Christy Murphy's Otter Blog

Leaving the Philippines - Homeward Bound

The pedicab will be here in two hours. I actually did get the bulk of my packing done after my last video. Mom and I will be traveling together up until Tapeii. It's been drizzling in the Philippines all night and morning. I find that kind of symbolic. It reflects my inner mood. I will miss being here with Mom. The peace. The quiet. But I won't miss the poverty, weird Internet, and intermittent power outages.

I want what I've had here over there. And it's important to remember that life is not an either/or type situation. These last ten months have been a real shift for me. I've given myself permission to be me. Now it's time to be me. The me I've been waiting my whole life to become. I'll let myself sound pretentious or even stupid or nonsensical, but I know what I'm talking about.

Somewhere along the way, I am grateful I lost the energy and ability to be what I thought I should be and just accepted where I am. I've escaped the once-I-do-this-then-I-can-be-that thinking. I've escaped the idea--that sort of bionic syndrome--of having to be faster, bigger, better. Now, I get to continue living the dream.

Howdy world. Nice to see you again. I'm on my way.

I'm Writing You from the Future

Well, maybe. Depending on where you are in the world. I'm in the Philippines and if you one of the nearly a dozen who know me who read this blog, you are most likely in the United States. And it's only just Monday morning there. But it's very late Monday NIGHT here. I've seen Monday day already, and I say stay in bed. I'm anxious and weirded out. I go back to LA in one week. So many things to do. So many money issues. Housing issues. Errands. Packing. I've kind of had it easy just having to heal my health issues (mental and physical) and now it's time to rejoin the world. I'm excited and anxious.

I have been soothing my feelings with watching way too many YouTube videos and I'll admit it--developing an outdated crush on James Marsters. Um. What the heck is that all about?

They've started re-running Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-runs here in the Philippines. It's a show I thought I'd never watch, but during my first and very long stint recovering from my car accident injury, the show was on twice a day on FX. If you haven't watched, the show, especially the later episodes, is totally packed with sex and vampires. It was like a soap opera with original story lines and good writing. Engrossing enough to distract me from back pain. Ah. There's the connection. Pain.

I can blame my new, out-dated crush on James Marsters on back pain, too. I met relatives out for dinner Saturday night. We all packed into ONE vehicle (two trips, I rode in both not wanting to be stranded with strangers) and drove for a half hour each direction packed four and five in the back seat. No chance to lean. Plus the restaurant on the beach had bench seating. No place for me to rest my back. OUCHIES! I have no idea how I will survive the very long plane ride, but on the plane I'll actually have more space and a chair with a back.

The party despite my dread and only wanting to do it, because it made Mom happy, was incredibly well planned. I got a seat next to the roasted pig. My back ached and then I looked straight into the face of the roasted pig. I realized that many of my vegetarian friends would have been totally horrified at the site of him all long-snouted (not the short snout like I'm used to, but long and skinny) being hacked into by relatives.  Lots of people ate with their hands and even picked at the pig with their hands. And yet, it was so surreal and he looked like he was smiling--happy to be a the party. I kept looking at his face and it made me kind of laugh. Mom was so happy. People took my picture. My cousins speak English and laughed at my jokes.

A comedian can't asked for more than a good meal, having her picture taken, and having a pig slaughtered in her honor.