The Year of No Middle Ground

It's either way, way up, or way, way down, or just way, way milestone/watershed/sea change either way. No wonder I'm ready to head for the hills for a while.

No sooner did I pass that stinkin' herbology exam and thus complete my nationals OM cert than my aunt and brother called on Sunday to tell me that our grandfather had died in his sleep earlier that day. Like with my grandmother's death (not his wife, my other grandmother is still doing remarkably scrappy and well) earlier this year, it wasn't really a surprise and it was a fair amount of relief, as neither of them had been feeling particularly well, but it's sad in the end when it finally comes. All four of my grandparents mean a great deal to me, and I felt lucky to have them and grow up near them so I could be with them often. I would not be the person I am today without them, that I know. I'd like to write a longer post but I'm having trouble collecting my thoughts. Now that I can finally sit down, so to speak, I feel like I never want to move again.

(Finally) A Bona Fide Acupunk

I got the news late Saturday night, as I was gathering the pizza box and beer bottles (I goat-roped my friend Chris into coming over to help me carry the table and bed into the alley for Salvation Army, then fit my new bike racks to the car) to take the the recycling box and put myself into a hot epsom salt bath and subsequently pass out. My dad called and told me I had a notice from the CA acupunk board, so I took a deep breath and told him to open and it and give me yea or nay. I exhaled when I heard him say with a bright voice it was yea. I gave a happy little exclamation when he told me I passed by a wide margin of 20 points, and resolved to name my next-born kitten Kokko or Bina, or at least send them a nice note thanking them for the tireless hours of painstaking work they did to get us all ready for that heinous exam. The next day I gleefully tossed out my flashcards and exam prep papers, and reflected that if I had gotten the news the day before I could have bundled my box of study binders and books in with the storage carton now bound for Denver instead of schlepping them around with me. Oh well. w00t! I say.

I'm officially a hobo now, without a home to call my own. Cleaning out a place you've lived in for 7 years is a job! Even when it's the size of a hotdog stand. But I finished cleaning and loading the car and dropped the keys in the mail slot at exactly 8:04PM on Sunday night, thus ending my stay at Chateau 2513. Kinda weird, doesn't seem quite real. I'm staying with a friend in the 818. The kitties are staying with a wonderful cat lady for September (endless thanks to Brady for the referral!!) and then I'll take them out to Denver with me in October to stay with my brother until I find work, a home, a life, etc.

This week is consumed by studying for my last NCCAOM exam (which I don't need to practice in CO, it's purely for my own ego because I like letters after my name, and because I put in the time to learn all those formulas and herbs, I'd kinda like the credential), taking my #8 ortho class, and getting packed and off to Yosemite to start the JMT on Monday. I'm looking forward to living in the land of post-card ready scenery and peace-n-quiet, but getting there and getting the permit isn't going to be fun. Sort of like any trip, I guess, or at least like any race. Getting to the start line is the hardest, most stressful part.

I'll try to make a post at VVR (the relative halfway point, depending on how fast you hike) but I will definitely post links to pics and trail journal when they are up, likely in early October. Here's to some of the finest true grime around!