And to that, an extreme 'see you later.'

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Was listening to NPR on the way home and caught a broadcast of PRI's The World. What a cool show.

I caught an interview on The World with a woman, Sahar Gabriel, who recently moved from Baghdad to Detroit. Sahar was a translator for the NY Times in Baghdad, and moved the the US to live with her favorite uncle as she didn't feel like Baghdad was her home, and she was concerned for her safety since she worked for and with Americans. Her perspective on American and Americans is refreshing and a little naive, but in an enjoyable and guileless way. She still blogs on the Times' Baghdad Bureau site.

In her interview, Sahar told the show's host that the conversation she was having there was the first real exchange she'd had with an American. Her experiences living in Detroit have been kind of insular, in that she's living with relatives and the area she's in is, to paraphrase her, basically like living in Baghdad. I commented on her blog that I'd welcome starting a conversation with her; not that it's likely it will happen, but her story and experiences really stayed with me long after I was done listening.

Work is going really well. I've been kicking a$$, cranking out tons of good work and really enjoying my days. The time flies by, especially on the days I leave early to pick up the girls. I like what I'm doing, I'm meeting tons of interesting people and I'm feeling really fulfilled and happy. Don't tell Dave, but in a way I wish a I had started work long ago. In a lot of ways, I'm glad I had that year to stay home with the girls, especially for Miss O's sake, but I much prefer finding a work-life balance to finding the 'drown myself in a bathtub' - 'enjoy watching the kids grow' balance.

I'm going to go relax with a glass of wine and watch some TV. It's a mommy-flying-solo weekend and I plan to enjoy it :)
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