Playlist

I’d been hearing the opening riff to “Hello I Love You” in my head for days, so I finally latched onto a friend’s Starlink and YouTubed it. Followed by “Sledgehammer,” of course, and “Come Out and Play.” Danced my ass off in the cockpit. To top it off, I played “Ya Habibi” and floated around deck as the sun set behind the Sierras. Now I really am home.

When I lived in San Francisco, most Tuesday nights found me at the I-Beam on Haight. Admission was only two dollars, and I danced for hours, usually onstage by myself, if one can be by herself in a crowded club. “Into the Groove” was a firm favorite. I drank only water, and afterwards went to the Mexican place down the street for nachos. These weren’t your cheese-n-chip nachos, oh no. These nachos were piled with beans, rice, chicken, salsa, and salty guacamole. 

Dancing, besides being completely satisfying, gets the chi moving. Two days after dancing on deck, after almost a month of emailing back and forth and occasionally chatting, I put down a deposit for sailing lessons on Habibi. A maestro de navegar (expert) will spend several days with me while we cross the Gulf of California, heading south toward surf breaks and Bahía Banderas. I’ve been scrubbing the hull (which involves free-diving), washing clothes, provisioning, and copying documents in preparation.

Since I’ve been dancing (again last night and the night before, with headphones so I can blast it), I’m not worried. Everything will work out. It always does.