The Biruvian Nation

If my picks are perfect the rest of the way, I’ll win the $10,000 first prize.

If you can’t read the bracket above, there’s a bigger picture HERE. Or see the official bracket on ESPN’s site or take a look at the leaderboard. I’m tied for 5th place out of 3,000,000 brackets (that’s right, THREE MILLION), but if my picks win out, I’ll be alone in first.

Hello All!! (If anyone even still checks this anymore.) It has been a busy December for me so far. The first weekend I spent in London visiting my old friends from the Cook Islands, thanks for the hospitality Charlie, Liz, Ben, and Craig!! I’ll post pictures the pictures here and the tales on my travelpod (someday. . .)

I spent last weekend in Hawaii. It was my first time to our latest (and on some levels greatest) state, so I was pretty excited. I flew into Honolulu Friday night, and only having the weekend, I didn’t plan to venture too far out of the Waikiki beach area. The Polynesian Beach Club Hostel was my scheduled home for the weekend (well, not for Saturday, but I’ll explain that later).

On my (upgraded) flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, I talked to the guy next to me, who, surprisingly enough, was also just going to Hawaii for the weekend (although he didn’t come all the way from DC). He asked if I was too was flying for the concert. I did little to no research (closer to no) about what was happening in Honolulu last weekend. He informed me that U2 was playing the final gig of their 131 show - 18 month world tour on Saturday at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. What luck! I instantly made it my mission to find a ticket to the show (even more so than finding lodging for Saturday night). I arrived late at the hostel (which I had booked for Friday and Sunday), and somehow my Friday reservation had gotten lost. The desk worker at the hostel apologized, but said there was absolutely no bed open and offered me a hammock in the common area. There was no use fighting, so I took the hammock and decided to use this as leverage to try to get a bed on Saturday night. Some people were still up in the common area, so I stayed decided to stay up meet some of the others. I mentioned the U2 show and a Canadian at the table said he was excited about U2, but actually more ’stoked’ about Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam?? I asked if they were in town too, and he informed me they would be opening for U2. Pearl Jam opening??!! I realized that this would truly be a special show that I could not afford to miss.

After a refreshing 4 hour nap in the hammock, I got up for my 7am pickup for my dive. My first dive was a wreck dive - 2 old ships about 100 feet deep. The first ship acted as an artificial reef for lots of fish and a bunch of giant sea turtles. The next ship (slightly less populated) was an occasional home to white tip reef sharks. We were lucky enough to see a pair of them swimming around in the hull of the ship - about 7 feet long which were the biggest white tips I’ve seen. Any time you see a shark while diving, you get an incredible feeling of awe and respect - that alone would make the dive worth it. We then ventured back to the first ship, where the divemaster seemed confident enough in my abilities to take me through a swim-through of the ship’s hull. Afterwards, we saw a few more giant sea turtles, a small moray eel, and a spotted eagle ray.

That afternoon, back at the hostel, the manager Mark was there and greeted me with the same greeting he had delivered over 100 times that day - “Sorry, we’re full.” I then explained my story about how my reservation got lost the previous night, and was looking to see if they could make up for that by finding a bed for me that night. He was genuinely concerned about the lost reservation, and then dug through all the reservations for that night. He found a no-show from the previous day, scratched him off the list and gave me his bed. Once again I had lucked out. I wouldn’t be among the hundreds of homeless for that night. Mark also happened to have an extra ticket to the Pearl Jam - U2 concert which he was selling for face value. Also included in the price was luxury transportation in the back of his 1983 GMC pickup. Score!!

The show itself was just about the best I’ve seen. We managed to find a few empty front row balcony seats that we were amazingly never kicked out of. Pearl Jam opened with a set that included “Corduroy”, “Better Man”, “Even Flow”, “Alive”, a Hawaiian song called “Hawaiʻi 78″, my personal live favorite “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”, and ended with “Baba O’Reilly”. U2 also played all their regular favorites along with a bunch off of their latest album. Bono also invited a few different fans on stage, including one (who may or may not have been invited up) that was able to convince Bono to let him play the keyboard for “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”. Both bands were phenomenal, and it all culminated in the encore. The first song of the second three-song encore featured a surprise appearance by Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong who joined U2 for a great (and rare) live version of “The Saints are Coming.” This was followed immediately by the best single song performance I’ve ever seen live - U2 and Pearl Jam playing a 9 minute version of “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Add to all of this the setting, Honolulu’s open air Aloha Stadium, and I doubt I’ll ever see a better show.

After a good night sleep (in a. . . bed!!), I had Sunday pretty much wide open. I watched a bit of the marathon finish in the morning, and felt slightly inspired to train for a marathon. Then I thought of all the training needed and decided to concentrate on my original plan for the day - lie on the beach all day and jump in the water occasionally. With the help of Warren from Canada and Jen from the hostel, I executed my plan perfectly. Sunday night I headed out to a restaurant Jen recommended with Warren. Feeling like I should feel guilty but not really feeling guilty at all about not doing or trying anything “Hawaiian”, I decided to make up for it all in one sitting. I covered all the bases with my dinner - Macadamia nut encrusted Mahi Mahi with a Mai Tai drink garnished with a pineapple slice and USS Arizona shaped ice cubes! (ok, so the ice cubes is a lie.)

My last day started early with a pre-dawn (yes, that says PRE-dawn) hike up to Diamond Head Crater to watch the sunrise. I went the wrong way and walked completely around the crater to get to the entrance, but at least I was able to stop at a good ocean front lookout for the actual sunrise. The climb was good, but rather crowded with slow-walking Japanese. I then hit up the international market for some souvenirs and took off for the airport. Just when I thought my adventure was over, a guy with a bunch of tattoos and bleach blond hair sat down in the row behind me (thanks for the upgrade Slitt!!). After about 5 seconds I realized it was Billie Joe Armstrong!! He, his wife, and his two kids were all the row behind me. I initially was content with just sneaking a few pictures. But after the Mai Tais, Chardonnays, and Vodka and Sodas had their say, I decided to try for bit more. I casually got up at the same time as him and as I passed him in the galley, said hi, that I was a big fan (a little bit true), and that Saturday was a great show (100% true). He was nice and just said “Ok, cool, thanks.” Then I asked for a quick picture, and he said “Sure.” Ahh, the perks of flying first class - especially when everyone around you considers themselves too important to be star struck.

Stay tuned for pictures from the weekend.

On August 20th, my sister Julie gave birth to her third child, a nine pound bundle of love named Sage Elizabeth Jarmosco. Sage is my fifth niece, raising the niece and nephew count to seven with number eight on the way soon. Perhaps when I get around to posting pictures again, I’ll put up some pictures from her baptism. Until then, this picture taken by my sister, the professional photographer, will do.

On Tuesday evening, authorites pulled Ryan Katcher’s truck from a deep pond in Kickapoo State Park near his house in Oakwood, IL. Ryan’s body was still inside the truck. For those of you who don’t know, Ryan Katcher was one of my roommates at the University of Illinois when he went missing on November 5, 2000. There had been no sign of him or his truck in nearly six years. On Monday, while testing new sonar equipment, authorities detected the truck 50 feet underwater. On Tuesday, divers recovered items from the truck confirming it was Ryan’s, and by Tuesday evening, Ryan’s truck, with his body still inside, had been towed out of the pond. It now appears that Ryan lost control of his truck very early that Sunday morning and drove into the pond. The depth and conditions of the pond made the truck undetectable by previous sonar scans and diver combings, but the new technology was able to detect the outline of the truck. An autopsy determined the cause of death was drowning, and there was no sign of foul play.

Commercial News, a local paper from Danville, IL, is doing the best job covering the story. Articles have appeared in papers across the country, including this one in the Chicago Tribune and this one in the Champaign News-Gazette.

The combination of emotions I’ve had over the past few days has been unlike anything I’ve felt in my life. Initially, obviously, I was shocked. As much as I held out hope, I no longer expected Ryan’s truck or body to ever be found. Then it hit me that Ryan had actually died. Although I didn’t think Ryan would turn up alive, in my mind Ryan had always been ‘missing’, as if the uncertainty in the term left room for a possibility he was ok, but that is no longer the case. Ryan died that November Sunday morning. Those days and weeks we spent searching the rural Oakwood area and posting flyers all over central Illinois, he was at the bottom of that pond. Who knows how many people looking for him actually drove right past him, me included? Over five years without a single lead had sadly and inevitably led to countless rumors and speculation. And the entire time, Ryan was in the same place at the bottom of that pond.

However, more than any other emotion, these last couple days have been filled with relief. While the days, weeks, months, and years after Ryan’s disappearance were agonizing for his family and friends, it is good to know that they were not the same for him. For the past 5 and a half years, Ryan has been reunited with his father. Ryan died that November Sunday morning. He had died and was reunited with his father hours before anyone even suspected he was missing. Ryan did not share in the agony that ensued. He had already met his final resting place, and he was at peace with his father and with God. Finally, with the discovery, all of the questions will be answered, the rumors will cease, and finally, for everyone involved, after 5 years, 8 months, and 21 days, Ryan can rest in peace.

It has been that long since my last post, which is the longest I’ve gone. However, this site has not been completely inactive. I’ve posted pictures from my trip to LA and Whittier, CA, and, from my ATW trip, The Great Wall of China, with more ATW pics to follow soon. I’m also in the process of posting my entire travel journal from my ATW trip. Not only that, I’ve decided to document my entire life’s travels on my travelpod website. I completed the section from early 2004 to mid 2005 when I was flying every week. For almost 15 months, I worked in DC Monday through Friday, then on the weekends either flew back to Chicago, or somewhere else that had comparable airfare. For those of you who haven’t seen the places to which I was able to find cheap weekend airfare, you’ll be impressed. You can find that travel journal HERE.

A lot has happened in the last 2.5 months, the most significant event being my return to the working world. I returned to my old job - yes, they took me back (believe it or not, they were actually happy to have me back!). Then, by some odd turn of events, I got staffed back at the same project in DC. So here I am, sitting on the same floor of a building I thought I had left forever 15 months ago. However, it’s good to be back, and now that I’m flying again, the weekend trips will start. First up, the Cayman Islands!!

Check back soon, I’ll have more pictures and updates. I’m sure the last 2+ months of waiting has been agony, so I promise to never do that to you again.

My PICTURES from New Orleans are up. There are plenty of them there, so you can be the judge of how well our government is responding to the disaster. Lots of people have commented to me that these areas should just be bulldozed completely and started from scratch, or that the residents should just move elsewhere in the country. That may sound like a good plan from afar, but these are people’s homes, neighborhoods, histories, and livelihoods. Picture these houses as yours, and this neighborhood as your own. Also, who pays for the rebuilding? The government and the insurance companies have made sure it won’t be them.

Malik Rahim, a co-founder of Common Ground Relief, was asked if George W. Bush has failed in his efforts to rebuild New Orleans. Malik’s response, “No, because in order to fail, you have to try first. That hasn’t happened.” Take a look at the pictures, and you’ll understand.

I decided to spend the rest of my brief time before I finally go back to work in New Orleans volunteering with the Katrina Relieft effort. My former co-worker and traveling buddy Chris has been volunteering with a group called Common Ground Relief, so I decided to join him. As of now, I’m spending nine days here, and I am ending my fourth. So far I’ve helped finish gutting two homes, and worked from start to finish gutting one. The last job was one of the few salvageable houses in the lower 9th ward which was probably the worst hit area in New Orleans. The owners were a middle-aged black couple who were in no physical shape to be gutting their own house, but no financial shape not to. My group of 12 worked with them and in two days their house went from the same state it was in when the flood waters receded (minus 8 months of mold) to completely gutted. They were a wonderful couple, and feeling this rewarded for my work makes me wonder why I don’t do this sort of thing more often. The picture above is also in the lower 9th ward. All four of those houses were swept off their foundations and still block that road. I have so much more I could write and so many more pictures to show, even worse than above, but there will be time for that when I get back home. Check back next week.

My pictures from Fiji, Cook Islands, and Tahiti are posted, captions and all. Five months after my trip has ended, I’m proud to say I have pictures posted from about 80% of my trip. Stay tuned for China, Australia, and New Zealand, which may be the most amazing place on earth.

March, one of the greatest months of the year, is upon us. Why? Because of the Oscars! No, not really, but you can imagine my disappointment when Brokeback Mountain got the snub for Best Picture, Heath Ledger for Best Actor, and Jake Gyllenhaal for Best Actress.

There are actually two things that put March up at the top with June and December - March Madness, and, of course, the South Side Irish Parade. This weekend could be the greatest sports weekend of the year with 48 NCAA tournament games. The couch and I have effectively molded into one. The South Side Irish Parade was last Sunday, and, once again, lived up to its title as the greatest day of the year. Joe had another pre-parade party, Eric had an all day party, Jessica was in for the weekend, and two special visitors from DC, Alejandra and Dasha, learned the Irish ways. All contributed to another Parade day filled with overindulgence and underrecollection (yes I did make up that word). It was fantastic! Pictures from the day will be up soon, along with some others from Chicago, New York, and ATW pics from Tahiti, China, Australia, and New Zealand. You should know by now that I take full advantage of the vagueness of the word ’soon.’

To top it off, the end of March signifies the start of baseball season. Most likely, I will be in the same hemisphere this year to watch the Sox defend their World Series title. I predict the White Sox pitching will lead in all statistical categories except for one, which I sadly must admit will belong to the Cubs. Behind the leadership of Prior and Wood, the Cubs pitching staff will lead the league in Simulated Wins (credit Bill’s friend Joe for that joke).

On December 20th, 2005, Bill and Tammy Biros finally made it official and got married. On January 28th, friends and family gathered to celebrate the event. Although Tammy has been a member of the family for years now, I can now finally call her my sister-in-law. Pictures from the reception are at www.jarphoto.com, which is where I got the above picture. Click on “view your proof” then “Billy & Tammy Biros.” These picture were taken by my sister Julie, who shares my passion for photography, and has decided to make a career out of it. If you take a look at the “portfolio” link from her homepage, you’ll probably agree she made a good career move.

Bill told me before that I’d be the best man at his wedding, so my family and I decided I should do the toast at his reception. Rather than write another note to Bill and Tammy, I’ll just post the toast I gave at the reception. So if you weren’t at the reception, were in the other room, or just had a few too many beforehand and don’t remember it, here it is. Congrats again, Bill, Tammy, and Rebecca.

“Bill and Tammy, and the rest of our family would like to thank all of you for sharing this great event with us.

I think all of you know me, but if you don’t, I’m Bill’s younger brother Brian. There were a lot of benefits to having Bill as my older brother. You see, after Billy, any mistakes I made, just didn’t seem as bad.

Because he was the first boy after our three older sisters, he got to be the star of Jenny, Julie, and Amie’s dress up parties.

He was also my partner in crime in tormenting our youngest sibling, Karen. She was a feisty one, so tickle torture was a two person job. And that scary story that Billy told her about the mummy, just wouldn’t have been as good if I wasn’t hiding under the bed wrapped in ace bandage.

All my life, I’ve looked up to Bill. I’ve followed him, I’ve admired him, and I’ve been jealous of him. He’s my big brother and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ve always admired his integrity, and his honesty – even when there were consequences. And he always knows how to have a good time, even when it was tough, like when he was grounded in high school. . . all of high school.

Bill is one of a kind, and we worried whether he’d ever find a match, or if a match even existed. Then he found Tammy. If you would have told me 6 years ago, Billy would marry his favorite bartender, I probably would have believed you.

As many of you know Tammy used to bartend at Joe Bailey’s and that’s how Billy and Tammy met. I’ve known Tammy for about 5 years now, which is actually longer than I should have known here, which is one of the reasons Joe Bailey’s isn’t around anymore.

So Billy had found himself a lady. However, it was yet to be seen whether a fit for Billy could also be a good fit for our family. And from the beginning, Tammy was perfect. She was a sister and a daughter from day one, and she became a member of the family instantly. In fact, as my dad pointed out, it’s Billy that’s still trying to find his place in the family.

Billy and Tammy, you’ve already given us the best gift we could ask for – Rebecca – quite possibly the most entertaining human being I know. Rebecca is justice for what Billy put my mom and dad through, and we couldn’t love her any more. Billy, thank you for bringing Tammy into our family. And Billy and Tammy, thank you for bringing Rebecca into our lives. Billy, Tammy, and Rebecca, I love you all, and I’m so glad to have you back close to home. So let’s all raise our glasses, bottles, and juice cups. . . (Rebecca, can you do “Cheers”). . . to the bride and groom.”