Flying to Thailand... commence cramping

Leaving Phoenix as the sun rises


Japan is serious about preventing swine flu in their country!

I, fortunately, am not!

Pai (Ra's boyfriend), Ra and I celebrate the arrival with some beers and chow near her apartment.

Was up all night packing, of course. I will blame the critique that was scheduled for the night before I left as the reason for my procrastination. I was quite late since I was having dinner with mom on my last night. She cooked not one, but 2 childhood favorites! Delicious BBQ ribs AND Cheezy Freezy! For those not aware of the culinary delight that is cheezy freezy I guide you to look at the back of your Bisquick Box and see if you can figure out what my brother and I named when we were kids. By the way, the dish is warm and in no way resembles its name aside the fact that cheese does constitute a large portion of this dish.

Was at the airport by around 5:30am. Got about 2 hours of sleep. Have about 19 hours of flying ahead of me spread over a day and a half. I will be arriving in Thailand the next day at around 11:30pm. I hope Ra is there!

United Airlines has got to have the worst airplane food I have ever come in contact with. Usually you eat what they put in front of you just because you are bored to tears and the slight endorphines released when eating might spare you from the constant agony of the cramped seats, but I couldn't even finish most of the food they plopped on my tray. Thankfully, the layover in Japan allowed me to get some good stretching and some good food. Sake, beer, and a belly full of sushi. I think I need to spend some more time in Japan, preferable outside of the airport! It was kinda interesting going through a slight quarintine before they let us leave the plane. As evidenced from the above photo, I found it far too entertaining! They let me keep the face mask too...

It will feel so good to get off these godforsaken planes!

Prepare for Departure

It's a Wednesday morning. My guest house door is open inviting in both the warming Arizona sun and the excited calls of desert birds. I am still in bed wearing whatever I had on yesterday, staving off dehydration from the refreshing ether induced fun the night before. Rob and I drank fresh stout and porter while I went over the finer qualities of the history of hip hop- even blessed him with clips from "Style Wars" and the ultimate classic, "Wild Style." He had to head home before I was able to whip out "Beat Street." Taken it back to the old school...cause I'm an old fool who's so cool...

How I will miss this home brewed Espresso Stout when I am gone... nothing like having a brewery in your kitchen. Vienna Lager, Tempe Town Brown, Plaid Skirt Scottish ale, Arizona Steamer, Cotton Ball porter, Bumble Bee Blonde, Amber Cerveza style, Belgium Dark, mmmmm mmm! I have screwed up my beer intake for the rest of my life for NOTHING will taste as good as the stuff created at this little "treehouse."

In exactly two weeks time I will be leaving on a jet plane for Thailand. I have no return date. I am packing my place up with the idea that I may never be back... an exciting endeavor no doubt. But what to do with all this stuff!? Menial things will sold or burned (or shot to bits with a .45) but old art projects, negatives from high school, underwater slides from Catalina, van dyke prints from college... how do I want to preserve my early years for future posterity? I am perfectly prepared for my mind and memory to degrade on a predictable course so I will need to have some objects to jump start memories of my earlier years. Buddhism teaches impermanence and detachment. Perhaps this packing up stage is the initial challenge I must complete before my true journey can begin.

I soak up my time here with family and incredible friends. But before I go to Thailand, I must survive my canyon trip this weekend. Upper Salome. An overnight in the canyon. And I am the lucky one who will be climbing an exposed 45 foot cliff side to set up a belay for the rest. Life is sure an adventure...

It's Wednesday. I leave for Thailand in...two weeks... two weeks...