Yuba

Today was hectic, waking at 6:30, going to my sisters to shove everything ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I own into two cars, and then driving to sacramento. 15 minutes with Liva, 30 minutes with Kaitlyn, Millet Burger at the BEST RESTAURANT EVER Sunflower Drive In, drive to Nevada City, then Craft store (had to grab something for a swap on Craftster.org), local wifi cafe (forgot the address for sending on the Craftster swap) then post office and then finally... FINALLY! the Yuba River... and I got to plunge my entire body into that heavy, cool, dark, green water, and suddenly, feel human again for the first time in I don't know how long. Now, my entire body hurts from hitting it seems every part of my body on a different hot and glorious granite boulder, and I'm going to have more bruises than I can count, but it was worth it... it was worth EVERY BRUISE AND BUMP, it was worth all the bruises in the world after that first plunge, feeling the water close over my head.

The Yuba is a wonderland. Cool green pools surrounded by huge white granite boulders and separated by rapids that look tame, but watch your step! J and I were at the CA-49 Bridge (click here to read his account of it... it was his first time), one of my favorite spots just because there's a place slightly upriver of the bridge where the smooth granite make tunnels and slides, and you can float on the current underneath boulders so big you feel like an ant.  

We also played with the flat river rocks, building towers and balancing them on their points (more on this tomorrow).  

Now I'm at Kurt's until saturday.  One more day of river bliss (plus I get to see my chiropractor, a.k.a back-guru a.k.a the-man-who-always-made-all-my-booboos-go-away tomorrow!) and then one day of intense all day packing.  

I'm also trying to reach out to my father, (in case you're confused, Kurt is my father, and for reason's we don't need to go into now I've never called him anything but Kurt) and get to know him for the first time ever... and I really mean EVER.  This should be an interesting few days.  

J started a blog today, I hope he can keep it up! I love reading what he writes, particularly when it's about a day or event I was with him for.  Go check it out!  

www.aconstantradio.blogspot.com

J, so charming

J, the charmer that he is, said recently (after eating something that made his stomach frequently expel large and smelly amounts of methane) “I’m sorry, it appears that I am breeding a sulpher baby in my ass”

I have so much to do in the next couple weeks, I will certainly not be writing too much... but I'll do what I can...

I can't believe how soon I'm leaving for NY.

Shell Beach

Is wonderful.  I can't think of many places I love more.  Unfortunately it just left me MORE sunburned.  Vacationing is so nice, good food with no thoughts of weight, sitting in the sun and sand for hours without thought of things to do tomorrow...

I'm going to sleep on account of spending all day in the water and the sun. I love Point Reyes.  

Some obligatory pictures:

Fluffy sunset... that's the only way I can explain it.  
We played Scrabble.  

And my favorite picture of J EVER.  

My new favorite thing.

This sign in San Francisco. 

What is a "Paint Research Laboratory" what goes on there, and if you are a "Paint Research Laboratory" can't you repaint your own sign?

Plans changed, and I'm staying in Point Reyes with J until wednesday.  This is both good, and well, interesting.  My mom and J have not really spent any time together in the past, and so this will be exactly that... interesting.  At least I got to spend all day at Drakes Beach today, with sun and surf... me and J stayed in the (freezing) water for over 30 minutes riding the waves and splashing each other, then spent the rest of the time soaking in some sun.  Even J, who is whiter than a ghost took off his shirt and got a little color.  Hopefully we'll get to go to the bay tomorrow where it's supposedly warm enough to swim laps.  

One more terribly scary thing that happened today, for a whole bunch of reasons that I will go into soon, my father (and if you know me you know that my father and I don't exactly have the best relationship) is going to take me and J to college.  Whoa.  

Now I need to go sleep off my bright red sunburn.  

The last and next few weeks.

I hate moving.  I've moved about 6 times in the last 1 1/2 years.  I moved again today, but not to anywhere, just putting everything I own in two cars.  I'm at my mom's now, then camping, then my sisters and a few more days of work, then my dad's, and then J's, and then fly to NY.  Not a minutes rest for me and I'm already stressed to the bone.  I'm leaving my home, my city, my coast, my family, the few friends I have, going to NY, to college (which did NOT work out so well last time) and J and I aren't even doing too well.  

All in all, not a very good few weeks.  And the forecast is not looking too bright for the future either.  Hopefully camping will help.  Cool fresh water, sun, trees and mountains, and a little bit of privacy with J for the first time in about 8 months.  

I'll write when I can.  

Now I remember!

J and I had a heart to heart a couple nights ago in which I told him all the big massive lies I had not yet confessed to him. The ones I swore I would NEVER tell to ANYONE. Then he told me that I wasn’t fooling him, and he noticed all the time how much I exaggerate a story when I’m excitedly telling it to a friend, and change it frequently. Like the story about why I left college last year (which I will eventually post) and the part that goes “And when there were two weeks, where it didn’t, not once, get above (insert preferred temperature here) degrees, and I fled home to San Francisco then and there” in which the actual temperature has changed probably 15 times. He notices all-right, I mean he’s heard me tell all my stories five hundred times, and I always thought he wasn’t paying attention, but no, he notices, and get this… are you ready? HE DOESN’T CARE! He loves me anyway, and he has NEVER, not ONCE tried to change this fact. This is why I love this dorky, scrawny boy.

Caz

Going up to Cazadero yesterday was great.  I was only there for 4 weeks last summer, but J has been there for the last 10 summers.  It's so amazing to see these kids, all playing their instruments under the huge redwoods, it's like a whole little world in itself.  More amazing than the kids though, is the staff.  They all hang around for years, most of them started as campers, switched to CIT's (counselor in training) at 17 or 18, then became counselors, music instructors, stage managers, office staff, music faculty, deans, kitchen staff, store managers, and eventually, directors. It's almost like you start at age 10 and never leave.  J and I were going to work there this summer as well, but well, yea.  We didn't get hired.  That's a little bit of a sore spot.  Shh, don't tell anyone.  

But it was great to see everyone, most of the staff this year is the same as last year, with just a few exceptions, and it really felt like no time had passed, and it was last year, summer 07, and J and I were going to finish checking out this bunch of campers, go to the beach with everyone else, and then go back to our wooden decks, our beautified canvas tents (we all would bring lights and rugs, and everything else to make them pretty) and  get ready to welcome a new bunch of kids on Monday.  I wish it was that way, but instead we came home, driving too much, watched some TV and went to bed.  

Some pictures to show how it is.  

The bridge when you first come into camp... if you run, it creates waves in the wood. Sweet.

Junior High Performance...
High-school Band

Fun at Staff Concert Variety Night
Me and J at the Halloween Dance (there are dances every week for staff to dress up and kids to dance) 
Staff Guitar Ensemble (J on the right)

Staff Chior

Final Dance (Prom theme)
Me and my co-counselor Cassie at Prom
J and Megan Dancing
The Boys

A boys cabin...
Final beach bonfire... fire-walking!
STAFF! (or a small portion there-of)
My high-school girls cabin.