The Joy of Madness

Whew!

July has been quite busy for me so far. I went to Wyoming and hung out with my family from Texas. It was difficult because some of them have problems with bickering over any and everything. I was really depressed on July 4th. But, I did have a good time overall. I got to know my three nieces better and had fun with them. They are three, six, and ten respectively. We did a lot of driving and saw a lot of deer, prairie dogs, and hawks. I saw a Bald Eagle too. The countryside is so pretty there. We could see the Rockies. There is still snow in July; but it was mostly in the eighties. We did not have phones in out hotel rooms. That was hard cause I needed to talk to an outsider. We visited a haunted prison where they used to hang people. They finally closed it in the early eighties. It was very creepy.

I was home three days and then my friend Julie invited me to travel to San Francisco with Project Return the Next Step. So we took a big charter bus full of 50 members and travelled up to Redwood CA. stopping in Monterey Bay (a small Italian fishing village)for three hours on the way. We ate shrimp coctail there. On Day two we went to Lake Tahoe. My friend and I shopped there. The area is very pretty. On day three we went to San Frnacisco which is 30 minutes away from Redwood City if you don't hit traffic; and a few of us went to China Town. I wanted to buy some tea and so we went into a shop there. We were given four different samples of Chinese tea and we were served in tiny bowls. I liked the black tea the best and bought some. Sally said that was the highlight of her trip. Then we went into a cathedral called St Francis where we heard organ music being played. On Day four we travelled home which took twelve hours total including our stopover in Solvang (a small Danish town near Santa Barbara)which lasted three hours. I did not feel up to having a danish but I did some shopping. I got a dressy poncho and a nice picure frame. The night before we left Redwood City a group of us went to a mexican restaurant and heard Mariachis. Then we thought we were going dancing and it turned out to be a concert. Tom a guy we met on the trip told the guy a t the door that we he was a Disabled Vietnam Veteran and that we were his three nurses and the guy let us in for free. We hear five songs and the music was good.

Now I'm just here having a lazy Sunday and trying to find some exciting things to do. My friend wants to start going out to cafes and clubs so that should be fun. We are talking about getting a place together downtown; but i don't know if it will actually happen. She also wants to go to plays. I would like to see Camelot at the Hollywood Bowl in August; but she hates it there because of the crowds. Jeremy Irons is starring.

I am still thinking of buying a car so that i can get a decent job. i saw an ad on Craigslist that asked for a one-to-one instructional assistant for a fifth grade boy with Asperger's Syndrome. I've had experience doing that very thing so that might work out.

I will go camping for two nights by Santa Barbara with my Mom, my sister, and my three year old niece next week. I hope we go to Solvang.

I heard this new artist named Liz Wright that I would reccomend. Also, I'd like to buy the new Putumayo cd called Italian Cafe.

I'd like to close today with a quote from Goethe:

To know someone here or there with whom you feel there is an understanding in spite of distances or thoughts unexpressed- that can make of this earth a garden.