1. Today is Nada's birthday! Happy Birthday Katkoota! and 2. Today is my one-year anniversary of quitting smoking! Both are conveniently and intentionally on the same day. First cigarette with Katkoota - last one too! Muaah love you babe!
Nessa. Yesterday, I spoke about you to someone who is dear to me. I've just recently been able to say your name out loud. I can finally look at you in photographs, but only for a fleeting moment. When I think of our days together, I hear your laugh, which was always more of a very loud giggle. I have moments where I'll tell a story of our pasts as if you are still in our present. Most times, I feel as though you are still living on with your life in Cairo. I see you painting by the trees, cigarette hanging from one side of your lips, hands full and covered in textures and colours.
You'll be 27 in just a couple of weeks. I can't believe we're here; so far from where we were in those days of CAC. I miss you and think of you every day. I know that you'll celebrate your birthday well, wherever you are. :) I'll be flying through Heathrow again this January. Will stop by our meeting spot to say hello and see you off on your next flight.
I'll admit it. There are some definite major attractions and great sights in Coupledom. I might have been a teensy bit judgemental the other day, but give me a break, it's been a while and I'm just not used to the lovey-dovey (shudder) stuff. Some experiences I've enjoyed during my journey so far:
a. continental breakfasts in bed as part of your stay (or home-cooked meals throughout your trip if you're staying at a B&B)
b. free dinner vouchers (provided to appease guests should they be pissed off or as an apology)
c. luxurious spa massages (Coupledom hotels always have great spa services)
d. sight-seeing (enjoying the view, sounds and natural landscape of your travel partner)
e. great memories to take with you (and photo-ops!)
You know how people say that everything happens for a reason? Well, I hate that saying. It doesn't offer any comfort or support. It just leaves you thinking, "Ok, so what's the reason?" No one ever has an answer for that. I guess you could spend forever trying to figure out why things end up turning out the way they do, but in the end, I blame every bad thing that happens on miscommunication. And stupidity. If people just said what was really on their minds and were honest with each other, I really think fewer bad things would happen. That's just my thought for today.
Well, it's official. I have re-entered Coupledom. At first, I was excited, thrilled, swooning even. Now that the novelty has worn off, faint and distant memories of my last few trips to Coupledom are coming to the surface. I'm starting to remember the tourist traps, tacky souvenirs and travel drama:
a. extra or unexpected expenses (for dates, additional groceries, appropriate clothing so they don't think you're a hobo, etc.) b. not-so-great accomodations (foreign presence in bed and nasal orchestra causing lack of sleep) c. getting sick (passing the flu back and forth, getting the stomach flu from bad restaurant food that occured as a result of point a) d. delays (two brown people meeting up for dinner, movies, etc., according to brown standard time) e. language or cultural barriers (misunderstanding or miscommunication causing altercations) f. transportation challenges (involving two-hour long bus rides just to meet for dinner, look back to point d and a).
