Plane ride

So I've been in Austin for a few days. My birthday here was great and it was nice to see family. We just mainly puttered around the house. But I really want to mention my plane ride here. The ride was not that great. Veggie entrees on planes consist of boiled rice and boiled veggies. So most of the time I slept and squirmed and got up to walk around and increase circulation in my legs. My circulatory system is pretty weak.

Anyways, what was notable was that I left China on their New Year's Eve. And so most of the few days before that were in preparation and I could hear fireworks going off all day. But as the plane took off the sun was setting on the last day of the year and we flew over north eastern China I looked out of the window and I could see explosions all over the ground. They looked like flashes from thousands of cameras. They were everywhere. I imagine it's like the blinding light you feel if you are famous and paparazzi are following you.

As we flew closer to North Korea the flashes were concentrated more in pockets rather than all over and as we were in Russian air space it was really sparse. I enjoyed just watching the colorful light, not that you could actually make out what shape or type of firework was used. But I am relatively an outsider and I don't really know how important of a holiday it is to them, but I had a great first hand view of the collective festivities that surrounded me. And each day around the world, people celebrate. They love and they cherish the time they have with each other. And in India, millions were celebrating Indian Republic Day. And in a month we will be celebrating Holi, one of my favorite Indian holidays. You get to go around playing pranks on people, shooting water guns filled with colored powder, throw water balloons, and just making merry. People's clothes, face, neck, hair, and all over the ground is stained for the day. No one cares.

When I go back to Beijing in a few days I will be catching the tail end of the festival so I'm looking forward to that. But for now, my days have been filled with wedding planning and spending time with Lola who is as cute as ever. I mean, we just fell back and it's like we didn't miss a beat. She's been following me around all morning probably because she knows I'm taking her to town lake in a bit for a run. She's been cooped up for a day because it's been icy here in Austin. I'm looking forward to driving for the first time in about six months. Watch out if you're driving in Austin!