Saturday...

Hurricane Sky

Living on the perimeter of a hurricane has some benefits. We had a beautiful sunset last night. Today the wind is blowing a nice breeze and the humidity has gone somewhere else for the moment. I am going to head into work in a little bit, and I think I might get there by bike. My knee has improved in the last few weeks and I have been able to take Emma on walks and I think I might be able to manage the fixed gear. I am a little nervous about clipping in, but I think I can manage without too much pain. Let's hope at least.

Work has kicked my ass this week. I am the project manager for a grant research project, and the project involves a selection of folks from the community. I have about 37 people who are my research, uh, subjects. Sort of. But some of them live out of town, so that means plenty of evening and weekend involvement on my part. It's okay. Maybe my the end of this project (next year) I will have accrued a significant amount of comp time and I can take a month off or something. And then move to the mountains. hehe.

September is going to be an interesting month, with deadlines for this project and some travel to other towns and cities. Friends and mountains and road trips and good times. I am looking forward to it. I just have to be patient. Very patient. For a lot of things. The coming fall is going to stir up my urge to burrow, my urge to make great change, my urge to not suppress my urge to be stirred up. Whatever that means.

For now, I am going to suit up for my trek on the bike downtown. Wish me luck.

Day by day....

One of my goals this year is to go more places, do more things, live life a little more intentionally. It is not so easy to do, especially within the confines of life that makes it so easy to settle into routine. I really am making an effort. Even while I try to stay in the moment and not worry about the future,  I find myself almost involuntarily trying to prepare for the unknown and the what ifs. I find myself on this wandering path, not sure how I got here, not sure how to leave it behind. Not sure if that is even what I should do. Ok, so that was a bit tangential to what I was intending to write about, but at the same time exactly on point.

Not too long ago I found myself having a conversation with an almost stranger about the possibility of going on a camping trip. While this almost stranger was vouched for by a trusted mutual friend, I was still not convinced it would be entirely responsible or wise to run off to the woods with this guy. I took a step back and remembered my vow to myself to try new things. To go on more trips. It was like a test. All new experience, all new person, so many unknowns, so many risks. So, despite the little voice in my head screaming "Disaster!!" I decided to roll the dice....

And I lived to tell this tale....

I was thinking I would do a play by play for the folks who read this blog, but talk is cheap. I will say that I am glad I went. Glad I took a chance, because I was able to see some amazing things, take my dog on an amazing adventure, and get to know a pretty amazing person in the process. I didn't walk away completely unscathed though....I have a feeling I tore my meniscus during a hike the first day out. I will be limping around for quite a while I think.

So, I will conclude with some pictures of paradise. I will remember to take more chances, both with life and with people. Tempered always, but hopefully less so as time goes on. Life is too short, and I have watched far too much of mine pass me by already. So kids, let's go. Let's do this.....

Nuts

I am sitting at BWI, waiting for my flight back to the deep and dirty. I have had an eventful trip, one that seems much longer than 5 days. I enjoyed my "training" and have come to the realization that soon enough I will be very busy with work. I was able to see some of my favorite people, which is always awesome. I ate lots of delicious food. I took quite a few pictures of food while I was gone. Here is a selection:

I also ate at Soul Vegetarian, though I forgot to take a picture of the giant plate of vegan mac and cheese I stuffed in my belly. It's okay, cause I went on a bike ride afterwards to burn it off.

So, that is that. I am heading back to the daily grind. Tomorrow is going to be pretty rough, since I haven't really been getting enough sleep and my flight doesn't arrive back in SC until 11:30. That's okay, I only live once.  Another thing I have been thinking about on this trip is that I need to go on more trips. So, that is going to be another goal of mine down the road. I can't really afford any big vacation to Prague or whatever, but I think I have plenty of domestic land to explore.

sitting at the airport, killing time

So, I am sitting here in the amazing and super fancy Columbia Metropolitan Airport. My flight is in 30 minutes, and I just overheard the lady with the walkie talkie say that the flight is overbooked. Great. Super. Awesome. Why do they do crap like that?

In other words, I am super excited to be boarding a plane with the guy sitting right next to me. I think he bathed in cologne this morning. My nostrils are burning. I think I am going to be smelling this guy for the rest of the day.

No one is volunteering to give up their seat. It's not going to be me. Even if it would mean getting away from this perfumed gentleman sitting right next to me.