I have continued to do the things that I want to do. This seems to be one of my defining features (maybe the only one). I pursue my passions without regard to popular opinion or financial feasibility. It was that sort of thinking that landed me a year-long stay in Spain and may very well see my return to teaching abroad in the coming year. I intend to ship out to Costa Rica for a month or so this summer to get a TEFL certification and we will see where that takes me.
I have pursued a relationship with someone who I believe has inspired me to try new things and be more confident in myself. Whether consciously or not, she has made me more ambitious as a scholar and traveler. She has appreciated and shared my love for the pursuit of knowledge and enjoyment of history and art. We have explored new frontiers together in our lives, despite the relative brevity and infrequency of our encounters and the vast geographical distance between us. She believes herself to be a flickering flame in my life, one who reminds me of what I can be, yet who is not a permanent fixture. I think she underestimates the light that she provides me.
I have (in no particular order)...
Went to the beach with my family and developed a closer relationship with my sister. My sister and I have gotten along on a more mature and understanding level over the past year. I appreciate that. She also helped me bake my first cheesecake.
July 2012
Traveled for the first time to the nation's capital.
Allowed myself to indulge past the point of much control of my head on a couple occasions.
Pictures withheld to protect the author.
Experienced a poetry conference in Newark (rectum of New York) with a poet near and dear to me.
Attended a poetry slam in Lexington.
Realized that teaching in a public high school would consume my soul.
Celebrated Los Medievales with Spaniards in Lexington.
Started and maintained a near-daily workout regiment with my sister's boyfriend. I have improved my diet and strength over the past couple months and plan to continue it for the foreseeable future.
Played countless pickup games of basketball with friends and strangers.
Had my first and several more beers with my father. Which I think led to some of my first deeper talks with my father. And some arguments over race and politics...
Continued to have strangers buy me drinks for no reason apparent to me.
Expanded and upgraded my wardrobe to consist mostly of classy attire. And then wept when my tie rack broke under the weight of my fanciness.
Attended a Super Bowl party hosted by my sister. Argued about the Illuminati and admired Beyonce's dance moves.
Improved my understanding of how Spanish grammar works.
Started learning French.
Those are some snapshots of the past several months. Hopefully I will have an equal or larger number of grand experiences in the months to come.
