It has been a crazy last week or so. I’ve been getting together with a lot of friends, saying goodbye indefinitely to some that I’m used to seeing pretty much weekly, and doing a lot of packing, sorting, tossing. I have to admit, it feels strangely satisfying to be moving—to fit a neat selection of my life into two suitcases and jump into a new life, no strings attached.

Some of the week’s highlights:
-Having Christmas morning with Martha and Cassandra and opening their awesome home-made gifts. They are so incredibly craftsy.
-Seeing Twilight (I must be a sucker for teen books that are made into movies. Plus I have a celebrity crush--is that the right word?--on the girl who plays the main character—she’s in Into the Wild, too, and she’s fascinating. I kind of want to be her.)
-Watching a gorilla pick its nose and eat its boogers at Como Zoo with Senia
-Celebrating Thanksgiving one day and Christmas the next, “Up North” in “the cabin” at “the lake” (Minnesota sarcasm, sorry) with my parents
-Getting together with Holly one last time (!) to discuss a few last details for Maui
-Hot brandy egg nog and a fire in the fireplace

Somehow I’ve managed to stay positive and excited about leaving, rather than getting pessimistic and depressed and panicked like I was sure I would. It’s a miracle, really. I’m not in denial, either, because I’m experiencing a healthy dose of devastation at the thought of leaving my friends, my parents, my dog, the city I’ve grudgingly allowed myself to love.

I watched Into the Wild last night, and there was this quote I liked: “The core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences.” I’m not so sure that’s where the core of my spirit comes from, but there’s a lot of truth to the statement. At least I’d like to think so. :)