mustard

this is the first time all week i've had a second to just stop. it's been a very dense work-week, but as the end of thursday draws near it's thinning out.

i've been thinking a lot about my trip to cuba next week. planning what i need to take with me, what things i need to pick up from the store, etc. i have to admit, there have been many occasions where i find myself saying the wrong country name. "mexico... peru... cambodia... where am i going again?" i find that's funny, but i think brendan finds it mildly pretentious because teasingly responded with a "oh privileged little white girl, where are you going next??"

i'm looking forward to having my backpack strapped on once again, to having a layer of salt-water film on my skin, to wearing flip-flops in february, and drinking pina coladas at 10 am. i think we're going to have a blast. that shanno is hilarious, and no doubt will push me to brave new things like salsa dancing. i've never salsa danced before :S i'm also eager to speak in spanish once again. my spanish is poor at best, but it's fun to learn and it's exciting when i can figure out how to piece together a 3-word sentence :D

one thing i've recently noticed about getting a little bit older each year is that my body pops and cracks a little more. when i'm walking or standing up or whatever, joints will pop a little bit, i can both feel it and hear it. i have a feeling it will the be the unusual things that surprise me the most about aging.

getting up at 6 am continues to be both a joy and a challenge. the odd thing about it is that after being awake for about 10 minutes i'm generally ok, but it's those first few minutes that are so hard. it's been a little over one week and i can definitely say it's a very positive experience. i was curious about the kinds of things other people give up for lent, the main ones i know are coffee, sweets, caffeine, etc. but i wonder what it was traditionally - a millennium or so ago. i tried looking it up online to no avail.

earlier today i returned to my desk to find that my right monitor had something smeared on it. i have no idea where it came from, because usually no one else comes in here. so did i splatter something on it and not notice?? well... when i tried to clean it up, it just got more spread out. i really should get a paper towel and clean it properly. i find smudgy monitors and glasses lenses unbearable.

i'm never as tired as when i'm waking up.