planning

Holy fuck. I just checked the temp where I'm camping this weekend - daytime 85 degrees, nighttime BELOW FREEZING.

Well, that makes packing easy. I take everything - Alaska gear and SoCal gear.

Had a beautiful time at REI. My homeland. I finally just broke under the pressure and bought a Jetboil. Why? Why? you may well ask of a frugal gal like me. Why is the Whisperlite being retired? Well, what makes the WL such a great backpacking stove is also a curse - the lightness makes it so tenuously not sturdy. But really? I hate the black soot on the shield - nothing worse than backpacking and being away from water and having black soot on my hands. Icky. I know, I'm a baby. But, my REI dividend MORE than covered it, and the salesclerk was way cool and she confirmed my desire, so it's mine!

Then I went to Target and marveled at all the rows and rows of food with absolutely NO NUTRITIVE VALUE WHATSOEVER. Empty calories and food additives and artificial flavors and colors. And then I loaded my cart with it all. OK, not really so bad - mostly I filled my cart with gallons of water (cheaper than buying water jugs and filling them myself) and coffee. Green Mountain Organic Coffee is on sale clearance for like $2 for 12 ounces! Good grief! So I bought a 6-month supply for me and Amy (and I'll probably go back for more because it is far too good a deal to pass up). I did also buy some Sun Chips and other such things of questionable nutritional value, but sugar-free canned fruits and vegs actually were the most important items.

But, before all that, I had stopped at a new gas station on the way and a man stopped his walking to marvel at my bumper stickers. I didn't register the first time that he was talking to me but then I said, "Oh, thanks," and he kept saying how great they were and once I actually listened to him I was like, "Wait. Where are you from?"

What are the chances that he would be Liberian? So, I grilled him about all Liberian politics, what he thinks, etc. We listen to the same radio station because PRI includes news about Liberia.

Dammit, I miss those dropped endings and the lilt in the speech. He's been here 26 years, but he's still got it.

He asked when I was going back to the area and I was stopped cold. How sad it makes me not to be planning time back there. How sad it all makes me. How unsure I am of my choices being correct. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm exhausted. My schedule is killing me, this working two jobs and having all sorts of meetings and doctor's appointments and all that. Today I went to a class on Microsoft Access that was actually informative. (And, I get paid $33/hour for 2.5 hours, so it's good even if not informative because that more than pays for the Jetboil.)

I have to get my evaluation tomorrow. Apparently it's fine because I was offered a contract for next year. Sigh. Guess it's time to be sure about my decision to leave and officially announce.

Yay! Because of my crazy schedule the rest of this week, it's time to start getting my gear out of the closet! Woo hoo! I think I'll basically leave for camping straight from work on Friday, giving me a few hours to set up camp and enjoy a nice hike before a dinner of canned green beans and freeze dried curried lentils.

Life is good.