Far Away Places

There was a song a good long while ago, sung believe it or not by Englebert Humperdinck, who wasn't the original singer, just the one I happen to remember, called, "Faraway Places." It was a wistful tune with some kind of klinky percussion instrumentation in the background thinking to give it an Asian flavor, I guess. The lyrics speak of a longing to go to those "faraway places with the strange sounding names" which are calling the singer to go to. I don't really have much of a wanderlust. So even though I like the song, it's never been my wish to travel to them.

But we're traveling this week. Places like Las Palmes and Hollywood and the infamous, "K Town" will be on our lips this week. Places of sunshine, dry heat (for the most part), and glimpses of lifestyles we read about in magazines. Although my anxiety before the trip was sort of disorienting, now that we're here, it's okay. We took a walk around the neighborhood this morning. Housing is sardined together with post-it sized lawns sporting grass and native desert planting which shouldn't really go together but somehow does. The flowering trees which line the sidewalks bloom in magenta and purple with palm trees interspersed. Like I said it shouldn't work, but it kind of does.

We'll be here for a week. Visiting, viewing, hopefully relaxing. And working on pronouncing some of those names. Faraway places, indeed.

Travel Trepidition

I'm not used to traveling. At least not in a plane. I'm nervous the night before and don't talk to my husband about the "packing ritual", which begins a full week ahead of schedule. You wouldn't believe it if he told you anyway. But it would probably be mostly true. I'm filled with anticipation and a certain amount of anxiety. My eating habits are off. No, let me be honest here, I don't eat. It goes through me anyway. I twiddle my thumbs. I read excessively (and that says A LOT, since I do that even when I'm not going somewhere). I'm okay once in the air and we get where we're going. It's the getting ready that well, gets me.

People say if you pinpoint your fear, face it, then that takes away the anxiety. Well, that hasn't happened so far for me.

I hope to be posting while away. We'll see...now, what else is there to read?