Giving Thanks

It's that time of year, when we look around and try to get a little perspective from amidst the details of a life that's zipping to the close of another year. So before tomorrow dawns with a tremendous focus on El Pavo (the turkey), I thought I'd give the gracias thing a whirl.

• For my loving and supportive husband, who has agreed to this new career and is being a total sport about all that's fallen on him.
• For the overall damn good health of my parents and the fact that they're such great people.
• For the funniest and funnest group of relatives and friends a gal could hope for.
• For this amazing opportunity with the State Department. I haven't even started giving back yet, but as I learn more about it, I'm increasingly happy to be of service to such a great country.
• For the best colleagues in the world: the 100-and-counting wonderful and accomplished individuals I've met so far and the others I know are out there.
• For the amazing education/orientation I'm in the midst of, and the fact that I am currently getting a paycheck to learn a language with some of the best instructors that exist. 
• For the good luck and health to be able to bike to and from work--something I'd never have dared in Hawaii. And for the urban beauty along the W&OD bike path.
• For being in a position to take so many things for granted that it doesn't even occur to me to be thankful for them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Gladys, el Mosh, and Sunny Holidays

Three happy things since my last post:

(1) Since Saturday, when I walked to a "nearby" outdoor store along busy highways with meandering or nonexistent sidewalks and decided, by gum, I need a bike, I've been riding around on Gladys singing to myself, "Take a look at me, I'm on a bike!" She's a very staid brown commuter, befitting my newly minted, serious persona as diplomat-in-training. But she's not afraid to sport a chirpy pedestrian-alerting bell. It's been delightful to ride the 4-ish miles to and from work in the changing weather along bike paths that put the sidewalks to shame. (And you're welcome, economy.)

(2) Today in elementary Spanish class while learning to conjugate AR verbs, we had to talk about dances we know. Everybody was talking el tango, la vals, el swing, la samba... I said "Bailo el mosh y el pogo." Our charming instructor from Peru had to find out what el mosh is, so we watched a couple terrible youtube videos (is there a great moshing video in existence?). Then she asked what bands I'd moshed at. I volunteered "Bandera Negra" (Black Flag) and the Ramones. She said, are they Latin? Giggles all around when she googled them.

(3) After deciding I couldn't afford the miles to go to San Francisco for el Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving), I broke down and bought a ticket to Hawaii for Christmas!! Bring on the festivities!