I am jealous of my friend Anna�s daughter who is, right now, traveling in India. The history, the colors, the smells (OK not so much the smells) and all that is foreign and different from anything she has known. I have traveled a much longer distance than she but other than the supremely similar North American Countries of Mexico and Canada I have never been to a �foreign� country. Living in America brings certain advantages (less that some would have you think) but there are some pretty significant disadvantages. The obvious lack of national medical coverage leaves us shivering in the proverbial cold compared to all the other �civilized� countries but less obvious (and more detrimental is the breadth of sameness surrounding us. While there are geographic differences within this expanse of a country they pale in comparison to the significant cultural and political differences in Europe. Whilst I�m certain I wouldn�t care for the extremes of some of these EU countries it would be so very interesting (and educational) to explore the ancient history that Europeans stroll by with nary a thought. The US is a teenager compared to the aged countries of Eurasia. While we were lucky enough to have grown rapidly in technology which in turn fueled a system of material movement and consumerism, that has unfortunately created a largely �stuff� driven society. There is little history here. The native people left little to witness and Europeans didn�t arrive until the 1600�s. A mere 400 years of history vs. thousands of years. I hope folks on the other side of the world appreciate how lucky they are for the ability to jump on a train and be through three countries in one day. Depending on where you live it can take a couple of days just to get to the border of another country. *Sigh* I, for one feel the loss of exposure to the rest of the world up close and personal.

I entertained myself last night with the redesign of my page. I need to do a little more research so I can format a few things a little better but I am basically taking the �fake it till you make it� mindset about my overall mood. If it works spectacular, if not well at least you don�t have to stare at my dreariness in order to find out how I�m doing.

I realize part of my trouble is boredom so I am attempting to relieve a bit of it by finding one or two creative outlets. First of all I am looking forward to this years NaNoWriMo. Yes folks we are a mere month away from racing to 50,000 words. After last years success I am enthusiastic even though I have no idea what I will write this year, not a clue. Second, I would like to use my Asian Calligraphy kit. I want to see if I can find my Zen in that form. Last, I will (and must) return to my martial arts to connect physically to the world. My disease often leads to a disconnect form reality and my Martial art draws me back into the physical world. I return to my body.

All the while I will work on the bigger picture with the willing assistance of my Darling (who I must call BTW so off I go).

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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