a few of my favorite things

When I started blogging back in 2005, the entries to my paper journal fell off pretty quickly. I have always liked to journal, but with the blog I didn't really feel like writing about the same things twice. I still keep a paper journal though, and write things that I want to keep to myself. I also adopted a new style of listing that is meant to take a quick snapshot about what my life is like, without all the paragraphs. Here's what it's like, for today:

Who I am in love with: No one (normally, you can put a guy's name here, and obviously I am not really in love with them)
Who loves me: No one I love (normally, this is normal, and of course I am not counting my parents, etc.)
What I am listening to: Viva la Vida and In Rainbows, still
What I enjoyed this morning: Publicity about the evil and dangerous ways of the S.L.U.T.
What I am eating: Deluxe Sunday Morning Coffee Cake, from Joy of Cooking
What home product has recently changed my life: Mrs. Meyer's Ironing Spray, Lavender
What career I am thinking about this week: Park Ranger
How most days feel: Like 1/2 a day - they go by quickly
How much I will like working overtime this Sunday: As much as I like the S.L.U.T.
What I am reading: The Shack, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys

There it is. Sometimes the list is short, sometimes long. Sometimes I take off on a paragraph because something is on my mind. It's very fun to go back and read these lists though. It's like a time capsule. I would recommend it for anyone tired of writing or short on time.

a short tour

Looking down at my legs the other day, I realized that I had no real bruises. Only dark areas where bruises used to be. I thought, "This is unusual. Maybe I have been more careful and graceful lately. For once I look like a grown up from the knees down." After further consideration and examination of my activities, I realized that it is not because I have been more careful, but that I haven't been doing anything interesting. No surfing, no sailing, no climbing on people's roofs for a few weeks. And somehow on my last backpacking trip, I didn't fall onto any sticks or trip and land on a boulder.

So I took to the sea on Sunday and jumped into a laser sailboat. I barely remembered how to put the thing together or how to run it, it had been so long. I spent about an hour, floating along slowly in a windless trance. Then the wind picked up and I was shooting back and forth across the bay. I got the thing tilted way over, hanging my backside out. A sudden gust of wind (or perhaps poor steering) caught my sail and I felt it pitch. I tried to let the sail out and steer back off the wind, but it was too late (and I maybe steered into the wind instead - can't remember) and I had to bail. I jumped off toward the sail as far out as I could to avoid all the metal pieces on the boat, and actually enjoyed the cool water for a moment before turning the boat into the wind and climbing up on the centerboard to get it righted. It was very exciting, my first high speed capsize. And I came away with several new bruises as I climbed aboard. Back to normal!

This is how you do it.

team corner

The other day I was walking from the bus stop to my house as usual and spoke with my neighbor Bobby, as usual. He sits on the wall along the corner with a bunch of other guys, passing time when the weather is good. I normally try to ignore the other guys since the things they say to me are just dramatic, but Bobby and I are buddies.

He asks me, 'Did you work hard today or hardly work?' That day, I answered that I had worked really hard and felt exhausted. He said, 'Oh well, you got to get home to your man. He should be filling the bath for you, bringin' the flowers and lightin' the candles.' I thought quickly about this scenario and it sounded pretty good to me. I laughed and asked Bobby, 'That sounds good. Well then, where is he?' Bobby replied, 'I don't know, girl, that's up to you!" and laughed heartily at me.

He's probably right. I've been so picky. I get along with almost everyone. I can learn something from anyone. Though the number of people, men especially, who actually interest me to the point that I might want to see a lot more of them, is slim. I'm looking for such an incredible person, who I feel like I am getting the good end of the deal with. The humor, the kindness, the zest for life... These things are rare. There are so many interesting things to do with one's life though, I hardly feel tempted to settle at this point. Until I find someone who thrills me, I will always have Bobby and the rest of his street-corner-lingering squad to boost my self confidence. At least until the weather turns and they go back inside for the winter. Then, it's up to me.

8-mile

Last weekend over Independence Day I found myself in a most wonderful place - Eightmile Lake outside of Leavenworth. I hiked up a grueling 3.5 miles to get there to find the most premium of campsites open and available. Right on the lake, a few trees to break the wind and make it feel cozy, plenty of logs for sitting on and a wide, sloping rock outcropping at the water's edge, perfect for dreaming the afternoon away. Amy, Claire, Melissa and myself were eager to unpack and get things (a.k.a. nothing at all) started.

A few minutes after we set up camp, a couple stopped on the trail and asked if there were more campsites along the way. I was about to say 'yes, move along' but Melissa said 'no, this one was the best', which it was, and it was large enough to fit another group. I decided that it would be fine, I didn't mind. Turns out I did mind. The couple became 6 people. All weekend, when we cooked, they were there cooking their food. When we hiked up to the little lake, they were there. When we made our morning coffee, they did the same. When we had our morning quiet time on the rock face next to the perfectly still lake, they were there too, only not having quiet time, but yelling and carrying on. Their camp was a good 25' away, and they weren't really that loud, but it was so different.

Normally, when I backpack, there is no one else. The filter keeps all the other humans away. And with your own group, they know when to leave you alone so that you can soak up an hour or two of natural silence. But there they were. All the time. I guess a 3.5 mile filter isn't enough for someone as selfish with nature as I am.

That said, I had a great time. It was the first backpacking trip of the summer. From the moment I parked Judy at the trailhead and put on my boots in the noon sun, smelling the dry, sweet pine forest, I was totally happy. Claire was telling Amy as we walked up that she normally tries to get me to laugh a lot when we are hiking. She said that normally I am an easy laugh, but that in the woods it's 10x easier to get me to laugh. And it is. I giggle and belly laugh at the dumbest stuff until I almost pee. It must be that I just love being there. Like a fish loves the water, I love the woods. Except when I am scared of bears or traversing loose, steep slopes, or sleeping without earplugs and every chipmunk rustling becomes a bear ready to slowly slash the tent wall with his middle claw at 3am... Besides those things, I love the woods.

Let freedom ring!

If this doesn't embody the spirit of American freedom and ingenuity, I don't know what does. You really can do whatever you want here. Land of opportunity. Dream big! Happy Independence Day!

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