In just a little while I'll be leaving to go hiking for three days with Tom. He's punctual, so I figure I have only 35 minutes to get this written and uploaded. I'm packed, and as usual, the pack is full and heavy. I don't know why, but I can never end up with a partially loaded pack. Guess I'm the one with all the gear: stove, tent, camera, etc.

We're going to the ocean, to a place I've been many times before: Ozette, Sandpoint and Cape Alava beaches. It will be a freeway of families hauling out there on the flat, short trails. Shit, we even had to make reservations! I can't believe it. Called up the National Park people, got some guy who sounded like an SCA volunteer who was running the place like a hotel. A few days later my confirmation number came in the mail. So weird. Still, it's a beautiful place and worth the visit.

Yesterday there was a BBQ for Bob here. It was his birthday Lots of food. My other cousins Brian and Michelle came along with their Japanese exchange student. Poor guy spoke very little English and looked completely bored the entire time. Oh, I know what that feels like. After awhile I tried to start talking to him, just asking basic questions about his home, family, and interests. I noticed that my cousin Brian cruelly teases him by using difficult words then laughing because Takashi doesn't understand or answers incorrectly. Brian does it on purpose, doing things like getting Takashi to answer yes to a question that goes something like, "Do you want to jump off the bridge?" Of course he doesn't slow down at all, or enunciate his words so that any new English speaker, even one who had studied hard and who was able to understand quite a bit, would have a really difficult time understanding him.

Of course, last night at midnight I had a second end piece of one of those flat cakes from Safeway. It was better than I thought; they seemed to have improved upon their lardcream frosting, or maybe they even switched to buttercream. Who knows? It doesn't really matter because it was good enough that I had two slices. One at midnight. Jesus, what was I thinking? It's sitting in my stomach like a huge brick. Blaaaaaaaaaaghhh. I have to remember that three miles a day for three days is not enough distance to justify eating everything in sight. Three miles is not even what I do on the treadmill... but then I will have that pack on and there will be hazards to step around on the trail (read: small families taking breaks), so it won't be totally effort-free. Still....

I'll bring back pictures. Promise.