I think I lived more in the past 2 days that I have in the past 2 weeks, and now that the weekend’s over, I’m genuinely sad. Not sad in the “Oh man, I have to go work tomorrow” sort of way, because I’m lucky in that I actually enjoy my job (of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be going in at any “normal” hour).
Saturday being my birthday, my friends and I convened at what has become our de facto hangout — the one, the only Yia-Yia’s — for a night of pizza, beer, and obnoxious frivolity. Many thanks to David and Leanne for getting me that freakin’ huge Valentine’s Day balloon that I had to carry down O Street in plain sight of the bars. It’s moments like those that make birthdays so darn special.
Saturday also happened to be the Chinese New Year, which meant a huge celebration on Sunday at UNL. Most of what I know about Chinese culture comes from the pop culture (mostly movies) that I ingest, and what little I read on the Web. Not the two most accurate and pure sources in the world, I’m afraid. But that’s what made the celebration so fun and exciting for me. I got to see, up close and personal, aspects of a culture that has fascinated me for a long time. Oh yeah, and there was some live kung fu demonstrations, which was the icing on the cake.
But more importantly, Sunday night reminded me of just how much I still have yet to experience in life. That it’s bigger and brighter and louder than the little confines of my bedroom, house, and workplace (the 3 primary locales of my life).
Now that I’m getting ready to get back into real life, I feel, well, minimized. I’ve been going through a somewhat existential stage lately, and I’ve realized that mindset is not something I want to carry for an extended period of time. In fact, I’d rather be done with this constant sense of numbness altogether. This weekend really jarred me out of that, forcing me to be social and outgoing rather than “deep” and “introspective”, which usually seems to get me in trouble more often than not.
I just pray the momentum I have right now carries me through this week.