vacation plans

I've been talking about going to Easter Island, but it didn't feel really urgent, and now there aren't flights available. So, I will do that another time, and that makes my winter break a lot more flexible. Since I'll already be down in Chillán for our mid-service workshop/chill-out, maybe I'll go to one or two other places, despite weather that looks a little colder than here, but also wetter, with things resembling snow.

It's definitely time for a break, as I'm pretty regularly cranky now. I'm gaining some weight, and feeling the lack of exercise, as I've struggled to try and do anything with aikido, or go running, or really do anything with any regularity. My imbalanced diet is catching up to me (hence the weight gain), with lots of bread and avocado and milk. Granted, the milk is powdered, which is another post, and I only use it with instant coffee, which I could go without, but it's one of several unhealthy tonics that help me manage my moods, in the absence of doing aikido. It's all very complicated.

Anyway, for the past couple weeks, eight months has sounded like a very long time, for all the volunteers. I'm in the minority in the group, who already has roots set down someplace, and then when I get back, I'm still planning on doing the 3-month winter practice period at Tassajara, starting in January. So, while it's incredibly unhelpful for me to look at it that way, I'm still 9 months away from re-starting life with Anna and J and the dojo and the sangha. I'm hoping the economy has a job for me somewhere. It should! I'm smart and I can do really complicated things that not many people can do!