Counting the days.
May 31st, 2004 byI am counting the days until my trip to Montana. I got an email today from the dude I split a room with in Yosemite during my class in October, Dennis. It looks like he’s moving out to Oregon soon with his lady but won’t be out in Montana for any classes this summer. Too bad, he’s a fun dude to hang and shoot with. Yeah, he shoots canon and I’m a nikon guy, and that’s a rift like the grand canyon between two photographers, but he’s a good shooter and I can respect that. 
I’m pretty much all geared up for my trip too. I’m doing everything I can to keep my expenses to a minimum. I’m in need of a good new wide-angle lens. I’m in need of more storage capacity. I’m in need of a new sleeping bag and a much smaller tent. None of which I’ll be getting any time soon. I’ve got what I need to stay warm, take photos and stay safe in the desert. Do I need more? Not really. Not at all actually. Not at the expense of going into more debt anyway.
After this trip I plan to get out to Atlanta to visit two of the coolest people in the world (Sara and Johnny), down to the Bay Area to visit my aunt, uncle and cousin (and her common-law husband), and my friend Dave. And in September to mainland China to see another friend and many other things that I’ve never seen before. So, there are a few more reasons not to spend any more money than I need to right now.
I’ve been neglecting my duty as a friend, nephew, cousin and son a bit lately. I’ve been too busy taking care of myself and getting myself back on my feet again to really take care of anyone else. It was necessary for sure, but it’s time to get back to being more than simply an agent of recovery. My whole life has been about survival for a number of years now. Emotional survival. I’m finally closing the book on that part of my life. It’s time to move on.