National Anthem

At 4:55, the alarm clock went off. I jumped in the shower and did the mad dash to get ready and out the door. I gulped down a cup of coffee and a pan de bono and was in the car by 5:45. As I pulled in to the RCN lot, it was 6 on the nose. The radio was on. "RCN es Colombia," said the voice...and then the National Anthem.

You can set your clock by it. 6am and 6pm. Everyday. It's one of the cool things about living here. Its part of the culture. They passed a law that every radio station has to play it.

It was a long day. Lots to do at the office. Fires to put out. Meetings to be had. Sales calls to be made.

At 5:45pm, I was in my car again driving home. At 6pm, I turned on to the 26. As I sat in traffic. There is was again.... on LAFM... The Colombian National Anthem.

Now if I could just learn the words.

Life in the big city...

So I moved. Im living near downtown now in an area called San Martin. I live in one of the big new apartment-skyscrapers. It's awsome. I've got an amazing view of the city. Im also getting used to the "Colombian" way of doing things. Take parking for example. Back in Miami, you pulled in your space, locked your doors, and hit the elevator. I did that here too, until the doorman called and told me I wasnt parking my car the right way. The right way? You have to back into your space. It's just the way its done here. Next up, the neighbor's dog. The smaller they are, the more noise they make. One of my neighbors loves to lock her dog on the balcony all day while she's at work. Im guessing she doesnt get home until late because the dog is yapping until almost 10pm each night. It's driving me crazy. I've complained to the front desk about it, but they cant seem to figure out where the dog is.

I've also learned how to be a good neighbor. I had a party one night and my friends were flicking their cigarette butts off the balcony. The next day, my housekeeper got a visit from the man who lives below me with a ziplog bag of butts he collected. I got the message.

My life really has the big city feel. Im guessing its like living in an amazing loft in New York City with an awsome view... for about $500 bucks a month. It's such a deal! Im also close to everything. I can walk over to OMA for breakfast... or go take a walk in the Nacional Park. Im also close to the Nacional Museum. And, I've got an Exito two blocks away for easy grocery shopping.

Best part of it all, I'm a block from the Transmilenio for when I have pico and placa days... and just a 10 minute drive away from work.

Speaking of work. Things are going great. After a year and a half, my unique unit is finally generating revenue. Sales are just as much a part of my job as directing the News. We have a big project coming up with Transmilenio at the end of the month. They're sponsoring a week of special reports about the system. We're also loook at doing some sponsored features on the gold mining industry.

Anyway, its a long holiday weekend here... so Im going to chillax and enjoy the view from the 18th floor.

Oh, one last funny story. After a night of clubbing with my friends, I stumbled into the elevator at 2am and hit the button for my floor. Well, at least I thought it was my floor. I got out, put my key in the door, and it wouldn't open. I jiggled the door for 3 minutes when suddenly security appeared and kindly reminded me that I was on the wrong floor. Yes, all the doors and hallways look alike here. I was so embarrassed.

Brian