just because

Wings

Last night I had a dream that I was wrestling with an insect of some sort. When I woke up, two butterfly wings were sitting at the foot of my bed. I'm not sure what it means, but it scared the crap out of me. There are so many living creatures flying around, I'm never quite sure which to swat and which to take a picture of. Yesterday, during a walk through rice paddies, we ran into a spider that was HUGE. In any other scenario, I'd be freaked out. But I just walked by, took a picture and went on with my walk.

I wish I had more to write, but every time I sit at the computer, I am half asleep. I have decided to stop trying to save a draft to publish later because I never end up editing the draft or publishing it. So I'm writing this now.

Each day here has been quite different and each day feels like a week in itself. Soon I hope to visit the Monkey Forest and find a monkey to play with.
More to come soon... 

From paradise to Pppparadise

I can't believe I've been here less than a week. Every day has been different. For the first few days, we stayed in a little house called Villa Kita in a neighborhood called Penestanen – known for its black magic. But some say the "black magic" is everywhere. In fact, it's common to see black and white plaid cloths draping statues all over town. To me it looks like a throwback to 80's fashion and the clothes make it look like the statues are wearing mini-skirts. I have learned that the black and white is in place to embrace and acknowledge both good and bad spirits. It was explained that all of us have both inside of us and that both are all around us. Everyone must find balance between the two. I'm still not sure what it means to be in a neighborhood known specifically for the black magic, but once I saw the next place we'd be staying, I was more than happy to vacate the 'hood. Not that the swimming pool under the stars and my huge princess bedroom wasn't charming… 

But this place is spectacular. I've named it "My Palace." This is me in my outdoor bathtub:

This is where we go to unwind:

We pass this on our way into the house:

Not sure what this is but I had to stick my head in the hole:

One of the views from the second floor:

Here's where I like to eat breakfast:

So far, aside from the amazing beauty of Ubud, my favorite part of Bali is definitely the people and their smiles. I have found that, in general, people look you right in the eye and smile. I've been told by many locals that relationships here are everything. It's no wonder the moment you meet, you are truly seen. Unless, of course, they have something much better to look at...

SFO > Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Noodles, Dim Sum and Hello Kitty phone booths...

Thanks SFMTA, thank you.

Having your car towed sucks. Having your car towed the day you are leaving for a two-month trip to Bali? It BLOWS. Big time.

I woke up Sunday at 6:00 am with the cramps from hell.  Unable to go back to sleep, I decided to take half a Vicodin and watch some reality TV. Wha? Don't be jealous.

I had been staying at my friend Laurel's place on Ocean Beach taking care of her dog, Bru Ngo. It was the day of the annual Bay to Breakers race – where people dress in costumes and run a 12K through Golden Gate park, ending up at the beach where I was staying. I had everything packed and was ready to load my car with all of the crap that would go back to storage. My flight was scheduled for 1:40 am. At 10:30, I went downstairs with my first load of bags, and found myself in the middle of what looked like the morning after a frat party on Halloween weekend at UCSB. If you've ever been to Santa Barbara for Halloween, you know what I'm talking about. It wasn't pretty. And my car was gone. All that was left on the street were signs saying "Tow away zone."

After sending several panicked texts looking for help, I finally found a ride to the police station and tow yard. Never mind that because of street closures for the race, I had to take a 45-minute bus ride to go just 3 miles for that ride. I was happy enough to have found some help. By 3:00, I was out $437, plus a $55 parking ticket (REALLY?!?), and ready to load my car.  Again.

The rest of the day was all about getting a few things wrapped up, dropping a load off at storage and getting to Benicia to have dinner with Dave and Stacey Jones before heading to the airport. Even though they are my brother's in-laws, I have always had a nice, familial, relationship with them. This became especially clear when I was the one stuck watching their dogs while the young one, Katie, was in heat.

Before she took me to the airport, Stacey welcomed me with a bottle of champagne and chicken-pot-pie. Who could ask for anything more? Well I didn’t have to. For dessert we had warm chocolate volcanic cake and to-die-for Drumstick ice cream. Towed car? Eh.

Thank you, Mrs. Jones, for making my last few hours in town so special. 

Last-minute packing...

So many decisions... so little time and energy. What to wear on the plane, what to carry on, what to pack away, what pills to have on me.

I stopped by Border's the other day because they are going out of business. And frankly, I cannot pass up a sale. I wasn't planning on buying anything, but books were 80% off. I couldn't help myself. I walked out with a bunch of goodies I thought I might read on the plane: Holidays on Ice (Sedaris), My Friend Leonard (Frey), Excuses Begone! (Dyer), Hard Laughter (Lamott) and Where the God of Love Hangs Out (Bloom). Seemed like a good combination of laughter and tears.

The book I really wanted to buy was Tina Fey's Bossypants. But it just seemed silly to carry on a hardcover. Then my sister-in-law talked me into it. Tina Fey, you're coming to Bali! And, wait a minute, is that a kippah on her head??

I've narrowed it down to three books: Bossypants, The Five Things We Cannot Change and a sad handwritten novel that I plan on enhancing. 

My flight leaves at 1:30 Monday morning. YIKES!

Postpartum

I have considered myself a writer since I can remember. But rarely do I feel confident enough to share my stuff. This here is an attempt to get more comfortable with the sharing part.

Welp, I just sent out an email blast to many, many people.

There's a lot going through my head... I feel exposed. I feel free! But mostly - I feel like I've just given birth to a teen with Tourette Syndrome.

Too many Q-tips?

My friends used to make fun of me for packing way in advance of a trip. Well, one friend in particular, whose name starts with an 'L' and kinda rhymes with flimsy.  She had a point. For a weekend trip I would be packed at least a week in advance. But after a while, and several trips cross-country, I learned to relax a bit.

Well, I've been packing and unpacking for the past four months. I moved in January and, just as I finished unpacking, found myself moving again. Now, everything I own (save for a few bags of clothes, way too many shoes, essential paperwork, books and a box of Q-tips), is packed neatly into room #1420 in Pt. Richmond.

I leave in 5 days for Bali. I'm already packed.

WTF?

Wow. I can enable transliteration in Tigrinya but not Hebrew?

Fine. I'll start a blog.

I don't have big plans for this space, but I look forward to watching it unfold. Or building it. Or watching as I build something. I plan on writing about things that surprise me, places I'm going and whatever strikes my fancy. My fancy keyboard, that is.

So far, I've written about 10 blog posts and deleted all of them for various reasons: too boring, completely meaningless, vague, directionless, grammatically incorrect, I couldn't help but wonder who would want to read it.

But now I'm telling that little bitch in my head to shut up and get a day job. I want to write. And I'm about to take a big long trip to Bali.

So here goes...