Kingston made me love country music.

Twelve of my closest family members met in Kingston, Tennessee for five incredible days of card playing, country music, homemade pies, mountain views, zip lining and laughing … like never before.  It was the perfect Thanksgiving.  

I'm headed home to New York and I’m belly up to the bar at Legal Sea Food’s in the Philly airport.  The last time I was here I remember feeling homesick for the East Coast as I waited for my flight to O'hare.  I just wanted to stay put.  When I left Chicago I couldn’t wait to enjoy Legal Sea Food’s outside of this airport and preferably in Boston next to several of my good friends. Well, I never made it to Boston. After spending almost three months in my hometown I feel grounded, refreshed and ready for another new adventure.  My next stop is Beijing, China and I leave in ten days. 

I often get asked what I plan to do upon my return and the truth is I haven’t got a clue.  Everything seems to fall into place as it should so, for now, I’m simply going to focus on this life-changing month-long journey.

I’m outa here and I’m bringing some country music with me.

The Duck Hunt

Bonfires on Burtis Point always lead to cozy storytelling, new ideas, loads of laughter and most likely a hangover. B, T and Maggie... at it again. It's been a while since the three of us were together. Back in the day our adventures involved booze-cruising, fireworks, failed attempts at cow tipping and the occasional trip to the emergency room. It was a much needed mini-reunion (minus a few key people of course). T built a big fire and there we were, on the beach, just like old times.

We eventaually got on the topic of hunting. It's not exactly a rare topic these days. Between deer season and duck season this town is flooded with camouflage and crafty contraptions like this one:

I'm fascinated. Why all the hype? All the preparation? This is serious business and I want in. B, T and I made a duck hunting date and I was finally going to fulfill my new dream.

When my alarm clock went off at 5:15am this morning I realized it was really happening and it was really early. My mom was kind enough to pull out my dad's old hunting clothes and naturally I chose the one-piece full body camo jumper. Wooden duck call in the pocket = Valuable hidden treasure. I threw my jumper in the car and flung the duck call around my neck. It was on.

I arrived at B's at 6am sharp. As I pulled up I noticed some flashlight action on the beach and my toes started to wiggle with excitement. T greeted me, in camo, with a box full of Tim Hortons donuts. I hate mornings... but I liked this one. Enter buzzkill: Another group of hunters had taken over our territory. We were out a duck blind and we didn't have a backup plan.

A hunting blind is a cover device for hunters, designed to reduce the chance of detection.

B made coffee,  the three of us took a seat around the box of donuts and that's where we sat for the next two and a half hours. Comical? Yes. We had a good view of the decoy party on the beach several yards away and T opened the windows so we wouldn't miss out on any incoming action. The ducks were few and far between today and apparently the weather was to blame. I did get to witness a goose execution and because it made me physically ill I really felt like a participant. Close to 9am we all agreed to hang up the big guns and call it a day. The unworn camo jumper went back in the car and I was off. A great morning spent with old friends. That priceless adventure is what life's all about.

Hungry Monster

When you live in a small town you have a limited variety of just about everything. My food options are unsatisfactory and it’s starting to hurt (a little more than a little). There are a handful of restaurants I actually enjoy and they consist of American, Italian and Japanese fare. To be honest, I’ve just about had it with every one of them. If I eat another Caesar salad with grilled shrimp my appetite may hit rock bottom. What do I really want? I want a chicken shawarma plate paired with some falafel and baklava. I drool for some channa masala, chicken tikka and cherry naan. What's it gonna take? I realize the solution to my culinary upset will involve another giant move or some more frequent trips to Ithaca, the Cuse and maybe even Buffalo. I'm up for the challenge and I will go the distance. Local-ish recommendations welcome.

Yep. Creepy.

I stumbled across this little guy today:

Scorpio (10/23-11/21)

November 9, 2010

When relationships end, that's not a failure. Whether personal or professional, the connection you have with someone is coming to a close, and it's for the best. You've been banging your head against the wall for a while now, and kudos to you for giving it your all; but when something just isn't working, it isn't working. No one is the bad guy in this scenario -- but both of you need to let go of this situation and seek your own solutions elsewhere.

My first thought after reading that: Yep.

My second thought: Creepy.

This post will most likely only make sense to those of you with a good idea of where I stand personally and professionally. To make it worth while for the rest of you ... check your horoscope at Yahoo Astrology. You might find it's equally as creepy and just as accurate as mine.