6 Things

• Didn't know there was a whole series of these "Date a Guy/Girl" who does this/that...posts out there until a Facebook link led me to one of them.  No surprise why this post would leap out at me.

• Last year I read with great interest this series.  Very much hoping she will continue with it this year.  Fascinating cultural learning.  Shows how amazingly malleable children are.

• A different view on life and death:  On a recent flight, D sat beside a gentleman from Africa.  When a general announcement was made about a guest on board who had severe nut allergies, he leaned over and asked D to clarify what that meant.  In his country/village, if someone suffers a reaction to something and dies, everyone is sad about it.  People move on -- They have to.   He couldn't believe that an entire plane load of people were not going to be given snacks or were told to avoid eating their own nut based foods because of one person.  That would never happen where he comes from. 

• D, who recently saw "Rush", raved about it to me and felt I ought to see it because Niki Lauda and James Hunt reminded him of our respective dynamic.  At first I was insulted as I was pretty certain they didn't like each other.  After seeing the movie, I saw he meant it in a complementary and playful way.  Found the film to be really suspenseful, fun and good.  Recommended.

• Am as ready as I'm going to get.  Finished my final (utterly devastating and depressing) book (Cambodia's Curse:  The Modern History of a Troubled Land by Joel Brinkley), gotten almost every inoculation under the sun and have pretty much packed.  It is time for me to trade in my comfortable life for one that will be vastly different in many ways.  Back in about 3 weeks. 

Final Still Life Drawing for Art Class.  Graphite on Paper.