Things i did on vacation.

Discovered a new love for Louis Armstrong (beyond "What a Wonderful World" and "Mack the Knife").

Drove up the California coast and visited elephant seals, including brand new babies and two (huge!) fighting, braying bulls. Fantastic.

Glimpsed Hearts Castle from afar, realized that we should probably go sometime.

Finally saw Big Sur.

Ate way too much chocolate.

Decided that the cheap ticket price on Virgin America ($49!) from SFO to San Diego was not worth it when multiple advertisements were blared at me during takeoff. Not okay. Need to re-think future travel plans. (Hey, remember when movies cost less AND had no ads? Yeah. Those were the days.)

Realized how lucky lucky lucky i am, in more ways than i can count.

Realized how utterly cheeseball i am, a prime example of which is illustrated by the previous sentence.

Now, even though i've always maintained that "time", as we know it, is an arbitrary measure, happy new year to you all. Hope the days ahead are full and mostly devoid of:

-ads
-assholes
-overconsumption
-sickness
-debt
-sadness
-and so on and so forth.

Here's to simpler, happy times.

twirling, whirling.

i truly do not recommend washing your face while you are sobbing quietly. Not only does the bowliness of the sink magnify your pathetically held-back sobs, but you will be rubbing snot all over your face. Trust me on this. On a related note, one day i may begin categorizing the colors of human malady. i have been coughing up some soul-shuddering shades of green lately, and the interest with which i scrutinize these things is beyond me. Why do we study them so? It reminded me of having a bad bruise: what could be more arresting than waking up each day to see what new hue has appeared on your thigh? Magenta, grey, blue-green? And in the seventh grade i used to tie rubber bands around my finger tips to experience the plethora of sensations: cold. numb, colorful. Pointer fingers always turned an angry red, like a schoolmarm. Ring fingers were always meekly pale and jaundiced, while pinkies turned alarming shades of purple, like children holding their breath. There probably wouldn't be much of a market for this type of collection, though. Maybe i'll stick to collage.

In other news: mistletoe has been hung, greens festoon the apartment, the tape and wrapping paper and scissors are lying about. It may be frantic, but it's the happy kind. We even had–wait for it– rain.

Next year we are sending out a photo card with us in christmas sweaters! It will be grand. i'll have to try and give it some sort of seventies photo-finishing effect, plus i need to practice my poses.
Also: i'm thinking of having a buy-nothing holiday next year? Might be nice, you know: only friends, family, games, baked goods, (hopefully) snow, candles, and so on and so forth? No Amazon.com, cardboard boxes, packing slips, removing (or neglecting to remove) price tags. Hmmm. Sounds like a win.

Catch you on the flipside.