Salsa and such.

It's 7:03 a.m. and I have to leave for work in 10 minutes. But, I wanted to write about my Friday, as it was fantastic for several reasons. First, it was almost 80 degrees and sunny, which brightens anyone's mood. Second, I had the day off and I got to sleep in. Around 10 a.m. I met a Tajik man for coffee at Starbucks. I had to interview him for a class I'm taking. He talked all about Tajikistan, the issues it faces, the people there, the troubles in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries. If he said anything that stuck, it was, "When you hear of the trouble in the middle east, always remember that it's not religion, it's politics." He is disgusted by the way people are using Islam as an excuse to do harm. He became visible angry when the topic came up. The two hour conversation was enlightening, and it encouraged me to travel.

Last night we stumbled upon a Turkish dance party where I learned to salsa and we mingled with new people and new music. It was fantastic. Blaine was in town for one last hoorah before he ships out to Iraq. And we spent most of the day frisbee gofling.

Really, I don't know how it could have been a better day.

Now I'm off to the Deli and I will no doubt be paying for yesterday with homework today. But, that's alright. Sometimes all you need is a day off.

Robots.

This, too.

Example of Radical Evolution

This

is predicting

this.

Be happy.

I took this video while we waited for a train to take us back to Rome. I don't remember where we were, because we had only been in Italy for two weeks and I was still somewhat disoriented. But we had come from a festival of liberation.

I haven't looked at the videos or pictures from Italy for a long time. Tonight I did, and I remember that my life is full of amazing experiences, and all of them have changed me from the outside in and from the inside out. It's hard sometimes to remember the good things from yesterday and not allow how much you miss them to distract you from today's experiences. Being present is incredibly important and I'd like to get better at it. Things happen. You should be there for them, instead of stuck in the past or worried about the future.

Life is too short, and we are all entirely too fragile to be worried all the time. So, let's get happy. Put on your brightest colors, dance in the rain, sing out loud, kick up dust, eat weird, delicious food, hug your lovers, breathe in deep and be happy.