two nights ago a friend from work called, stuck in my tiny hometown, drunk, and her asshole boyfriend had taken her car keys and also had slammed the car into park while she was driving. i went over there, dealt with her boyfriend, and took her home to sleep on my couch. my parents were not thrilled with this, but...i felt like i was really doing something. sometimes lately i have been so glad to be moving away from these people and into a place where i feel normal--i hope grad school will bring me the same happiness and memorable moments that i experienced at kenyon. only in a more mature way, you know. i don't want to relive college but i need to be somewhere new. not here, not oxford, just somewhere else.

yesterday this same work-friend and her friend (whom i don't think i like very much) and i bought a case of beer and went hiking and swimming at a state park. first we went to this huge cliff overlooking a lake and watched the sun and clouds. then we tried to find the swimming place, but we got her car stuck in extremely deep and stinky mud from all the rain we had last week. the three of us couldn't move the car, and all these people were slowing down on the road to watch us calf-deep in the slime. then two cars full of vietnamese guys came all the way down into the hollow to push the car, and they wouldn't accept any beer or money or anything. we took their picture though. then we walked all the way down the creek, barefoot on the rocks, pulling this huge cooler on wheels. we were sitting in the shallow water while a storm came up--yellow-gray sky and this really sharp prickly rain. it was so beautiful. we headed home when it got dark. things got a little hazy after that, but it was basically being at her house and trying to find people to come hang out with us and drinking a lot. allen and clint came over, that was odd but nice.

this morning i woke up at 6 on the friend's couch and drove home. i slept for two hours and then dropped off a cheesecake at a bake-off. yes, i am a huge dork. but this is in my little town and i really don't associate much with the town at all, so mom is really happy i decided to do this. i won a prize, too. it was a huge basket with a bag each of flour, sugar, and brown sugar; a box of graham cracker crumbs; candy; a strawberry cheesecake candle; some spatula and strainer type tools; a gift certificate for ice cream; some little cookbooks; and some other stuff i can't remember right now. so that was fun. then i went back home, slept, and went back into town to work at the shop a little.

tonight i am going to bed early. oof. i am getting older. i hurt all over from working, walking on rocks, too much partying...got to start taking it easy. heh.