This is why they won’t let me work in advertising… my twisted take on a Hardee’s commercial:

I’ll let Special Ed explain…

Less than two weeks! Yaaaaaay!

Given that I’ve been gallivanting around the United States for the last two months, I’ve had a harder time coming up with relevant updates about my life on Roatan. Therefore, it’s come time for me to reevaluate the purpose of TheScubaGeek.com and implement some long-outstanding revisions to the site.

Changes are coming. I’m currently working on an updated layout and structure for the site along with a bevy of new content. The updates will be slowly rolled out over the next two months, but for now here’s a sneak peak at what is under development:

• More Scuba. Dive site reviews, professional tips to improve your diving, fish facts, industry news, and more.
• More Geek. Web design advice, code samples, Photoshop tricks, and general geek talk.
• More Interaction. Improved blog discussion, more pictures and videos, and better maps.
• More Rum. Rum reviews, drink mixing guides, and rum-based recipes.
• More Roatan. How to get there, where to stay, what to do, and how to make the most of your trip.
• More Tales. True stories past and present of my life as a scuba diving instructor.

As 2010 approaches, keep your eyes on TheScubaGeek.com to catch these new updates as they are unveiled!

I’m leaving Roatan in six days.

Don’t worry, it’s not because something is wrong with this place! I LOVE ROATAN! It’s just that after nearly five years of working here, I need a break this rainy season to see other parts of the world.

Believe it or not, life on a tiny Caribbean island can occasionally become stressful. It’s during these stressful times that I like to return to the United States and remind myself how fortunate I am to live in paradise. Therefore, I’m taking off on a walk-about up the eastern seaboard to see friends, explore a bit, and hopefully ride out the rain.

Meanwhile, I’m going to continue to update TheScubaGeek.com with local news and nostalgic stories of some of my crazier experiences living on the rock. I’m also going to continue to develop the TiREngine so that it’s ready to roll when I return to Roatan. So don’t worry, this site won’t dry up with content. If nothing else, the high-speed internet should make it easier to make TheScubaGeek.com as amazing as I’ve always envisioned.

Life, as always, is “exciting”: the next six days will consist of me teaching a PADI Wreck Specialty class, writing a huge article about Roatan, waching sunsets, investigating a murder case, drinking lots of rum, packing my bags, and leaving. Please forgive me if there’s a brief silence on the site over the next week… I have a lot to do!

Thankfully, curfews are over in the Bay Islands as of 3pm and life seems to be back to normal, albeit shakier and with even less tourist activity. The 24-hour nationwide curfews following Mel Zelaya’s surreptitious return to Tegucigalpa remain in effect for the Honduran mainland.

Upon receiving the good news of the curfew’s end, we laughed, swam in the sea, played poker, drank rum, played trivia, jumped in the pool, and laughed again. It was as if all of West End was celebrating an early release from house arrest. Spirits were high, the beer flowed, and, for a brief instant, life as usual resumed.

But then we stumbled home, tuned in to the world news, and recalled how despondently screwed we are.

I really don’t know what to make of this situation… it completely breaks my heart, really. I spent a good hour crying as I packed some stuff. I’m not ready to leave. This is home. This is five years of my life. This is dreams pursued and dreams lost. This is Roatan, and I love my life on this island.

My plane leaves in eleven days. I don’t know if I’ll be on it. Not yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Make sure you read Micheletti’s letter to the Washington Post in the article (also available at http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2009/09/washington-post-moving-forward-in.html). It shows a leader with a level of intelligence rarely found in this part of the world, and point-to-point reiterates my arguments against Mel Zelaya. Too bad the rest of the world sees this guy as the De Facto Dictator of Honduras.

Until later, pray for me and this crazy situation. It’s certainly not your average day at the office……