DobraWorks

A Never Ending Panamanian Day

2012-02-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

Waking up in Panama is like stumbling into some sort of Groundhog Day paradise. It's not that things are the same every day, but no matter how much you trash yourself with booze and butts, the next day you wake up at around a "7" on a scale of 1 to 10. You might have a slight headache, but that's just probably from dehydration in the heat of the night. The first time I woke up in Panama, the

Killing Pain in Panama

2012-02-14T11:27:00.001-08:00

Better than a couch. It was 2009, and I was on my first trip to Panama. It was a short trip, and in that spirit, I'd been introduced to the largest mall in Panama, Nicaraguan businessmen, diablos rojo, quarter beers, and had already hurt my foot enough to contemplate my own mortality in less than six hours after my arrival. Fortunately for me I was not alone, and with some help from James and

Jack Goes To Panama in 15 Easy Steps

2012-02-08T11:33:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems that some folks thought I was already in Panama this year, but in reality I just got here Monday. Here's a brief look (in pictures) of my trip down, staring at 4:30 AM PST, and ending at around 7:30 PM EST.1. Wake up.2. Car ride to LAX.3. At the Copa gate.4. Window seat.5. Complimentary beverage.6. Planes are fascinating.7. Suspicion and survival instincts begin to kick in.8.

One, Two, Panama, More ...

2012-02-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

<!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";

Adventures in Panama: A Long Tale

2012-01-25T18:16:00.002-08:00

After taking numerous modes of transit, I found myself in front of a large cement brick structure in a sleepy fishing village on the Pacific side of Panama. That morning I had been at my Venice apartment, nestled in my corner of one of the largest cities in the world. That's when my friend Pope came to pick me up at the local super market He greeted me with a smile and a deeply burned face. His

Adventures in Panama: Sitting by the Pool with Beers

2012-01-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

Planes, cabs, and the chicken buses... I'm sitting in the back of a white minivan, next to the man who negotiated the ride. His name is Ejo, and the two of us are headed from Panama's Tocumen airport, out to the Albrook bus terminal. As Tocumen telescoped into the distance, the reality of being small and alone in a foreign world started to sink in. Feeling alone, and a little excited, I did

Jack's Adventures in Panama: Down With Ejo

2012-01-23T22:44:00.002-08:00

Office bordem or English cabbie? It was 2009 and I was getting tired of sitting in my office by the windows sealed for "environmental reasons." I had a four day weekend coming. Once or twice I considered going to the movies, or the Getty, but I wanted to do something outlandish, colorful, something to make a good story. So it was after watching a Facebook video that I considered visiting my

來自巴拿馬的新年快樂 (Feliz Año Nuevo desde Panamá)

2012-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

It's a new year in Panama ... Gung hay fat choy! It's 4709. Welcome to the year of the Dragon. This is supposed to be one of those super lucky years that no one told the Mayans about. I can't speak for the future, but at the dawn of the Ox three years ago I was picking up two dollar bets at a blackjack table like they were grapes. As my tiny bets multiplied, gongs sounded as a dragon dance

The Top 5 Reasons My Wee Burns

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fried crickets with chili pepper @ Typhoon. It's a brand new year, and I think I'm going to try and up my spice intake. People like Dr. Andrew Weil, and Doc Oz recommend it, and if you can't trust Oprah's army, who can you trust? How about the anti-Oprah AskMen.com? Spicy food is one of life's great wonders, plus it's helped me in a few situations where I needed more bravado than I come by

A Foodie Thing: A Fried Sandwich & A Roasted Salad

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

(photo by John @ foodspotting) If you watch the progressive cooking competitions (Top Chef, Next Iron Chef, etc.) you know that sooner or later the chefs will be asked to tell a story with a dish. It'll be the dish that made them want to be a chef, or a dish that describes a locale, or a dish that reminds them of their favorite family member. To paraphrase Freud, "Sometimes a cigar shaped

2012: A Year in Review

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

The title isn't a mistake. Even with my love of the Back to the Future films, and their constant time shuffling, I've always considered myself an eternalist. I see the past present and future as an immutable block. Yet at the same time I'm not a big fan of fate. So, the balmy thing about it all is that I desperately want to control this destiny (fate, whatever) that I don't believe in. I mean,

My Happy Birthday Haiku

2011-11-23T11:08:00.001-08:00

My birthday advice: "Turn around. Step forward, and know it's the same day." - Composed While On the Road Location:Harkness Ave,Pasadena,United States

Our Time Together: Fear of Vodka and Eggs

2011-11-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

Our Time Together is the continuing story of Jess and Cyril. Jess lives on one side of town and Cyril lives on the other. After meeting at a friend's party, they started dating, and the following snippets are from the highlights of their continuing relationship. We now join their latest discussion, already in progress... "A Fear of Vodka, Eggs, and Yogurt" I think you have a general fear

Our Time Together: We're Both Right

2011-11-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Our Time Together is the continuing story of Jess and Cyril. Jess lives on one side of town and Cyril lives on the other. After meeting at a friend's party, they started dating, and the following snippets are from the highlights of their continuing relationship. We now join their latest discussion, already in progress... "Because the Universe is Decaying We're Both Right." You do understand

Speak Out with Your Geek Out: Magic

2011-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

In honor of Speak Out with your Geek Out week, created by Monica Valentinelli (author, blogger, swell person), today's post is all about my geeky obsession with the following topic, which actually manages to meet at the intersection of two other article threads, The Houdini Project, and Resume: I was a teenage magician. This means I knew how to iron silk handkerchiefs, cared for rabbits,

Just Another Day

2011-09-10T15:10:00.001-07:00

I've never watched a movie about it or seen an anniversary special, and I probably won't this year either. In fact, for the last 10 years I have pretty much avoided talking about it. I have two or three simple stories. Really they're just some facts and flashes of panic that permeated the day. They're a jumble of missed connections, long and panicked phone calls, passing tragic relations, and

Why I Love the Horrors of LA Public Transit

2011-09-01T19:23:00.002-07:00

The LA Metro does provide complementary poetry. How have you been? I owe you some posts, but first, let me explain (not an excuse, just a reason). Over the last few weeks I've been traveling back east, going as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as New Jersey on a journey to see friends, family, and attend a cousin's wedding. There was a rush to see old friends and the sights, with

Our Time Together: One Last Love Note

2011-08-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Our Time Together is the continuing story of Jess and Cyril. Jess lives on one side of "The City" and Cyril lives on the other. After meeting at a friend's party, they've been steadily dating ever since. This is the continuing story of their relationship told in brief snippets of dialogue. "One Last Love Note" (*Kiss*) "How're your eggs?" "Fantastic! Is there sour cream in here?" "Crème

The Pure Delight of Fried Egg on Toast

2011-08-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ramsey's 1st LA stand (via Google). I first saw Gordon Ramsay, red faced and larger than life two stories high on a billboard atop LA's original Hell's Kitchen arena on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. Soon, I grew to adore him, not only because he fired up my love of things British, but because was the first TV chef I saw that reminded me of the guys I'd seen behind the line at the restaurants

A Ploughman's Quesadilla

2011-08-09T01:24:00.005-07:00

At some point in the early ‘90s I acquired an infatuation with all things British. It culminated in my first big international trip to London in which I encountered lots of horrible food with the exception of a kebab I bought off a cart in The Underground and a cheeseburger at the McDonald’s in Heathrow that was identical to the picture on the menu. One of the worst was at a burger stand in

The New DobraWorks

2011-08-07T23:59:00.002-07:00

For the last 50 days I've put up a new post every day on DobraWorks. These posts haven't always been coherent, but a few have struck a chord with readers, even though some have been little more than lists, haikus, and videos. The important thing for me has been to show up here regularly and turn out fresh content. This has been a start, an attempt to find my feet and work up some consistency.

The One Black Prince

2011-08-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

It'a a small garden,with some sage, basil, and dill.But, sweet Prince is king.

The Houdini Project: Watching My Magic Past

2011-08-05T16:13:00.005-07:00

This past March, on the anniversary of the birth of Harry Houdini I started project that I hopped would bring back a little bit of something that was a large part of my past. I was a teenage magician, and my mission until next March (as laid out here) is recapture some of these old "magical" talents. It's taken some time, but I've been trying to decide exactly how to attack this challenge, and

What the Hell Am I Eating?

2011-08-04T13:49:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I talked about some of the myths and origins surrounding sushi. Today I did some research on some pretty standard American food, and I've put together a little quiz. How well do you know the food that you're putting into your mouth? The following questions will test your knowledge about some of the most popular food in the United States. How much of the beef eaten in the USA was born

The Myths of Sushi

2011-08-03T18:57:00.007-07:00

Sunny's Sushi in Silverlake is supurb. Frankly I’ve been eating much less sushi these days because it's not cheap (yet I am), plus sushi seems like kind of a crapshoot. I’m not worried because it's raw, texture aside, most research seems to show radiation and pregnancy issues aren’t quite the concern we imagine. My problem is that I'm not sure what I'm "supposed" to be eating. I trust my