Frisco

Wow ladies, I am so proud to even be able to mention you all as friends. Chale it was amazing to hear your voice today. I definitely needed it! Mia thanks for the bill paying, JT you better do some posting about this dog and/or boy, Bex I'm calling you tomorrow, I should have dropped you off in San Fran, so much awesomer! Jacq how did you ever leave this state? Katie B you are literally the coolest person I have ever met.

I have fallen in love with this place and these people. I am having a wonderful time. I am going o start training on the other rivers in the next weeks as long as I still have time to do some exploring. Cal and I came to San Francisco to see the Red Sox and Giants game which was awesome and intoxicating if you catch my drift. We are staying with some of her roommates from Colgate who are from here which is random but very cool. They are all going to do a spring break trip to Athens and are so excited. They are all girls we will be down with for sure. I've been working a lot and even trip leading, making the big bucks. I'll add some pictures of what I have, which is not much but just snaps of some of the adventures that have been my last few weeks. You all are amazing and just hearing about what you are doing brings a homesick tear to my eye. You girls are my family and I miss the freaking hell out of you!


Yosemite

Yosemite Falls

Half Dome

Ansel Adams Driftwood

30 mile ride from Piedra

Raft fruit

Kings friends

Frisco!

mangos, mosquitos and mania

I have eaten so many mangos, I have so many mosquito bites, and all of this trip has been wonderful mania.

Y'alls posts were hirarious! I love that I can hear everyone's voice telling the story exactly as it's written.
Cars- All in for 10 on a book discussion; I have been meaning to read Teaching a Stone to Talk for quite some time now and would appreciate the accountability. I didn't look into the other options you mentioned, so just let me know what you want to do and I'll go read it as soon as I can once I'm back.
Bex- You are fabulous. I love the commentary.
Mia- I love how you tell stories.
Jululia- Please post about this crush and new puppy! Also, I am wishing you so many good vibes; rock that GRE!
Felon- You went to Bonnaroo!?!!? Are you alive? Or did the music (and excessive esposure to the dredges of humanity) blow your mind?
Hat- This place is one big river delta, so all the boats out constantly remind me of you. ahhhh!

I have just gotten back from three days in Norshindi on a research project with a local team and two researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases. WOW WOW WOW! The district Norshindi is two hours outside of Dhaka. To get to the community where we began conducting interviews, it was another two hour drive the next morning over terrible roads (gluh gluh gluh gluh) and then a 20 minute boat ride. This village was like something out of National Georgraphic. The study is for a collaberative project with ICDDRB and Unicef looking at hand washing behaviors. It was absolute chaos all day and totally otherworldly. By midafternoon, they left me on the porch surrounded by more than 30 locals. I spoke to them in English and they responded in Bangla. No one had any idea what the other was saying. So many kids (can you say birth control? well actually, I quickly discovered that what I thought were balloons were in fact condoms. Much better use. Mia, we should introduce your campers to these kids). A few hours later I was invited to have dinner in some one's home and then posted up by the river where a hoard of kids found me within 5 minutes. I would point at things and they would tell me the Bangla word. They thought everything I did was hysterical and if I had been in their position I certainly would have been busting a gut as well. In the evening I reconvened with the research team until they had had enough of the crowd and sent me away as a decoy. After a few animal impersonations, this extremely old woman was having quite a conversation with me and kept motioning with her hands. I'm just smiling like an idiot, speaking in English like anyone could understand me, when someone finally explained that she wanted me to sing and dance. Now you're talkin' my language. Highlights of my performance included: This Side by Nickle Creek, Two Coins by Dispatch, an Avett Bros medley, a little Coldplay and some DMB. Also, made the "slow clap" into a game for the kids and they loved it. Normally I'm paid for entertaining large groups of kids, but I did all this pro bono.
-------------
The following is an email I sent to my parents on Saturday; the relative dates are wrong, but this is just to give you an idea of what's been going on without me retelling the story in a way that would be more interesting for y'all (sorry for the time-saving cop out):

Thursday morning was spent at the other ICDDRB location talking with more anthropologists and a medical economist. Ryan was in the car when their driver came to pick me up; we ate lunch at a Korean restaurant. My first experience with this cuisine was delicious. After that we hung out at the house, ran some errands, and then went for a run. Once again, saw some pretty unbelievable sights. What I had seen while running the previous day were nice apartment buildings compared to the slums we ran by today (fyi- these are not places off the beaten track but are right in the middle of things). It's an eye-opening experience everytime I walk out the door.

Thursday night we had a delicious dinner prepared by their cook and then talked to Dr. Luby for a while. Ms. Luby and his youngest sister left at 11:30 for the airport and I hung out with Ryan til he left for the airport at 3... and reappeared the next morning because his flight did not leave until the NEXT night. Oh dears.

But this gave us another day to spend together. He joined me in going to lunch with some other female students from the ICDDR and then we all drove out to a river to get on a boat that the Lubys partially own. The drive was about an hour long out there and initially was through a super neat market area before slowly waning to increasingly rural communities. We were on the boat for 4 hours! There was a misunderstanding as to how long we wanted to be gone for; usually people go out for 2 hours, 3 tops. But it was pleasantly cool on the water and there were all sorts of fascinating things to see on the shores. The drive back was along the same road, but there were literally thousands of people in the streets in the market area and traffic under normal circumstances is a complete disaster. If not for the car sickness resulting from the lurching and being in the back-back seat, I wouldn't have minded being the car for the rest of the night watching the people go by in the marketplace.

We dropped off the women at their various destinations and then went to the American club to watch the USA v. Slovenia game. Did you catch any of it? What a great game! We played pool for a bit and then came back to the house to watch the England game. I slept through the first half, but rallied for the second and in time to say good bye to Ryan for the second time. He was not here this morning, so I'm guessing he got it right this time.

Tonight I am going to a Muslim wedding with Ryan's oldest sister Michelle. I'm going to borrow a sari! I'm very excited. Then tomorrow I am going to observe field work! I'm going to Norshindi with Val Curtis (I am told she is an internationally renowned anthropologist who is the female equivalent to Dr. Luby regarding her work with water sanitation) and two others. We will back Tuesday morning in time for me to fly out Tuesday afternoon. I am nearly overwhelmed by how tremendous this opportunity is.
---------
Annnnd, back to the present tense.
Two words- Ryan Luby. I doubt this is going to surprise anyone. He is going to come to town sometime in mid-August. I am thrilled for you to meet each other; he is wonderful.

Every thing here is unlike anything I have ever seen, tasted, felt, or considered as a possible paradigm of reality. This is going to be one of those experiences that the stories slowly come out over time.

I'm about to go to the airport to fly to New Delhi. I doubt I'll have time to post anything again until I'm back stateside on July 14. I LOVE YOU, WOMEN!

Katie B

ohh halllooo ist Amelie, oh wait that's your name?!

One of my camper's real name is Amelie and she has really awesome braids. My life is now complete.
So today, i was given the inspiration to report about my camp life. I, along with another counselor, are hiding out on a bench in the shade during oh you know 98 degree recess time. Well no kid actually wants to play in that heat. So i'm surrounded by 7 of my campers. And lo in behold, there's a strange looking bug on the ground. Well if you take a closer look, it's two butterflies getting it on. But if you're 7 well it's a different story. After chasing it off, one of my campers, Evan, reported that "they were connected by the butt". I start to lose it, but thought, why not keep pushing buttons? I asked him what he thought they were doing. He replied, "well it looks like they use to be babies and now they're adults doing something" Man he was soo close! Then he and his two best friends (they are inspeparable and all ride home together and leave 15 mins late...ugh)decided it would be good to jump on me, yelling " jump on the lady, then bounce bounce bounce". At this point, I am now winning any laughing contest with Katie B and can barely breathe. These boys almost had sex figured out, but not quite and i think that was the best part.
Then it was back to activity two (card games.. i tried to teach the spirit animal game- then gave up) and my day was almost over. I tweeked my foot yesterday, so i biked and swam today. I forgot how much i love cross training when it's not the only option i have! Summer League is awesome. I convinced Meggers to play, and I get to see Daniel and Cheese too! Woot Woot
But I'll save you of all the deets of everything, even it makes stories super awesome. Highlights:
~ First week of camp was awesome. I love my co counselor! She's a grad student studying community art (project was dedicated by the mayor this past weekend on the Beltline, really outdoorys and lived in costa rica!)I have a lot of the same campers from last year, because I moved up with them. So it's easier to control them. Best part~ We can watch the World Cup as an activity if they US plays. I said if the US wins the World Cup I'll shave my head. hahah sadly kids remember these types of things. So if my locks are gone when you next see me, Hat, then you'll know why.
~ Friday night- B and I were raging even if it was pouring down rain and no one else was. But I got to see C Hale and got some guy friends from P- high drunk. Yea, I would say successful night. Oh and finally 'officially' met Carson and EB's friend that works at Moes n Joes. He said he had seen me in here quite often recently. So great, i'm now an alcoholic...
~ Weekend Hiking excursion turned into bike trip of 6 to 2 was fun but super hot. Then went to a free musical festival at Candler Park. Very fun to watch Wallers fans rage. Ha. Saw lots of random friends (some that hate eachother and literally saw one another and high tailed to the other end of the park). Could I say awkward?
~ Met Mika and she's so precious. I want a puppy! Also was able to meet JT's new love, and her crush (super tall and cute) at Whole Foods (he helped me find chocolate milk- super sidenote: research shows that choc milk is the best workout/muscle recovery drink out there, so yay!)
~ Watching the World Cup is awesome and it should never end. I love you all. KB i'm so glad you are safe and sound. Hat, loved talking to you and paying your credit card bill. C Hale- yay for moes n joes and chit chat about kissing men with beards! Bex- get ready i'm coming to bother you this weekend. JT- OMG i'm in LOVE with him!!! Jacq- Happy Birfday girly!

book club

I want to have book club. We can choose a book, choose a date to have dinner/wine/dress up/ dont dress up/ go somewhere new/ go to the broasis and chat about some lit-tree-ture. Yeah?
My friend Patrick is reading a book called King Warrior Magician Lover: rediscovering the archetypes of the mature masculine for his "man club." I thought it would be fun to read some "girl-power" or nice thought-provoking book. This is a call for suggestions, although I'll throw out a few ideas.

First, they had a section on summer reading on NPR the other day:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5432412.
I thought the 2nd one, The Believers, sounded interesting.

I have read a few Annie Dillard books and think that she is incredibly wise. I have always wanted to read Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters (http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Stone-Talk-Expeditions-Encounters/dp/0060915412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277062934&sr=1-1#reader_0060915412), so I would love to read that with you people, but will read it on my own if ya'll aren't feeling it.

Or, an adventure/ journey: The Lost Cyclist:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/books/review/Sullivan-t.html?ref=review

I may of may not have googled "womens book clubs." anyway. yall can read these book reviews if you're into that.
-Into the Forest. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Forest-Novel-Jean-Hegland/dp/0553379615/ref=cm_lmf_tit_17
-Cloudstreet. http://www.amazon.com/Cloudstreet-Novel-Tim-Winton/dp/0743234413

Of course, I'd always be down for an older book we can get on half.com! (This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzerald?)

SO--does this sound fun to anyone? (even you far-away folks...you could be like satellite book club. and of course friends could do it too) AND does anyone have any books that are calling to them?

camp guest appearance

so i have just finished my two week stint at camp. very happy i chose to jump on this opportunity, because it helped make me some money (which we will just say will help cover a certain "incident" that took place over memorial day weekend) and got me back in the camp community for the summer. highlights, and lowlights for that matter, of camp and living at home include:

*participating in our first doctor suess day. every friday is dress-up day with a different theme each week. naturally, zack and i were thing 1 and thing 2. there was really no other choice.

*experiencing a temper tantrum of epic proportions at least once a day. this kid had no limits, including being able to fall straight on his face if you tried to stand him up. that's commitment.

*more surprisingly, also having this temper-tantrum-child become my favorite camper. there's a lot to be said about being five and adorable.

*being fed by my mom. she is now embracing my vegetarianism and bought something called "chicken-less chicken." i can't really recommend it, but it's the thought that counts.

*getting to sing camp songs. that's dorky as hell but also true. whatever.

*checking world cup stats on zack's phone throughout the day.

*getting to work literally the entire day two fridays in a row. i said that like it was a privledge, but let me tell you, it's not. try camp from eight to four and then bj's from six to one. great times.

*air-conditioning. the broasis is struggling with keeping cool, for sure.

*twix and cherry coke zero at staff meetings with zack. some traditions will never die.

*seeing previous campers all grown up and moved on to different owl groups. this fact actually made me kind of sad, because i know there will be plenty more of this throughout the summer but that i'll miss it. luckily, i have zack to keep me posted.

*being told that i am getting kicked out of my room at home because beth anne wants it. i've been expecting this for years because my room is baller in comparison to hers, so really she's an idiot for waiting this long, but talk about a true sign of growing up, you know?

now i am back in athens for the time being. next adventure: dog-sitting for my mentor teacher jen. and by adventure i really just mean another way to randomly make money. love to you all.

p.s. jacqueline. you went to bonnaroo. POST ABOUT THIS.

dhaka

Ay gurl!

Things are going very well. I spent all yesterday morning at the ICDDR talking to anthropologists and researchers (fascinating). Then I went to the American club with Ryan, his sister and two of her friends. I ran yesterday with Ryan and his former track coach. It was horribly humid, though mercifully overcast. Last night, I spent a long time talking to his dad last night; he is truly inspiring and while the conversation has left me a little out of sorts, we discussed the kinds of tough questions that I have been pondering for quite a while.

The power goes out fairly frequently as their is an energy shortage here. The conversation just keeps going (the only beat we miss is when Ms. Luby points this out every time is occurs and I bust out laughing at the repetition).

So far I have had no stomach troubles; the Lubys are adamant that I do not drink anything from the tap. Even teeth and toothbrushes must be cleaned with bottled water.

Obviously, lots more to say, but it's almost time for Depasheesh (sp) to drive me to the other ICDDR campus for more interviews.

Ryan leaves tomorrow early morning so one last day with the coolest guy everrrrrr.

So much love,

Katie B

Oh Yaaaa

OH man its been too long...I staight up been living in the wilderness. And everytime I have internet its only for about 20 minutes. So here is a super duper quick catch up. Went on an awesome kayaking trip for 3 days and hit up Brush Creek and the North Fork of the Kaweah. Ran some stuff that was way over my head and got worked but learned a lot!! I've been learning how to row on the oar boat which is very cool. It is the epitome of western rafting so its great that i'm able to pick that up. Went to Yosemite with my new super cool friend Cal who would be an awesome wise woman. It was amazing we hung out with Brooks...Came back to the Kings and didn't realize that there were no trips so one day we taught Cal to roll a kayak and tehn the next went on a 30 mile bike ride from Piedra to base camp. Piera is wehre the post office is by the way and if anyone felt like sending some mail you could do it to P.O. box 108 Piedra, CA 93649. It was a killer ride but so beautiful. I have gotten 4 trips this week which is encouraging cause I have been seriously considering heading to Idaho Springs , Colorado and trying to get some work out there with Jonathan. That thought is still in my mind and we'll see what happens, but things are great here and I am digging this independent life I am leading! I can't explain how much I miss all of you. You guys mean the world to me and I wish you were able to see all this natural beauty with me, but it will make coming back home that much better. Here are a few pics of where i've been!

This was my check out run to become an official guide~

Learning how to row!!

One of my first trips with a group of high school seniors


Most of the Kings river guides! I'm on Cal's shoulders and Adam is on my right

View from my tent of the river...best way to go to sleep at night.

A terrible picture of half dome and El Capitan in Yosemite, I have much better ones i'll put up later. This was on our drive through Yosemite to Brooks'

Photo of The Brush Creek triple drop from the road about 400 feet up taken after I ran it. Ya way over my head...

This is Lucas (from ASheville, NC) Dos from Cali, Adam (the owners son), and Cal our new wise woman.

Camping at the North fork Kaweah put-in

I miss you all and wish you were here to see all this f-ing beauty. Be wise!!

This is real.

I have safely arrived on the other side of the world. My flight was 4 hours late leaving Atlanta, so upon landing in Chicago at 8:10 (my connection to Dhaka left at 8:30), I had to sprint through the airport, trample some old people in the security line, and literally beg the gate agents to re-open the gate for me. I was so happy to be on that plane that when a mother asked me to trade seats with her so that she could sit with her children I immediately agreed and simultaneously doomed myself to 13 hours in the center seat of the middle aisle, in between homeboy and his grandmother who were going to Pakistan. No big deal, though, because Etihad Airway is the jam. The flight attendants were all from exotic places and wore the white scarves under their hats. The food was delicious; I roused my self at one point to track down a Klondike bar distribution that I had missed while asleep. Can't miss out on that kind of opportunity. My layover in Abu Dhabi was much calmer. I was glad to be wearing a long skirt and to have a scarf to throw over my head; most of the women were dressed likewise. Oh, and I went with Ryan's suggestion and put a ring on it (oh, oh, oh!). Since it is very unusual for a young woman to travel alone, at least the indication of being married dispelled super-creepers from accosting me. This setting is quite the idiosyncrasy; I have never been so aware of my femininity and identity as a woman, but I also feel quite masculine; particularly in this part of the world, what I am doing makes me a renegade (in the word's of my dear sweet grandmother).

I arrived in Dhaka at 5 am this morning (3pm of the previous day Atl/Ath time) and just jumped right in. I was so relieved to find Ryan with no trouble after I got through customs. There was some confusion as to the exact date of my arrival (Dr. Luby et al. thought I was arriving the 16th, rather than the 15th. Ryan Luby would fit right in with us) that I didn't realize until almost too late. Thankfully I randomly came across some complimentary computers while in the Abu Dhabi airport waiting for my final connection to Dhaka, discovered this discrepancy, and was able to sort it out.

The Luby's live in the "diplomatic enclave" and after a tour of the American International School where Ryan graduated high school from, we walked (and walked and walked and walked) around the neighborhood and talked (and talked and talked and talked). Rickshaws are real and they are everywhere. The weather is incredibly hot and humid. I hope y'all are able to meet Ryan some day; he could hold his own among the Wise Women non-stop conversation action and is a wealth of interesting insights and perspectives. And anytime the conversation wanes, books are the go-to convo-topic. My kind of guy.

We were determined to stay awake until after lunch. This was a major struggle after we got back from the walk. Played cards; was destroyed in ERS. Then watched The Blind Side. About half way through, I wasn't sure that Ryan was speaking English anymore, I was unable to answer him in discernable words, and my eyes were closing involuntarily. Nap time. His younger sister woke me up 4 hours later, in time for Ryan and I to walk across the street to play some Ultimate Frisbee! So much fun. We played 3 aside; both of my teammates were teachers at the school. After showers, we read and then joined the family for dinner. Family dynamics fascinate me, so I enjoyed more than just the delicious food. Dessert was mango fresh off the tree from their yard.

Being here is unreal. It is amazing to me that all of these places exist in the same world as Ath/Atl. I am going to the ICDDR, B (International Center for Diahhreal Disease Research, Bangladesh) for the first time tomorrow to talk to folks. I would love to keep writing and telling y'all the stories so far, but I am going to go join Ryan in watching the Brazil v. North Korea game.

So much love!

Katie B

You Wise Women are moseying on out of athens at a pretty steady rate...first Amelia, then Jacq, then Beckaliss sneaking off for weeks at a time, KB you're probably halfway across the world at this time....leaves Julia and I to hold down the fort.

Which we have been, in case you were wondering. With Jonna gone for Bonaroo and Kibbs who-knows-where, I've had a few days to revert to my usual solo-endeavors:

-Cooking: tried to make some pita bread, but I used that yeast that you bought a long time ago, Hattie, and I think it had gone bad. (aka, pita bread was more like rubbery tortillas). Have a sourdough starter fermenting on top of the fridge. Also first little mini-harvest from the idiot garden last week! (see picture below. other one is jonna and my little 64 towne club garden)

-Working out more: I was definitely waddling at work today from some of those strange lunge sequences on Women'sHealth. Still working on the bouldering thing, but it is so hard it's borderline discouraging. However, it does contribute to #3 solo endeavor:
-Befriending randos: swimming in the river with climbing wall folks, going on dates with attractive Roots farmer, hanging out with Lucas and Will from Roswell at the pool and acting like we're great friends even though they didn't really know who I was, 3rd-wheeling with Susi and Rhys downtown.
-and, of course doing loads and loads of laundry but forgetting to dry them.



I did also mean tell you guys about Wakarusa, but that feels a little dated now, so I'll just toss out some highlights to remember....


-Interstate 540: gorgeous. 23S to the festival: ditto.
-First beer as a 21-yr-old: Miller highlife, champagne of beers, with Biss while setting up camp. I bought a case of this very beer myself at the last liquor store before reentering one of the many dry counties in AR. My ID was checked using a id-checker's guidebook and deemed legit. Don't worry, we weren't in a rush to check in and not loose our $200 deposit or anything.
-Checking into my volunteer shift for 11:45am-5pm and realizing I was actually working from 11:45pm-5am. oops. It turned out fine; I took a little nap and then gave out headphones at the silent disco (aka DJ dance party over headphones around a campfire) from midnight to 4am as my work. Got lucky with my other shifts, too: "passing out flyers" (aka, holding flyers while watching the Black Keys, drinking Bloody Mary w/ fellow volunteer); and "VIP duty" (aka, pouring/drinking beer, lunchladying mac&cheese, getting tipped).
-Railroad Earth. Widespread Panic. Split Leaf Rayfield. John Butler Trio. State Radio. Black Keys.
-Sitting on the top of our neighbor's RV and throwing glowsticks at passersby. Actually, our neighbors in general (except for the weird girl who never left her tent), and the amount of glowsticks thrown out at every big show in general.
-Waking up one morning, pissed from no sleep, to someone talking about dinosaurs. Realizing that night, as I gave them PBRs, it was the tripping-out boys we had danced/ played friz with describing/reenacting how they felt like they were walking when they were on some random drug.
-Leaving arkansas around midnight after JBT, me snoozing off a few beers first shift, and driving through the sunrise to get back to ath in time for work.


Work....I'm working my own version of a "double" tomorrow: ORC in the morning, then 5&10 por la noche. Sounds like I need to get to bed!

Chau!

Well, my beautiful kindred spirits, it's time for me to go.

Packing has been quite a project for several days now. It is more than a little frustrating trying to pack clothes that are appropriate for Hindu/Muslim countries, for 4 weeks, for camping, for heat, for cold, for fitting in my backpack, and for still maintaining some sense of style. Literally almost punched my mom at one point while we were discussing the pros and cons of me taking her size 6 mom-jeans, circa 1990. I am pleased with the final product, though, and have successfully packed, very lightly, things that I will enjoy wearing that cover my knees, elbows, and chest. Preparing for international travel is a lot of effort.

Things have been pretty tense at my house; my mom is very anxious about me going. Elizabeth W did not help yesterday when she hugged me goodbye and shouted, "Don't get suicide bombed." Thanks for that, Willett; way to voice my mother's concerns.

On Thursday I went out for round 2 with BC. While things went less than stellarly, c'est la vie. Now it's time to go see what damage I can do on the other side of the world (completely joking about that).

Met Mia at R.E.I. this morning and I'm about to go back to her house to watch the World Cup. Go USA! Then to the lake with my folks and my dad is taking me to the airport tomorrow afternoon. My flight leaves at 5:35; I will certainly be calling all of you while I'm sitting in the terminal. I plan to write postcards, though I probably won't mail them until I get back. I land in Dhaka at 5 am on Tuesday. I'll post again as soon as I can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHg2xONp_lY&feature=fvw

So much love,

Katie B

P.S. Wise women, post up. I want to hear about what's going on (even if you think it's not that interesting, I want to know about it).

Wakarusa by numbers

I've had a lot of time in the car recently to compose this post in my head.

1 - The number of times we jumped over the VIP gate to see the John Butler trio.

12 - am. The time at which we began driving back to Athens to get CSH to work by 4.

15.75 - The number of hours we had to work for the Work Exchange Team in exchange for a free ticket to the music festival.

26 - The round-trip time on the road. Miracles do happen - CSH and I got to and from Ozark, Arkansas without a single missed turn.

48 - The number of free boobies I saw.

57- dollars. How much money I made in tips pouring beers for artists and VIPs while doing my volunteer hours for the work exchange team.

101 - The heat index in Wakarusa, Arkansas.

2,500 - The population of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, where we stayed with CSH's friend from camp one night. Took back the streets the next morning and had a running tour of the town.

809324819 - The number of drugs I was unaware existed until this festival.

0 - The number of music festivals I ever want to go to again. Wakarusa was insane and I'm glad I went, but not an experience I wish to repeat.

I am clean. It is quiet. The air is fresh. It's good to be back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29RvK7OI2Fg

So much love,

Katie B

Sharry I'm not sharry

...for writing on the blog wall 3 times in a row. Hattie just peaced out of gchat and that's sad. But good news: I heard her voice in real life last night on the cellular. That was so exciting!! Anyways, I don't know what it is but my recovery period for nights of mayhem is literally an all day affair.I guess i'm getting old- 21 is the new 40 in the drinking world. Everyone would be proud- began and ended my night with beer. Quick recap of weekend. Silver Comet trail bike ride with Keys and Meghan, who wanted to KILL me after about 8 miles. Luckily, I could promise her chick-fil-a for an after workout treat(we burned 1,185 cal according to Megs)and it was slightly better. Then we all rallied and went to the Highlands yet again. Moes n Joes was popping and we stayed for hours.Free pitchers( girls don't buy pitchers- please) + 10 dudes at our table. Holla to that and late night dance party at the Cavern with a box of Lucky Charms in hand. Stayed up until 4am- yes be proud. Slept on the floor (don't worry there was a sheet over the carpet, so it was legit) with the bros, Did Not play with fire and of course woke up at 8am. Need I say classic? They all wanted to kill me. Have spent today recovering and adventuring of course. But since it's almost 10 and I got 4 hrs of floor passout time, it's time to watch tv with daddioo. Love you all.
~ Can't wait for H&M time Katie B
~ JT- wedding report ASAP
~ Bex- Yay for Camp Kingfisher. Good Luck
~ Hat- Phone chat when you can
~ C Hale- i ruv you! And you're no longer that girl who is way older that all her friends ;) 21!!!!
~ Poop- Girl where you at?!
PS everyone- Big Mike just told be to Holla at a playa when i return to athens via fb chat. My dream has come true. Holler at that Bex. Crown contender?

Continued... I couldn't figure out the edit post thing

....but if we're talking about clothes and beautiful men and women, then that's what i call an excellent movie. So the day moved along to night and grew better. Letter was recieved with a case of beer, a baggie and a closing statement. Carson's friend showed up in the mist of all of this and I truly couldn't imagine being in her place. Oh snap we're about to have a huge party, too! And literally we turned our heads and in rolled the party. Lady Gaga and Britney were carried on their shoulders and KB and I escaped when we were caught in the mists of Lady Gaga's tweets. It was time to bro and watch baseball.
We ventured dt and promptly lost the birthday boy and his crew. So where do we go? Walker's of course. But not just a regular old W night. We sat outside, composed clever texts (or so KB and I thought) and then evps, bex and i found a secret passageway! This led us and everyone else to Genco- which I always thought was a jewelry place. Whoa i was wrong. This place played "to the windows to the wall" "the thong song" "yeah yeah yeah" and what did we leave to? Oh yeah that would be the best of Ludacris: "I wanna lick lick you from your head to your toes..."
So it was time for the Loft and we danced the last two hours away. 2am rolled around and it was time to go watch Carson's garden grow. And boy did it grow in the moon light. Not
Next thing I knew it was 8am and the police had called Garret about his car parked in the middle of First St. May I say CLASSIC? Mama's Boy and two cups of coffee later it was time to go to a super awesome lakehouse!
So much yummy food, laughter and exercise. The kayak became my best friend and I followed Great Blue Herons around. Yeah, I know I'm just that cool. Waterskiied and held on for dear life as KB led me through the wake of 6 boats all 50ft around us. Talk about determination not to fall off. woooweee
Sang Wicked the whole drive home and Bex and i walked to Vision. We're there for about an hour picking our perfect 5 and avoiding a downpour. Over the next two days we watched all but one. That's quite an accomplishment. Tues night came- went to Copper Creek and boy was that fun. Why did we decide to go there again? Highlight of the night? Eating free Grill fries and sleeping in Hat's bed (with JT and dbrick of course)!
Last night: H stands for... hammered, high and p-high bros. And a great night of mayhem in the Highlands ending safely at Betsy's house. Yay for fun and friends.
So i wish you all a merry friday and to all a good night!

In honor of Bex and Katie B- " I've got the Magic in me!"

My dearest loves,

Let's begin with saying that I don't remember being this happy in a very long time. I know this may seem strange, but it's true. I believe in who I am and can do whatever I pretty please. It's quite a wonderful feeling. Relationships can be a tricky thing- you become so close to someone, that you almost become dependent on them to lift you up, make you happy, say you look great, etc. It's a trap that's hidden by the cloud of love, or at least for me. But enough of deep thoughts, let's get to the magic.

Last Wed was epic- no one wanted to drink, but I guess my forlorn look inspired everyone and out we went. EB decided we were making out and it was a night of running away and ridiculous spin moves at Sandbar. $2 pitchers= the anti fratties venture in to play beer pong. Duh. Big Mike proclaimed his love for Bex and we all giggled.

Thurs was Julia's little brother's grad party and it was awesome. So much good food and wonderful people. It was great to be reunited with my second family because they are awesome.

Then Friday came and it was time for Zack's birthday! On a whim, Bex and I saw SATC2 (Sex and the City 2- duh) and it was great. Well great is relative. If we're talking about plot and actual doings in the movie then it was awful. But

Super quick

Rockstars

Alright, I have just a minute in the Fresno state library and wanted to update. Been a really busy week, worked 4 days straight which is exhausting. We get up at 6 30 to start cooking breakfast and finally make it to bed by about 11 after cleaning up after dinner, not to mention rafting all day in between. Got a few days off and have been doing some chores around camp to make some money. Hopefully going to do a little overnight backpack trip in Kings Canyon or maybe just lots of kayaking on the main and north fork kings. Ya my life doesn't suck

So glad to hear these Athens adventures, ladies you make me so proud. I am extremely jealous of these downtown expeditions and am seriously missing Athens.