whoosh

that's the sound time makes.

some days and weeks seemed to linger on forever, but others passed by a bit too swiftly. and now, as i suddenly look up, it's late december, and i've lived and worked in dc/no.va for 6 months already. i know i know, in the whole scheme of things, 6 months is nothing. and all those people older and wiser will most likely grin at my innocence and the so-called significance of -- oooh -- 6 months... but to me, the 6-month mark post-undergrad is worth something.

i guess it's just a different type of adventure. different than if i had stayed in boston, different than all those in nyc, san fran, chicago -- or adrift on explorations in japan and australia and france and wherever else the airplane flies. washington, dc isn't entirely spectacular (maybe that's just coming from a soon-to-be-if-not-already jaded resident of the district area), but in some ways, it's kinda cool. there's a strange intersection of the political, cultural, and academic here that i failed to notice in other cities.. and somehow, it gets all mixed up and churned together, resulting in a swirly mess of craziness. but it's an interesting sort of craziness, one that you can't help but carefully sift through in order to better understand. i think i'm babbling.

anyway, if nothing else, there's one thing in particular that i've discovered and enforced. and it's the fact that people are the key to everything. sometimes, i don't like people, but let's face it, people can't be avoided -- and that's probably a good thing. i would've shot myself at mit if it weren't for the other kiddos there... and my 6 months here most likely would've been miserable if it weren't for the faces and personalities that i've come to know. i dunno, everyone just has these awesome experiences and backgrounds and stories, and there's nothing better than sitting around listening and talking and laughing. it's just so damn cool. throw in a splash of climbing or running or strolling or city-ing or food or alcohol (haha), and it's sometimes even cooler.

i'm not going home to tennessee this christmas. maybe that's a good thing, i'm not sure. i miss that down south town.. but in the recent past, i've noticed that it's not really home anymore. i know it well, but not really. there's that facade of familiarity, but dig a little deeper, and things aren't quite the same as i left them almost 5 years ago. so this year, i'm off to norcal -- that extended bay area on the opposite coast. dec 23rd thru jan 3rd: good luck to me in lugging all the gifts out there. happy christmakwanzaaukkah :) and whoosh, off to 2006...!