Weekends...

I almost forgot how much I love a weekend at home. As much as I love traveling, there really is nothing else quite like being able to make plans on a weekend. Or even better - plan on not having any plans! Jen and I had a full day of brunch with Sean, dropping off our laundry, tidying up the apartment, reading, ordering groceries from Fresh Direct, and watching movies.

And as Jen stated to me earlier today..."The best part is knowing that we get to do it all over again tomorrow!" Ahhhh, happiness!

Last week actually felt like the longest week of my life. I guess that's because until today I haven't had a day off in nearly 2 weeks.

Simi is getting married next weekend! Jen and I are planning a fabulous Bachelorette Party for her! I can't wait! I've been wanting to plan a bachelorette party for a long time. I only wish that I could go with her and Jan to Las Vegas to witness the festivities! But we'll make a great sendoff for her here in NYC on Tuesday!

That reminds me... My sister invited me to a Sex Toy Party next week! Has anyone ever heard of this before? Novel concept! I guess this is the new age version of TuperWare or Mary Kay parties, huh? I'll report back with the details...

Having Le Sean out in NYC for the week was really cool. I'm bummed he had to leave today. For those of you who have yet to meet one of our newer Teammates, I highly encourage getting to know him when you have a chance. He is an absolute sweetheart! Although French, he does not have a French accent, which is a tad bit disappointing. But he makes up for it with his own charm! :) Hopefully he'll come out to visit again soon!

Speaking of new Teammates, I am SO STOKED that Chris is our newest addition to the Team! I've told him that there's only one stipulation... I want to hear "Father Abraham" in the office everyday! Hehe! He's an swell chap, and I'm thrilled that he's joining the Team!

Hmm...other news... I had a friend from Colorado come out for a visit this week as well. He was actually one of my SNs that I sent to Colombia! Dan the Man. I've actually never called him that before, but it sounds fun, eh? Anyway, Dan proclaimed that he must have been walking around NYC with a horseshoe stuck up his ass - he had so much good luck while he was here! He entered the Broadway lottery and got front seats to Avenue Q for $20! He checked out Ashes to Snow and loved it and also caught the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry as per my suggestion.

His last night in the city, he proposed that we all have a nice dinner together (we meaning him, his friend from Baltimore, and myself). More luck slapped us in the face. Suzanne suggested a new Moroccan restaurant that just opened up a few blocks from my apartment, and wouldn't ya know, we stumbled upon their soft opening, which meant that everything was complimentary. EVERYTHING. Free drinks, free appetizers, free entrees, free shisha. As Mix would say, it was the bomb digidy, YO.

We gorged ourselves and then stumbled up to the roof of my apartment to check out the view. Fantastic. Can't wait until the weather is permanently good (no more of this wishy-washy shit) and we can spend our weekends tanning, eating watermelon, and drinking beer on the roof. Good times.

Okay, I'm signing off at 11:23pm on a Saturday night. Some would call me pathetic for not being out partying tonight. But it's a rare luxury that I'm happy enjoy tonight! Peace.

Living it up in the S-T-L

Just chillin' with Sorin, Alfredo, Shady, and Rickesh in St. Louis. Wish I could hang out with them all the time, since they're such cool trainees! I will miss them so much when they go home!!!

Can't wait to see everyone at LTM!

Cleaned the apartment tonight and "looked into" that whole doing my taxes thing. Feeling like it's been a rather productive night. Jen, the pad is sparkling! Ready and waiting for your arrival!!! (Except my room...that's a bigger project.) And not a single mouse to be found!

Pablo sent me some fabulous Tango music today. On Saturday I discovered that they give free Tango lessons at Chelsea Market. Going to have to look into that. Also looking forward to Project 2005's Salsa Night next month!

I'm halfway through my book, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I'm not quite sure how to feel about it yet, but it absolutely has me addicted to it. I can't put it down!

Baila Baila Comiiiiigo!

Okay, so I just realized after reading Bowman's blog about AfroExpros that I haven't properly written about AXLDS in Brasil! I would say that it was easily the best international conference that I've ever been to. Venezuela was great, but it was my first international conference and I was still feeling a little shy and new to whole thing, but this was different. It was so great to recognize so many familiar faces. It was so exciting to see old friends like Vero, Karina, Gina, Kiko, Ivan, Karolina, Niki, etc, etc... Great to get to know others better - Matt, Sumesh, Lele, etc. And it was great to meet so many NEW people...people I know I'll stay in touch with for a long, long time - Gabi, Pablo, Mattheus, Davo, Ines, Marcelo, Cris, Coelho, Dorita, etc. And I couldn't have been more proud of my AWESOME delegation. Thank you to Mikey, Andrew, Agnes, Amber Shapiro, Amber Shirley, Clarali, Kelly, and Arthur. You guys are amazing and inspiring, and I'm so proud to be from the same country as you!!!

Vitoria is a stunning city. Green, hilly, beautiful beaches (although not the one the hotel was perched on), even more beautiful people! ;) The hotel was decent and the food was actually GOOD. I think it's the first Aiesec conference I've ever been to that the food was edible!

Rio was enchanting. Although it rained my only day there it was definitely speaking to me. Calling my name! Thank you to Gabi, the best ever tour guide (even though Rio isn't your home) and to Niki, the best travel partner!

Highlights of AXLDS:
- Niki's lone roll calls....GASOLINA!
- The Kissing Contest...go externals!
- Sumesh checks
- Our one Ugandan delegate!
- Culture of Excellence
- All of the free Certs, Halls, and Bubalicious you could want!
- The hardworking OC, who still took the time to give me dance lessons and drive me to the ATM!
- The Brasilian delegation...so hot!
- Explora Day
- Streaking in SSGN flags
- Breaking a bed in a nice, friendly game of "Lights on, Lights off"
- Lele: "Alllrriiiiiiiight! Good job, you guys!"
- Sessions by the pool (beat that EuroExpros!)
- Swiss strip teases
- Baila Baila Comiiigo!
- Arthur holding a demolished apple pie broadcasted on Brasilian television
- Leader shots strike again!
- Luciano's room setting on fire. The lu, the lu, the lu is on fire!
- Rice and beans for lunch and dinner
- The wonderful Ecuadorians who traveled 8 days by bus to get to Vitoria!
- Jumping in the pool before Sumesh could push me.
- Togas!!!
- Pablo's reflection time
- Practicing my Portuguese with the bartenders and getting extra strong Caipirinhas in return!
- Seeing Niki and Ivan win the Philips Leadership Award and CAS winning the country award!!
- Soaking wet from a rainstorm, dancing underneath a hut on Copacabana beach with Gabi and Niki.
- The Christo...clear for 5 minutes before the clouds took over!
- Sleeping in the "Chill Room" of the Mellow Yellow
- Promising Gabi that I'll be back...and I will!

Ashes to Snow

This photography exhibit was more than just a show...it was an experience. They built the exhibit on Pier 54, extending onto the Hudson River. The shelter is made out of railcars stacked on top of each other and covered in canvas. The structure was probably 50 feet high and supported by tube-like beams which succeeded in making you feel like you were walking through a fantasy cathedral. The most amazing photography I've ever seen was suspended in air, hanging by wires, and gently danced as the wind made its way in through the flaps of canvas. The art lined the pier until you reached the end of the exhibit that displayed a film based on the photography. The entire exhibit exuded this indescribable ambiance. It was haunting...

For all of those people coming to visit me in the next month, we're going to this exhibit again. I can promise you, you've never seen anything like it. So amazing!!!!

Ashes to Snow...

Wisdom from a wise man...

ThE DANCE
OF THE UNIVERSE
EXTENDS TO ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS
WE HAVE.
KNOWING THE STEPS
AHEAD OF TIME
IS NOT IMPORTANT;
BEING WILLING
TO ENGAGE WITH THE MUSIC
AND MOVE FREELY
ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR
IS WHAT IS KEY.

Excerpts from a Traveler's Diary...

The stars at night were inspiring. They seemed to wink at me in mischievous certainty. One night, however, the stars were replaced by a sky full of feathery clouds which gathered around a full, voluptuous moon. The tide had vanished and the sound of lapping waves was absent and replaced by a mysterious silence. We lounged on the patio, sipping our Skols and conversing about the books that changed our lives and the writers who gave birth to them... Surrendering to the eerie calm.

Matt, Pablo, Sumesh, Lele... Missing you...