MacBook Pro with macOS Mojave 10.14.5

After 5 years of near-perfect service, my old MacBook Pro died towards the end of last month. My sister Sharlene was coming to visit from Texas and picked me up a new one of these amazing machines from Apple. Very happy and grateful for my good fortune!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Muchas gracias!

A tummy-felt thank you to the wonderful folks who bring gifts of maple syrup from the Great North!

I Say: How can Canadians not be so nice when they come from a land that bleeds maple syrup!

Memphis memories

I spent the summer of 1995 in Memphis, Tennessee doing a practical training internship in internal auditing while in business school.

the stairs of Paya (1)

I had intended to post ALL the stairs at Paya Bay in one blog post. Once I started taking the photos, however, I realized it may take two, or even three posts to cover all of them. This post is in honor of my father, Earl Mervin McNab, who taught me to build stairs.

These stairs all lead to some form of Heaven.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

exploring Leonardo

This year I want to do a deeper exploration into the life and life experience of Leonardo da Vinci, the 15th Century erudite, polymath and genius extraordinaire I was named after. Perhaps share a bit about how being named after this amazing human being has affected my life in the 20th and now 21st Century.

Leonardo's birthplace in Vinci, Italy.

The Vitruvian Man

The Vitruvian Man (Italian: Le proporzioni del corpo umano secondo Vitruvio, which is translated to "The proportions of the human body according to Vitruvius"), or simply L'Uomo Vitruviano (Italian pronunciation: [ˈlwɔːmo vitruˈvjaːno]), is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci around 1490. It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the architect Vitruvius. The drawing, which is in pen and ink on paper, depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in a circle and square. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. It is kept in the Gabinetto dei disegni e stampe of the Gallerie dell'Accademia, in Venice, Italy, under reference 228. Like most works on paper, it is displayed to the public only occasionally.

- Wikipedia

a GREAT university

My Alma Mater. Louisiana State University. I love, love, LOVE Louisiana and its people. Underestimate the people of the bayou at your peril.  Geaux Tigers!

Photos: lsu.edu

a visual of my roatan's message

I used the wordart.com website to create this word art of the most common words in the My Roatan blog. This has been my message to the world these past TEN years of blogging about My Adventures in Creating Nirvana.

Namaste.

internet meme of the day

The latest meltdown. My maternal grandfather's merchant ship was torpedoed in the Caribbean by white supremacists during WWII. Although he's now transcended, Mr. Evans Cooper survived to tell the story. We must all act to smother and suffocate fascism wherever and whenever it begins to manifest its evil head. History is counting on us.

I-85 bridge collapse In atlanta

I drove this section of the I-85 expressway to and from work every weekday when I lived in Atlanta. I was one of the 200,000 commuters (plus another 50,000 intrastate and interstate drivers) who use it pretty much daily. It's mind-boggling to think one of the busiest stretches of interstate highway in the U.S. (in the heart of one of its largest, most-vibrant cities) will be closed for MONTHS while it is repaired. I feel the pain of the residents of my former home city who will have to deal with a horrid traffic nightmare this spring and (maybe) summer. Oy vey!

roatan cowboys and cowgal

This afternoon I ran into my cousin Lenny McNab (C) and his daughter Yaneri (R) riding their horses with a buddy on a rural island road near Paya. Lenny has loved horses since we were kids growing up and going to school together. Yaneri has inherited this love of animals. She's currently studying veterinary medicine in Costa Rica.

Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

liquid gold

I love it when our visitors from the Great North come bearing gifts! Julie and Jacob, repeat clients from Canada, brought me some yummy 100% Pure Maple Syrup. Thank you so much, guys! I'm convinced maple syrup plays a part in the reason why North Americans are often such kind, awesome, generous people!

happy new year!

Happy New Year! My resolution: To live 2017 in an Attitude of Gratitude.

happy aloes

My dear friend, Lisa Bronkhorst of South Africa, planted these large pots of aloe plants on the main deck during her stint at Paya Bay. The aloes flower during the rainy season when water is abundant. The radiant flower stems that pop up beautifully and dramatically always remind me of my friend's cheerful and sunny personality.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

beautiful moments

My friend Oscar Alejandro  recently visited Paya. Here we enjoy a beautiful  moment at Serenity, a new space on the West-facing side of the property.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

gratitude

the latest 'finding dory' trailer

retro video: andrea true - more, more, more

I was six or seven when I first listened to this sultry Disco classic on the radio! No wonder I turned out so delightfully twisted!

rio 2016

I'm starting to get excited about the Olympics in Rio! The poor Brazilians are facing a perfect storm of obstacles and challenges, but I'm sure they will rise to the occasion and put on a show like the world has never seen. Rio de Janeiro has a special place in my heart as it is the place I spent the beginning of the New Millennium with one of the loves of my life, sixteen years ago.

The midnight Millenium fireworks show started on one end of Copacabana Beach and expanded to simultaneously include the entire 4km length of the beach for about 45 minutes! It was beyond words!

gratitude

My wonderful parents left no stone unturned, sacrificed, and did without to ensure I received a first-class education. My academic career took me all the way to earning a Master's Degree in Business Administration from a world-renowned American university. Life experience is helping me realize what a priceless gift they (with the assistance of several other key and amazing people along the way) bestowed upon me. The average human body contains 37.2 TRILLION cells. Each of those cells carries in its own personal DNA molecule 50% of our mother's alleles and 50% of our father's alleles. Every single cell in my body is grateful for my parents' selfless altruism and unconditional love. Imagine a beautiful chorus of 37.2 trillion consecutive thank you's! It would take eternity to listen to and enjoy the whole thing. THAT's how grateful I am.