A year ago today...

I was off to Hawaii. This was the day I got on a plane, and got off in a place with palm trees and gentle island breezes.

I miss Hawaii, and I know I'll go back there. But not for a bit. At least, not to live. I am definitely here til February of '08, and maybe longer. I am at a very real sort of crossroads in my life. If I continue with school, I'll have to pick a place and stay relatively local for about 5 years. That could be here, or it could be Hawaii. UH has a very good Anthro program. But staying here seems a bit more likely.

That might dovetail nicely with my concern for my family.

...

I just finished watching the Babylon 5 season 3 finale with Jon. About 40 episodes ago, the main protagonist ( Sheridan ) was told "Don't go to Za ha Dun," the place where the evil on the show is gathering its forces for an all out attack. The warning has been repeated a few times, foretelling doom and destruction and no help from friends if Sheridan were to go.

A chick central to his past, thought out of the picture, shows up just as he's getting something new going with another woman, and asks him to come to Za ha Dun.

He goes.

I laughed, and immediately told Jon that if Olympia ( not her real name, a certain someone out of my past ) told me to meet her at the bottom of an active volcano back in Hawaii, I'd be very hard pressed not to go ( At the moment, I am free as the proverbial bird, emotionally ). I'd be done packing before the episode was finished. It might be as good for me as it was for Sheridan to go to Za Ha Dun ( hopefully things wouldn't end the same way : ) but I'd go, without hesitation.

Which brings up an interesting point. Is there anyone in your life who has that kind of influence over you? Someone who seems wired into the very fundamentals of what makes you who you are. If you're mom asked you to do something, you'd probably do it, but you might whine or fret or whatever. But if this person asked you to do it... even if you hadn't spoken with them in a while, there might not even be mental deliberation, let alone whining and fretting.


Now I'm rambling. : )

Anyway, Chicago is beautiful in the summer. It's not Hawaii, and it's not Madison ( a place I also dearly love ), but it will certainly do.