New Habits

I've realized this week that I've picked up two new habits:

(1) I've started thinking about myself in the third person.

"Cheryl likes the bubbles that result from setting down the dishwashing soap." "Cheryl wonders why nobody in Provo knows directions." "Cheryl has picked up several irritating new habits."

This is a side effect of increased Facebook usage - the status updates are always written in the third person. The constant vigilance for an amusing update has resulted in a habit distressingly similar to the "royal we."

(2) I cannot set down a small object on a flat surface without deliberation.

Pens, my hands-free devices, lip gloss, anything smaller than a breadbox...they all have a tendency to be treated as toys by the small gremlin living in my house. These "toys" usually end up under the TV stand or a larger piece of furniture, not to be seen again for many months.

Away from home this week, I've experienced this phenomenon with my earrings, eye drops, and the room key. I start to set the item down, hesitate while considering the item's safety, then realize there are no gremlins here. I then set the item down with a mixture of relief and regret. I miss the gremlin.

Not So Bright, Myself

If you've read the previous post, you may find it amusing that I'm not the brightest bulb either. I left town for a week today and didn't bring my driver's license. Oh, I have my passport, so I could get on the plane, but no license, which makes renting a car rather difficult (read: impossible).

Fortunately, it's not a total disaster. My hotel is within walking distance of where I'm working this week, so the only hard part was getting to the hotel, which was an unfortunate $120. Ouch. A very dear friend is Fed Ex'ing the license so I'll have it in time for my bonus weekend at the national parks a few hours away. So really, it could be worse.

What's amazing is that I had so many opportunities to bring a license and still ended up here without. I actually have two licenses at the moment because I lost one, replaced it, and then recovered it. One of the licenses is sitting in a small pile of items from my last trip, the pile of items that was considered and rejected for the current trip. I supposedly had my other license, so why bring a duplicate?

The license that I thought was in my purse is actually in the back pocket of the jeans I wore Friday night. I came this close to bringing that pair, but ultimately pruned them from the suitcase because they were long and I expected to wear flats this week.

These are the kind of circumstances that will make a really good story someday if something happens that would only take place without having a car: I avoided an avalanche where I would have been hiking today, the cab driver later this week ends up being the man of my dreams or a long-long cousin, that sort of thing. I'm still watching for the hand of fate and will keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll be doing a lot of walking.

Right vs. Left

People in Provo, UT don't seem to be able to tell right from left. I've had to ask for directions three times today, and 100% of the people I've asked (only two people, but still!) have gotten right and left backward.

With the first girl, on the phone looking for the hotel, I thought it was just a curious mistake. "Turn right at the light and the hotel is on the left" should have been "Turn left at the light and the hotel is on the right." I shrugged it off. But then 20 minutes later, after checking in, I asked for directions to the elevator, and she got it wrong again, and then I knew something was up. For someone working at a hotel, where many guests are presumably unfamiliar with the area, this is a significant handicap. Later, at a restaurant, I asked someone else where the restroom was, and the right/left aspect of the directions were wrong again!

For fun, I'm going to start asking people directions to locations I already know, just to see what they say.

Treated Like Royalty

I recently took a trip to an Asian country for a wedding. I've met the groom a few times, but I was really going because I'm friends with his sister. She's been telling me about "home" for many years, and we've always tossed around the idea of me visiting. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, since there would be lots of wedding-related festivities and other out-of-towners, so I bought it ticket and took a week-plus off work.

My friend's brother is a politician who is apparently fairly well-connected, so I stepped off the plane to someone in uniform holding up my name at the end of the jetway (post-security). He led me to the politician, who remembered me from visits to the states and greeted me kindly. I sat in the President's Lounge (literally) with him, sipping ice water and waiting for my friend's plane, while someone waited in the customs line and retrieved my suitcase from baggage claim. Once my friend arrived, we climbed into an SUV that was waiting in a "no parking area" right outside the airport, and we were whisked off to her mother's house.

At the house, as at every meal I had on vacation, we were served a feast. Dish after dish...steamed fish, grilled fish, giant prawns, mango salsa, dried fish, various types of rice, and (oddly) spaghetti alla carbonara. Maybe the Italian food was served in case I was a spoiled American brat. I had only a little and dug into the other food, so after that night, I never saw anything on the table that didn't look like a local specialty.

After a few days in the big city, we flew off to an island on a chartered flight. Sun, sand, mojitos, spectacular service at the hotel, and fun times with the stag party of 30 guys, several of whom I had met previously. Two of them (one of whom I had met briefly in the past) were kind enough to pay for my plane ticket! The only disappointment was the day I thought they were going to spear-fish our lunch, but instead they just bought it fresh from the market. It still tasted great!

The wedding itself was beautiful. Late afternoon sun slanted in through the partially open church, the bride and groom both looked wonderful, and the wedding guests made a special point to speak English when I was around. I met a couple that lives a mile from me at home; they're the parents to two people I know in the States. Small world, huh?

The next few days were mostly family time, and by the end, I felt like I was part of it. As I was leaving, my friend's mother pressed a bracelet on me with religious icons. It's very attractive and has become part of my standard flight attire (with the yoga pants and warm socks). I've flown safely so far.

I met up with my friend tonight for the first time back in the States and was invited back for a longer visit in the summer of 2009. Hooray!

Independent Bookstores are the Bomb!

I just received the latest newsletter from my local independent bookstore. This is one of my favorite institutions in the world for the following reasons:
1. Their newsletters are actually interesting to read and don't come across as a strong sales pitch.
2. They offer book readings by people I may not agree with but who always have something interesting to say.
2. They offer book recommendations based on criteria other than the NYT best-seller list.
3. They're publicizing a local book drive whose profits will go toward inner city education, and I have three stacks of unwanted books looking for a good cause.

This issue reviews A Room With a View, which is going on my must-see list. It's a constellation of efforts by fellow traveler and author E.M. Forster, Merchant and Ivory (so it will be beautifully shot), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (who has written many enchanting short stories in addition to this screenplay), and an all-star cast including Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, and more.

Buy local!

Boston

I was in Waltham, MA for a class on Monday and Tuesday and decided to take the opportunity to see Boston. I flew in early Sunday morning and spent the day wandering Boston Commons, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and doing part of the "Freedom Trail," camera in hand. The highlights were the photos that came out well, the guy playing percussion outside Fanueil Hall with buckets, a grill top, and other non-traditional "drums," and having a beer in a neighborhood pub that had been recommended to me.

As some people may have already realized, this means I was in Boston for the Superbowl. I watched the first part of it in a restaurant over dinner, but the game was still going pretty well at that point. I saw the latter half of the game, including its shocking end, from my hotel room. I have to say, I'm glad I was not out with a lot of Patriot fans for the end!

Boston gets a thumbs-up from me. I'd like to go back sometime when the weather's warmer.

Sick

I've felt the looming presence of a cold for weeks now - when I visited the niece and nephew over Christmas, when the niece was feverish at the end of January, when my boss came to work ill last week... Being sleep-deprived since mid-December while working on multiple releases increased my susceptibility, I figured. But I didn't have time to be sick! I had a release and another release!

Well, the last big, public release was Thursday. I started feeling ill Thursday night. How's that for timing?

I've had a very slow weekend - nap, read, nap, watch TV, take a hot bath, nap. I ventured outside today to buy soup and cough drops, but I was extremely happy to crawl back into bed when I got home.

I did manage to finish Tender is the Night (Fitzgerald) this weekend, but my reading's been frequently interrupted. I recently enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys). Although it is the story of Rochester's wife in the attic from Jane Eyre, it stands on its own.