Wow, 3 posts in a day! I can't remember the last time that happened. Please do not click this link if you can't afford to be distracted for at least an hour. It requires Flash, but is completely worth it. The last two holes are even worse than the volcano-of-death that is the last hole at most mini-golf courses.
Back to short linky goodness for a second…I just found this on bling. It starts you with a view of the Milky Way at 10 million light years from Earth, then moves you toward Earth at sucessive orders of magnitude until you are looking at the proton of a carbon atom in a tree leaf somewhere in Tallahassee. It goes pretty fast on the "Auto" setting, so try clicking on the Manual button and step through it at your own speed. A wonderful piece of imagination and science—makes me wish I'd had more time to spend at the Exploratorium the last time I was in San Francisco.
And another milestone passed…I'm 34 today. I think I'm at the beginning of that time where birthdays start to blend together a bit, and it will probably stay that way until I hit another decade. I'm also waiting for that dread of birthday feeling to start. Most folks I know who have hit it have either seen 30 as cause for jubilation or depression, and as with most things, I found myself on a middle path about it—it was definitely a marker into full adulthood, but not a lot more. Maybe 40 will end up being the big one for me.
One thing is definitely cool this year, and that's getting to spend the birthday with my family. It's the first time in nine years we've all been in the same place. Even though we probably won't all be getting together at the same time, it's nice to feel the vibe so close, especially with all the joy already surrounding Danielle's birth. I'll finally have someone in the family to do joint birthdays with!
Well, it's official—as of 6:46 last night, I am a Crazy Auntie™. Danielle Nicole Gunby is 8 lbs., 11 oz., 21.5 inches, and is of course the most beautiful baby in all the land. We will all be descending on Lee & Tanya's tomorrow, very politely but impatiently waiting our turns with the little bundle, and taking lots of pictures.
Ah, Saturday…feels like the first real weekend I've had in a long time. No big travel plans, not a lot of driving, got to sleep in til 11. I used to be used to this, and certainly could be again. I spent most of the day with my bro & his family, just hanging out and playing Sorry after dinner. Those are the best times to me, when I can just be with people I love without the need for an event or a big deal made about my presence…just an everyday time with conversation, food and a little silliness.
I guess. Seems like it's the only day I update these days. I'm back home after a long trip Sunday—every time I fly somewhere it's like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, except in my case you'd have to swap the ferry for the train. Another trip to Portland this weekend, and then I'm staying put for a while. I have a new niece on the way and don't want to miss anything.
I'm always amazed when I go back to San Jose how easily I fit myself in there, and the same when I return. The pace and tenor of life in each place is so different that I imagine adjusting would take more time, but it's as if I get off the plane and my brain takes stock—"OK, hot, check. Traffic, check. Girlfriend, check. Switching to Bay Area mode"—and just changes over to another tape. Normally I would find that a little disconcerting, but given this odd, semi-divided life I'm leading, it's appropriate and somewhat helpful. If I manage to expand the range of my travel as much as I hope to over the next few years, it'll be interesting to see how that process changes, or doesn't.
I have such a hunger to go everywhere, it seems. This year, Hawaii's the big destination of choice for a wedding and maybe the Grand Canyon, but next year I'm hoping for Austin and New Orleans, and after that, Europe. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I pay down the credit cards and stay more or less put—exploring of a more inward sort.
