1. Jobless and Leaving

I'm getting ready for my trip to Peru this morning. By getting ready I mean sitting at the computer in my pink pajamas and a sweater that little Maya Nagaraj brought me back from the Galapagos.

Oddly enough, the sweater smells like my house in Santa Barbara, despite the fact that it never lived there. I found it this morning at 6 am while digging through boxes in the garage. This was after I had sat straight up in bed, in a cold sweat and realized I had no idea where my US passport was.

I contemplated for a bit the consequences of traveling on my EU passport instead:

On the one hand, I'd get to Peru but I would have a terrible time getting back into the US. On the other hand, I'd get to Peru but I would have a terrible time getting back into the US.

So this sweater was sitting amongst other clothes I'd forgotten about and has apparently absorbed the smoky adobe smell that had permeated the rest of my Santa Barbara belongings.

The same Maya who gave me the sweater gave me a Valentine/Going Away Card yesterday. It reads:

Dear Alice

Have fun in Peru!
Are you going to climb
Machupichu? I've heard that
it's a great place to visit,
along with the ancient Mayan
(hint-hint!) ruins.

Sincerely,
Maya

The underlining was all her, too.