come to the lost balloon soul colonies in outer space

Have you ever seen someone accidentally let go of a balloon, and watch it float up into the sky?

I remember experiencing this as a kid and just sort of assuming that this balloon would keep flying away for all time, traveling the infinite stretch of outer space for literally ever. I’d always feel bad for those balloons, hoping that all of the lost sad balloons that people accidentally let go of would eventually find each other and form a little balloon space colony.

I feel like a lost sad balloon right now. I am that balloon.

I guess those balloons probably actually just pop once they get high enough. Heh, I don’t really know. I hope I don’t pop.

Really—everything is fine. Just came back from a long trip spanning Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Afrikaburn.

Lucas and I: hiked Lion’s Head, played with penguins in Simon’s Town, had our tent destroyed by a dust storm, spun fire in the Dance of a Thousand Flames, traveled in awe through Addo Elephant Park, and consumed wine and popcorn at the Black Filmmaker’s Festival.

My high school students are fired up right now because I just announced that we will be auditioning for the school play—Romeo & Juliet—next week. We have been flooded with submissions for the art & literary magazine I’m scrapping together. And I have cultivated a massive interest in more recycling efforts. Our Eco-Warriors are even going to tour the local depot soon to see how all the waste is sorted.

All in all, life is good. People seem to generally think I’m pretty adventurous to travel alone in a place they feel is exotic. But the honest truth is that I just get bored ridiculously easy. Too easy. Whenever I get to the point where I feel comfortable or used to something, my blood begins to itch. I just want to run away. I’ve done it five times now in the past three years. It gets to a point where I don’t feel home anywhere anymore. A constant feeling of disorientation, disconnection, and delirium, combined into one. Equal parts homesickness, hellraiser, and helium. A lil wandering balloon soul, endlessly searching for lost balloon space colonies to settle down with (and then wander some more.)

And a sidenote from the unsavory sadness…insert shameless plugin [ugh]

Our online fundraiser is almost out of time, and we are 4/5ths of our goal. It would be so completely transformational to provide these kids with some working computers and internet. Even a couple dollars help out a lot! Please donate so I don't have to keep hating myself every time I ask for more money!