I am definitely not a Xmas person. I do not mind people putting up Xmas decorations, but I do mind a bit seeing all that plastic around…
But I am definitely a festivity person! I think I will have to look for one of those calendars that show all festivities around the world. It is inspiring! And I love having time for holidays. The main reason why I like having a lot of time is because I really dislike flying on planes (the big one I mean, where I cannot see in the front, the ones here are very “user-friendly”), so if I have to take one, better be longer than a weekend!
Being on a small lost island 5-6 hours away from Hawaii (which is 5-6 hours away from the west coast), which is… 12 hours away from Italy etc…. having enough leave time is important to make sure, that, after a 2-4 days of traumatic plane traveling, I still have few days to actually enjoy the place.
I haven’t left the island since July this year. This makes it 5 ½ months no-stop of 137 km2 of rocks, 65% of which consisting of inaccessible steep (>30%) heavily forested slopes. I loved this place when I came back from Italy (which was 95% no-joy working trip anyway –nothing I would define an holiday), but after a while… it is like loving somebody very much, but this person does not leave you alone for a second. You know the relationship could work so much better if you just had some time just for your own… if you could only go out one evening without him/her… In the island case, she (the island, which us Italian regard as a female) is always with you… and you cannot really hide away from her… until… well, the next holiday! After 3 full earth revolutions around the sun (in which the sun hits you always in the same way anyway… you do not really have that seasonal variation neither…), spinning in Neverland all by yourself (ok, with 3 cats and 1 dog)… 5 ½ months without getting off-island are way too much. Some morning you wake up in the morning wanting to scream: “Stop the World! I want to get off!”. Then you look out and another wonderful spatial fluorescent sunrise is hugging you, and with a resigned smile you get out of the bed to go to work. Life is not too bad and it would be insulting complaining. But on the back of your throat there is still that chikten Tikka Massala taste that you know you could be eating if you only were off-island… and again, your taste bugs are hit by a hint of snowball, a hot chocolate, the smell of a fire place, the warmth of a hug. It is all there, off-island, waiting for me… all I need is enough holiday to get out of here!
So, another reasons why I love holidays here on island (and recently weekends too) it is because I can work and gain comp time! Comp time that I can use to spend more time in places like… uhmm… Alaska? Totally worth it!!!
The news? I am leaving in 4 days on the Thursday flight! Finally! And my good star aligned all the planets to make this a great holiday… passed the plane phase…
I am meeting with James Bond in Hawaii on Friday, flying down with him to San Francisco on Saturday, driving to Sacrento on Sunday where I am staying couch surfing for 2 days. Back to San Francisco on Tuesday, SnowDave is going to be there all the way from Alaska for the AAG conference! Wednesday I will be (sight) flying to Portland… Rob, Liz, Biniam, Elly… the warmest welcome back home ever! More meetings planned for my ecoregions projects, stupid GRE test… and soon enough… Maria and Tyson will be flying in from Spain, Samudra from… I can never remember… Akiko from Japan!!! Doesn’t this sound like one of the best get-together ever?!?!
2 comments:
Sounds like one heck of a trip! We can't wait to meet you here! Have a safe journey ;-)
I heard that you are going to be in Alaska for Iditarod! You will have to stop by the office and say "Hi" to the gang. We'll have to see if that waiter still works at Humpy's!
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