Dancing in Lisbon

Yesterday afternoon I became the proud owner of a round-trip ticket to Lisbon, Portugal. I will be there in June for the Lisbon Village Festival, I hope. They have a website which is under construction. Other organizations are talking about it. I, however, can not confirm dates or participants for this collection of events. The Lisbon Village Festival is typically a week long and focuses on music, film and art for "the digital age". So digital cinema, digital music, digital art. While I have a minor fear that I will be walking into a city-wide rave, I think it is going to be a fantastic time. It will also be more practice with interminably long plane trips. I need to train for the India marathon, don't I?

I hope to stay in the Alfama neighborhood. This is the old part of the city center and is apparently where there are many fado houses. That is really why I am going, fado. If I can sit in a cafe and eat seafood and listen to gloriously sad fado music, I might not even make it to the festival events. I bought a purple silk dress with a full skirt and ruffles just for this trip, well actually before I even booked it. What else is a lady to do with a purple dress besides go dancing in Lisbon?

Tamil Nadu or bust

I am going to Tamil Nadu. It is a big state and I am not exactly sure where in it I will be, but I will pin-point it as soon as possible.

Once, very long ago late late at night (or was it early in the morning*...), it occurred to me as I sat with a glass of water in one hand and a bic lighter in the other pondering the fact that humans have harnessed two of the most dynamic forces of nature, that it is better when you are moving. No need to sit still, just get up and dance and rejoice. Well the idea stuck and I've called it my motto ever since. It works so well. I use it where some would say c'est la vie. It is an answer to so many mystical "why?"s, an excuse for so much water under bridges, a knowing affirmation when you can't sit still.

And now I will bring it into practice with surety and determination as I head to the equatorial jungle with my GBOGL** and my architecture skills to lend a hand to some friends in need.




*Dearest V, this is why you are always invoked when seismic movements occur in my life, as it was your house and your spell under which I had this revelation. Bless you.

** Giant Ball of God's Love