TSA, taxes and why travel is over-rated
An ode of a (reluctant) traveller. In words and pictures.
This is a travel blog, my first. But if you came here for a travel blog, you’re already lost.
You see, I don’t travel well. I pick destinations the way I pick stocks, used, unloved, cheap. My friends picked me the same way. And somewhere between Santa Fe and a conversation with a stranger at an airport, I realized: this whole trip isn’t about the places. It’s about the person I become when I stop being at home.
So yes, you’ll see New Mexico. Adobe architecture. Nuclear museums. But what you’re really here for, whether you know it yet, is to watch me fail at something most humans find natural: being present somewhere that isn’t my own mind.
Let me show you what I mean.
This post has some NSFW stuff targeted ‘for mature audience’. Will warn you when we get there. Also, this post is 100% organic, uses 0% AI, comes with all the typos and only one animal was harmed in it’s making. Was inspired by many friends, one is cited below and despite being a droid user, they deserve all our love.
Yes, my phone has a huge font. KheeKhee. You are so funnnie! Will also link it to other slice-of-life-type embarrassing posts from past that I have written over the years. We can laugh at those together and in the future I can get back to what I want to write about. Also, how many reading glasses do you carry?
“I think we’re like tourists. We didn’t exist for 13.5 billion years. Then we get 80-90 years [with this life thing], if we’re lucky. And then we go back to never existing again. So you gotta make the most of it. It’s amazing, life. It’s brilliant.” - Ricky Gervais.
Well aware that not everyone is a fan of Ricky but I have rarely come across anyone who doesn’t admire his ability to be raw, authentic and tongue in cheek. In a rare case you are that person, chances are this is not for you. Find something else to scroll through.
NM was in NM this past weekend. If you are just here for the spots I went to, you can find those here. Thank my lil’ sister. If you are here for a stock thesis, we won’t be talking shop but I may slip in interesting tid-bits for an over achieving all-rock-turner.
Others, settle in. Get yourself a hot chocolate, they are in the holiday bags from your friends and neighbors. Make yourself cozy in a warm blanket and let me show you why travel, by and large, is the opposite of that cozy feeling.
My parents, due to colonial hangover, addressed themselves as Government servants. Employees is a better word. We all know that.
Back in the British times, officers would get LTA, leave travel allowance, for leisure and to travel back home. And because most of independent India plagiarized concepts from the Brits, my family got free travel credits annually to travel across India. It was not until I moved out that they were able to use most of those. For that, I am both thankful and apologetic to my family.
At least in India, in 2026, if central government employees want to move a horse they can claim reimbursements, so long as they draw the top grade pay of ~$47 or more in monthly salary. Yeah, it is like America running like the Roman empire during the times of Caesar. Some might argue we are witnessing what happened in Rome here.
We will leave that for another post. It might open with “For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men...”
As always, I digress. Where were we? As an ambivert my preference is to have a house full of people I admire but sit alone locked in the room. I love stepping out to engage as much and as when as I please. So the concept of travel did not appeal to me. But I like to try new things too. In my head, I am trying to resolve two contradictions I can argue strongly from both sides at all times. This was no different.
Anyway, what we have done is directed others to do things they actually came here for and we shall continue to do that as we go along. So this solo travel happened due to a visa situation and I am no stranger to those. Even on this trip I got pulled aside by the TSA for carrying some ‘white powder’. In retrospect, it was all my fault.
So to tell all the strangers on the plane that they were graced in the presence of an intellectual, I wanted to carry ‘The Economist’. The holiday edition. I forgot to carry that. They got the real me.
I also forgot to tell you how I picked New Mexico. I wanted cheap flights. Cheap stay. And wanted to be in the sun. That didn’t happen (on some days) either. My sister had done the trip and while Las Vegas, NV and Tucson, AZ also fit the bill, one was too sad and the other was too nostalgic for me.
Travelled on Christmas Eve. Allegedly, according the Gregorian calendar, 2025 years ago, on the 25th day of December, Jesus was born to Virgin Mary and David. I use allegedly with utmost respect to my friends of Christian faith. I still want to be invited to the Christmas parties, look forward to your Christmas gifts and holiday cards.
But let’s agree that even arguments from devout Christians often note that Luke’s mention of shepherds in the fields could fit better with lambing season in spring than with mid‑winter. Ask your roadside theologian, but spring is also when non-Abrahamic faiths celebrate their holiday season. Maybe we should party harder in Easter?
So I arrive just in time for Sky daddy’s birthday and plan on driving 2 hours to Santa Fe. One small problem. ABQ airport’s Hertz staff happens to deserve holidays despite the advances humanity has made in capitalism. What place is this Europe? I thought I was in 'MuricAAH!
Thanks to the marketing dollars spent by Coca Cola, the entire scene is painted red. Did you know Santa, based on St. Nicolas used to be green, yellow, blue and all kinds of colors before Coca-Cola marketed this fictional character to trick you into thinking about them every time you thought about him? You are a victim of marketed propaganda.
If you are curios about why I am fascinated about Turkey or Coca-Cola or Coca-Coal in Turkey, you can read more here. Back to Santa. So I understand people want to feel good and Santa makes people feel good. So does does the tooth fairy. But they are fictional. Beware of fictional characters, especially if they are old, white males with a beard. Some of those used to be brown.
Try to follow the history and the money and see what they were up to and then decide where you fall. I decided to buy a stake in Coca-cola in Turkey. That company sells sugared water in Pakistan and Bangladesh. No need for bullets and they pay money for their own sweet death. To dark? Warned ya!
By the way, before anyone reads this and comes after my future celebrity self, let me tell you I just took a Vegan Bangladeshi comic out for dinner after his show in Seattle. You should go check him out, before you come after me for mocking my desi boys.
As for the fellow Pakis, I know a few Burger bacchas, I have actually written a stark contrast to Dhurandar, called Mumbai to Peshawar, co-authored with a Paki, which talks about the story of Kasab in first person. Happy to share a copy, just don’t click on any links on there which direct to recruitment websites, traffic to which, many three letter agencies monitor. Next, I might build a Jinha’s clone, along with Nehru’s and have them simulate the Simla conference. A project that I am excited for with a new friend! Let the APIs trained on the speeches and writings of the legends go at each other.
On Dhurandar, I actually saw the movie in ABQ. Well, I am squeamish so I saw like half of it. Now, I am not into movies but I was getting a head start new-year-new-me vibe that lasts for about a week. I am not a supporter of what happened there but I am in favor of freedom of expression and freedom of speech. Reluctantly, like Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". Should we bring back Voltaire to life?
But if you happen to see it, it was definitely a work of someone who worships their craft. Hritik got some bashing for saying the exact same thing. Thankfully, I am not that famous. And to balance it out, here is a Pakistani POV of the film.
Anyway, among those and many other thoughts, I make a makeshift bed and try to catch up on some sleep. I failed, again. Both, at my attempt to sleep and stay on topic but hope you are having fun!
As you probably know by now, I am not the one to believe in miracles. And given the lifetime-belief-subscription handed to me at birth and despite my schooling in a convent school, I am not into Christmas miracles. But one happened. I posted my creation in a community I believe to think as my kin for part of my personality. You can see what I built here and let me know if that excites you. We will build one for your hero too and you can have a modern day seance using this digital wee-gee/ouija board.
The Herts lady arrives at 6 and now, fellow traveler, our fates are about to change. We are in a brand new car. It has got 5 miles on it. Upgraded for $15/day. Look who is splurging! Oh you wait, all you people who think I am frugal. We have not even begun yet. I drive to Santa Fe, check in this hostel, get a shower and crash in the bed. I cannot run on less sleep but like a camel, I can go without food or water for longer than most.
I wake up to this. A little moment in the Reddit sun. For a small moment, I feel accepted. I must tell you that the love from strangers is the most selfless kind. The criticism of strangers is most honest kind. I had delivered. Reddit Gods had spoken. They are polytheists and believe is multi-party democracy there. Expensive stock to buy for now though, Reddit, I mean. Anyway, munger.quips.us was live! I was on the top of the world!
As these things go, that high was going to be short lived. We all know that. But Andy, an older, avid reading truck driver who was my apartment-mate here told me about a Secret Santa starting in that hostel. I had no gifts but they were so welcoming they just asked me to “throw some cash” into a transparent box they offered along with a newspaper to wrap it.
The vibe was fun. Hippie-like. Some people smelled of Cinnabon. Others of weed. Others of essential oils. If you added the smell of urine, it would be Castro street, San Francisco type vibes.
I was still a little hazy and tired due to lack of travel so I grabbed some food from the industrial kitchen, which was donated by whole foods after it had passed the “sell-by” date. Some folks had cooked stuff and they were all some playing some games.
I heard them talk about politics, art, market their etsy products, tarot cards, massages, Ganesha, Reiki, beads, stones, aura, happy places as I gobbled my first few bites in 20 something hours. Now that I was well fed, I could think about the task at hand. What amount would be meaningful white santa gift in a not-for-profit hostel in Santa Fe?
Go too low and you will be judged by the people who will be sharing their rooms and lives with for the next 3-4 days. Go too high and you definitely kill the Christmas vibe. We have all had that one white elephant where someone brings a pair of Air Pods to a $20-limit on gifts party? No? Just me?
Okay, so I put in an amount that I thought I was appropriate and this was a fun experiment in game theory to see these so-called-hippies turn into capitalists. Social experiments can be informative, mean and fun. Can you guess the amount in there? Give it a try. Give me a call and I might tell you.
Want to make it even more fun? Here is a hint, I put in 4 notes/bills and 2 coins in a transparent box. Dont forget the location, Santa Fe, Mexico. Don’t forget the cast, people who are away from their families, probably lonely, wining and dining with strangers. Try to come up with a number without judging them or me. I am just a man of science.
I am no Stanley Milgram, who intended to measure the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts conflicting with their personal conscience.
Others included Stanford Prison Experiment (roles/power), Asch Conformity Experiments (group pressure), Hofling's Nurse Study (real-world obedience), and Bandura's Bobo Doll (observational learning), all revealing how easily individuals can be swayed by authority, group norms, or social situations, often leading to surprising or unethical behaviors.
Yeah, so don’t judge me fam. Go look up this Pavlov guy and what he did to dogs. And as you judge him, see the depth of his findings. Then judge yourself. Then guess the $ amount.
I went to the kitchen. A sign read, ‘I kiss better than I cook.’ I had just tasted some of the cooking. While I was grateful, I wasn’t intrigued. I just was studying them as lab rats. For science.
After I ran this little experiment and just set you up for another one now, I must tell you what happened next. Reddit people broke my little clone and I hurriedly scrambled to bring it back up and running. If this thing ever takes of, we will write that story to make it sound more dramatic. I am also a Phd dropout, so we have the creds that make up a founding team. You joining? Come with me. We will change the world. One clone at a time!
Anyway, you probably want to know about the travels. Did you know Adobe, the company, borrowed it’s name and logo from the Adobe structures found in the city of Santa Fe? Me neither. oh, you did? Smartie pants! Good for ya. It seems in attractive territory. Haven’t bought anything yet. Might. Might not. Do your own research.
Also, do you know that I flew from Tacoma and arrived and Santa Fe, skipping Tucson as my choice. Where are my car people at? Do Koreans and Japanese or other car makers name these cars differently in different regions? Or do they want to sell brand 'Muricah everywhere? NVM says nvm, the Chinese electric cars from BYD are going to eat everyone’s lunch, dinner, mid-meal snacks and the broken crumbs. You read it here first.
Speaking of cars, I am not much into TV, but in John Mulaney’s everybody’s in LA, John asks random callers, “What kind of car do you drive?” before he hangs up on them. Exclusively theft salvaged Toyota Prius’ John. Low upfront, low ongoing costs, gets me from point A to B. Owned 3 of them.
I am a Prius lover, a प्रिअस प्रेमी, but I have been carless for 3 years because I am also a tree hugger. I also work from home. Used to work from a different country a short while back. Judge me for Prius. Envy me for WFH. Love me for my solar panels. I cater to all emotions and all audience.
On the shows, dear John, I like Kominsky method more on Netflix, Ted Lasso on Apple TV, and for Droid users try Plebs. Finally my fellow Cannuks, try Letterkenny (just the early seasons) after Shitt’s creak. Speaking of TV shows, everyone asked me have I seen Braking Bad because I travelled here. Listen buddy, NM is where most shows are shot. Know why? Because it is cheap.
Where were we? Adobe. Santa Fe. Good company. Good car. Great architecture. Great city. Great company name. Chinese capitalism.
You might think I am high as I write this to meander this much but I assure you otherwise. I hope you are enjoying reading this in the comfort of your house because people did not actually live like this. They did not take up this much space, did not burn as much fuel or waste as many resources. They lived simply. They did have apartment complexes though which looked like the image below.
Each of that hole is a little window where the tribal ancestors lived. I could name the tribes but if history is any witness, no one cares for the tribes. Look this is satire guys. So someone’s lover looked down from the windows in those apartments. Someone’s hater threw a pot down at them. Or a baby. People are weird.
You still hung up on the tribes? New Mexico is home to 23 federally recognized Native American tribes, primarily the 19 Pueblo Nations (like Acoma, Taos, Zuni), three Apache tribes (Jicarilla, Mescalero, Fort Sill), and the Navajo Nation (Diné), with historical presence of Ute and Comanche.
Did you care for those names? No. You are here for the story, you selfish prick. Oh you cared for the names? In that case, sollie. Now. Name 3. Ancestors of these people also thought of themselves as artists. They drew birds and snakes on walls. I tried doing that I was pulled down after being accused of vandalism. But look at what they called art. Your least favorite niece or nephew scribbles better.
Well if that is the bar for what people spend an afternoon seeing, I feel less bad putting you through this. We can touch on one last image and move on to other stories. The spaniards built many churches around and they would gather people who did not agree to convert and kill them publicly. If you were a Spaniard, you would be doing this with full authority from all types of authorities assembled here as you did their bidding.
Step aside, Hawaii, New Mexico also has a dormant volcano. We just saw a little bit earlier that you probably don’t care about facts, you care about stories. I met a lot of wild life and wild people. Saw a road runner, IRL. Many cows, goats, horses, deers, buffalos, mooses or moose-like beings and Prairie dogs! Why don’t you take a quick pee break and we can get back to this. I have kept the best stories for the last.
Enough of outdoorsy and history stuff. Let’s go indoors because when you go chasing the sun, rest assured, you can expect rain. Of the 55 of the 365 days that it rains in Santa Fe, just for shits and giggles, the rain gods pick the days when folks from PNW travel there. What do you do? Meow. Meowolf.
Meowolf is something between an art museum and escape room. I am much not into either. But this one was good. You can interact with the environment, which opens other doors to other rooms and then you can explore that room. There is one in Santa Fe but they have other locations. Remember we talked the state in which I am writing this? At this place, it was the opposite.
I saw a piano and uncharacteristic of me, I sat there and started playing it. It is not my instrument of choice but I did enjoy it when my cousin played it when I lived with him. A little girl came over and listened. It seemed like a long time. Maybe she wanted to play herself. Maybe she enjoyed it. It felt like a long time for many different reasons…
At the opposite end of the artsy and creative side of the spectrum, we have the sciency and destructive end. Enter National Museum of Nuclear science and history. When it comes to professional, organized ways of mass destruction, NM, allows you to sample quite the range.
On the bright side, nuclear energy, along with renewable sources seems to be the only reasonable path forward. Will there be hiccups along the way? Likely. Do we have another choice? I don’t think so, the AQI of my birth country is in high 3 digits. I sense lung diseases exploding in the near future. Which explosion do we want to deal with? Question is, what blast radius is manageable? I wrote more about this topic here.
It also snowed so I had my white (late) Christmas. Speaking of white, there is also this white sands national park in the region. I found the best use for a Tesla Cyber Truck. As you can see in the image below these white sand dunes can be several times taller than your roadside dumpster. Elon, if you use this image for marketing, expect my lawyers to reach out. A Tesla cybertruck looks best stationary, away from any road. Eyes shut are ideal for the view. Like if you agree. Fight me in the comments if you don’t.
A quick note on white sands. Think of a vast white beach. Except there is no water body. That is white sands for you. Some people slide down those dunes. Skateboarders, surfers and snowboarders will find this activity insulting to do, unbearable to watch.
Another note said that about 1500 years ago, the local population mysteriously vanished. To be frank, it was no mystery to me. I gave one look around and solved it. They died of thirst. Step aside, Mr. Holmes. This was a 1500 year old mystery.
There are many other interesting stories and I am struggling to pick a few. If you are into stalactites and stalagmites, there is another national park south east of NM, called the Carlsbad National Park. But are you really into those? Really? Tell me which one hangs from the ceiling and which one stands on the floor. Quick. Don’t look.
Honestly, I might be sour because I didn’t get a ticket. You have to book a slot and this was the holidays and this was a trip I took because I had nothing else to do, remember? Also I have done spelunking in Utah. It is like hiking but under the earth’s surface. There was no sunlight for 4 hours. Yeah, I am cool. Also, stalactites hang and stalagmites sit on the floor. I paid attention in my geography class. I don’t need you Carlsbad. Who is Carlsbad anyway? Nobody knows.
Speaking of other things that I have been feeling salty about. Sour? Salty? English is a funny language and despite ruling over all the lands and seas, the English haven’t yet figured out food. Anyway, did you know, Microsoft was founded in ABQ, NM? I had to ask a few unhoused people to step aside as I took this picture.
On the topic of Microsoft, I am not that salty. Really. They paid me well to depart. (Cries in his pillow.) But here is another trivia from the region and the company for you. The "Bill Gates Outlook silhouette" story is a popular piece of tech lore suggesting that Microsoft designers used Bill Gates' 1977 mugshot as the template for the default profile picture in Outlook 2010. He was caught speeding there, when he was young and reckless. Now he just old and reckless. Oh, Bill! When will you ever learn?
You might think NM is an armpit of a place. In the middle of nowhere. Maybe you don’t think of it at all. Maybe you just think about yourself, you reincarnation of Narcissus. But since all you can think about is you, let me tell you, I have kept the best for the last. I did not plan it that way, it just happened on the last few days.
So, at this point I have met many people, lived in many hostels and visited many places. Some conventional, touristy types. Some off the beaten path. What is to follow is a true story but it is also, how can I put it? Not gentlemanly. You are free to stay. Or read on. Treat this as a warning or as an experiment of whether agency and free will exist.
In one of the hostels, there was a bunch of stuff you could take for the road. The sign said “The road provides.” And just for the fun of it, I picked a bag of bath salts. Super against the idea of any chemical on or inside the body. I like everything natural and organic. I even take my yoga lessons not from the ancient culture I come from but from what I imagine a matcha-tea-drinking-quinoa-eating-texan-white-lady. Not kidding! Better her than any local sex predator.
Back to the bath salts. Seems like a nice bag. The folks at TSA disagree. I have TSA-Pre and a first world passport. You might think that is enough. My sin? Just a little bit of all natural melanin and some white powder in my bag, the contents of which I honestly don’t know and are spilling.
I get pulled aside.
“Is it okay if I open this?”
I want to say no but I respond looking straight in the eye. “Sure!”
I have crossed the border more than a 100 times. In the pandemic. I know of people in consulting, who, accidentally have carried a magazine and gone unnoticed. Not the paper one. The one with bullets. Also, they have no melanin and I have been pulled for a slightly larger tube of toothpaste. But this seems different.
“Where did this come from?”
I told her them all about the hostel, ‘the road provides’ sign and mentioned that I am totally cool with that being tossed.
“We are going to do some tests.”
It is not like I have a choice at this point. I am probably going to miss my flight.
They get several other colleagues over and start rubbing different litmus-paper-type-things on it. I am thinking of a cousin who had got snake alcohol to Canada. He was let in.
I am also contemplating all my life choices. Decisions poorer than this one. The list seems long and time has slowed down. Another person is pulled besides me and we will get to him. her. them. A long conversation is to follow. For now the tests are negative.
“You are good to go. Would you like me to put a tape on it?”
“Yes, please. Out of curiosity though, what happens if the tests come positive?”
“Let’s just say we have to make some calls. Now, what do we have here?”
Now all attention goes to this other individual. I am not used to being the less interesting person in any room. Mostly because I sit in rooms alone. Not by choice. I was mildly offended that they let me go. As for this person, they are pulling out chains, gongs, leather belts, pins and needles from their bag. People have even forgotten about me and my powder by now.
A part of me wants to stay and listen but I also have a flight to catch and I have lost a lot of time in security. I head to the gate. Hop on the plane. Guess what. One of the crew had a holiday-special-bender. They are puking all over. They get deplaned. We all get deplaned.
I am a former consultant, who has never flown till he’s 24 but then has racked miles well into 6 digits, on multiple airlines. I know the drill. I also invest in airports, which if you can grab them on public markets are great business monopolies. Think about it. How often do you choose which airline to fly from? Always. How often do you choose an airport to fly from? Rarely. If you are lucky. More here. Or look up $OMAB, $PAC, $TAVHL to start your research.
I let the crowd queue up before me. I am certain that the plane cant be grounded for long. It is the holiday season. They can’t afford it. Do they fly in a new crew? Do they recruit contractors? Borrow from competition? All the flights for the next two days are full. The plane has to take off.
Once the crowd dies down, I walk over and get some meal vouchers. If you think strangers cant be friends, you probably haven’t had a flight cancelled. Misery loves company. My flight gets cancelled.
I am wrong. Partly. They do fly the plane. It just flies empty. Turns out you need the minimum number of crew members onboard to ensure safety of passengers and nobody is available as a replacement during holidays.
What are our options? My car is at SeaTac. I can fly to Everett. Other choice is Portland, where I go annually for the National American sport of consumerism. Oregon has 0% sales tax. Every year, I go a little crazy. Just once. This was yesterday’s haul. Probably 20 gallons or 80 odd liters of usable space left. Know why the index closed high last Friday? Thank my annual splurge!
“I really need to get to Seattle tonight. I have an appointment at 11pm.”
It is the same person from the TSA checkpoint. Appointment at 11pm? They get the last ticket to Seattle for the same day. The crowd thins out, headed to whatever accommodation they have picked.
I am strangely zen. Airports are my happy place. Second, only to Costco $COST. Visited 4 just on this trip.
“Long day?” I say with my cutest smile.
“Yes.” The agent replies with a sigh.
“It will get better. You are doing good. Do we have anything headed to Portland?”
“Yes.”
“Any chance you can put me on there?”
“Yes, but I can only change this once and you will have to figure out how to get to Seattle.”
“Okay, we can work with what we have. Any first class seats available?”
“Let me check.”
I get what I want for now. I call the airlines and make arrangements for my stay and travel to Seattle. Always travel with a consultant. Even if they hate traveling.
Few of us are left. I head to the food court. A person sits besides me. They are the same person.
“Tough luck today.”
“Not at all. I am getting in tonight.”
“I meant with the TSA folks earlier.”
“Funny you say that. I got through with no trouble the first time.”
“They caught me for what they thought was snow powder.”
“Ha. I was carrying a lot of metal.”
Another friend I made, was apparently already an acquaintance of this individual.
“Ask them what they do?” He suggests with a little smirk.
Of course. It is America. What else do you ask a stranger. Their last read book? Their favorite dinosaur?
“So, what do you do?”
“I am a healthcare professional by the day.”
“That is great. Hope you get free healthcare.”
“You might think. It is not totally free.”
I know I have been looking at UNH 0.00%↑ especially since the incident.
“I work in tech by the day and occasionally write in the evenings. Seems like there is more to you?”
“I am a pro dom at nights.”
At this point is see the table go silent for a little bit. Someone pulls their kid a little closer. Reminded me of a conversation with an Uber driver long time back.
We look at each other. In front of me, is how I would describe, is a handsome, tall man. I later learn that they are a woman. Trans, to be specific. I ask for their pronouns. They ask for my nouns. Never have I been this stumped in a conversation before. Who asks for nouns?
“Lets go with a tail-less ape on a pale blue dot.” I respond.
They laugh.
I spend the next hour talking about the restroom situation, nature of work, where this fits in the oldest profession, safety, encounters with cops, drug addicts, platforms, marketing, revenue streams, nuances between STI and STD, safe words among clients and I quickly realize they are actually a pro at what they do. Not everything they shared is necessarily appropriate for here because by the time the conversation is done, there are only three people left at the table. At which point my other newly made friend asks.
“What happened at the TSA?” And this person this pulls out and shows us their ‘collection’.
“Are you squeamish?”
“Very” I respond.
If it comes to survival I know a thing or two about cutting a chicken in the farm for a farm-to-fork experience or sacrificing a goat but I couldn’t sit through Dhurandar. That is strange because I have cleared the Army SSB in Bhopal, India, which technically includes a shrink on the selection board, who thinks I am capable of killing should the occasion arise. Truth is I couldn’t see the images my other friend was looking at with popping eyes and a dropped jaw.
Back to the more interesting person in this note, the science seemed interesting. Apparently our pain and pleasure centers are very closely located. People recommend taking a cold shower so that the dopamine cycle is first deprived and so that the body does not get overstimulated. I learned more about endorphins, oxytocin kicking in at 6 seconds of human touch, and a peptide variant of morphene that the body can generate when induced to extreme pain and how some people use these techniques to get off drugs.
I also learned how the Seattle scene has nuance than Castro street of San Francisco or parts of New York, Vancouver and Toronto. Never have I learned more hard facts in a conversation. I looked these up later and most checked out.
So to the one reader left here what happened next is that after this conversation I flew to Portland, then Seattle, drove back to Oregon, shopped and returned last night. Let’s call that a trip?! Done and dusted. Never doing this solo travel again. Well, then again, never say never.
So yeah, we travelled everywhere from your couch. $0 spent. Travel is overrated, but people? Minds of interesting people are the real destination. Thanks for peeking into mine.
Did you enjoy the little trip? Try some links that were on here.
Didn’t like it? LMK and I will send you to my good friend up north and you can tell him directly to stop encouraging me to write all this. I mean he was in Patagonia, he can write about it instead of having me run his social experiments.
Now that I am warmed up, I have a little note to draft to the airlines for the slight inconvenience.
Happy New year! Hope it is a fun adventure! Take good care!
For the bottom-end reader, how do you think this happened? Answer is hidden in the post. I will leave that for for you to solve, my dear Watson. As my pasts complains go, "You see, but you do not observe."
