Things to Do Before I Leave for France

• relearn French
  
• see fog over the Golden Gate Bridge (check!)
  
• go for a scenic bike ride
• go surfing
• go to the beach
• go to napa again (check!)
  
• wine and cheese
• take more pictures
• eat Brazilian BBQ
• oysters at point reyes
  

Chapter 1

My sister once told me that when making decisions you should always go with the one that you’ll regret not doing the most five years down the line. Naturally, there are lots of decisions one is forced to affront in the course of a day, but such decisions are clearly not the ones she had in mind. Rather, it was of those big decisions that seem to linger constantly on your mind that take days, and even weeks at times, to figure out. The ones that are so incapacitating and so futile one way or another. It never leaves your thoughts, it constantly sits there and forces you to think about it whether you like it or not. During work or in the shower, it forces you to make a pros-and-cons list only to deem it utterly useless because either way you won’t be completely satisfied, and hey, what’s life without satisfaction? Such decisions are those that leave you rather helpless.

I knew her advice was sound. I knew it was reasonable, tried and true. But I couldn’t help myself to those immediate gratification choices. Those end decisions were perhaps a bit naïve in hindsight, usually caused by a momentary lapse in judgment. They were usually under the very reasonable eight-year-old girl decision-making method of “but I wanna”. I mean, you can’t be reasonable all the time, right? I’ll admit, perhaps the “but I wanna” argument shouldn’t win on a regular basis, but it happens on the occasion. However, in some cases, the “choose the one you’ll regret not doing the most five years down the line” argument is indeed the best decision maker. It is indeed, the best argument and advice anyone can give. With a lifetime of decision-making, what best method of reasoning than to go with the one you won’t regret later on? If everything went perfectly, we wouldn’t live a life of regrets, but rather we would know what we wanted and what’s best for us and constantly go for it. Of course, that’s also assuming that we know what we want now.

The Dance

The heavy Latin music filled the dimly lit room. All around the room, men and women alike have gathered for the same purpose: after a long day at work, all that interests them is feeling sexy with a glass of their favorite poison in their hand surrounded by their friends and strangers. As I enter the room, a blast of humid air from inside hits me and I am taken away from the small, safe city streets of suburbia to Latin America. The vibrant music captivates everyone in the room and without leaving the safety of the bar and their drinks, their eyes and bodies begin to dance to the beat. Trumpets blazing, drums beating, Latin words ringing throughout the room, eyes begin to twinkle, smiles begin to form, and the day and week’s troubles are soon left behind. With the help of a friendly drink and some lively music, people get cozier, strangers become friends, and soon the dance floor is filled with exotic dancers.