twenty-six

today i turn 26 for real, though we celebrated on sunday, and i've been thinking i'm 26 for a few weeks. it's another birthday where i grow a bit less immature, perhaps. i've also hassed the hump, either my quarter, third, or half life crises, depending on how optimistic i am on a given day. today, it's more of a third life point type of day.

i am traveling in the phoenix airport where there is a "Free public wifi network" but it doesn't actually give any internet access. i wanted to tweet my trip because it might actually be interesting, but i dont have an iphone to have constant access to twitter. so everything will depend on intermittent internet access from friends - along with intermittent bedding and travelling availability. from here, i will be going to san jose to vacation for a day before the Pan Am competition.

the interesting thing about phoenix airport is that there is a store called "Indigeneous" that sells some native american artisanal souvenirs. it reminds me of when i was in albuquerque years ago for a national jshs competition. i was in 9th grade and made it to the top 5 along with a senior named daniel who was my hero. however, the moment we arrived at albuquerque square and had some time to go tour/explore, he said, "hey, do you guys mind if we go off on our own?" which he promptly did, leaving me for the first time alone without an agenda or an adult in my life. (summer camp came in my sophomore year, which was an equally harrowing initial experience.)

later, after wandering the native shops for a few hours, i saw daniel rejoin the group with a bunch of souvenirs. i especially admired his albuquerque shirt with cave drawings - it was a souvenir and a symbol of independence. i wanted to buy something to prove that i was equally wordly, but i couldn't get myself to approach the native american vendors. so later, while returning at the albuquerque airport, at the last chance i had, i bought the same shirt from a souvenir shop in the albuquerque airport.

this week, i will be traveling all around california. i have no solid plans yet. i hope to be able to go off on my own and just disappear in california, occasionally reemerging with a souvenir. but there will be no airport tshirts this time.