average tuesday

I walked 14 blocks to work this morning in high heels. My feet are bleeding. I am a smart girl.

Last night: revelry with the neighbors and their buddy Mark on the front porch until 12:30 or so. Then, per my M.O., couldn't sleep for awhile. At 3 AMish two really obnoxious birds decided to carry on a conversation.

Squeaky Bird 1 (right next to my window): HELLO. WHO ARE YOU. ARE YOU THERE.
Squeaky Bird 2 (a few feet away, with slight accent): HELLO WHO ARE YOU. ARE YOU THERE? DID YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING.
(dialogue repeats ad nauseum, pro infinitum, etc.)

At some point my subconscious admitted the rhythm of the bird-jerks, and I drifted serenely off to sleep. My intention was to sleep in until 8:30, skip a shower, and dash to work.

But it wasn't meant to be. At 7:30 AM, the roofers for the neighbors' place started hitting rocks with other rocks, and telling some story that involved screaming "fuuu-uuu-uuuuck!" over and over. When they started blasting Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" (JUST OUTSIDE MY WINDOW), I gave up. Laughed it off, tipped my hat to the sandman, and had breakfast with Rachel at Satellite.

I should mention that Mark is considerably older than I am. At some point last night, while Tracy was inside and Rach and Alex were hiking, I ended up hanging out with him on the porch. We somehow got on the topic of self-help programs, and he told me he's done EST and Tony Robbins and a few other ones I've heard about. In particular, we ended up on a tangent about the Tony Robbins "walking on hot coals" deal. My basic point was that while the metaphor is a powerful one, and I wasn't denying its potency, there are a number of scientific reasons why it's really not that dangerous (one being that the bottoms of your feet are one of the toughest parts of your body, and can withstand a whole lot). I also stated that one problem I have with programs like Tony Robbins is that people go to them and perform these symbolic rites and claim that their lives have been changed forever, but sometimes they have serious issues to address--alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.--and while walking over hot coals is empowering it shouldn't replace therapy and/or relevant treatment.

Mark's side of the "discussion" had more to do with his personal experiences than anything else, and at some point we both didn't know what we were talking about anymore, and I asked him how we got on the topic. He had no idea.

All of this is indicative of how absurd, fascinating, and wonderful life here has been so far. Last night was awesome. I'm really glad we have a front porch and can hold war counsels/barbecues late into the night. It feels trite to state this, but all of the people I've met these past two weeks are really, really great, and goddamnit that's an admission from the heart.