new times--30 approaches

i'm going back to cuba. for vacation. of course, there is also the added bonus of meeting a friend that i was not able to hang out with last time i went, because of time. i am NOT hoping to find love, (although I am so in love with the idea of going back there again); that's not the point. the point is... that i get to travel to cuba again, sooner than i thought because now i have this excuse and reason; that i get to meet new people and plant more memories there; that i get to go on an adventure b/c after all, this is the year of my 30th birthday, and i don't get any pleasure out of bungee jumping (i'm so afraid of heights) or sky-diving, or any other such life-threatening experiences (cuba is safer than that & so is the plane ride).

today at work, and all this week, people have been telling me that i look different.

--hey, you look nice! did you have to interview someone today? (we're conducting interviews w/ people for a research project)
--no, no interview.
--oh! who are you cheating on us with?

they seem to think that i'm dating someone. the reality is that i'm approaching that age: early mid-life-crisis-type of feeling with the 30s. and i don't want to get there and realize i'm still not taking care of myself, or i'm too sloppy or have too little time even for myself...

but anyways, back to cuba: the point is, i get to leave for a while, and then stay in mexico for another while, and "desentumir" my brain, (as one jerk once so lovingly suggested to me) of this routine, maddening situation of work and work and study and come home. i vowed not to fall into that trap, and this is my periodic attempt to break from that. there comes a time when i feel like i have to take action, to move, to do something different. it will be one more experience in my life, b/c you know, 'la vida pronto se acaba.' it's time to leave...again.