Extraordinary

Speaking of more than a list, I've been prompted recently by Mike Lanemusings, a man who, not-so-recently returned from more than a year of travels around the world, has continued to solider on in the blogging world with some thoughts from home about the presence of the extraordinary. Check it out here for yourself http://mikelane.blogspot.com/ (Feb. 1st post) to say that I think what might seem unique to the situation of someone who's been bombarded by the neverending fresh stimuli of living out of a backpack for months on end is in fact a nearly universal phenomnon that assails our willingness to seek the extraordinary wherever we settle. There is some valiance in the fight against a comfort that blinds us to the opportunites for variety around us. I lamented to several people when I first started this blog that it sometimes seems so hard to write something worthwhile because things that would have seemed noteworthy upon my arrival now blur into the evil of a routine. So I'll wake tomorrow with a re-commitment to seek the extraordinary in the common of Liuyang, realizing that once you start looking, it's everywhere.

Unrelated note - Due to the rapid approach of the next holiday (5/1), I've gotten my butt in gear to start posting new photos on the Kodak site, including those from my trips to Fenghuang and Tibet this past Spring Festival and will post a day's travel worth each day. Take a look if you're interested.