Oh, the places you'll go...

It seems that this is the third calendar year that I’ll keep this online journal of sorts. I will confess to having difficulty in writing in it lately because of a perceived need to censor my words and, truthfully, I’m still working on that. Even my usual cryptic tricks don’t seem sufficient at the moment.

Being a new year and all, I feel I should comment on resolutions and goals and all that. But I actually stopped making resolutions a couple years ago, and I’m still quite happy with that decision. I stopped because I felt like setting these goals for myself once a year—no matter what area of my life they were in—was just not often enough. I prefer to try to harness that hopefulness and carry it with me year-round. I want to be constantly setting, striving for, revising, and evaluating my goals.

I want to always be a work in progress.

One thing that makes me happy going into 2008 is that I’m getting something I’ve really wanted for a long time. Some of you may know how much I lament how disappointing birthdays are as an adult. Some of you also know how much I’ve fantasized about taking a trip for my birthday—particularly a tropical trip—and have even received emails in the past from me begging you to go to Puerto Rico or Aruba or Fiji with me (depending on which coast I was living on when I sent the message that year).

Well, this year it’s happening.

I’m pleased to report that I’ve lit a serious fire under Nannette’s already-desiring-travel ass. We took a road trip recently and got our palettes wet. We had an adventure, we discovered that we travel really well together, we bonded even more, and we laughed a lot. Ever since that trip she’s sent me a couple of emails a week with airfare specials or hotel packages she’s come across while dreaming of traveling at work. First we were seriously considering Hawaii, but couldn’t quite get the price we wanted. Then we were thinking Costa Rica. Last week she sent an email with “Munich?” in the subject line.

This is what I like: thinking big. Giant, bold brush-strokes all over this canvas. I don’t give a fuck if it’s still dripping wet—I’m putting it up on my wall.

What I really love is that it has generally always been me begging people to go places or suggesting trips or weekend getaways. It’s wonderful to be on the opposite end. And you know what I said to every suggestion? “Yes.” Munich in winter at 25 degrees? Sure! Hot springs in Reykjavik? Of course! The Dominican Republic? Hell, yes!

I’ll go anywhere. Seriously. And I’ll have a fan-fucking-tastic time.