The one where she turned 30

Well, I ain't no spring chicken anymore.

And I am completely okay with that.

I remember the first time I realized turning 30 was a big thing. It was when Rachel Green (if you don't know who she is, you make me sad. And are clearly not turning 30) had her pity birthday party that ended in tears. She hadn't accomplished her goals. She hadn't gotten married or had kids or saved the world. All she had was a NYC apartment, well dressed friends, and a job that was clearly not 9-5.

From then on, I believed a change of decades was not a good thing. Not something to be celebrated. Something that would make me feel horrible and practically dead inside.

But as 30 approached, I was incredibly calm.

(I think I was a little more freaked out about not being freaked out then by actually turning 30).

I couldn't help but wonder why.

And I soon realized that it was because I am surround by so many women in their 30's who are accomplished, amazing, inspiring and still damn hot.

I may not have reached all the goals I thought I would have at this point.

But who cares?


I've always marched to the beat of my own drum. Just because I don't have a ring or a child or a house, (or a plane. Or even a Wii) I'm still a pretty cool 30 year old.

Normally, I would take a trip for my birthday, but seeing as I used up just about all of my vacation time this summer, I decided to do something just as big....but more dangerous. And more challenging.

And down right ridiculous.

I decided to skydive.

Jump from a plane.

For fun.

(Why people do this, I do not know).

Friend L and I went early one Saturday morning. It was cold and foggy....clearly a sign that we should probably just turn back.

We went to a place in Byron, CA. It was the closest place to the city....Friend A had recommended it...and since she lived, I figured it was legit. You start the day out watching a movie staring a big bearded man who tells you that yes, you can die. But you probably won't.

And if you do, your benefactors cannot sue.

I was determined to do this, if not only to prove to myself that I could.

See, up until I started traveling for work, I hated planes. Just being in one freaked me out.

And now I was planning on jumping out of one. Willingly.

I'll admit. It was absolutely beautiful. Even if for the first 3 minutes I could have sworn I was having a heart attack. You could see the Sierras, the entire city, the South bay. You could probably see heaven, but my eyes were closed the entire free fall.

 

 

Now, most people freak out about the whole experience before they jump. But I have never lived a normal life.

So, naturally, I freaked out afterwards.

I swear, I woke up with night sweats for three days after jumping out of the damn plane.

I couldn't even watch my video without feeling nauseated. I actually goggled "Fear Following Skydiving"

And nothing came up.

Not a single sympathizing person. Not a second sufferer.

I was alone.

30.

And alone.

Fitting.

Eating Like a Texan

This week, I experienced one of the weirdest phenomena to date. One that I had heard about, but couldn't quite imagine. One that I literally had to see to believe.

I decided to watch the Texans in one of their most natural habitats.

The Texas State Fair.
 
An ethnographer's dream, an eater's paradise, a cardiac surgeon's bread and butter (which too, probably comes fried).

We were all in Dallas for an event, while the Fair was going on, so it worked out perfectly. We had an event during the day, it was slow, but nothing could ruin the giddy feeling in my veins when I thought of finally getting to go to one of these crazy shindigs. I wish I had brought my cowboy boots. I would have totally fit in.

Friend B and I went after work. Once we got to the Fairgrounds, you could see the craziness from a mile away. I knew I was in for a treat.

Now, let's be frank here. Sure, there are a lot of things going on at the fair. Pig Races (we totally watched one) Rides (we went on the Ferris Wheel...where I learned Friend B is terrible at taking photos) and other weird activities.

But everyone is really here for the food.

The Fried Glorious Food.

Every year they do some sort of contest for who can make the most original fried item. These people literally fry everything. I could have sworn I saw a fried couch at one point. This year the winner was a friend, bacon wrapped cinnamon roll. I didn't much care for it. Mostly because I don't really like Cinnamon rolls. Or Bacon. But the fried part, that was goooood. 

I, clearly, not being from around this place, had to try everything (and let every single person we came across know that I was a foreigner in a strange land...they were nice and gave us free food).

Here's all that ended up in my stomach that night:

This is what people eat here. #whyAmericaisobese

Fried Butter with Sugar. This sounds gross. It was gross. But it also actually tasted good. Like a doughnut with a melted butter filling. Yeah, it still sounds gross.

Now, I will not lie. This was damn delicious. It was fried jambalaya with an onion ring. I'm not sure what the onion ring was for...decoration?

Fried peanut butter and jelly. 'Nuff Said.

Fried cactus (gross) and the award-winning Cinnamon Roll.

Inside that sucker.

Apparently this is a Texas staple. Free-Dough Pie. Not to be confused with the Northern version: The Frito Pie

I think this was a fried s'more. I'm not quite sure though, I think I was in a diabetic coma when I ate it.

Now I know what I was missing by growing up anywhere but Texas.

Which is maybe a good thing, because it's been a week and I'm pretty sure I still have remnants of the fried food in my blood stream.

Don't know if my cholesterol will ever go back to normal.

I, of course, cannot talk about the Texas Fair without giving this man a shout-out. Big Tex. A ridiculously large (shocking) man that apparently talks....according to Friend B at least. The thing never did while I was there.

*****Blog edit: Just a few weeks after we were at the Fair. Big Tex caught on fire and burned down. May you rest in peace you gentle giant.

The best worst trip there ever was.

The Summer travel decree kicked off last week with a 3 day trip to Dallas.

And what a trip from Hell (to Hell?) it was.

First of all, let me be honest. I really didn't want to go to Texas. My attitude was no where near as positive as it usually is. (I chalk that up to exhaustion.) I really was trying hard to be my own personal cheerleader and bring the spirits up.

(FYI, a little Gin really helps with that.)

However, right from the start, it was like the travel gods were against me.

1. Let me set the stage for you. First of all, the weather in the Bay Area was perfect as I left. Perfect "don't leave me" weather. My flight wasn't so early, so I had the morning to prepare---which never happens. Everything was working perfectly.

We get to NM and all hell breaks loose. Apparently there is a storm a brewing in Dallas. Said storm makes it very difficult for planes to land, so what should have been a 30 minute layover in ABQ turns out to be a 3 hour runway adventure. Sure they let us off and on the plane, but for real, it sucked.The flight attendants were grumpy, the passengers were grumpy. The only thing that wasn't grumpy was the old man sitting next to me who I'm pretty sure was on Xanax or some other Benzodiazepines.

After we finally take off, the flight is bumpy, but no worries, we're on our way. The bathrooms stop working halfway through the flight, but whatever---it shouldn't take that long anyways.

Then we land at Love. Turns out, we can't get off the plane because of lighting. Sure, I'm all about safety first, but after an hour of staring at the airport through a tiny airplane window and having no place to pee, I had hit my limit.

A plane trip that should have taken 4 hours took a total of 10.

(As a sidenote, I made a list of things I could have done in 10 hours, this included: Flying to Asia or Europe. Flying RT to NYC or to Seattle 5 times. I could have done 10 kickboxing or yoga classes, Watched almost an entire season of Friends or just about 5 movies.)

2. If that wasn't enough, as I am driving to Denton, I nearly get killed by a semi-truck gone wild. It skided on the crazy wet roads and I just happened to swerve out in time. Thank the goodness.

3. My hotel gets hit by lightning. Literally. Crash Ka boom. The entire first floor is out of service because it fried the circuits and fire alarms. A man on his computer gets shocked. None of the registers work. People can't get checked in.

Oye. This is when I was convinced it was time to go home.

4. I finally get to Oakland. The plane has landed and it feels like all is once again right in the world. All I want to do is get home and sleep. Doesn't sound so hard right?

Wrong.

The Travel Gods throw me an eleventh hour curve ball. I'm on the shuttle (just me and the driver) going to pick up my car. Out of the blue, a man in a white van pulls up, rolls down his window and starts yelling at my driver that he cut him off. They get into a yelling match and I sort of duck in the back of the van, because really, this is Oakland and getting shot at wouldn't be such a surprise.

There just so happens to be a cop car right behind us who proceeds to pull us over and yell through his little cop car loudspeaker.

So I'm sitting on the side of the road, getting questioned by a police officer (who, just to note, was hott.) All I can tell the man is: "I didn't see anything. I want to goooooo home."

He probably could have had me committed.
 
I finally get to my car----look up at the heavens and say...."Really?!"

For being the worst trip I've had in a long time,  thankfully, the tears were kept at bay. Dallas-ageddon 2012 did bring on some good laughs. Which is apparently something I really, really needed.  

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion.  I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." ~Kurt Vonnegut

My, Oh My.

It's been exactly a month since my last post. I can't believe it. I was doing so well. I guess the end of the semester, final papers, last minute University visits and burnout got the best of me. Sue me. I've been off the road for almost 2 weeks now, and let me tell you. Fab-U-Lous. There's something so amazing about sleeping in my own bed, making all (or at least most) of my meals and getting to have an at home social life again. I spent the last few weeks finishing up my classes. I can't believe I'm done with a year of Grad School. Time seriously flew by. I haven't had the time to write a lot about school, but let me tell you... I LOVE my program. It is by far the best decision I have made in a long time. The classes I took this past year have changed me as a person, have opened my eyes to the many injustices and struggles we have in this world and have given me the strength and awareness to start real change. My classmates are wonderful people who I know are going out and doing amazing things. They have not only challenged me, but inspired me. It's nice having a place where you feel so at ease and comfortable, that it doesn't feel like work or school, but home. I highly recommend this school thing. It's nice to use my brain in an academic way again.

Living in the Now. The Here. The This.

So, I’m trying to turn a new leaf here. New week, new attitude. New Zen.

Or something like that.

Recently, I’ve been reading a bit about the Trappist Monk Thomas Merton.

First of all, I had no idea what a Trappist Monk was, but according to Wikipedia (the search engine of my generation) they are an order of the Roman Catholic Church that began in Normandy, France. These Monks take on three vows: Obedience, Fidelity and Stability. They also believe in silence, but don’t take vows of silence. Apparently they only speak when necessary and do not like to partake in idle conversation (su-weet).

Anyways, Thomas Merton wrote a lot (what else do Monks do in all that silence?). He focused on the relationship with yourself, with God, with other people and with nature. He basically believed that if one of these was out of sync, all of them were.

And it’s probably true.

One of his main theories that I’ve fallen in love with is this idea of “NOW-HERE-THIS”

Now=Time
Here=This Place
This=Whatever you are doing at that very moment.

Merton believed that if you were able to achieve a consciousness of Now.Here.This. you’d be living your life to the fullest.

I think it is so easy to live life waiting for the next moment that we really do miss the Now. I’m always hoping for May to come, waiting for Christmas, counting down till whatever milestone I have in front of me.

This semester alone, I’ve spent every week waiting for the next. Planning travel so far down the line that I hardly know where I am at any given moment. Last Wednesday a colleague of mine asked me where I was on Monday and no joke, it took me a half hour to remember where I had been.

(And I highly doubt it was early onset of Alzheimer’s).

I rarely take the time to breath in the moment I am living. To fully take it in and realize that this specific time will never, ever be mine again.

We’re all trying to find our place in the world---looking for the next best thing, but I’ve got to remember to live in the present and cherish what I’ve been given.

One of my favorites, Susan Blackwell wrote: “You are where you are right now. You cannot change that. Whatever you did 10 minutes ago and what you will do in 10 years is not right now. You’re wasting precious time, as you will never get this second back. We have such a limited time on this earth, with whatever you are surrounded by: don’t worry this all away. The universe put you in this place for a reason. Make the best of this minute, this second, right here, doing whatever it is you’re doing. Please.”

How the movie "Twister" saved my life. (And other rainy day musings)

When it comes down to it, everything I know about tornadoes, I learned from "Twister." When I was a kid I loved that movie. I could probably recite most of Helen Hunt's lines. I totally thought I wanted to be a storm chaser when I grew up.

Of course, I was a West Coast kid and really had no idea what severe weather was like. Sure, we had a lot of rain. Snow storms every once in awhile.

But hide in your basement waiting out a tornado warning. No way. We didn't even have a basement or any other sort of storm safe space.

Regardless of my countless viewings of "Twister," I'll be honest, I have no idea what to really do in a tornado. My storm survival skills are probably just as on par as my cooking skills (note, I haven't used my oven in over a year).

However, Week 12 brought with it a whirlwind (pun intended) of fun (sarcasm at its finest) and storm-sanity.

My first ever real tornado emergency.

I get it. This is all normal for most of America (You people are crazy) however, for this mild weather baby, these shit storms are f*ing insane. And down right scary.

I was driving down the road, doing my thing, trying to make it to my meeting when the sky literally turned black, hail and rain hammered into my car and visibility was quickly declining.

Now I've seen enough horror movies to know this could quite possibly mean the Apocalypse or the second coming of a Demon child.

So I did the only thing I could think of.

I kept driving.

I figured I would observe native Texans in their natural habitat and see how they responded to such conditions.

I quickly learned that there are 1 of 2 things that should be done. A) Exit the Freeway or B) Park under an overpass.

Completely freak out (which was my own coping method) was clearly not the correct choice. So I decided to follow suit.

By that time, all the overpasses were taken, so I ended up following a long line of cars to a random exit, and into a random mall parking structure. I still don't understand how that was safer, but they were all going there (maybe they were all visitors like me, who knows). Everyone just sort of waited it out.

Turns out, I ended up being just about a mile away from the Arlington tornado. Pretty darn crazy. Some of the footage of the Dallas area is intense. Flying semi trucks! All in all there were between 10-13 tornadoes that day alone.

As I was a tornado virgin, I did at least learn a few things. Such as:

1. If there is a mass exodus of vehicles off the road, chances are you should be following them. "Waiting it out" while still driving is not waiting it out. It's just plain stupid.

2. In the event of severe weather. Always. Always unplug your ipod and listen to the radio. Regardless of the fact that you can't stop singing along to Kelly Clarkson.

3. Very large hail is an indicator of a very bad storm. It is highly suggested that you do not try to videotape it with your phone.

4. Duck and cover is a transferable skill (useful in Earthquakes and apparently tornadoes).

5. One should try to be familiar with the Local Counties, as this is the main identification used in all the radio warnings. In the middle of a tornado is not the time to be google mapping your location.

6. If you find yourself in the midst of a tornado, it's okay to scream your head off. No one will judge.

When this Old World....

Week 11 is finished.

Holy Shit.

11 Weeks.

This semester alone, I’ve spent almost 40 nights in a hotel room. (Shout out to all my HIX, HI, CW home away from home hommies.)

I’ve wasted time in 20 different airports----many of them multiple times. (Gotta say Midway and Austin have the best food. San Diego is the worst for food options and electrical outlets---get with the program SD.)

I’ve eaten out for just about 120 meals . (Good Grief. That’s disgusting)

And I’ve still got 3 more weeks to go. (Oye and Wahoo!)

Trust me. In the grand scheme of things, I’m almost done.

However, this is totally one of those weeks where I’m on the verge of some sort of cosmic burnout screaming, “Take me out Coach. Take. Me. Out”

This time of year, these burnouts are normal. They tend to involve gnashing of teeth, blood, violence, etc. etc. etc. I’m practically a walking MMA fighter.

I wouldn’t say it’s just the travel, but the world right now is really weird. The Trayvon Martin story is horrifying me. I’m reading a book by Paul Farmer called, “Pathologies of Power” (everyone should read it) that is haunting me. I’m exhausted all the time and so incredibly ready to be in my bed. At my house. For more then two nights a week.

Is wanting to shut the world away and only catch up on episodes of Grey’s Anatomy or Dance Moms such a bad thing?

Just a note, I always feel incredibly lucky to be doing what I do for a living. Do I get frustrated? All the time. Do I get tired of it? Oh yeah. Do I realize how incredibly awesome and sort of insane my job is? You betcha.

For such a time as this, when everything in me wants to quit the this thing called ‘my life’ I often remind myself of funny moments I’ve had on the road.

For example. The time I got taken off of an airplane in Alaska because they thought I was caring concealed weapons.(I blame Sarah Palin)

Or the time Friend AM and I literally had to flag down a boat with red t-shirts in order to visit a summer camp across a massive lake. And the time we accidentally took a road that led to nowhere because the GPS told us it was a real road (I totally understand all those people who end up in lakes)

Or the time Friend D and I evacuated SB because of wild fires.

Or the time Friends A,J, J2 and I took a taxi to Kansas. Simply because none of us had ever been there.

Or the time I went to Oscar After Parties in Hollywood.

Or the time I hit the pole (twice) and the rear view mirror of my rental car broke in half, but I totally figured out how to snap it back together (girl’s got skills). The Company didn't even notice when I returned it.

Or the time Friends A-Z and I went to Disneyland and rode rides and ate caramel apples and laughed all day long.

Or the time Friend K, A and I ran across bridges in Vancouver. Illegally.

Or the time Friend R and I went to Drag Queen Bingo.

Or the time we all stayed up late, eating, drinking and being merry in a KC diner, in an Los Angeles restaurant, at the Santa Monica pier, in a San Diego wine bar, in a Washington coffee house...

You get the picture.

Sometimes you just need a good memory and a sweet melody to calm you down (a nice, tall glass of red wine doesn’t hurt either).

Tonight’s selection is from The Drifters-“Up on the Roof”

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space

On the roof, the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so…

****Side note: I don’t actually have roof access. If someone out there does and would let me borrow it for an hour or two, I’d be eternally grateful. ****

Only Small Actors....

Today we celebrate "World Theater Day"

Up until a Tony Awards facebook post, I had no idea. (See, social media does have a purpose. How would we know about such important days without it?!)

In case you didn't already know, I’m a bit of a Musical Theater junkie.

I’m not really sure why. I don’t sing (well). I’m not a dramatic actor (my parents may object) I tried ballet for a few years, but traded in my slippers for a baseball mitt (which in return I traded in for a set of ice skates).

However, throw me in the audience of a theater and I’m one happy kid. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that for 2.5 hours, the world literally is put on hold while the lights are dim. It could be that most shows are fun, they illicit emotion of all kinds. In one matinee, you could be laughing, crying, seeing injustice, all while tap dancing. It could be that, unlike TV, the actors are right there, in the same room, performing a show that they only get one change (at least a night) to get right.

It's so much more risky then whatever comes out of a box.

In honor of World Theater Day, I figured I better post a little theater love with these three things:

1)Own up to my borderline obsession
2)Reveal Why This Blog is Named "Thoroughly Modern Michelle"
3)Give a Letterman like Shoutout to Some of My Favorite Theater Going Experiences.

This year alone, I’ve seen 3 or 4 shows already (Wild Bride, Mamma Mia, Bring It On, Million Dollar Quartet). I’ve got another 7 or 8 (American Idiot, Book of Mormon, Emotional Creature, Newsies, Evita, End of the Rainbow, Once, A Desert City, Les Mis, Scottsborro Boys, Porgy and Bess…) planned before the end of the summer (Probably more).

I'm not even very sure where this mini obsession came from.

The very first *“real” Broadway show I ever saw was The Phantom of the Opera.
(*Real is defined as “actually on the Great White Way…”)

Cliché. Check.

However, I grew up listening to the soundtrack. My mom loved to play it on tape…and eventually CD. Andrew Lloyd Webber was probably the only theater composer I could name until I was in my 20s.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to see a few of my favorite shows and actors. I've gotten pretty creative with finding cheap tickets and using my status as a student---need any tips? Let me know.

As I was creating this blog, I really wanted to secretly pay homage to the theater, but I also wanted to make it applicable to me. Hense Thoroughly Modern Michelle is born.

For those of you who don't know, in 1967 Julie Andrew stared in a movie called, "Thoroughly Modern Millie". It later became a musical staring Sutton Foster. The whole premises and plot of the movie surrounds a young, fearless, ahead of her time woman who is determined really live her life. It's all about her experiencing the world in her own way and finding love when her time is right.

See. If the shoe fits... :)

With that, I bring you my top 10 Favorite Performances: (in no particular order)

1. Follies: Broadway Summer 2011
Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, and in “Follies” I saw this show during its previews and it was so beautiful. It was downright depressing, but that much star power on one state was pretty amazing. And I have loved Bernadette since the 1982 version of Annie. I was lucky enough to meet the entire cast afterward as well.

2. Anything Goes: Broadway Winter 2011
Sutton Foster and Joel Grey= Broadway Royalty
I saw Sutton Foster a few years ago in Seattle during the out of town run of “Young Frankenstein” I had no idea who she was, nor did I really care, but seeing her in this staring role was pretty phenomenal. If there ever was a triple threat, Sutton Foster would be it. She won the Tony for her role as Reno and totally deserved it.

3. Les Miserables: West End, London Spring 2008
This was the first time I had ever seen the show. On a whim, some friends and I got half price tickets right before curtain call. We were so close to the stage that the emotion was oozing. Friend M cried the entire time. No joke. I can't wait to see the show again.

4. Promises, Promises: Broadway Summer 2010
Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes
First of all, I'm a huge Cheno fan. Loved her in Pushing Daisies, Glee, GCB. One of my favorite performances is I've seen of her is the DVD of Candide. I could watch that over and over again. So when I found out she was back on Broadway, I totally had to go. Sean was hilarious, but I didn't think Kristin fit her roll all that well. Still, it was so cool to see her perform in person. I got to meet her at the end of the show as well. (She's so small, so Southern, but so sweet)
Best line of the entire show from Katie Finnary: “Do you like my coat?? It’s Owwweeel.”

5. War Horse, Broadway Winter 2011
I was incredibly skeptial of this before going in. Lifesize puppets? Creepy. However, from the time it started, I was totally involved in the show. I had front row seats and I could practically touch the actors (Peter Hermann---the hot hubby of Mariska Hargitay was one of them. Trust me, not touching was harder then you'd think) It was one of the most amazing pieces of theater I've ever had the privilege of seeing. The movie did not do those horses justice.

But I walked away, in tears (I rarely cry) absolutely loving it. Puppets and all.

6. Next To Normal, Broadway Winter 2010, San Francisco Spring 2011
Oh man. I saw this on Broadway with Marin Mazzie and her husband Jason Danieley. So good. I think it hit a chord with me because of how raw it was and how the topic of Mental Illness was acted out. The music was amazing and the smallness of the Booth theater made the show even more intense.

I saw it again in SF with Alice Ripley---who originated the role. She was so different from Marin. I actually preferred Marin's portrayal, but Alice Ripley brought the crazy (In a really, really good way).

7. Wicked, San Francisco Summer 2010 (twice).
Two different casts, One fun show. Wicked gets a bit of a bad rap amongst the Theater community. Sure, it isn't the most thoughtful night of theater. Sure, it's a bit silly. But that's what makes it so much fun. I loved the Wizard of Oz and really enjoyed seeing the supposed backstory. Come on, everyone knows a Glinda and everyone knows an Elfie. I swear, I played the soundtrack continuously for a month. Maybe two.

8. My Fair Lady, Indianapolis Spring 2008 (I think).
I didn't necessarily love the touring show, but the British actress who played Eliza, Lisa O'Hare, was such a standout that I'd love to see her on stage again.

9. Rent, San Diego Fall 2010.
What a show. I saw the movie and didn't really like it, but I'm glad I saw it live. There's something that happens in a theater when certain subjects are brought up. I love that moment after something tragic happens and you feel like the air in the entire theater has been sucked out. Rent offers that more then once.

10. Annie Get Your Gun, Broadway Summer 2001
This is the second show I saw on Broadway. I was in the very last row, sitting next to a really nice Irish family who offered me Irish Toffee. (I totally took it and it was really good) This musical was just so fun. I had a really good time---and side note: Nick Jonas of the the JoBro fame was playing one of the little kids. Still have that playbill to prove it.

Honorable Mention: Sister Act. The Lion King. Phantom in London.

So Close. Sort Of.

I'm a mere 4 weeks from work travel season being over. A month may still seem long, but after 10 weeks away this semester alone, another 4 isn't so bad (clearly trying to convince myself).

However, this time of year a few things happen:

1. My body starts to feel incredibly crummy. The eating out, the long airplane rides, the constant meshing to different hotel room beds has finally caught up with me. I feel like a blob 24/7.

2. I literally, constantly, all the time, forget what day it is. With the new territory, it's even worse, now I no longer know what time it is.

(And I'm always missing my favorite shows. I still don't understand Central Time).

3. Morning pep talks become more regular. It takes just a little bit more effort for me to get psyched for the day.

4.Constant Euphoria. Because the end is in sight.

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that this semester is coming to a close. It's been a great season, but I am Exhausted.

With a capital E.

At the end of every semester I gear up for a bit of a travel detox. End of the school year is always a bit more drastic and I think I'll take it a bit further.

I usually spend about 3-4 weeks physically detoxing. This includes:

1)Working out like mad (morning run, evening strength training)

2)Eating mostly raw, fresh food.I always start with a 3 day liquid slim down, then fill my body with salads, fruit and healthy proteins/grains for the next couple of weeks. Limited eating out and little to no alcohol(I don't know, this may not be all that healthy. But it makes me feel so much better).

I won't lie though, it totally takes me a bit longer to ween off sugar. J'adore Sugar and I cheat every once in awhile.

Essentially, I become a monster for about a week, but after that, I'm good as gold.

This summer, I'm also trying to be more conscious of not only how I treat my body, but how I treat my finances, my relationships and my environment.

Color me a hippie.

You know you belong to the land…and The Land We Belong to is Grand…

“O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A…..Oklahoma. OK.”

7 days now. 7 days that song has been stuck in my head. 7.

Week 8 brought on a new state for me (something that is oddly enough, a bit of a rarity these days).

Oklahoma. Land of Wheat, Chic-Fila, Kristin Chenoweth and the OKC Thunder (formally known as the Seattle Sonics…but whatever. People apologized to me for “stealing the team” when they heard I was from Seattle. Huh.)

For some reason, I have always wanted to go to Oklahoma. People didn’t understand why. I didn’t understand why. Just out of curiosity I guess.

However, I must say, I really liked it there. You know how when you visit a flyover state, a lot of times this conversation comes up:

P1:“Oh, I went to__________________ last week.”
P2:“How was it?”
P1:“Well, it was pretty boring, not much to do, but the people were AMAZING. So friendly. Nicest people I’ve ever met.”

It’s usually an accurate statement, but in a way, it is almost like we use the “People were great” method to not only be a little bit nicer, but it also puts a positive spin on any less then par location.

Kind of like the “compliment/criticism sandwich”

Except, this time it was really true. I have never encountered a nicer group of upstanding citizens. There must be a nice vitamin being put into the water.

I met so many wonderful, random individuals. They were all so shocked that I was traveling alone (I tried not to tell them that it was a regular occurrence). They couldn’t believe I was living in California (apparently CA is considered a different planet). More often then not, they wanted to take a moment to pray for my safety (In the midst of God’s Country). I got invited to a Basketball game, frozen yogurt, to someone’s house. One lady, Friend D even asked me over to meet her single sons.

It’s a shame I was in such a time crunch.

As I drove from OKC to the University I was visiting, I realized that OK is actually quite beautiful. It’s incredibly flat. You can see for miles around, but the landscape, especially close to sunset is lovely.

I had dinner the first night at this place called “Pops” It’s apparently a well known establishment on Route 66. There were over 200 different kinds of sodas. Insane. There was even the country’s largest soda bottle. It was a whopping 60 feet tall.

(Gotta hook the tourists in somehow I guess….FYI Oklahoma: It totally worked).

While I spent most of my time in Stillwater, I did get the chance to stop at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial & Museum.

It was pretty amazing.

I was about 12 years old when the bombing happened and although I remember the news coverage and the stories on television, I don’t think I really understood what that moment meant.

The museum was so well done. It really helped me understand what the months and years after the bombing were like for OKC. They saved a lot of the rubble and items found within the rubble. Keys, shoes, glasses, purses. Things that even 17 years later have gone unclaimed. Things that were owned once by survivors and those killed in the attack.

Some of the most heartbreaking displays were the individual photos and belongings of the children that were killed. I don’t understand what kind of person can justify to himself that it is okay to purposely hurt innocent people.

Sick.

The outdoor memorial was beautiful. It was a park, with a reflection pool. To one side of the pool are 168 chairs for each of the people who died that day. There are tiny chairs for the children.

The place was so somber and peaceful. It is hard to believe that an event so tragic happened there.

The end of the week also brought me back to Texas. I got to visit one of my favorite Universities and that’s always a nice way to end a busy week.

The perfect Sunday

I haven't lived full-time in Washington for about 6 years, but I'm a Seattle girl at heart. I love the rain. People may judge me for making said statement. You know who you are (Californians), but I find the dreary weather calming.

(Disclaimer: As long as I'm inside. If I'm outside for some reason, I just wet and upset.)

Not only does the rain offer a free car wash, (silver lining stretch?) it also gives me a good reason to sit inside and participate in quiet, rainy day activities.

Like studying for school, catching up on work or just vegging on the couch. I decided that after a date with the gym, an afternoon at Starbucks was calling me. I love hanging out at my local coffee house, not only getting things done, but just people watching as well. With the heavy travel season upon me, it was nice to just sort of breathe for a second.

With my Latte in hand, I parked myself for the day (oddly enough, at the sbux on Park St.) A travel-less Sunday is a bit of a luxury in my world, so I try not to work too much, but there were a few things job wise that I really wanted to get done before tomorrow. I also just started the second semester of grad school yesterday, so my main goal was to get a bit of reading done.

I am so excited for this semester. I'm taking two classes again: Immigration and Forced Displacement and Multiculturalism in a Global World.

Quite the mouthful.

Heartspots #2: Kyoto Japan

I know I'm going a little crazy with the posts today. I'm not going to lie. This one was already written, canned and ready to go. However, I felt like it was appropriate today because March 11th marks the 1 year anniversary of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

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A few years ago, I had the privilege of living in one of the most interesting and absurd countries I’ve ever been to.

Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun.

Home to Sushi, Harajuku Girls (real ones, not Gwen Stefani knock-offs) Ichiro, J-Pop and the Bullet Train.

Deciding to teach English in Japan was one of the most random and unplanned things I’ve ever done. I’d been pretty out of luck when it came to finding a job in International Education and was trying to figure out ways to get myself abroad again.

Right before Christmas in Dec. 2005, I had just finished reading the book “Memoirs of a Geisha”. The movie had just come out as well and after viewing it, I went home, googled (did we ‘google’ back then??) “Teaching in Japan,” found a company (Nova) and applied that night.

Turns out, three weeks later, Nova was going to be in the Seattle area conducting interviews.

Funny how things work out.

By May, I was living in Takarazuka, Japan (Home of the all Female review) teaching English 36 hours a week and spending as much time as I could travelling around the country.

One of my favorite places to visit was Kyoto. It was about a 2 hour train ride from where I was living and I would go up for a day or two each month. Such a history filled city, Kyoto fascinated me with its Temples, Geisha districts, festivals and traditions. I could spend countless hours roaming the city. It was also the place I felt the most like a White Celebrity. I had many photo requests whenever I was there. I got really good at modeling the peace sign.

There were always women walking around in Kimono. The air smelled like incense and baked goods. School children in uniforms were always making their way to and from the temples. I’m guessing to pray for exams and other teenage woes.

Every afternoon, shop owners would begin to clean the sidewalk outside of their stores, water would flow into the streets and I always remember slipping around in my flipflops.

There’s a saying in Kyoto that if one spots a Geisha, good luck will follow them. It sort of became a ongoing game of Where’s Waldo. We rarely spotted one, but there were a few times when my friends and I would be wandering down one of the small hidden streets and catch a glimpse of these beautifully made up women.

Kyoto had so many amazing places to visit: The Golden Pagoda, various other districts, but my favorite was just outside of the city. A temple called Fushimi Inari. I always went here if I just needed a moment of calm. It was a place that I could go to and clear my head, think, breath. The temple was surrounded by bright red Tori----Gateways that led through a forest. You could walk for what felt like miles.

Kyoto is one of those places that no matter how many times you visit, you never see everything. I even had the chance to Geisha-ize myself: