Fertile Crescent Full Moon Rising: May 2013

And a crack of thunder starts ‘the rest of the evening’. I knew something was up earlier this evening when I went out for a run and the wind had kicked up considerably.  Storm clouds were brewing on the horizon. Significant enough, without rain, that it kept me off the track.

Yep, the sky just parted and here we go… yippee!  The week has been hot. A preview of the typical Anatolian rolling hills summer. Rain was unexpected.  Just another ‘thing’ that I will think of from time to time when considering my time spent here and make me smile.

The rain backs off to let the sweet winds take the spotlight.  Like light kisses on my shoulders.  My hair is whisping in joyous freedom.

I’m on my lanai (balcony) looking out to the night sky.  I see a skyline of apartments to my NE and SE. Looks so beautiful.  I can tell I’m getting nostalgic. The day will soon arrive when I leave Gaziantep- perhaps for good.  Admittedly, I would like to briefly return in 10 years to see how much has been built up around Karatas & Gaziantep University neighborhoods as far out as Zirve. Antepia will be completely built up (luxury apartment concept living).

Everything shifts in a matter of weeks.  My little corner of the universe suddenly expands to points around the globe.  I’m set to be a drifter for 2+ months. I will be drifting from Hawaii to Oregon to Michigan to DC to NYC and finally back home to Maui to kiss it adieu one more time as I set off for greener pastures? Well, not exactly.  I will trot off into the sunset and end up on the other side of the world- yet again. Destination known: Bahrain- thought to be the ancient civilization of Dilmun, “The Place Where The Sun Rises”, where copper was traded throughout Mesopotamian civilizations. It is cited in The Epic of Gilgamish, which I have just recently read incidentially, on Sumerian cuneiform tablets.

As a side dish, I have 2 really interesting options for travel on Mainland Amerika this summer:

1.        Drive across the country from Oregon to the UP of Michigan in a semi-truck. 

2.       Fly across the country from Oregon to the UP of Michigan in a small, 2-seater plane.

I will see how #2 progress… Of course there is always the good, old-fashioned travel option to go via passenger airlines…

So here is how this Friday evening is progressing: Miss Corporal Punishment came over and we’re sitting out on the lanai figuring out the inner workings of the universe. She went out to procure some cigarettes from Miss Major Pain, as well as harass Beat-Boy-B about where our cocktails are…I expect her mission will be successful.

Speaking of successful missions, we are Turkey Trotting tomorrow, a group of us intrepid Homo sapiens… We are off adventuring to Adıyaman and Nemrut Dağ, where legend has it that King Antiochus is buried.

Semi-successful mission: we’re drinking white wine instead, and whining!

The storm lasted about 10 minutes and now the moon is enshrouded in a veil of vaporous air. I think tomorrow will be a most excellent day. We have our own shuttle to shuttle us around while we eat, drink and be merry.

Turkey Trotting: Ankara

Glorious Saturday morning in bed with a coconut/pineapple face mask on. Freshly showered, loofah'd and glowing... awaiting... the next adventure...  I nixed the morning run, due to the previous evening's shenanigans...

To elaborate, it was the inner circle gathering up at my place: mood music, blue lights, books, maps, balcony viewing of the landscape, pupus ('appetizers' or 'nibbles' as we term it in Hawaiian Creole English), okolehau ('booze' as we commonly term it in Hawaiian Creole English), and conversation. At one point we started to do what we had originally set out to do- watch 'The Hunger Games', but couldn't push ourselves over our limits. So, we continued to talk and drink until everyone departed.
As I was cleaning up the aftermath, 2 more (fashionably late) party-goers stopped in...

So that explains my slow morning.  Even the coffee wasn't taking its usual course.  At any rate, I'm prepared.  This weekend I'm off to Ankara- Turkey's capital city.  A mixture of business/pleasure. Now, Ankara isn't usually one of the 'great' cities people talk about, but it does have its redeeming qualities... you can buy (over-priced) pork there; you can (buy an over-priced) drink in beautiful people-watching cafes there; you can take yoga classes there; you can shop-till-you-drop there, etc.

*Baconfest 2013*
detailed details to soon follow...

As I am running late today, I'm multi-tasking: throwing together a day bag (for 4 days); refreshing all my podcasts & music in Ipod; charging iPad and iPhone (I know, 'branding; to the max). Because a Hawaii denizen is always thinking about the beach, wherever they are no matter how land-locked of a situation they are in, I always have to think about a bikini to accompany me- you know, just in case...

The weather looks like it is going to hold-out (not too hot, and not too cold but just right) so this is a good thing.  I'm surprised it's not blazing hot here in G-tep this morning.  Again, this 'spring fever' concept fascinated me- most especially how the weather plays ping-pong.

I have lots to divulge, but that is going to have to occur at a later date as I need to scrub off this pineapple/coconut plaster face mask that seems to be petrifying onto my skin... I might add, though, that it is organic and you can actually eat it... I know, weird right? I also have an organic chocolate lip mask/scrub that one can eat off if one so chooses... I have all the shits and giggles here at my apartment...

So, I bid you all adieu now and will scurry off to get it together and pull off this 'escape from Gaziantep' long weekend. 

Foul Weather/Foul Politricks... what's in store for the day?

Another severely overcast day, another extremely relaxing morning lounging in bed with coffee.  Yesterday played out like a yo-yo: up/down/up/down. period. My evening run brought sole solace to me. Of course, the Gaziantep University track team never disappoints... One of the guys came up to me post-run and asked me if I could teach them some yoga.  I'm happy to oblige.

What always keeps me on my toes on the track is tracking the futbol(s) as the soccer teams are always practicing as well. It's like rush-hour with balls coming from all angles.  One day I will get pegged for sure.  I assume I'll be in good hands at that point...

So you all can catch yourselves up with relevant news in my region with this, and then return here:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/41227/43-killed-in-car-bomb-blasts-near-the-turkey-s-border-with-syria

Now, I'm at least 3 hours away from this, but there is residue.  It is a very delicate situation, this situation.  The PM and his cohorts initially didn't want to point fingers at any one group, and even went so far as to explain that this could be due to the PKK peace process currently in effect where PKK members are exiting SE Turkey and going into Iraqi Kurdistan (this was a result from talks between Erdoğan and Ocalan in the past few months). Of course, there are some peeps that don't want this to go so smoothly, but considering this happened in Hatay Province (where the majority of Syrian refugees are), it seems to sway to "this" agenda.  Was it Assad? Was it Turkey? Was it the US thugs and their thugs (Israel, etc)? Let's be real- all governments are thugs in most respects.Was it a concentrated effort from many "sides"?

I don't know what to believe anymore. But this is also an interesting article to, perhaps, help shed some light...

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139373/efraim-halevy/israels-man-in-damascus?cid=soc-twitter-in-snapshots-israels_man_in_damascus-051015

Anyway, things will reveal themselves in time- as they always do. And we will still not know exactly what we are being fed by the media, etc. I have my ideas.  I also have my cravings, and last night I was craving Syrian food from my favorite new restaurant in town.  After some deliberation though, I decided not to go as I just didn't want to get 'involved' in 'anything'- and this is being awfully vague I realize, but you would understand if you are 'boots on the ground' here. This was a sucky decision and I'm not proud of it, but I have to accept this. I have my reasons, and I have my distant memories of another time and place and situation... I think you all know I was in the wrong place at the wrong time once before...

So, I made a grilled cheese sandwich instead.  And continued to keep up with the Twitterverse news updates... Fortunately Solo_ojo came over to break me away from my laptop.  Rum and cokes galore.  It turned out to be a rather melancholy Saturday evening, but honestly many of them are... Anyway, it got me thinking about timing.  It is probably a good time to be wrapping things up here in Gaziantep.

Three cups of coffee later and I am ready to slowly greet the morning.  I'm still not ready to jump outta bed and go for a run.  Perhaps I'll wait for the frisbee crew. Perhaps it will rain again. It certainly looks threatening.   Should I do some laundry? Yes, I should. Should I clean my apartment? Yes, I should. Should I start packing up stuff? Yes, I should. Should I drink more coffee? No, I shouldn't. Should I procrastinate longer? Maybe I should...

Spring Fling

Saturday morning in bed pondering readjusting myself to get up and brew some coffee.  Yikes, no milk... Ugh. Trek downstairs to buy some (means getting dressed), or pop over to PsychoWard's next door to borrow some (means getting semi-dressed).  Option B it is... Shit, PsychoWard's not up yet... Time to be a tough cookie and take my coffee black...

Yea! BeatBoy Brandon saves the morning and actually answers his door at 8:30 AM on a Saturday and accommodates me with da cream.  Happy coffee-girl now.  So I continue on with my thought process while the Guatemala Antiga (coffee bean for you neophytes out there) is brewing:

I must start off with a current weather report here in Gaziantep:  It is kinda 'brisk' this morning- in comparison with the last week's anyway.  Yesterday late afternoon this 'Killer Hail From Heaven' rained down on us here in G-tep.  It was like nothing I have ever seen before.  I had just finished my run and was gracing Solo_ojo's presence when it 'happened.' The day was threatening rain all day- storm clouds on the horizon sitting low all day while at work and thunder/lightning show on the service bus back to Cell Block D...

For close to 10 minutes it hailed golf balls.  People were getting pegged. When I finally had the courage to leave Solo_ojo's (Cell Block B), I took with me a frying pan of his so I could safely arrive to Cell Block D.  I made it without much ado, but it was freaky.  I wonder if all those hot Gaziantep University track team dudes got stuck in the hailstorm... Speaking of, have I mentioned how AWESOME my runs have been lately... I'm all about inspiration...

Because of this atmospheric disturbance, the morning is 'chilly' by my standards. This means that I don't have to jump outta bed and run before it becomes extremely hot.  So I now have some time to chill out and let you guys in on a few secrets of mine as of late. I've been Plotting as you know. Plot A has surfaced, so Plot A it is. Where it is IS a different story though.  I still know not. But I'm prepared for across the planet. Due to this, Plan B is also still in effect standing ready- this is also an awesome option...

Ankara is on the agenda next weekend.  Time to catch up with The SunDevils as I affectionately call them (Reb and Stev-O).  I feel a weekend of debauchery coming up, BUT there is an even greater reason for my visit- SO the weekend can't be too debauchery-laden... I have an 8-page Health Verification Form that must be filled out by a US Embassy sponsored doctor- hence the visit to Ankara. Unfortunately the appointment has to wait until the following Tuesday so... 4-DAY weekend!!! Monday is a 1st round of tests that I have to pass (urinalysis and TB) before Tuesday's (everything else I assume) tests can occur. So, let the healthiness begin! I think there is even going to be a show-and-tell session at Bilkent University on Monday...

What I do know about my upcoming weekend is that BaconFest 2013 is going to occur! I also know that I'm going shopping. I also know that I'll be boozing a wee-bit. Sure to be in prime health form.  I also know that Wednesday is going to be rough... haha. Final Exams at the university... The place is going to be a dysfunctional, chaotic mess- and imma love every minute of it because it is my last here at this university. 

Truth be known, I'm already feeling nostalgic about leaving G-tep. As I trotted off to Solo_ojo's office yesterday to escape (as I always do)- regardless of if he's in his office or not- I realize that soon I will not be able to do this activity anymore.  Soon there will be no more 'fantasy email' moments in the PD Center.  Will I ever find another office-mate that likes to keep the shades down all day and lights off? (Solo_ojo affectionately coined me as the "Princess of Darkness". He always knows when I've sequestered myself away in his office as the shades are drawn and lights off). Soon there will be no more history discussions with Sensei-Says in his office. No more trips to the Psycho-Ward Chart Room. The Food Trough days are coming to a close too (not that I trot off to the Food Trough too much, but when I do, it's always a visual adventure). I will no longer be able to consult with Boracle. There are so many more of 'soon-no-mores' that I don't have time to share, but I chalk it all up to an unforgettable experience that is part of the path I'm on and I adore my path. 

Ah yes, must put that on the list of things to do- take my Turkish Buddy out to dinner this week.  She helped me through all the major obstacles there was to get used to.  She might not even know it, but she is BIG for me. I know great things are in store for us both! I hope she will keep a blog while she is in America this summer- a picture blog too!

Spring Fest 2013 was this past week on campus.  Tuesday was the most awesome day on campus for my entire 2-years here.  Here is the link for the pictures to give evidence why:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151434124023301.1073741825.595448300&type=1

A short break to talk about my coffee experience this morning- I've brewed up a rousing medium blend of Guatemala Antiga that delights the senses.  My fingers are typing faster than my brain accounts for- so, I won't be editing because I simply cannot be bothered.  I think you all know the routine by now. It's a loosely-weaved story of stories all rolled up into 1 blog posting.  So yes, this is how coffee helps me when I have no desire for boundaries concerning writing. When pouring the boiled water into the French Press, one must do so at a slow yet even pace.  There must be (air) bubbles- so the aroma can escape and titillate the senses in an ever OH-so-teasing way. So much as to make me drool in anticipation sometimes.  It MUST 'steep' for 5 minutes- in my book anyway.  This makes for an extended drool factor. The anticipation builds up and then, while you still have your wits about yourself and almost ready to burst, you busy yourself with another activity; preparing your coffee mug.  For me, this entails a little milk (I will miss Solo_ojo's cream concoction) and 1 packet of stolen brown sugar (L-Fezz I will carry on that tradition wherever I go). It's all about the coffee mug  you choose as well. I have a few in rotation; the adorable Bald Ibis mug I bought while visiting Mustafa in Biricik (near Halfeti); the requisite 'HAWAII' mug; the 'accept all religions' mug I bought during a Turkey Trot to Hatay.  Take note guest of my place- your rank/status can be determined simply by the coffee mug I offer you. Distinguished guests most commonly receive the 'HAWAII' mug, but external factors can influence this- and I have no control over these external factors...

Break over
So, it seems quite breezy out today as well.  The sun is not penetrating my double-layer of curtains (yea, I travel with my own set of colorful silk curtains for this specific purpose) so this is a good sign of the day to come- in terms of running at noon and not melting on the track.  The Petek Apartmentlari and Friends Ultimate Frisbee Team will be tossing at around noon today as well so... a healthy agenda for the day.  Other exciting tasks to accomplish today are; an eye exam with Robbelowski, and getting to the Vakif Bank ATM- woot woot. That about covers it... Tonight's mission? Not sure yet. 

Oh, Katie-girl, FYI I started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer again- from the beginning.  I'm 4 epi's into Season 1.  Very exciting news actually as I ADORE Buffy.  As the story goes, I was Benny-sitting on Thursday as the Turkish Princess was late in coming back from work so I decided I needed to school him in some old-school tele series. I think I hooked him on it. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't already been on Dizi-Mag and streamed some epis...

Well, that about covers it for today as far as my Cerebral Cortex and Cerebellum are concerned- in terms of working in tandem to produce some sort of cryptic text.  Coffee has kicked in. I'm happy. Time to have a KICK ASS day- and then tell you all about it tomorrow...

cheers,
HollyMissBerry

location, location, location...

It seems I've been scouting out potential locations for the past 6 months- either in cyberspace or through Turkey Trotting.  I've even gone so far as to google Erzurum this evening... Wouldn't that be something- Erzurum... For those of you in the know, you know what I'm talking about...

Today, as all weekend days are, was awesome. My morning run was hot and sweaty (why did I wait until 9 AM to go running?) Our Zirve Ultimate Frisbee Crew was on the field- competing for space with all the little league kids playing futbol. I managed 4 miles before I caved in to the demands from the sun that I either stop or pass out... The frisbee crew is getting larger and larger and, if we can ever get the field to ourselves, we can actually have a match... It's a constant adjustment of moving around and staying out of the way of the futbollers... They look at us with equal fascination. 

Due to the heat, I adjust my running attire accordingly- much to the amusement of the local population apparently. The little tykes are just adorable though and never miss an opportunity, each time I run a lap, to shyly shout out, "Kolay Gelsin", and crack a toothy smile at me.  Anyway, I love these mornings as I see the real slice of life here.

Currently my thoughts are being drowned out by incessant honking and the loudest firecrackers I have ever heard.  Galatasaray won their futbol match against Sivasspor so the city in my university neighborhood is going off the richtor.  All you can see is a  sea of yellow and red on the streets and flags flowing from the cars speeding by as they race up and down 'the strip' here.  I'll miss it actually...

As I view the 'show' from my top floor lanai (balcony), I see that traffic is at a standstill.  It's like a parade has shut down the flow of cars.  People are standing out of their cars and walking around. Amusing. It's only 10:30 PM so we'll see how much longer this remains *amusing* to me...

Back to the future.  I hope to know where I will be going within 2 weeks on the subject of future.  Plot B is still .. Izmir (in case Plot A turns out to be Pakistan I suppose). And just where exactly is the Democratic Republic of Congo? Sri Lanka you say? I say 'cool'- there is surf and yoga there... Honduras: great cup o coffee there as I recall... Mongolia? Yak butter will be all the rage for my diet. India: I love me some saris. Algeria? I fell in love with the Kasbah from watching the movie, "Algiers." Russia: not crazy about, but I can do anything for 10 months I suppose...

Okay, I hear cars getting crazy out there and lots of burning rubber.  Seriously, the car honking has been going steady for at least 20 minutes now.

On to more interesting news... it's wildflower season.  The southeast Anatolian Plains are filled with wildflowers- as far as the eye can see.  The Poppies are especially magical. The Blood Red hue is so amazing.  Oh, and the roses.  OMG the roses.  They are exploding everywhere in this city.  They are falling off their vines- heavy and saturated with smells that turn your world around.  All the hills are still green, but that will change this week as it's been a very hot week.  There are some trees, especially on the Gaziantep University campus, that are flowering with both white and a dusty-rose color.  The smell that is wafting from them is simply divine.  I get a whiff here and there while walking around.  I don't know what the tree variety is, but it reminds me of a delicate Mock Orange bush back in The Islands.

The Islands. The Sandwich Islands. Hawaii. My home awaits me for the summer. I dream of my Baldwin Beach sunset run. I dream of my Haiku Road morning run.  I dream about yoga- any time of the day. I dream of new bikinis. The dream is so close to reality now. I dream of picking purple Passion Fruit and having the juices run down my mouth. I dream of the waterfalls and pools to swim in. I dream of FOOD- wholesome, healthy (dare I say 'organic') food. I dream of full moon parties and sounds of the booming bass at sunrise after a night of wild, reckless abandon and dancing and frolicking with friends. I dream of getting down and earthy. I dream of getting sky high from the good life. Of course, I dream of leaving all that to and heading off to the next adventure where my dreams are new and different dreams...

11 PM and the noise outside is still at unmanageable levels- at least in terms of trying to sleep, or study, or lesson plan... So I continue to type this text. Let's see, what else can I amuse you guys with? Oh, well the trio of goddesses (the Turk, the Iranian-Azeri and the Hawaiian) trotted off to... Metro today to do some quality shopping.  Well, I speak for myself as I stocked up on such necessities as Rum, Tequilla and South African white wine... I can't forget the precious corn tortillas that I can ONLY find at Metro as well.  And the peanut butter (why is this so difficult to obtain here?) Hey, what a great idea- I can open up a bottle right now as a matter of fact.  I mean, I'm certainly not going to sleep anytime soon...

* sound of wine cork popping *  And that awkward moment when you realize you are trying to open up a screw-top cap with a corkscrew... Looks like it's a Chilean white wine tonight folks. Bonus: an unbroken wine glass remains with a beautiful fluted stem... *sips and sighs*

For all you readers out there, I just started a new book, "Rome on the Euphrates" by Freya Stark.  If you don't know the author, check her. She's considered the 'doyenne' of Middle East travel writers. Seriously, the picture on the back, she looks like the female version of Lawrence of Arabia. As far as I can tell from the 1st 50 pages, she concentrates on the major (war) campaigns in/around Asia Minor circa 200 BC;, but she focuses on the eastern limits of the Roman Empire- on the Euphrates River. It's a big, thick book...

I still have the taste of Cappadocia on me.  I really wanted that to work out, but alas another path was meant to be for me... I am beginning to feel like a tumbleweed that just keeps on the move. Sometimes the wind dies down and I stay put for a while, but then the wind zephyr always whips up again and blows me to all parts of 'the empire'.

It looks like the wind will blow me to Ankara in 2 weeks as I need to do a complete physical exam with a doctor that is okayed by the US Embassy... The form is 8 PAGES LONG.  I get the idea that the doctor is going to explore areas that I don't even explore... Rebecca and Steve prepare yourselves for my imminent arrival (code word for 'bring out the bacon and booze'). Have car we go holoholo all over da kine places. Also, let me know what you want me to bring from Gaziantep. So yes, this physical is the next step in 'the process'.  The process is exhausting. I'm up for the cause though.

It's like I'm in an amphitheater and the crowd is cheering the gladiators on. It is absolute chaos outside still.  If that's the case, I definitely see myself wearing a white linen long, flowing toga with gold embroidery on the bodice,  and I'm holding up a cup of wine because I pay homage, of course, to the mighty god Dionysus... I should have a bowl of fruit: grapes and figs. And nuts. And dried apricots.  There should be a handsome attendant at my beckoning too.  He should be scantily clothed... He would probably be from the outskirts of the Empire.  I would probably worship the moon goddess- which means many secret ceremonies and initiation rites.  I would, obviously, adore this.

Alright then, back to the present. I'm on my couch, in my favorite Hawaiian lava lava (sarong) getting a bit tipsy and wondering when I will sleep tonight and if this noise will ever die down...

Iron Man 3: Here is a short synopsis. It's decent.  It's entertaining.  RDJ rocks. Gwenyth Paltrow looks like a skinny raisin. Plot is entertaining. Jon Favreau (producer director and small part as "Happy") is AWESOME. Totally worth the money and risk of going to 'the mall' (Sanko Park). Yea, that's right, I still detest shopping malls. They just creep me out.

I'm done here-

running outta time in G-tep

A day off to catch up with my thoughts, and my plots... It's always good to have a day off in the middle of one's work week.  It feels like one is playing hookey, or being truant- not that I'd know anything about this sort of subversive activity.

As I was on an all-night bus ride Sunday evening, I was  completely exhausted at work on Monday morning.  I arrived at the otogar at around 3:30 AM and got back to my place at 4:00 AM. This meant 3 hours of sleep before getting up (*yawn*) and heading to work.  I was tired. I was sun burnt. I was recovering from an interesting weekend...

So last night was a wacky night. I awoke to a sunny morning (summer temperatures arrived while I was gone last weekend, apparently), yet I couldn't find the strength to get up and go on my morning run.  Instead I lazed around and had Solo_ojo over for loads of coffee.  Wardo Warden came over as well to entertain us.  Up on my deck, we all watched the world go by- unbeknownst to most all...

The plan was formulated: the dudes were going to play frisbee and I was going to go on a run.  We trotted off to Gaziantep University's futbol field and got to work.  Again, my runs have been so awesome lately.  Nothing can stop me at this point- not even the searing heat... After a little yoga session on the grass, we were ready to tackle some lunch. The Syrian Connection joined us as well as Robbelowsky at our favorite Karincayuvasi restaurant.

Somehow the rest of the day got away from me.  I know I went grocery shopping at some point. Oh, right- that reminds me: food... So, today was a strange day in terms of my gastronomic desires.  I desired loads of sugar. I can say that I bought cookies, chocolate and potato chips... Not sure the reason, but it seemed logical at the time.  I've had a mild stomach ache ever since, but decided that ultimately it was a decent thing to do... It reminded me of reading an interview once with Arnold Schwarzenegger (?) on his diet.  He said that 6 days a week he trained and watched his food intake, but 1 day every week he could eat whatever he wanted- even if it was a dozen donuts.  I decided that I liked that idea, so I try to loosely adhere to it I suppose.

Late afternoon some thunderhead clouds were forming on the northwestern horizon.  "Joy" I thought as I would have front row seats up on my deck for a wicked show.  It never arrived. I had already had my heart set on watching some movies (what a better thing to do on a soon-to-be-stormy day), so I closed the drapes to shield out the sun and abated myself sufficiently into thinking that it actually was a rainy day and proceeded to watch Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and season a of "Fast Forward" (unfortunately some of the epis of FF were downloaded with Spanish dubbing and Turkish subtitles so that was rather amusing).

It's 10:30 pm and the carriage is soon to turn back into a pumpkin and I will realize that I must work tomorrow. My stomach still hurts from all the strange food I shoveled in today, but I do have a smile on my face. 

So folks, this was my day. This is what occupied my brain today. I know- dull. But knowing that I had a dull day in SE Turkey just seems more exciting than having a dull day in Hawaii me thinks...

Oh yea, Plan A...Gotta love Plan A...

Lost in transition...

NOTE: I just found this in my drafts. I forgot to publish this one

Ever the sleuths here in G-tep, Solo_ojo and I headed to G-tep University campus after work today in search of the new quiver of cruiser bikes on campus that you can pick up/discard at your own will.  I noticed them last Saturday while running and on Sunday decided to spock it out after my run.  Yep, it works, and works well.

So we were walking throughout the entire campus and not one bike was to be seen- until the end of the journey... What happened? Did all the bikes get stolen since their debut last weekend? I did manage to see another one while I was on my run right after that. Of course, Solo_ojo wasn't there to see that it really was true...

We were also to spock out this new eatery, or at least new to us.  Rumor Mill has it that they serve "Philadelphia Cheese Steak doner durum... Well, we were skeptical surely.  Anyway, I bowed out as I wanted to go for a run, and had recently eaten another sub-par durum... Apparently they were decent as I hear from the coconut wireless....

Right now: well, I'm on my couch, my belly full (uhmmmmm da kine, rum/cokes... I'm listening to AC/DC Back in Black on repeat. Yep, repeat. Fun shit.

I'm doing a bit of research tonight as well- as I'm in the perfect state-of-mind being pleasantly lit. It's been a week of small successes.  I have big news in a few areas, but not ready to divulge to you yet... Just know that my life has been forward-future-facing since February 1st.  Anyway, I visualize the future as a story in National Geographic Magazine-I did say I was pleasantly lit, right?

I'm happy to report that my running and yoga practices are flourishing.  Feels so good- this thing coined  'spring fever'. It's like falling in love all over again- every time. Speaking of falling in love all over again, I just rediscovered my spring/summer wardrobe! All the fall/winter crap stored away already or at the dry cleaners to prepare for storage- long term storage- inshallah.

Yea, it's nice to open up my armoire and see COLOR! Oh and strappy sandals

AC/DC is seriously pumping through my veins right now.