Procrastination and Wanderlust

I should be working on a work project but instead I've spent most of the day reading and writing. I had the evening to myself last night so I poured myself the hottest bath I could stand and settled in with a book and a glass of wine. Apparently my book choice was good because the moment I opened my eyes this morning I started reading again. And didn't put it down until it was done.

I have wanted to read Desert Places by Robyn Davidson for a long time now. I'm a big travelogue fan but this one had a further irresistible draw. It was about nomads and the desert, two things that have drawn me since I was a tiny child. Ever since I was young I've been fascinated by the desert, those hard inhospitable places where you need your wits and a bit of luck to survive. I have devoured stories about Egypt and the Sahara but I was always the most interested with the nomad people who traveled the trade routes. Like the gypsies of Europe, the Berber people have filled me with a strange feeling of longing and wanderlust. I want to be a nomad. I want to travel and move. To constantly shift scenery. We've been living in our current house for five years now and I'm dying to move. Since college, I've never lived anywhere for longer than 5 years. I'm not a huge fan of setting down roots, at least not yet.

Davidson's book follows the Raika or Rabari people of India, a camel/sheep herding nomad group who are facing challenges to their way of life. Like nomads worldwide, land is become scarce and herders tends to be driven out by the farmers and agriculturalists. Davidson decides to document the people by traveling with a family on their migration. She goes to India to find a group and instead finds a number of false starts. It requires greasing the right palms and plenty of timing to find a family willing to take her. She discusses buying her own camels, living communally, the devastating poverty of India, and the beauty of the nomad people she spends time with. It was an honest and fascinating book. And after finishing it, I'm filled with wanderlust. I want to be like Robyn and set off to explore the world. I want to see more of the planet than my tiny corner. And I want to be an adventurer.

I've become caught up in work and earning money. I've become more sedentary and afraid. I've become complacent. All that disappeared today. I want to wander and explore and see what there is to see. The book brought out the nomad in me. And while I won't be changing home anytime soon, I will be venturing further afield from home and seeing more of the world. It was a great day for procrastinating. Tomorrow will be a day for adventuring.

Merry Christmas All!

I know it's a day late but I'm finally getting around to wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Heck, I'm finally getting around to actually posting something. It's been two and a half weeks since I said I was taking a break. I didn't expect it to go this long. But I forget how much I stress over the Christmas season. With Christmas cards and shopping and visiting and baking, I simply ran out of time...and/or brainpower. Yesterday was honestly the first day I've thought about posting. It was the first day where I felt like I had enough time.

Of course I have had time. It doesn't take long to post. I used to write up most of my posts during my lunch hour at work. So I know how quickly I can write something up. What stopped me this time was my new favorite distraction...Netflix. Jeff and I decided that our Christmas gift would be a subscription to Netflix. We signed up for it the day we got home from St. Louis (last Sunday). And since then I've spent most of my evenings in front of the TV. It's dangerous, I tell you.

A friend of ours got us started on a British comedy called Coupling so we've been working our way quickly through the episodes. Great writing, fun characters, and open and honest dialogue about relationships and sex. It's a wonderful series. I've also been watching the original Psych episodes that I'd missed. Jeff found the old Cartoon Network series Danny Phantom and we've been plowing our way through the seasons. It's incredibly addictive to be able to turn on the TV and see whatever programming we want. I've watched five movies this week, which is about five times more than I see in a typical week. And that doesn't even count the TV series viewing.

I'm going to work on finding a balance between the TV and...well the rest of my life. I have books that are waiting to be read, knitting projects that clearly aren't going to be done for Christmas, and stories that I should be writing. Plus keeping up with any of my blogs. So I think I'm going to start setting a limit on my TV, like parents do with kids. An hour a day should be enough. And with Netflix, that hour can go a long way.

Still No Trench Photos

I have no real excuse for why you aren't looking at the pictures I took this past weekend from Trench. I had planned to download them Sunday night but after spending half the day on the road, I was in the mood to just relax. Jeff and I drove home on the back roads which was just wonderful. There was constantly a new town or new farm to see. We drove through towns with less than 200 people, spotted a quail on the side of the road, and at our friends suggestion stopped and picked up a fantastic pie (thanks for the suggestion Cathy! Mmmmm tasty). It was so much better than taking the interstate. The only problem was that it added another hour onto our drive. So when we got home we sat on the porch and relaxed until dark, then headed inside to numb our brains with TV. Plus, the cat wouldn't have let me sit at the computer for more than five minutes without demanding to be petted and attended to. She might have missed us a little. So I figured I'd download them and post them here and to Facebook on Monday night.

After dinner last night Jeff and I ended up at the grocery store to pick up enough fresh produce to get me through the week. I've been buying produce once or twice a week lately to up my fruit and vegetable intake. I eat a good amount of them but I want to make sure that produce is my go-to snack. And I tend to grab whatever is easy and available as a snack, which too often tends to be junk food. So last night, after carting home tons of produce, I spent a good chunk of the evening cutting and cleaning and prepping all my fruits and veggies. My fridge is practically overflowing with tupperware containers. This morning I made myself a quick salad in less than 5 minutes since all my ingredients were ready to go. But of course that ate up part of the evening and by the time it was done I didn't bother to track down the cord for the camera. So I set my sights on tonight.

And that won't happen either. I can flat out tell you that since I'll be out of town this evening, having dinner with a friend and then attending an Irish Jam. I'm leaving straight from work for the 35 minute drive up north and won't be heading home until after 11. Should be a long day. I hope I can stay awake for it. So I'll plan for Wednesday, either before or after knitting. I figure it doesn't take more than a minute or two to download. So I have no idea why it hasn't gotten done. But it hasn't. So you'll have to wait another day.