teacups and toasts

Here, there and everywhere. This is essentially what the last few weeks or months or whatever they are have felt like. But it's been a fantastic whirlwind of cities and people and hugs and family and friends and so so so so so much happening. Like a flipbook kind of (i love those things), but not quite that fast. More like the teacup ride at Disneyland... it was always my favorite. Everything just spinning around you and the wind whirling and you can't really see anything because it's all a big fuzzy wonderful mess of colors and sounds and laughing till your stomach aches. That is basically what the past months have been like.

And today I am turning 25. It feels like a bookmark of sorts. It's not so much an important age but a good place to mark a spot. I have the advantage of having all of my friends turn these ages before I do, so I get a good while to test it out and see how it feels, get accustomed to it, you know. This birthday I decided long ago that I wanted to spend outside of the country because...well, I can. If you're going to be unemployed and homeless, you should take advantage of its blessing if you ask me. So forty five minutes into my 26th year of life, I am sitting on a comfortable, quiet couch in Mexico City with a laptop and a cup of tea and a surprising amount of peace about the previous 25 years and the (hopefully) next 25 to come.

This is not to say that I have any kind of inkling or notion about what even the next 25 months will bring. But that's ok. I mean, I've made it this far, right? And really, the likelihood of screwing up the first 25 years is probably a lot higher than screwing up the second. Plus, I've decided about a few things, both long term and short term; silly and perhaps less silly. Firstly, there is no time like the present (that's why they call it a present!) and why not use my birthday as a good excuse to start blogging again. Yes, some may tease me about it and yes, it is possible that I have been called "Rose glasses" a time or two, but whatever. I like it. And I feel like this may be a year that needs documenting.

Secondly, my present state of unemployment (I have put myself in this situation so please don't think there is any self-pity or wallowing happening here) is leading me to think about careers and jobs and what I really want to be doing. And I think writer may be making it onto that list. I am not really sure if I am good at writing or not, but I surely cannot get any better if I do not practice and work at it and well, write. If I were considering whether or not to go on a date with writing, this is what I would put on the 'pros' list:
flexible hours
flexible location
can be applied to a variety of subjects and interests
is a creative process
i like it.

Other things that have made it onto my mental, 'Potential Careers/Next Step' list are:
lawyer
law school
lobbyist
beauty school?
more wine industry (production or sales?)
Import/Export wine
travel industry
curator in an art museum
masters in art history
restoration
move to new zealand
move to france

Needless to say, I think I have some options. Which I guess is all you can ask for at any age. So to celebrate, I think I will pour myself a large glass of champagne and toast all the good, all the bad, and all the confusing things that have dropped me off at this point in my life. Happy birthday to me!