"A Problem Page For All!"

Well, here I am! To sum up my summer boringly, I've been working at the cafe, jogging, making yummy food, singing, listening to musicals, and other usual things like dreaming, planning, hoping, and wishing. I've had a great summer. It feels so good to be seriously exercising again after a winter of my laziness and lots of rain.

Have I told you guys about the African animals we have next door now?! There are antelopes, zebras, and gazelles in several huge fields up from our house. It's called the B. Bryan preserve. Today I saw the first baby zebra! It's tiny, with humongous ears! What a darling. The website is www.bbryanpreserve.com.

On the 25th I'm moving to Arcata (which is about 4 hours north of Point Arena) temporarily with Nathan, where he's renting this awesome little place atop a hill with a great view and redwood trees. I'm going to go to College of the Redwoods again. So far I'm only signed up for Acting 1. I have no idea what I want to do with my life, which is both freeing and a source of confusion and anxiety. 'S all good, though. I'm hoping something will grab me or "show me the light" and I really hope to be in some shows up there!

Jasper and Kody are also heading off to college. Jasper is going to the junior college in Santa Rosa (2 1/2 hours from Point Arena) and Kody is going to San Francisco State University (4 1/2 hours from Point Arena).

Fea, I read on your blog about how you "finished" with Peter and that sounded sort of like you finished a class or something, so I wasn't sure what was up, but I was going to drop you a line to check in with you. Wow. You guys broke up. I felt really shocked when I read that. Are you OK? Where are you living? How long had you been thinking about breaking up?

No0w that I'm single i have no one to answer to and a whole world of opportunities out there and i plan to take them. Ah, yes. I totally know what you mean and I feel that way sometimes, too. If some hottie comes into the cafe I want to be able to flirt and have a connection if I feel like it, but I don't let myself. It's not like a real hardship or anything; I don't care for that more than I care for Nathan and I's relationship, you know?

I feel daft but I don't know exactly what a Master's program is. Do you take it at a university? What would you study?

And Chloe and Steve: whoa!!! What made them split up? Are they like, never ever going to be back together or is it just a break from each other to see how it feels? Where are they living? How old is Steve again? "Sky-lorry" is brilliant! I was horridly confused for a second, forgetting what "lorry" means, because we say "truck". Do you say "cars and lorries"?

I can't even remember if I told everyone, but last October I took over as the day chef at the cafe when Erick went on a vacation to his home in Mexico. I cooked until mid-May and then has to go back to being the waitress, because Erick sucks at waiting, which sucks for me because I loved cooking so much, and I hate to say it, but I know I'm a better cook than he is. I'm so tired of working with the public and being smiley all the time, but the end is near! Only two more weekends!

In March I was in the show "For the Love of Broadway", a cabaret at the Gualala Arts Center. There were 5 local singers picked for the show. It was great (ahh, stupid adjectives, don't fail me now!!), with sequin costumes and a spotlight and tiny clip-on microphones and stuff. I worked so hard to overcome my nerves by reading Zen books, meditating, and thinking positively. It worked. I'm so happy about it.

Last week my good friend Hannah and I went skinny dipping. It was the first time I had ever done it and I was scared out of my mind and tried to avoid it at all costs, but she dragged me along and we jumped in this great swimming hole in the river and I loved it. So now I've been going to the river a lot and jumping in and picking blackberries. Joy!

In late June Nathan and I drove to Las Vegas to see The Phantom of the Opera. It was FABULOUS! And I kind of fell in love with the city. But it was horrible driving hours and hours through the desert in temperatures constantly above 100 degrees. Ugggghh! Then in late July Mum and I went to San Francisco to see the pre-Broadway engagement of A Chorus Line and that was also astounding. I'm a full-blown theater nerd and loving it.

Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. Y'all get yourselves on over here and post!!! Love to everybody!

PS -- I always feel like I'm bragging when I post about what I've been doing...

"You can complain that roses have thorns, or be happy that thorns have roses"