked it up. According to Wikipedia ibogaine is a "naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in a number of plants". It is illegal in many countries (most likely due to it's psychoactive nature) and used to cure addictions to all sorts of drugs in others including heroin, cocaine, meth, crack, alcohol and more. It has been very affective in aiding long term recovery in drug users including easing withdrawal symptoms, inducing "waking dream states" that ready a person to confront the recovery process and working very quickly in causing the patient to not feel the need for their drug in one day.

Oh but um, it's ILLEGAL in the US.....

The Fanning Army is Taking Over

Dakota Fanning is already the child star that probably most pops up in your head when/if the subject is broached (although you might wann stop bringing her up, she's friggin 16). But have no fear, the next in the Fanning Child Star Dynasty has arisen.

Elle Fanning, Dakota's only sister (guess the Fanning Factory ran out of "mojo") is also an actress, although she's a bit of a "silver fox" for a child actor at age 12 (Dakota rose to fame with I Am Sam at age 7).

Atoine Dodson proudly lets us know he is gay

Everyones favorite anti-rape advocate Antoine Dodson was on Tosh.O's first episode of Season Three for a little segment on his now uber-famous YouTube (I doubt you haven't seen it but if you've been on some sort of hardcore tranquilizing drug binge then WATCH IT HERE). Antoine showed up with a flat ironed head of hair, skinny jeans and a fashionable jacket. The one thing he wanted to set "straight" with Tosh.O? That he is gay. You go girl, didn't think I could love you more!

Watch the Antoine Dodson segment on Tosh.O HERE

(Note: I dont actually like the show Tosh.O. His stand up is WAY more funny, the show's pretty much a ridiculous budget version of Talk Soup)

Cee Lo brings the hot all girl back up band back

I'm loving Cee Lo's sexy and talented all girl back up band in his performances on SNL

Hot Shakira Video

This song is blowing up the dancefloors in Mexico right now. Maybe you have an opinion on Shakira, if not, here's some of mine:

1. She sounds better and hotter singing in Spanish

2. She's gotten way to thin

3. She still motherfuggin hot

Do yourself a favor and check out her video LOCA. Skip ahead to 1:40 minutes a few times why don't you? It's the sexiest part of the video when she transforms from a hot roller skating hippie to a hot vampy harley hoochie, Lawd help me!!!

(Who designed those killer heels?!)

Isn't this baby creepy?

I see it on Facebook/Myspace/Every f-ing website all the time:

Upcoming Movies In a Theater Near You

I'm living in Mexico so I don't know the if American movies are in a slump or there's been some great movies out. Below you will find some upcoming movies. It's always hard to tell how a movies gonna be if you haven't seen it. You be the judge!

FROM CNN

NOW PLAYING

"Burlesque"

Plot summary: A small-town girl goes to California to perform in a burlesque musical revue.

Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci and Kristen Bell

"Faster"

Plot summary: An ex-con out to avenge his brother's murder must also deal with a hit man and a police officer hunting him.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton and Maggie Grace

"Love and Other Drugs"er

Plot summary: A pharmaceutical salesman begins a relationship with a woman who has Parkinson's disease.

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Judy Greer

"Tangled"

Plot summary: Love inspires the long-haired Princess Rapunzel to leave her tower in this reboot of a beloved fairy tale.

Starring: Voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy

"The Legend of Pale Male"

* Limited release in New York

Plot summary: Documentary about a red-tailed hawk who becomes a famous resident of New York.

Starring: N/A

"The Nutcracker in 3D"

* Limited release; wide release December 3

Plot summary: The classic story of girl whose gift comes to life one Christmas Eve gets a modern, 3-D twist.

Starring: Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane and John Turturro

FRIDAY

"The King's Speech"

Plot summary: An Australian speech therapist tries to help King George VI of Britain overcome a speech impediment.

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter

"London Boulevard"

Plot summary: A parolee battles with a gangster for the affections of a movie star.

Starring: Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell and Jamie Campbell Bower

DECEMBER 3

"All Good Things"

* Limited release in New Yorksst

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Wiig and Frank LangellaPlot summary: Inspired by one of the most notorious unsolved crime cases in New York history, the film is part murder mystery, part love story.

"The Assistants"

* Limited release in Los Angeles.

Plot summary: A group of Hollywood assistants struggle to get a film made.

Starring: Joe Mantegna, Jane Seymour, Stacy Keach and Chris Conner

"Black Swan"

Plot summary: A thriller in which a ballet dancer finds herself pitted against a newcomer as they both compete for the ultimate role.

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel

"I Love You Phillip Morris"

Plot summary: A con man meets the love of his life behind bars.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor and Leslie Mann

"Dead Awake"

Plot summary: A young man attempts to unravel a past that is haunting him.

Starring: Nick Stahl, Rose McGowan and Amy Smart

"Meskada"

* Limited release

Plot summary: A detective's investigation of a boy's murder leads him back to his hometown.

Starring: Nick Stahl, Rachel Nichols, Kellan Lutz and Jonathan Tucker

"Night Catches Us"

* Limited release in New York; New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and West Hollywood, California

Plot summary: In 1976, a young man returns after years of being away to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up.

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector and Wendell Pierce

"The Warrior's Way"

Plot summary: A master swordsman seeks sanctuary in an American town after refusing a mission.

Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush

DECEMBER 10

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

Plot summary: Lucy, Edmund and their cousin Eustace are drawn to Narnia again.

Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes and Ben Barnes

"The Company Men"

Plot summary: Three men try to survive during a year in which their company undergoes corporate downsizing.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck and Chris Cooper

"The Fighter"

Plot summary: The story of the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother before the former went pro in the mid-1980s.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams

"Garden of Eden"

Plot summary: Promising American novelist David Bourne travels across Europe with his wife and her Italian girlfriend.

Starring: Jack Huston, Mena Suvari and Richard E. Grant

"The Tourist"

Plot summary: An Interpol agent draws a tourist into a web of intrigue.

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany

"You Won't Miss Me"

Plot Summary: A troubled young woman is released from a psychiatric hospital and lashes out at the world with a series of self-destructive acts.

Starring: Stella Schnabel, Simon O'Connor, Zachary Tucker and Borden Capalino

"The Tempest"

Plot summary: Based on Shakespeare's play, a vengeful sorceress unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies.

Starring: Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou and Alfred Molina

DECEMBER 17

"And Soon the Darkness"

Plot summary: Two American girls bike in a remote part of Argentina when one disappears and the other must find her before it's too late.

Starring: Odette Yustman, Amber Heard, Karl Urban and Adriana Barraza.

"How Do You Know"

Plot summary: A woman is caught in a love triangle involving a baseball player and an old acquaintance.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson

"Rabbit Hole"

* Limited release; wide release January 14

Plot Summary: A man and his wife struggle to come to terms with the accidental death of their 4-year-old son.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Sandra Oh and Dianne Wiest

"Yogi Bear"

Plot summary: A documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park where he discovers Yogi and Boo-Boo.

Starring: Voices of Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake

"Tron: Legacy"

Plot summary: A man is haunted by the disappearance of his father, a world-renowned video game developer.

Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde

DECEMBER 22

"Little Fockers"

Plot summary: The Focker family prepares for the arrival of a baby.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and Teri Polo

"Somewhere"

Plot summary: A Hollywood bad-boy re-examines his life after an unexpected visit from his young daughter.

Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning and Chris Pontius

"True Grit"

Plot summary: A teenager enlists the aid of a boozy, trigger-happy lawman to find her father's killer.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld

"Gulliver's Travels"

Plot summary: A shipwrecked travel writer is a giant in Lilliput, land of little people.

Starring: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel and Billy Connolly

DECEMBER 25

"The Illusionist"

Plot summary: An aging magician bonds with a young fan who believes his tricks are real magic.

Starring: Voices of Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin and Didier Gustin

DECEMBER 29

"Another Year"

Plot summary: A happy middle-aged couple are hit with life's highs and lows over the span of four seasons, including embracing their son's newly discovered partner and enduring an unexpected death in the family.

Starring: David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Karina Fernandez and Oliver Maltman

"Biutiful"

Plot summary: A crook with a terminal illness tries to set his affairs in order.

Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib and Diarytou Daff

"Casino Jack"

Plot summary: Kevin Spacey stars as Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose greed and corruption get him in a heap of legal hot water.

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Jon Lovitz and Kelly Preston

"The Debt"

Plot summary: Past events haunt a former Mossad agent when she returns to Eastern Europe to investigate the apparent reappearance of a Nazi war criminal she thought was long dead.

Starring: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain and Jesper Christensen

"The Way Back"

Plot summary: This drama follows a group of soldiers who escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940.

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan and Ed Harris

"Wild Target"

* Limited release

Plot summary: A respected hit man is thinking about retirement and starting a family when he meets a beautiful thief who may shake up his plans.

Starring: Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint

DECEMBER 31

"Blue Valentine"

Plot summary: A love story centered on a couple who try to save their marriage amidst the romantic memories of their past.

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams and John Doman