One Weekend in LA

Things one learns from a weekend in Los Angeles with three lifetime girlfriends:

• A baby owl is an owlet. A female donkey is a jenny.
  
• A healthy poo is a long, S-shaped one. And poo-ing twice or three times a day is good.
  
• Don't assume you know what color your girlfriend likes in a sweater. She might like (and look lovely in) the pink one!
  
• It's hard to find a cafe on Melrose that will allow you to use their bathroom.
  
• When using the bathroom at Ralphs, you don't need a "token" like the butcher says; you just need a quarter of a dollar! It saves you from queue-ing at the checkout for a "token" and delaying your relief.
  
• Singing together (sometimes in harmony) in the car to '80s and '90s hits is good for the soul. Very good.
• There's Pinkberry everywhere now!
  

Hello, New Year!

In 2007 I set foot in 20 airports. Just for kicks, I will list them for you: Mexico City Merida Cancun Havana Panama City Lima London Dubai Singapore Jakarta Denpasar Sydney Melbourne Adelaide Darwin Perth Taipei Los Angeles Burbank Columbus. Whew!

In 2007 I set out on new adventures, and boy, they were crazy. And that was kind of the point. I left the comfort of LA and friends. I saw and tasted new places. I started a relationship. I embarked on a Master's program. I moved to a new country. All of these. Scared. The. Crap. Out. Of. Me.

In 2007 I heard God say to me: "What are you so afraid of? I'm with you. I'm committed to you. Trust me." So, despite myself, I did.

In 2007 I reconnected with old friends. I found that I am not allergic to cats.

So all in all, it was a really fine year.

Twelve months = One year = 365 days = 525,600 minutes,... and so on. Thanks to a few people who felt the need to carve out time, we are now 5 days into the year 2008 AD (at least in this part of the world). I think of how arbitrary this is. Why do we need these markers of time?

Because the past needs to be in the past. We want to say: that is over and done with. Now, onto the next. Now, let's begin something new, something different, something better. I suppose we call this Hope. And I want to be full of it.

In 2008 I will be a hopeful person. I will meditate on and practice Hopefulness. Hard as it will be, I realize I can't be otherwise, for I am created to long for what is not yet seen. And I know that what is not yet seen is beautiful. Because God is with me and He can be trusted. He can make beauty out of ashes.

To 2008!!!