blushing and curtsying

Sundae's Ice Cream Social went very well. I had the pumpkin pie ice cream, which was a little slice of heaven.

A lot of people from various pieces of my life came together to join me in my celebration. While there are a lot of people in this world who I love tremendously, I'm not usually so good about showing my love en mass. That is, I have a bit of a difficult time with being the center of attention.

But I did this to myself; I wanted it this way. For the afternoon I was surrounded by my family and my friends from various periods in my life and my friends from work. I always come away from a situation like that feeling a little torn: one part of me naggingly says that I should compartmentalize my social gatherings as I do my interactions so I can more effectively interact. But another part of me - the part that usually wins - says To hell with that! These are all people who love you in some way or another; you should happily take on any opportunity to surround yourself with as many of them as possible! And so I did. And a great amount of love is what I felt. Thank you to all who were able to make it!

I apologize if I did not interact with you as much as you may have expected; I was overwhelmed. But overwhelmed with affection and gratitude and love is definitely a good thing!

More photos of the party will be posted soon; some can be seen here.

dealing with the man

I never figured I'd need to obtain a visa to go to Spain; I guess I overestimated the size of the welcome mat that Europe lays out. My desire is to be in Spain for two years continuously, but upon doing a little research I found out that that the automatic allotment is 90 days every 6 months. That seems to mean that after three months I'll have to find someplace else to WWOOF (which should be no problem at all) for the next three months; then I'll be welcomed back. I could have more time there if I had a student visa (but I'm not a student), a work visa (though I hear they're quite difficult to obtain), or a residence visa (which I should have applied for 6 months ago). I'll need to do more visa research, but in the meantime I'm going forward with the by-the-seat-of-my-pants method of travel.

going away? party!

A little more than a week before I leave home, I'm throwing myself a party. Bon voyage, happy birthday, good riddance! The party is on Sundae, October 28 at 2:30 pm, and because I'm turning 31 on that day we'll all meet for ice cream at 31 Flavors. Afterwards to Emily's house for a gathering into the early evening. No need for presents -- in fact please don't give me anything material. Just a smile or a hug and a kind word for my send-off. If you are reading this post, it is because you are genuinely invited.

counting down to a new life

I'm getting ready to change my life completely. On November 7th I'll leave LAX in the morning, have a quick stopover in San Francisco for a high-5 and a hug from my brother, and then fly to Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain.

Spain. I've never been there. Not even near by. I speak a bit of Spanish, but really I have to be humble when I'm conversing in Spanish. And yet I'm planning to be there for the next two years of my life. Am I crazy? I've been accused of as much.

I'll be experimenting with WWOOF, an organization of volunteers who work on organic farms in exchange for room and board. I believe that through this organization I'll find an ideal situation for myself: I'll be able to live in the countryside, learn a lot about farming and gardening, immerse myself in the Spanish language, and travel long-term in a country that would otherwise be unaffordable for me. Having not yet left home, this idea sounds perfect! But then, this is an experiment; I have yet to see what reality and experience have to say.

In the past when I've traveled I've sent out emails to a long list of folks back at home. This time I'm updating my method; though I'll certainly communicate by email (yes! please! email me! I'm sure I'll get lonely!), I'll not send mass emails about my travels. That's what this space is for. Check it as frequently as you'd like or else subscribe using the link on the left to receive regular posts in your email inbox. Either way, feel free to post your comments.