Yet another birthday (or: "Oh my god, you're old!")

Yup, it's yet another birthday... the big 3-1. Truthfully, I feel younger than I have in years -- something about the travelling lifestyle (despite all its stresses) seems to agree with me.

Naturally, I find myself reflecting on yet another year gone by. So here, without ado, is a listy-type recap thing.

Best moments of today:
- My class of thirty 13-year-olds surprising me by breaking into "Happy Birthday" (coached by the music teacher)
- One of my 18-year-olds asking me for proof when I told her my age, and then exclaiming (in what I can only take as a complimentary way) "oh my god, you're old!"
- The hand-painted T-shirt my student made for me.
- Having my sister here to celebrate with me.
- The long leisurely lunch with some of my favourite teachers (and a gift of books -- the ultimate way to my heart)
- Spending an hour at the beach in the middle of the day.

Best moments of the past year:
- The viking festival, volunteerism, and the hike in Iceland
- The sunlight of Almeria
- New Year's Eve in Cadiz
- My students -- even on bad days, I have so much fun with them.
- Alex and Mike's visit, and my dad's visit.
- Finally getting the turtle I've always wanted.
- When Liz asked me to be her bridesmaid.
- Visiting my mom in Oregon
- Every glass I've raised with a friend...

Best moments of the year to come:
Erm... I'll get back to you on that one... But I think it's gonna' be a good one.

PEHDTSCKJMBA! (or why I love Tom Waits)

OK, so I know that this blog is usually about me, and my travels. But if you've know me for, oh I don't know, an hour or so, you'll know how much I love Tom Waits. Seriously. When I was 7 years old, I knew all the words to "Frank's Wild Years" (admittedly, not the most appropriate song for a kid that age).

So this is a quick interstitial entry about Tom. It's my lifelong dream to see Tom in concert, so I get very excited every time he announces a tour (which is actually fairly rare). Problem is, he's always going to the most random places, and I haven't managed to coincide with any of them yet.

And now, he's announced dates for his new Glitter and Doom Tour, along with its rallying cry: Pehdtsckjmba! Watch the press conference for an explanation:



So, if anyone is stuck on what to get me for my upcoming birthday (it's less than a week away, after all), may I suggest a concert ticket and road trip to some fine city in the Central or Southern US in July....

Seriously, I'd love you forever.

UPDATE: The tickets go on sale Friday May 16th. If anyone is honestly interested in taking in one of these concerts with me, let me know. I just might try to get a couple tix (though they usually sell out in minutes).