January 2018

My birthday came again, and I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time alone driving.

In the span of 10 days, I drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to San Diego to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to San Francisco.

Some parts were with others, but most parts were alone.

Sorry environment.

I don't really mind driving by myself for long stretches, honestly. 

I'm so used to the drive and I amuse myself pretty well. 

I talk to myself and to people who aren't there. Usually in English, but sometimes in Korean or Chinese, though never Vietnamese. 

I sing loudly and badly to early 2000's pop.

Sometimes I listen to podcasts, but never for more than 2 hours at a time. I guess I'm not that interested in what other people have to say, if my endless use of "I" and my website weren't enough indication. 

I flip through camera reels stored in my brain. They're haphazardly strewn about and even more haphazardly edited. 

People ask me what I'm going to do this year and I don't have much of an answer.

I have things I'd like to do, but how do I know it'll turn out that way until it happens?

Between right now and tomorrow, who's to say the world won't just end? 

So really, the only things I can tell you are the things that have happened and the things I am doing.

I'm decluttering and simplifying.

I donated clothes and books and threw away old school materials-- though not my math notes. I poured too many sleepless nights over those to be ready to part with them just yet. 

The wall of maps, plane tickets and art was packed away. 

I got rid of my collection of blown out shoes, all 5 and half pairs of them. It's pretty amazing-- I've only gone through 7 pairs in 6 years. 

Everything that remains fits into 11 plastic tubs and one banjo case. Two bins of books. One of sentimental materials. One of jackets and two of clothes. One ice climbing gear. One camping gear. Two climbing gear. One miscellaneous.

I wonder if I can get it down to 10.

Oso, you're such a wonderful dog even though I think you have pica. 

We're really lucky.

We get to do many different things every day.

We get to eat delicious foods and drink delicious drinks and dance until the wee hours of the night-- or should I say, whee hours?

We train in the gym and climb outside and camp under stars.

We play board games and make believe, and we close our eyes to music with the bass beating in our veins.

We work long hours and we do good and sometimes we don't sleep. 

We ride bikes into the wind, and we cuddle up in blankets watching rom-coms and thrillers.  

We loiter and nap and play and talk.

How lucky we are, that we can do so many things every day!

My coworker caught a fish.

So I cooked it and ate it for many many many days.