The day before I leave there are a few things that weigh on my mind.

First, election day. Will passionate liberal independent-minded Americans show up on November 7th or will the god-fearing closed-minded blindly patriotic dominate the polls as usual? How pissed off and disaffected is the Left? Can tolerance ever defeat intolerance (can you really kill someone with kindness???)? There can be no greater time to witness a sea change, but i won't be shocked if the status quo is upheld. We have to hope that the christian right sticks to their moral high road and is so disgusted by evangelical leaders accepting BJs from meth-dealing male escorts that they decide not to vote this year. Something tells me that will not be the case. But the polls say if either Tennessee or Virginia turns blue then Congress goes back to the Democrats. So keep the fingers crossed for now, I guess. We can ask the more important question later: will it make a difference?

Second, tsunamis. Two years ago Thailand suffered a devastating tsunami that leveled beachfront communities and killed thousands. Admittedly, tsunamis are caused by largely unpredictable geological events and the probability of repeat catastrophe is extremely low. But it still makes me nervous. Then again, it's not like i was just living along one of the world's most active fault lines for the past three years which has probably killed more Bay Area residents in the past 20 years than any natural disasters in Southeast Asia...statistics, shmatistics.

Third, coup(s) de etat(s). Two months ago, a military junta, under the auspices of the beloved king, ousted the prime minister, sequestered all national media, and suspended government. Miraculously, there was almost no bloodshed and only a few lonely protesters were thrown in jail. Everything seems to have returned to normal, but it's hard for me to fathom how this kind of governments overthrow can take place overnight with little to no consequence... Oh well, Amie and Pete are already over there having a great time for some national 60th anniversary celebration, so if they're not worried, then i'm not worried.

Fourth, family time. There will be a lot of it. Part of me has always felt like this was kind of a weird idea to invade my sister's honeymoon and hang out for a couple weeks. Kind of like that neighbor who likes to drop in uninvited and won't shut the fuck up when all you want to do is have a nice dinner and relax but you're too nice to say anything. But i am resolved to be as happy-go-lucky as possible and am putting Operation Avoid and Deflect into effect when i feel annoyance start to creep into my subconscious when dealing with daddio.

Fifth, life in (the) Sac. As always, I expect this travel time to provide substantial reflection on where my life is, how far it has come, where it is going. This is obviously a pivotal moment when anything can happen. Will i become a freelance-writing bike mechanic who DJs in his spare time? Will Katherine and I start the most unthinkably amazing highly-sustainable free-spirited cooperative community known to man? Will our roommates ever realize that a job is just a job and the fruitless search for entertainment and distraction could end if they would just embrace the very endeavor we have before us?

Nothing is lacking but imagination and inertia. I am filled with excitement thinking about the adventures ahead.