christmas in prague and other fairytales

on monday i fly to the czech republic. i'm excited. it's going to be freezing. but my three years of enduring maine winters have prepared me for the worst. well not really, considering the ENTIRE time i lived in maine i refused to acknowledge the frigid climes and therefore was never dressed appropriately. i had one measly excuse for a jacket and NO thermal anythings. so basically i'm screwed.
oh well.

so...i've been neglecting my blog lately. not because i don't have anything to write. problem is, i have too much to write and to release into some vortex and be done with. and i don't know where to start. the past month has been one of the hardest this year actually. coming to terms with the reality and the finality of situations. 2007 will be a year that is tattooed on my heart. it provided me the biggest tests but also the most amazing portals for growth. i don't know that i've done everything 'right' but i do know that i walked through every door that opened for me and peered out of many windows and took leaps of faith that necessitated being brave, being hopeful. there is something brave about being hopeful.

i'm really in awe of the friends that have rallied around me this year. each and every one of them has secured a place in my heart and i will always be grateful to them.

you know what else i'm grateful for?

the white lights that come out at christmas time
extra hot hazlenut steamers
care packages full of little luxuries
yoga (downward facing dog - that's for you MM)
pineapple. mango. persimmon. tropical fruit in general. actually, FRUIT in general.
my senses
music
cd compilations where there is not one track i feel the need to skip over
a room mate that makes me laugh constantly but also knows exactly how to cope with my tears
sweater dresses
lincoln park after dark opi nail polish
mugs
bowls
prayer
jen jack rabbit always
old movie theaters
wide open fields
trees in every season
sand box friendships that stick

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things you may not know about me (and once you know will not affect your life in any significant way whatsoever):

i like whittling wood. i used to have a whole set of tools to carve wood with. i don't know what happened to the set. but i want another one. i don't know what i'd carve. maybe spoons. i could then send each person in my life a spoon. to eat their oatmeal with. mmm. oatmeal. with raspberries and bananas and honey. can you tell i'm hungry?

i am a speed packer. i can pack a suitcase in about 10 mintues. and it will be neat and orderly. it's a skill i have.

i look kinda sketchy in my passport picture because i wasn't allowed to smile. non-smiling me looks kind of angry and intense. this doesn't help me at security checkpoints when i already have the odds stacked against me for the visa from pakistan, israel and the fact that i use a nz passport which is supposedly the most forged passport in the world.

there is a message on my voice mail that i've saved since july. i am not ready to delete it.

i love polaroid pictures for their immediacy and imperfections.

i re-use plastic containers just like my mum. something that i vowed i would never do.

my feet are most often cold. i will not tolerate socks in bed.