I entitled this entry "The Traveler with Insomnia," because I was trying to play on the words of my favorite novel ever, J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." And as of right now, it's 3:10 AM, I'm in my apartment in Mar Vista, listening to two wonderful songs called "Missing You, by the Black Eyed Peas and "Show Me," by a band called Mint Royale, with this guy named Pos from De La Soul. The last I heard this song was on my iPod on the beaches of Sitges in Spain, as I overlooked the beautiful people overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. And at that moment, I truly realized that life is absolutely breathtakingly stunning, fragile, precious, and brief. I don't mean to sound preachy but, "we have to live our lives." If you don't strive to reach your full potential as a human being on this planet, than life is simply a waist. I ran across a sticker in Barcelona and it read "Viva La Vida." No one, and I mean no one is more responsible for your life than yourself. If you're not happy, then most likely it's because you made it that way. If you're at a place that you're not happy with, well plan your work and work your plan and make it better. Life is perception, and if you perceive it with negative sunglasses, well I guess then all you'll see is negative. So ditch those glasses and try on a pair of positive sunglasses, just like our University...it's free, and always in front of you when you need it.
So it's 3:24 AM right now, I look at my apartment room, and sad, but so ready to leave. I'm in the midst of a big transition in my life right now, I am moving from my apartment of 8 years, and moving by myself in my own place in Downtown L.A. It's been bittersweet the last two months, it's happened so fast, and a lot has happened in the last two months, I'm saddest most when I realize that I will be leaving my awesome roommate of 8 years, Morgan, but life is in constant change, and I had to say "yes" to change, even when it comes when you least inspect it. So I have traveled and can't sleep, listening to the new Black Eyed Peas album, which is brilliant, pure brilliance. I have been up for more than 24 hours now, okay so I've had a few neck wrenching naps on the plane and at all the airports, but for the most part I've been up: running and waiting.
In the last 24 hours I've woken up in Sitges in Spain, said bye to Gaston the front desk guy, took a taxi to Barcelona airport, flew to Zurich and rushed through to get to my flight to New York City, watched "Watchmen" awesome, and "Dragon Ball" not so awesome, and a few parts of "He's Just Not That into You." Got to JFK airport and ate tapas and a glass of rioja at Jet Blue's Terminal 5 at a place called Piquillo and waited an hour on the runway to take off. While in the air I read my Rolling Stone magazine tributing Michael Jackson. I still cannot believe he is gone, and to take the words of my favorite song on the new Black Eyed Peas, "I'm missing you..." There will never ever ever be another Michael Jackson, I didn't really cry until recently about his passing when I witnessed Brooke Shields' eulogy. We've lost a legend, we truly have. So then as we approached Los Angeles, I realized that L.A. has so much light. In comparison to other views from the sky that I've seen, from Manchester to the Philippines. We landed safe, there was quite a commotion with security, we couldn't get to baggage claim for another 30 minutes, the crowd got bigger and bigger. So just imagine being in a crowd of disgruntled, tired, and confused travelers, but I've been in situations like this, and here I used some knowledge of my last lesson when it came to waiting with disgruntled people, instead of being a part of it, I chose this time to go to the sides and patiently sit, and read my Rolling Stone. After all the drama, it all worked out in the end, everyone got their luggage, everyone got to their next destination, and I got a taxi and got home. And here I am, still awake, coming back from being in 4 very distinct parts of the world...I am a traveler with insomnia...and it's 4:02 AM.
