Jetlagged

My jetlag is killing me! After spending 2 nights back-to-back sleeping on airplanes my body clock just can't adjust. I am sitting here again post-midnight with high hopes for hiking tomorrow and sleep will not grace me. It's 6:40pm back home and 12:40 here and despite some Lunesta and red wine, here I am. Restless. Watching Delphine sleep. Missing my loves back home. Listening to music that should be making me sleepy but instead are making me a lil homesick. When morning comes I will be so cozy in my heavenly bed and all I can hope is that I don't lose a vacation day snoozing through breakfast AGAIN.

So let me use my time wisely and reflect on Cape Town. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco. It's a beautiful coastal city surrounded by tall mountains and rolling hills that are scattered with (surprisingly) modern, contemporary homes and apartment buildings. Delphine, my Frenchie, pronounces mountain "Mon-TAYN" and I love it, so from here on in it shall be called Table Mon-tain. Table Mon-tain is magical. It rises from the sea and is said to be covered by a 'tablecloth' of fog a lot of the time, though I have been blessed with perfect skies and 80/85 degree weather despite it being fall, so I haven't seen the fog at all.

The city feels very new. The architecture is very modern and sleek. The bars and lounges are hip and funky. The streets look pretty new and there is wi-fi all over. Unfortunately I do feel racial tension still. Or perhaps I am just more used to people being more friendly? That's possible. The fact is most of the people on foot are black and the people in the nice cars are white. I smile at everyone and the smiles are not usually returned. People don't seem very happy in general. I can't blame them. Every day I learn more about apartheid and can't believe that it was so recent that the blacks were moved out of the city and that the whites had that kind of power. I think I'd be pissed and untrusting as well. Some of this happened in my lifetime, and now here I am vacationing here. There is something uncomfortable in that for me.

But I do feel good about being a tourist here as I know I am helping the economy and I'm glad the World Cup will be doing the same.

We should never feel ungrateful. We have had it so easy.

World Cup in 46 Days?

Cape Town welcomes the World Cup in 46 days and I am very afraid for them. The stadium itself is complete and gorgeous, but the surrounding grounds are no where near being done. Or started really. I can't help but wonder how this city is going to handle the oncoming foot traffic and mania. In general I've found the city very hard to navigate by foot. I've almost been run down more times than I can count due to the lack of sidewalks or pedestrian-friendly areas. Here are some of the photos of the area right outside the stadium, where they expect to host thousands of people in less than 2 months.






Go Cape Town, Go!!!

1 Day in London

After flying an 8 hour redeye to London I met up with my Parisian friend, Delphine, who took me on a one-day tour of London. She lived there 7 years and is back in Paris now, so I got a great condensed version which was perfect! My flew out together to S Africa that night. Here are some cool shots I got from the quick pitstop.

Bon Voyage!

Leaving Tampa April 21, 2010. One way ticket to paradise.

I forgot to post these and wanted to share... My new tattoo!

Sadie and Rusty's New Home

The pets are happy! Check out the view from their bed...




And our last day journey on the lake...

Speaking of Playlists....

My friends rock! Michelle somehow pulled off an incredible gift for me, collecting over 7 hours of music, 'My Big Fat African Playlist.' So thoughtful! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.



Thanks lovebugs!

What a Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

What a week! Sunday Kevin and I hired a Mexican and emptied (most of) my apartment into a U-Haul and I left the building. AND the city. It was a rough day and I found myself at U-Haul watching them connect an 8x5 trailer to my soft-top Jeep Wrangler and found myself for the first time during all of this in total fear. I couldn't block out the voice in my head repeating, "Blood bath. Death trap." And here it is...





That said, once I started moving and got my confidence up I forgot this giant box was trailing me. It was easier than I expected and generally a pretty perfect drive down to Florida. I got out of NY late Sunday and vowed not to drive at night so stayed in S Jersey the first night, then Richmond VA and somewhere in Shit Carolina the nights after. The pets were amazing and seemed to love the adventure as much as I did.

My horribly un-PC note is about Shit Carolina. Granted, I was really tired when I got there so I was cranky and judgemental. But when I ran into 2 cars of ghetto-ass guys in the middle of nowhere at a gas station off the highway (which only once I arrived I noticed was across the street from a skanky strip club and scary motel) I was uncomfortable and pissed at Shit Carolina for serving this crap up to me. Then I drove like the devil as far as I could before dark and got a cheap motel, which was fine except there was only a Wendy's at a 'restaurant' having steak night. At this point my chest was tight and my back was sore and I wanted to chill out, have dinner, and have a strong drink. So I went to the steak night. I ordered one of the only things non-meat on the menu - catfish. "Ma'am, we are all AOUT of catfish darlin', saaarry." Then I ordered the salmon. All of out that too. She recommended the cod, I took it, it was clearly frozen for 10 years and more fried than freeze-dried fish. Plus french fries. A perfectly disgusting plate of brown food. AND... they didn't serve alcohol. Pissed as hell I went next door to Wendy's where I asked for a grilled cheese - basically a burger with no meat. The whole staff made fun of me and mocked me and I hated them, so I ordered a Frosty and only ate that. Then I went to my motel and opened a $70 bottle of wine that I was saving. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The following day I met the rents at Jekyll Island in S Georgia. Cute little hotel right on the beach. I brought Sadie out to see the ocean for the first time - yayy! Here's what she did...





(first step into the ocean, she peed. first dead horseshoe crab she found, she violently rubbed against it. classy girl)

From there I drove to my parent's house in N Florida, which is so quiet and surrounded by beautiful gardens, overlooking a lake. Unpacking and reorganizing is a bitch but not having to conform to a schedule or be anywhere makes it more than bearable. I've been dying for exercise and went 10 miles away to a state park today to hike where I discovered miles and miles of Jeep off-road trails. With the top down, the sunshine on my shoulders and my music cranked up I took on the trails and beat the shit out of them. My Jeep was tilted to the side at 45 degrees and bouncing over bumps that threw everything in the Jeep up a foot and it was the best feeling I've had in months. I went on to hike for an hour and then go back to my parents, where we hopped on the pontoon boat and boated to a bar and back. Today was a good day!!

'Other Side of the World' Playlist

For literally months I've been keeping a log of all the songs that have been inspiring and meaningful during this decision-making process and played it on and off during my drive down to Florida. For keeps sake, a snapshot...

I < NY = humbled

I am moving tomorrow. I am leaving NYC behind. As I sit here in my apartment that is so cozy and feels like HOME to me I'm not really seeing that sink in. I think I should be crying my eyes out and calling everyone I love and telling them so over and over. I am aware of the strength of my defenses more than I am able to feel the pain of the preface to this transition. I think it may be because, in my mind, I have been swallowing this a piece at a time and although I am full following each course, I know the dessert is worth waiting for.

Today Tangent was my rock and my hero. He helped tackle the stuff that was left that I was avoiding as long as I could. He and I had a superstar couple of hours of packing up the Jeep and completing Mission Post Office Hudson. It was hard work but we stayed strong and kicked ass!

Tonight I'm sitting here on my stained couch watching my hot flat-screen tv that's sitting on a random table chair. To my left is a 8ft x 5ft box - marked with green hoop tape on the floor - that I've started piling my numbered boxes in. I still have shit all over but I'm pretty sure my organization skills are above average and I'm really not afraid to say so.

My pets are acting intimidated with a side of sadness and shame. I have prepared their travel area and bags very well and am happy to have a comfy area scoped out so they feel pimped out. My little pimps.

So long, New York. You brought me up. You showed me how it is and challenged the shit out of me. I think I put up a good fight, and for the record... you not-even-once intimidated me. Let's make that clear. You were my playground and to some parts of me, my grave. You made me forget my real priorities and blinded me with the excitement of accumulation and materialism. But you also sat next to me on the subway in your religious garb eating the smelliest, nastiest shit I've ever seen. I love you for that.

My love goes out to this big city tonight. The lights that surround me. The dirty subways down the stairs. The people speaking other languages and celebrating holidays I've never heard of. The people who sit on a subway together... the businessmen, students, blue collar, white collar, homeless, dirty, perfectly dressed, stroller-carrying nannies, douchebags, blue shirt army lieutenants, artsy freaks, hip-hop groups, mariachi bands, high school kids, tourists, tourists, too many tourists, breakdancers, loud ugly couples fighting and sweet people who shoot you a sly smile.

Quite Possibly the Catalyst

I can't believe I'm about to admit this, but an Alanis Morissette song moved me to explore things I thought were a little out-of-reach. It turns out it was that needed gift that I connected with and GOT IT. Lyrics ...

Who
Who am I to be blue
Look at my family and fortune
Look at my friends and my house

Who
Who am I to feel deadend
Who am I to feel spent
Look at my health and my money

And where
Where do I go to feel good
Why do I still look outside me
When clearly I�ve seen it won�t work

Is it my calling to keep on when I�m unable
And is it my job to be selfless extraordinary
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer

And why
Why do I feel so ungrateful
Me who is far beyond survival
Me who see life as an oyster

Is it my calling to keep on when I�m unable
And is it my job to be selfless extraodinary
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer

And how
How dare I rest on my laurels
How dare I ignore an outstretched hand
How dare I ignore a third world country

Is it my calling to keep on when I�m unable
And is it my job to be selfless extraodinairy
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer

Who
Who am I to be woo