myanmar crisis

the people of myanmar (burma) were already suffering from the rice shortage, and life under an oppressive military regime, when the cyclone hit. they're saying the death toll is at 22,000, but i'm sure that figure will go up in the next few days. it sounds utterly catastrophic. i just made a donation to the international rescue committee (you can donate as little as US$10, and i'm sure every bit makes a difference).

south by southwest

so, my not-employer is paying for me to do the rim-to-rim hike of the grand canyon, which i didn't have time to do last year. i did hike out of the canyon from river to rim, after a week rafting the colorado:

bright angel trail, south rim

but this trip will be all about the three-day backcountry hike, which i wasn't expecting to get to do this soon. plus i have the chance to hang out with friends in flagstaff, empty the shelves at the albuquerque trader joe's (still no TJs in the entire state of colorado! arrrrhhhh), and maybe even scare up some vintage turquoise jewelry for my cousin who was disappointed not to find any in the 37 seconds she got to spend at the south rim on her honeymoon. every time i feel like this spy business is more trouble than it's worth, they pull this kind of seductive shite on me and reel me right back in.