I've been busy

I haven't really been that busy. I've mostly just been adjusting to a constant cycle of self-imposed lifestyle changes. I've been watching my body slowly decompose, in horror, and I've been trying to avoid the reality of it.

What I just wrote sounds extremely dramatic and may or may not be accurate. I haven't contracted leprosy yet and I still go to work everyday. All in all, I'm a survivor.

Anyway, since I haven't been able to be as active as I need to be in order to stay sane and socially appropriate I've taken on some new habits. None of which have won me friends.

a) I listen to podcasts all the time now. I binge on 10-12 per day and as a result I am constantly responding in conversation with non sequiturs that make people feel mildly uncomfortable.
Coworker: Good Morning Kassandra! Do you need help arranging anything for the 5th grade play today?
Me: Actually, I just found out that sociopaths are not without emotions as most people believe, but rather they don't feel fear in particular and therefore need heightened experiences to get their thrills in life. Which is why they murder so much.
Coworker: Oh. My.
Me: Really. The scientists have done pulse rate tests and what not.

b) I've recently been reading an EXORBITANT amount of YA (Young Adult literature) mostly because I can get it for free on my ipad, but also because I really like it. This leads to me ponder questions like, "Do I have a superhuman equivalent out there in this vast universe?"  and "What will my first kiss be like?"

Again, these are conversation topics that my friends get judgy about, but honestly? I think everyone would be a lot happier if could chill the hell out and get a little more involved with their 13 year old selves.

c) I have been exclusively listening to music produced in the 1990's for close to two weeks now. I'm planning a 90's party (everyone I know is welcome to attend) and it's possible that I am losing friends just based on the fact that the party dominates most of my conversation -- if I'm not already in the throes of referencing a TED talk or a 128 page long sci-fi/romance novelette.

You're welcome.

d) In my downtime from the previously listed activities, I am neurotically googling all of my ailments and diagnosing myself with dire prognoses. After I decide upon a frightening disease that I have contracted, I then look up diet changes that I can make to eradicate all problems. Following this, I research a series of recipes and write them all down in my cookbook. This week I plan to make everything with the magic ingredient turmeric. If what I have been reading is correct, I should start feeling better in a month or so.

* I'll write about something cool next time.

Finding Friends in Foça

I recently visited a small seaside town called Foça. You know what I love the most about traveling to new places? You never know who you are going to meet.

On this particular weekend I met two retired gentlemen who were super excited to show off their town. They had both grown up in Foça and knew the area inside and out.

They began by telling my friends and I a list of important facts about Foça:

1) There used to be a Club Med.
2) There is a lot of gossip.
3) There are a lot of cats.
4) There are a lot of crazy people.
5) There are 3 historic windmills -- and would we like to see them?

Of course we wanted to see them.

So we got in their car and took off.

*Side Note: These were not dangerous people. I know that many of you think it might be a really bad idea to get into a stranger's car in a city you know nothing about. But 9 times out of 10, it's COMPLETELY fine. And they had already told us about the important stuff like cats and crazy people so we actually did know quite a bit about the city.

Back to my story. When we got in the car, we KNEW it was going to be an exemplary day because of the song that was playing -- one of the greatest hits from 1991: I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt.Things got wildly out of control for about 120 seconds as we blared the song at top volume with the windows open and our voices yelling.

Our soundtrack for the day continued on in a similar (a.k.a. AWESOME) fashion -- mostly comprised of Monster Ballads from the 80's and one-hit-wonders from the 90's. My two favorite genres.

Look how super funness these guys are!

Other Highlights:

• We found street puppies and we were so happy.

• Our new best friend who was driving us around admitted that he only liked to watch musicals. Namely Flash Dance, Grease and Saturday Night Fever. See, I told you he was harmless. He also made three costume changes throughout the day, each with a dashing scarf to accessorize. He was fabulous.

• We drank cappuccinos which came with chocolate spoons.

• I was gifted with three carnations during dinner. Which was neat because I thought that the manufacturing of carnations had ended in 1993. Do carnations grow in the wild somewhere? Perhaps they grow in a field near Foça.

Hearts.

Puppies!