Layover in Miami
Had a lovely night of friends dropping over to help me “pack” over drinks and giving me lots of farewell hugs, travel tips, tech support, and life direction. Barely got everything zipped up by 3am, so I didn’t even have time for that last, long shower I had hoped for before running to the airport for early morning flight. But no matter how long i’ve been planning a trip, I can never pack until right before the mad dash to the airport - it always comes down to the last two hours… but thanks to two brilliant assistant packers, i managed to fit in not only 20lbs of QMA shwag&catalogs, but also a mobile indian spice cabinet, a minipharmacy, enough clothes for 3 months and many micro-climates and elevations, and even a small reference library!
Now I’m in MIA about half-way into the 6 hour layover for flight to UIO (hey, you can’t expect great connections using frequent flyer miles) . Since I didn’t get any sleep last night, I’ve been alternating between hazy napping and daydreaming, and moments of great exhilaration and anticipation. Wondering when the new reality of her life will sink in… it’s been so long since time seemed to feel like it was opening lazily outwards rather than spiraling out of control and punctuated by deadlines and appointments with alarming frequency. Looking forward to seeing how this change of pace and context will affect my emotions, my thoughts, my outlook, my analyses, and even my body chemistry!
Thanks to Tricia, blogstress extraordinaire, I now have this tumblr site to chronicle my journey for the next three months, which will take me to Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina and which will automatically post updates to FB as well. I’m so excited to be meeting a range of artists, writers, activists, filmmakers, curators, professors, punks, DJs, journalists, and just generally cool folks, throughout this trip, and plan to share some of these experiences and their impact on me here on this site.. Thanks to all those who’ve sent me contacts and made connections for me - truly I am lucky to have such a great colleagues and friends who are opening doors for me a thousand miles away and also holding down the fort for me in NYC while I recharge and reboot. I really feel rich indeed in this regard, and hope to repay the favor whenever I can…
Okay, finally my flight is showing up on the screens, and I might attempt my patented airport bathroom shower that i perfected during many a layover in Dubai either to/from India. A kind of sponge bath with warm wet paper towels and hand soap, starting with a little steam to the face and work downwards… utilizing the handicapped stall if at all possible! Followed by thorough teethbrushing, 2 minute hair comb-out/head massage. Finish it off with a stop at the duty free store where you can sample some $80 moisturizers for free!
After that I’m usually feeling 100% better and ready for that miraculous moment when the wheels lift off the ground, and now matter how many times i’ve flown before, i’m filled with an immense sense of wonderment and possibility, my heart keeping rhythm with these powerful engines until both me and the plane reach a comfortable cruising altitude. Then comes perhaps the most peaceful time in my life, when I can take off my shoes, recline the seat, and enjoy a bloody mary with a benadryl, knowing that my phone will not be ringing, and i can drift off and just enjoy the interplay of sun and clouds for hours on end without any expectation of productivity at all…
Ok folks, enough of my airport reveries. Next post from Ecuador!
This is the new website where you can find out about current exhibitions, events and classes/workshops at the Queens Museum of Art, where I work as the Director of Public Events.
