Birthday notes
03/19/2003

Note to self:

I want to remember what I did on my birthday.

Met my closest friends (a total of 6 people whom I would call in the middle of the night if I needed to) for sushi. Mmmmmm....suuuuushi. It was nice to catch up with Lucci, who also has been having her existential crisis around the state of the world, but she is more honest to herself than I am, so she has been less able to keep functioning daily sometimes. Or so that is what I gather. Is being selfish bad? I don't know... I care, I protest, I talk to my students about their universe of obligation, I make them question to whom they hold a responsibility in the world, I challenge them to expand their circles of communities to which they feel responsibility and alliance. Doing all this requires that I do not think about what is happening in the world with a sense of urgency that makes me think "What I am teaching now is less important -- I need to leave my class and go out there and do something." Well, chances are, the day after the war begins (tomorrow!), I WILL leave my class, probably with students. But until then, I can't function with an omnipresent sense of doom haunting me every second of my day. Maybe it is selfish, but it is more important to me that I keep teaching my students, keep trying to teach them (who are the privileged teenagers that will make a difference in institutions when they are older) compassion for others, and yes, for total strangers that seem to be outside of their conscience.

Anyway. So while the next table at the sushi place was talking about Oscar predictions, my table talked about the world, activism, the absurdity of it all.

With only three of us left after dinner, we headed to Bissap Baobab and met Ang there. Marco was at the restaurant, so right before we went home, Emily and I headed over to see him. He recognized me and gave me a big hug. We made plans to go back -- because as we all pointed out, there is no reason why we only go to have Toonis (ginger margaritas) and Senagalese food and company only once a year.

I walked home alone at the end of the night, and was happy. There are good people in my life. There are good, intelligent, kind people in my life.