Today was my first day framing. Yes, I am a framer. I build houses. One day I might build your house.

So yeah. Turns out I'm not dead after all, like maybe I was just sleeping or drunk.

He walked slowly like he wasn't going anywhere, and it was an honest walk. He was walking to think, but his thoughts came to nowhere and he was frustrated. He recalled past memories and blunt emotions and nothing that ever came to anything. He walked to a field and looked to the sky that was a little overcast and saw, higher than anything else, an eagle. Leave, Eagle, he thought, and then he spoke, "Go away from here, Eagle." His voice didn't sound strong in the rising wind, and he didn't speak again, but he continued to watch the eagle. When the clouds covered the eagle, he brought his eyes down to earth again and saw some children trying to fly a kite and he smiled and felt the wind on his bare arms and realized the cold. He looked again at the children and now their father was helping them. He stopped smiling and turned away. You bastard. Why don't you cry, he said to himself. You tearless bastard.

STEVE'S BLOG LINK UPDATE SPECIAL EDITION:

It works now.

Speaking of stimulating...

I've been reading up on Thailand in preparation for the mission trip. Mr. Mattingsley gave me an armchair travel book that a foreign exchange student from Calgary wrote when she was seventeen. It gives some great insights into the culture. They're gentle, meek, fun-loving people that have a great respect for their monarchs. I understand better now why Americans don't fit in there. BURN!

Yet it's true. Maybe it's the Buddhism, maybe it's just because that's how they've always been, and probably a lot is the opium rings in the north, financed by the CIA during 'Nam, and still largely in operation on small rural farms and in Chang Mai, though the larger heroin refineries were pushed north into Laos. The northern mountains are optimal growing conditions for poppies. "What region are you going to, Dave?" you might be asking. "North," I reply, "For a bit in the Chang Mai area, though mostly in the rural mountain areas."

Blue, like water. Blue like heaven is, All of the time. I'm all right. I'm just gagging on all the all right. I'm so happy. So happy...

Library Update SPECIAL EDITION!

The Green Hills of Africa by Hemingway.

Well, I'm back. It was a long trip down with three pastors in the van, anticipating the west coast the whole way, and when we began to near Seattle I thought I'd be dissapointed. How wrong I was. When I finally saw the city I was amazed at all the feelings that rose like the tallest skyscrapers, and I was home again. We saw a freeway rundown involving half a dozen police cars and a punk kid on the city freeway. "Welcome to Seattle," I said.

When we left in yesterday's early morning hours I stayed awake in the van just long enough to see the Space Needle looking sleepily out over the port and wish it goodbye until the summer.

Hello, Seattle! I'm on the road again. See you all on Friday.

I'm home, finally, and ready to leave again.

On the way home we stopped in Saskatoon Saskatchewan at a book store and I saw the Fight Club book that the movie was based on. I flipped though it and it looked really good, and a lot like the movie. Now I feel like watching it, and reading the book. Simultaneously!