hi mom

If you could hear me right now, you might think (perhaps) that I am actually a male trucker from Canada who gargles nails and pieces of glass to keep myself awake on those long trips across the middle United States.

You would be wrong.

But, yes, that is how I currently sound.

Last night, while losing at trivia (like we ALWAYS do except for the legendary day after the fires when we won $70 on the Christmas-themed trivia round), I couldn't stop coughing. I'd brought a brown bottle of cough medicine with me and would take a swig from it to try to heal the coughing and make it stop. F.C. said it looked like I was taking meth on the sly. Anyway. One swig went very wrong...I think I took some of it to the lungs and since the base of the medicine is ginger. Oh my. The lungs said DEAR GOD NO! And tried to kill me.

So here we are this morning. It is sunny and extremely cold and I sound like a man and I am going hiking. I'll see your muddy path leading to the ocean and raise it twenty feet for the cliff path too and I will get to the beach on my own steam but thanks for the offer and the boots will be used and the land will be saved and maybe there will be a dead seal in the tide. One can only hope.

This has been a fantastically good week overall. Mostly...no, entirely because of people. They've been popping out like plants everywhere. Ready?

Last Friday, Chase-face came down and stayed with me through Saturday and was her lovely, delightful self and I was so sad when she left. I literally sat in my apartment and stared at a wall wondering what it is I usually do on weekends. Everything sounded so boring and lonely. That changed. Because, then on Sunday, Marta came over for breakfast/lunch and talking. Then on Monday, I went over to a friend's house and was with a whole group of people for Valentine's Day. Tuesday, after the Port meeting, I hung out with F.C. and ate dinner and went from that to M & Marta who had friends in town from Portland and went from that to The Best Live Music I've Ever Heard In This Town with Matt. Wednesday, ran into Marta, M and their friend Justin and Justin and I played a game where you try to guess what letter of the alphabet the other person is thinking about. It was short-lived game. Thursday, inadvertently ran into Cait at the breakfast place where Marta cooks. Justin and M showed up too. Then Cait and I went for a drive until I had to leave for an interview in Seaside. Thursday night, Bishop and Matt and C&C went and saw Harry Potter and we all jumped at that part with the old lady and the snake. Friday, yesterday I guess, ate some of Marta's cooking and ran into my upstairs neighbor who is a lovely albiet quiet person. Made plans to grab a beer with Marta and M when Marta got off work early that evening. Then, of course, with evening came trivia and hanging out with R and F.C. and then (and then and THEN), ran into Bishop as we were both walking to the house. The cup overfloweth.

But I'm going to go hiking by myself. I've realized that I really only like hiking with my dad or Liz. I mean, I'm sure I'd enjoy myself with other people, but I really (REALLY) like hiking with them and if I'm going for restful contemplation, I must either hike with them or go alone. Since they aren't here, I will go alone. Right after I find some different cough medicine.