Plans

I've finally got my Christmas vacation all planned out. This might just be my best vacation ever. Well, Kentucky was pretty spectacular. But this is my first extended trip on my own. That's right, doing 100% my favorite activities. No compromising, no museums, no waiting, no eating too much unhealthy food. Lots of nature, endless swimming, chocolate, eating local produce like figs, avocados, oranges, and reading. I've rented out a room for 8 nights up in Kerikeri, the far north of New Zealand. 6 of those nights I'll have my own room but it's budget accommodation, sharing a bathroom and kitchen. The last 2 nights I'm upgrading to a studio with private kitchen and veranda for some ultimate alone time. The place is in the middle of sub-tropical jungle, with a stream running through the property and hiking trails. I'm renting a car (yikes!) because buses run between these small towns once or twice a day and it's only a 20 minute drive to Paihia, tourism central for the Bay of Islands. I'm splurging on a day long cruise in the bay that includes delivering mail to some of the islands, swimming with dolphins, speeding through something called the "hole in the rock," and spending a couple hours on a private uninhabited island. The other big splurge I'm planning is a tour up to Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand where the 2 oceans meet from opposite directions, and near the 90 Mile Beach (which looks more like 90 kilometers on the map) on which you can go sand surfing. The rest of the time I hope to do not much of anything outside of sitting on beaches reading, a little light hiking, whatever. I'm taking a direct flight back (just in time for NYE in case anyone is around), but I think I might take my time getting up there, especially since flights in that direction are super expensive at the moment. I'll probably fly into Auckland, spend the night of the 22nd there or Whangarei, and then slowly make my way up the next morning, stopping at stuff like those famous weird toilets in Kawakawa. At first I had this romantic fantasy that I would bus all the way up from Wellington, but it turns out the bus costs almost as much as planes, takes like 16 hours and you have to do it in 2 days. The train to Auckland costs MORE than flying. Romance is dead.

What is everyone else doing for Christmas?



Older musings:

* I had marmite for the third time ever this morning. It's grown on me with startling rapidity! It's just salty, intensely salty, so I cut it with some unsalted butter on toast. Everyone knows fat and salt are a winning combo, I bet most people would like it pretty quickly as long as they were only using a small amount. I feel sad though, like I've lost something. Making fun of marmite/vegemite is one of those things that binds us Americans together, and now I'm alone outside the collective spirit.

Small price to pay for something new to put on toast though. Man, I'm really gonna miss vogels toast when I go back to the US. It's not the perfect bread for eating plain or cold, but it is definitely the perfect toast. Nothing I've had at home comes close.

Clodagh's green party is tonight! I haven't drank or partied all week. I've been ridiculously good on all fronts - setting up a savings plan, making a dentist appointment, eating well, went to the gym yesterday AND the day before, walked to work every day this week, got 8 hours of sleep every night. Enough already, time to party! I bought some green hair color spray and body paint, know one will recognize me (or Reza, he wants me to help him be fabulous)

* Last night I washed my hair at the gym with Dr. Bronner's because I had run out of shampoo and didn't want to have to take a shower this morning. Dang. My hair is Clean. Guess I only need one bottle of soap product in the shower. The usual hippy shampoo I've been using for the past year always leaves my hair a little greasy. I'm not gonna take it anymore! They charge me $26 for a little bottle of poo. My pockets bleed out at Commonsense Organics. I should use my own damn common sense. From now on I'm only buying meat there. Their produce is small and cruel, (pommegranites were $7 apiece last week), their health and body treatments not necessary, I can get the same unhomogenized organic A2 milk at my corner store, their snacks trick me into thinking they are healthy when really they are huge globs of nuts and honey. I can't believe I almost bought that fasting cleansing program for $52 last year. Or that I bought that jar of acidophillus pills last month for $30. I lose control in health food stores. I talk about improving my life and then all I do is drop money on things that ARE NOT PROVEN TO WORK. MONEY WILL NOT MAKE YOUR BOWELS WORK BETTER VANESSA, JUST STOP EATING SO MUCH ALL AT ONCE AND STOP DRINKING.

Ahhhhh. That felt good. I just dumped a big one right there. flush.

* I was so angry this morning. I walked to work in close to half the usual amount of time. I kept telling myself A) let the past go B)ok, you're not very good at letting the past go yet, but keep practicing you'll improve, and C) Stop comparing yourself to this one person. Don't even think about them for a long time. Ok ok, you can continue comparing yourself to other people for now, but stop with this one particular person. This is where you suck the hardest.

Ok, I'm going to make a New Year's resolution. I don't think I've done this in about 10 years. 2008 will be the year to slowly wean off of comparing people. It makes me feel bad. Or sometimes good, but in a dirty way. It's too distracting from all these important projects and thoughts. I am way too busy for this crap.

Other plans for 2008:

Read more philosophy
Continue the exercise, you're doing great!
Apply to some health/nutrition programs
Save $$ for above program
So one thing really foreign (be in the wilderness for a long period, go on a meditation retreat, go to a country that is not easy, be homeless, eat the same food every day for a week, ....)
Teach someone something you know - to dance, sing, swing poi, fast, eat right, keep good financial records :) , ....
Shed people who make you feel bad
Don't worry about doing above list, focus on the primary goal first

There, that should satisfy Kris for now.