--- title: Things I enjoyed this week (May 3rd) author: George Mandis date: 2014-05-11 tags: post, post, things I enjoyed ---

I've kind of screwed this whole series up by starting on a Saturday, but whatever. Renaming it too Things I enjoyed over the last week more or less seems like a bit of a mouthful.

1. I ran the Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon and didn't do too shabby! Slowly chipping away at that goal of one running event every month. The next probably won't be until June when I'm signed-up to run the Helvetia Half-Marathon.

2. Finally moved into my new apartment. It's been a long-time coming and the path of things this year has been slower than last year, which is sometimes a struggle. By this time last year I was on to my sixth country and had already seen and experienced enough to write a small book.

3. A good friend and person I played music with for a significant and formative chunk of my life was unexpectedly in town and we got to catch up. I had not seen him since I visited him a little over a year ago in New York between my stays in Brazil and Iceland   (That week I took seven flights — not counting a missed one out of Rio de Janeiro — crossed five timezones, saw a flurry of familiar and unfamiliar faces and shared some significant, if difficult, moments in an ongoing, long-distance relationship. Oh, and my grandma had recently passed, my mom's birthday was going on and I decided to do my taxes while I was back in the U.S. too. I remember the exhaustion and how hard I slept by the time I finally landed in Reykjavik. Holy hell.). When I last saw him he was a freshly into his law career. Now he's playing drums on tour with Train  (If you don't know them by name you might recognize this song.), recently played with them and the Boston Pops Orchestra and is recording an album. Sometimes a lot can change in a year!

4. I can't say I enjoyed this, but it was a significant event attending my cousin's wake. And it was a positive thing, as much as it could be. Provided some sense of closer to... something. Another event that made me think about how much can change in a short amount of time.