Somewhere in the past few years I've gotten old enough to realize that the shared experience always trumps the personal. Saying, "Remember that one time..." is always gonna generate more joy than saying "Man, you shoulda seen it...".


This new years eve occurred in conjunction with the first blue moon since our wedding and we did our best to get with our families, both real and chosen, and do some celebrating. We met up with the Berkeley contingent in Dillon Beach. We walked the beach at sunset and danced bizarrely enough in the beach house that I felt compelled to shutter the windows. From there, Tiffany, Stella and Troy headed to Atlanta to whoop it up with the professionals.
I hung back in Berkeley and rang in the new year with Austin, Tiff, Anjali and the dogs. [cheers to Austin the irrepressible] The long drive up the coast by myself (the dogs are faithful companions but poor conversationalists) put me in a melancholy mixture of homesickness and resolution-making.


Being in Corvallis with Tiffany and Stella feels like an adventure. Being here by myself feels a bit lonely. I'm definitely resolved to get the hell out of here before the next rainy season. So far the best plan I've come up with is to abduct all my friends, load 'em onto a bus and head for Guatemala. Clearly I've been living in the land of Ken Kesey too long. In two days, my parents, my cousin Sam, and my favorite-in-law Marintha arrive in Portland and are gonna hang out with us for a week. I can't wait.