Birthday weekend

Yesterday was my birthday, I am now twenty-three years old. I never thought I would get to be this age. When people are young, they just want to grow up faster. When people are old, they wish to be young again. That is why I am just enjoying the process of growing older one year at a time, month at a time, week at a time, day at a time, hour at a time. Aging is a beautiful thing and there is no better time than now.

On Sunday, the 29th of June, I was blessed with a beautiful day to enjoy on my birthday. The sun was blazing, and we piled into the truck with our neighbors boat in tow, and headed out to nearby Mason Lake. We met with some of my roommate's friends, who had a nice little cabin right on the waterfront. We spent the day jetting around the lake; jumping off a rope swing and doing a little knee-boarding and tubing. The water was warm, but still cool enough to provide refreshment from the hot sun.


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As the day progressed, clouds began to move in. But they didn't hinder the natural beauty of the whole setting. Behind the tree line, the snow-covered peaks of the Olympic mountains jutted up towards the heavens, and were illuminated by rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud layer. It is times like this, that leave me in awe of the marvelous creations the the earth has to offer. it is certainly enough to humble anyone.

It was a good birthday.

Moving to Washington

Tiny ripples slowly pulsate across the surface of the water, setting the pace for the people's way of life here. The reflection of the tall evergreen trees is distorted by the slow-moving current. And under that, the clouds are reflected as blurry white blotches lazily floating across the light blue sky. As I sit on the back porch and gaze out across all this, I can't help but be at peace, and feel as one with the universe.

I am lucky enough to be able to experience this serene setting every single day. It clears the mind and is refreshing for the soul, to say the least. And the best part is knowing that I get to stay here for no cost at all! When an opportunity like that arises, I simply cannot ignore it. I think the two months or so that I am here, will be very productive for me. When I am not working and saving up money, I have an ideal setting for working on my own things; such as music, writing, reading, and yoga.

The night before I left, we threw a party at our house, because of my going-away and also because it was my roommate Selena's birthday. I could not have asked for anything more. Even though a couple friends could not make it, most of my close friends were there so that we could spend one last night filled with shenanigans and fun. The next day I spent packing, and we had to visit two of my favorite places in town before I left; Pizza My Heart and 99 Bottles. I just barely made my bus on time, so I didn't really get to say all the goodbyes and hug everyone like I wanted to, but no worries, I shall be back in about two months.

The bus ride up here was a long one. About twenty-two hours I believe, from Santa Cruz, CA to Longview, WA. About three hours into the trip, we made a transfer in Sacramento, CA. I stepped off the bus, walked about fifteen feet, and was subjected to a search by a seven-foot tall security guard. He said that he "smelled pot on me", and asked if I had been smoking earlier. I had smoked earlier in the day, but there was no way in hell he could have smelled it on me at that time. I am guessing they just thought I looked like I might have something on me, and were hoping I did. They took me into a back room, with me rolling my eyes and shaking my head in disbelief. They talked as if they already knew that I was hiding something, saying things like "where is it?" I just responded, "where is what? I already told you I don't have anything on me." Unfortunately, I did have a glass pipe packed in my bags somewhere. They found it and questioned me about it. "It's not illegal to have a pipe," I said. "It's illegal if it's on federal property," the seven-foot tall black man said. Then he muttered that he was keeping it. I really didn't care as long as they quite harassing me and let me go. They kept asking me stupid questions, and I just kept giving them attitude. They eventually let me go, and I sat down to wait for the bus, feeling somewhat violated.

I slept uncomfortably for most of the trip, but was pleasantly surprised by the sight of a snow-covered Mt. Reiner jutting up from the horizon early in the morning. We arrived in Longview around 3:30pm that day, and Tyler met me to pick me up from the bus stop. We got to the house and I was happy to find that the closest town in in walking distance, and the next closest town is about four miles down the road. The property that the house sits on is big and spacious, has a very big yard with lush, green grass, and resides right on the edge of the Puget Sound. We are two hours from the Pacific coast, but it is still salt water. The tides go down extremely far, and you can go out and harvest oysters when the water is low enough.


My second day here, I was told that I could go to work the next day with Tyler and his dad. They run a construction company, and were generous enough to let me work with them. For the past four days, we have been painting a remodeled house they have been working on. I don't think they will have consistent work for me right now though, so I will probably need to find another job in the near future. As of now, I am enjoying the new landscape and getting accustomed to the area. Next on the itinerary: a visit back home, then on to Burning Man!