Focusing is difficult...

Which is why I'm not so good at this regular posting thing.

Quick summary of the past few months: Went to nutrition school. Drove to New York and back to WV 7 times. Got towed, ticketed, smarter, faster, stronger...maybe. Became a certified health coach.

Learned how to drive the tractor and operate the brush hog attachment. I can say with certainty that riding a tractor across the property and its hidden holes, with its hills and rocks, is one of the most exciting things I've ever done. Also, I found a lot of blackberry patches and chanterelle spots. There are few things like finding wild food and EATING it to make you feel one with nature.

Also, our garden went off with a few hitches - the kale was devoured by caterpillars, the eggplants lost all their leaves, half the tomato plants died, but it was a learning experience, for sure.

 (Subway tomato, garden tomato)

Went on a successful three and a half week road trip with B-Money. We had an amazing time, saw lots of old friends and made new ones of each other's, ate at Ben's amazing restaurant in Oakland (Dopo), partied with Jess and Alexa and Kira and Aaaaaron and Spilt Milk in Oregon, hung out in hot springs and watched the Perseid Meteor shower, did lots of rock climbing (in Ten Sleep, City of Rocks, Yosemite, The Devil's Postpile, Rifle, San Francisco, Boulder Canyon, Portland), and received an amazing haircut from stylist Kira and acupuncture from osteopath Kathy. It was incredible hanging out with those girls again for the first time in eons.

We picked up tans and scabs and scars, made awesome food every day, sat by campfires and swatted flies, and B and I came back all the closer for it. Wow, refreshing. I have been on six or seven cross-country road trips now that were on the verge of being nightmares because (from my perspective) my traveling partner lost his effing mind. The trips always seemed like a good idea at the time, and even though I often had mild reservations, there's always a shortage of quality people who are willing to pick up and take a month off to drive everywhere on a whim. Either way, I'm sure my maturity or lack thereof had absolutely nothing to do with their behavior. At this point, I've figured out that most boys are insane. Maybe the girls are, too, but I don't date them, and dating/road-tripping brings the crazy out, it seems.


I started working at the bar at Smokey's again, which means I get to see the sun set over the gorge every night I work, just like old times.
Now that Gauley season is starting back, too, a bunch of the old river guides are back who I haven't seen in a few years, and they make me feel really good, telling me I'm the best bartender ever (that can't have anything to do with my drink-making skills, because they're pretty mediocre) and it's just like old times again (like I said). It's so nice to hear it I almost want to pick up more shifts. Believe it or not, though I got some flak for being a health coach and a bartender at the same time, it's been a great place to meet potential clients. I didn't really know how to respond to the criticism. I mean, sometimes I eat ripple chips and french onion dip, and I offer it to others. Sometimes I don't exercise for a few days. Sometimes I (!!!) drink alcohol, and sometimes I share it with people in my very own house. Should I be a health nun now? And if I do, then how the heck do I leave the cloister to meet people who want to get healthier?

Also, I've been working more and more on my friend Steve's company work, doing voiceover, Flash, editing, writing, and that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I'm still gluten-free since last summer and proud of myself for sticking with it. It's made me a lot more creative in the kitchen, a lot less likely to eat sugar (because the floury foods I avoid often contain it), and most importantly, a lot less worried about my potential for developing chronic disease (like diabetes, alzheimers, heart disease, auto-immune disorders,  and so on). The smaller but still important side benefits of fewer headaches, less brain fog, and easier womanhood (if you know what I mean) are still pretty motivating, too. Some people live without arms or legs, I can live without sampling the crusty bread or pizza or layer cake or brownies or . . . whatever at parties. I can make those at home, anyway.

There you have it. No matter how much I try to fix the spacing on this post, it persists in misbehaving. You get the picture, anyway, probably.
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