on a whim

sometimes the most unexpectedly meaningful are those that happen on a whim.

[death, love, births...life]

i often buy books on a whim.

[i also catch cheap flights, take road trips, skydive, fall in and out of love, and break into a dance on a whim]

sometimes based merely on the cover. or by chancing upon its title. or for no reason at all.

[though i often find reason in them eventually]

from my most recent purchase:

"when a good family member dies, there's a tenderness and a sorrow that can restore life to those who are left behind. but when someone dies who's half loved and half hated by his own family, whose children, for example, are always trying to get closer to that man or to that woman and don't quite succeed, then the aftereffect is OBSESSIVE. those are the ones who are hurt the most. i won't call them DYSFUNCTIONAL families, but it's into the less successful families that terrorism bites most deeply. because there is that TERRIBLE WOE that one can't speak to the dead parent or the dead son or daughter or dead mate; one can't set things right anymore. one was planning to, one was hoping to, and now it's LOST FOREVER. that makes it profoundly obsessive."

WHY ARE WE AT WAR? / norman mailer

lockdown

i'm on a voluntary lockdown for the rest of the day so that i can finish a few academic responsibilities (read: 60 pages worth of papers that i've been putting off).

as of tuesday evening, i will be free from academia for all of july and august. i'm so excited, i might just pee my pants.

but the purpose of this post? to tell you how much i love beer and hummus!

seattle!

i woke up friday morning with great clarity:

I HAD TO GO TO LC's WEDDING IN SEATTLE ON SUNDAY.

so i looked at tickets: sweet! tickets are cheaper: 20,000 miles for one that leaves in 5 hours! i have 32,000 miles!
checked with the boss: fo shizzle! thanks for letting me take a half day and monday off!
emailed the prof: yowza! it's okay that i miss three 8-hour weekend classes?!
called up a friend: rock on! your couch sounds great to sleep on!

i had packed up my pack (oh how i've missed you since crow pass) that morning just in case everything worked out. i called up friends who were going to be at the wedding to say that i was going to surprise LC during the bachelorette party. went to work for a few hours to tie up loose ends for the weekend and boarded a plane.

got off the plane, took a bus into downtown seattle, downed 5 shots of espresso, found a bus to the bar annnnnd SHAZZAM! it's C in the hizzouse!

i LOVE surprises and spontaneity.

a new year of life

perhaps it's not right to create traditions, but i've decided to start a birthday tradition of my own:

to begin each new year of my life by doing something (anything) that challenges me. and to invite anyone and everyone who would want to celebrate it with me.

i celebrated my 24th birthday (yesterday!) by hiking crow pass in a day with a friend of mine (who i absolutely adore for going with me)

if you're not familiar, crow pass is 26 miles from girdwood (a little further than the mines) to eagle river (the nature center). if you ever have a chance to do it, and aren't in a hurry, i suggest overnighting it so you can really appreciate the nature around you.

the first four miles is a nice climb up a mountain, another hour across snow (at least it's still snowy in june), beautiful glaciers, an ice cold river crossing (and several stream crossing), and bears.

a few highlights:
1) sledding down mountainsides on garbage bags (great time and energy saver)
2) wildlife!
3) getting a second wind at about mile 16 from a potential bear scare (we were chilling out at a creek ready to filter water when we realized here were chunks of carcass around us. decided to leave before the bear came back for the rest of its meal)

a few things i learned:
1) a 26 mile trek when you haven't done any physical activity for 6 months is doable, but perhaps not the smartest thing
2) alaska is perhaps one of the most beautiful places i have ever lived in
3) i never knew i could move so slowly up a mountain
4) lightweight gear is one of the greatest things in life, and if REI were a man, we would be so happy together

it was incredible. it took us 14 hours from start to finish and i've seriously busted up my right knee, but it was totally worth it.

now i'm thinking i have to do something really great for my quarter century birthday (25!) next year.

c.