Explanation of the duck pictures currently on display: Liz had me in our office secret santa exchange, and she got me a selection of travel gifts including the endearing rubber ducky. The ducky came with a note (ostensibly written by the duck, but I’m suspecting he had help) that said “I love to have my picture taken all around the world.” Southeast Asia ain’t a bad start!

The only New Year’s resolution I’ve identified so far is to exercise more. (Gimme a break, I was out of the country…) I’ve now got a strategy to go about that. My carrot is an iPod. My offer to myself: I get one in exchange for 100 workouts, marked off one by one on a nifty chart. I’m 2% there so far and highly motivated. I did think this morning, though, that my workouts would be much more enjoyable if I had the iPod already!

Meeta and I went for Japanese food tonight, and then went to see a documentary called “e-dreams”. It’s the Kozmo.com story… the rise and fall, boom and dot-com bust. We both found a lot to identify with and connect to our own our experiences. It made me think some of my failed software company (though thankfully I was playing with pennies compared to the millions Joe Park and Co. raised) and reflect on the the past few years. Looking at scenes as recent as eighteen months ago, it’s incredibly clear that the financial and business deals happening were ludicrous, and yet we had a collective suspension of disbelief as a society and believed that it was real.

I guess I’m settling back into New York living, and at this moment I’m really happy to be back. I’m a bit sad by the unsmiling, unengaging nature of many people in New York, but there are enough great people to make up for the miserable ones. And I really like my life… the people, it’s daily rhythm, music, food. I’m not without worries, hopes and goals, but I never will be; the sense of peace I seem to have brought back from my travels is wonderful.

Good night mist, good night moon.