Seattle-->Dar es Salaam-->Lusaka-->Seattle

Well, I'm back: tired, dirty, broke, farmer-tanned and missing a suitcase.
Which means it was a great trip.
I met a bunch of cool people, worked hard, played harder, did and saw things I never in my life dreamed I'd ever do or see. This photo is of an East African beach, a quick jog downhill from the $14-a-night YMCA in Pangani, Tanzania, my home for 2 nights in October.
I'm a lucky girl.
More soon.

Kwaheri

BSP is going on hiatus for a few weeks.
I'll be breaking in a new passport and traveling 20,000+ miles.
See you in November.

Some days

Some days I feel like a busy intersection.
Thriving. Vibrant. Connected.
Other days, like the corner of an abandoned lot.
(Cue tumbleweed.)
*
The key is--is there a key?
If there is a key, it might be: remain calm and split the difference.
*
The good news is, there is genius at those crackling edges.

Precious munchees

I haven't posted much graffiti here lately. Here are two I snapped recently with my phone so please excuse the poor quality.

>tAY we got the munchees
>Don't be so precious about it

Too much heavy thinking and I'm ready for an IV hookup of bloody marys so for today, smile at the smartass tags and let all the other stuff go.
Because it's just stuff and it's all just a ride.

Meh

This wall has interested me for a long time. You can peep it along 8th and Olive in Seattle.
On one side of the street are luxury apartments and an upscale restaurant. On the other side it's a much grittier scene, a bodega and grim studios, with possibly the world's grossest Greyhound station only steps away.
Such intriguing duality.
A clue to how a person--yes okay me--could be both sane and thoughtless, charmless and charmant, all at once.

Land on your feet

A new friend helped me balance on an upended piece of driftwood last week.
One minute he was holding on, the next I was on my own, a little wobbly but nobly looking out to sea. If you fall, he said, kick away from the log and try to land on your feet.
I had it, for a minute.
Then a few days later, I fell.

Fokus

It's been a week or two of lessons.
Hard-learned stuff, where I look at myself in the mirror and wonder how it is I am so stubborn and idiotic and selfish.
I've had to reassess.
Apologize.
Retreat. Regroup.
It's humbling. And tiring. When do I get to the part where it's easy(ier), where I'm not constantly screwing up?
Wait, maybe I don't.
Can't, and possibly don't want to.