i have now happily settled into my home on Vassar after a month of constant but exciting transition.
for an entire week, i drove in and out of a small fishing town in the north of Perú called Cabo Blanco. it is the home of Hemmingway's fishing escapades and to many people that i grew to love. a little girl named Leslie in whose home we filmed, a man named Medardo who could ask people to be silent from a mile away by smiling and pressing his finger to his lips, and a woman named Martha who takes the title of Ms. Cabo Blanco and ensured our success. i will never forget this place or the people who came with me. 
returning thoughts
story
on several occasions, i have found myself stepping back from my life and saying, 'huh, it feels a little bit like i'm living in a soap opera right now.' granted, i don't think i'd ever truly claimed that as i have yet to become pregnant and have doubts as to who the father is.
currently i am taking a screenwriting class and i read every week about how to throw your character into situations that stretch them to their limit, and i feel like the one difference between my life and the life of my character is that i know how it will all turn out for my character. so it's made me wonder. is my life a compelling drama because i can't live without the plot and conflict that only story can provide? am i so afraid of a mundane life that i continually make decisions to throw things up in the air and test the shark-ridden waters? is that why i'm so attracted to telling stories? i've never been one for generating drama and i will admit to avoiding conflict; yet it follows me. perhaps i really do desire a story out of my life.
i'll be your boa'
I’ll be your boa’
Let waves dance against my bow
or dash against my hull
I’ll be your boa’
When you slip in the inky water
have to test it
have to feel it
I’ll be your boa’
I’ll be your boa’
waiting for you to swim back
letting you take refuge
holding you upon my planks
I’ll be your boa’
I won’t let you go far
just far enough
I’ll be your boa’
tattoo parlors
i am limited to only a handful of experiences in tattoo and piercing parlors and have really only been in one. so, let's consider this a non-expert view of the subject in which i'd like to dispel a couple commonly held assumptions about tattoo parlors.
first of all, a lot of bonding occurs when you're in pain, and the people there may look scary with their gauged piercings and tattoo sleeves, but they're about the friendliest people out there. maybe because they have to be. after all, they're sticking needles in people all day, there has to be good reasons people keep coming back to them ;)
secondly, these are not always dark places with heavy metal music playing. i do believe the last time i visited Mos Eisley's it was lit like a doctor's office as usual, and there was very peppy country music playing – which i might add actually did NOT help calm my overly nervous heart rate.
camera buying
i am just too tempted to buy cameras. as soon as i surf through what amazon has to offer, little flags appear about this or that camera that i would eventually like to buy. of course the problem really is, do i absolutely need the camera? can i really afford to drop 2-3k? well, no.. that would be the honest answer to either question.
but but but.. this one camera will fulfill all of my needs, video and camera, or this one is such a great deal right now and it will last me for forever, or i know i'll need this on my semester in Peru, because who knows if i'll be able to borrow another camera...
perhaps you know my dilemma in regards to another item. but you see, i would battle you and say this is my Career! for goodness' sake. oh well.. we go on another day with no new purchase and i do seem to survive perfectly well, so i guess i will continue to wait for that elusive prime opportunity for purchase.
my most recent love affair: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
one hour wait
it is incredible how much time you can spend just waiting to do what you want. 2 hours of driving, 2 hours of train ride, half hour of walking, and then finally, we walk up to the aquarium and lo and behold... another line. but this is the best part of going with friends. that hour wait in front of the shedd aquarium seemed to hardly last 20 minutes before we were inside.
this one day of my vacation may have mostly been spent in anticipation and travelling, but it was certainly worth it!
wheelchair rollerskating
i remember the good old days when our school would hold rollerskating parties and everyone would hope to skate just once around the rink with their elementary school crush. however, i was pretty sure i wouldn't be going back to the rink anytime soon. but this is just one of the reasons i adore being a youth group leader.
a pile of 25 middle school students and 5 leaders went to the rink last night — the same rink i went to when i was younger. and i have never had so much fun rollerskating. by far, the highlight of the night was rolling around one of our leaders in his wheelchair. we had some pretty goofy moments trying to turn the chair with the curve of the rink, including riding on just two of the wheels for a while. but the best part was the race at the end. we finished last, of course, but we were still certainly ripping around the rink and having a blast the whole while.
of course then there was the health reform debate held in the backseat of my car between three sixth-grade boys, but i'll let your imagination fill in the details there.