On My Last Day of Being Exactly a Quarter Century Old (Thursday, May 3)

Mike and I sat out back and sipped coffee. Left "around 8." I dropped him off at the bus stop. Went to Target. Bought a few items. Sat in Target Cafe at bar by window and ate breakfast sandwich (egg and cheese on english muffin). Went to beach and walked. Sat in sand and stared at ocean while listening to Girlyman in my earphones. Skipped on the beach. Yup, I did. And twirled too. Got my feet wet. Ran. Smiled. Laughed. Sang.

Now I'm back home and I must call State Farm, DMV, and Grandma. She gets her stitches out today.

7:52PM

Day spent driving back and forth to Arcata three times - going to the DMV twice (and still not having proof enough that I paid off my car loan! Not even to mention the hoops one has to jump through to obtain a driver's license around here - social security card and current valid WI DL NOT sufficient! Official birth certificate and/or passport required!), stopped by State Farm and gave them a copy of my policies because my agent in Wisco (Californians love to shorten words) is taking his sweet time faxing them a copy of it (surprise, surprise), but then spent $157 on DMV registration, so I am not ready to discuss rates and parting with more money that I neither have nor earn. Anyway, progress was made. I'll have to call my bank and have an "official" letter sent that states I have paid off my car loan. Which I have. And I have a letter from Summit, but it wasn't signed.

One of the various times I was in Arcata, Mike and I went to a shop and sold glass. He bought me a green teeshirt that says Humboldt across the chest. We went to this little watch repair shop and had the battery replaced in my favorite purple watch ("Funky purple watch, I like it, I bet it's your favorite," said the shop owner). Mike and I walked the few blocks from the watch place to the car in the rain. We were laughing and teasing each other. Making plans to make a trip to the Bay area tomorrow. Mike went back to work, and I walked from the studio to Porter Street BBQ, in spite of the rain, and then to Sacred Grounds, where now I sit with a very large and very hot cup of peppermint tea. It's open mic night, and to my left two gentlemen are creating a song on the spot which they will perform.

This is a very crowded coffee shop but it's one of the only good ones in Arcata. I'm feeling more comfortable than other times sitting alone in public. Coffee shops seem to be designed just for that. Alone but not alone. Near humans but doing your own thing. It's interesting to me, fascinating even.

Now my dilemma: I'm more comfortable here than in Mike's cold shop. I walked here - I needed to even though it was raining (though I did go for a nice walk this morning at the beach, I want to get into the habit of walking or biking every time I can and biking in the rain was out). I don't want to walk down South G Street in the dark. I don't want to call Mike to come get me. I don't want to leave just yet. It will be getting dark soon. That's my dilemma.

Tough life, right? Oy.

I didn't even call Grandma today. :-(