I just returned from backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness. The mosquitos were hell. Pictures.

Google maps does the moon...they show the places where the lunar landers set down.

Robin got home yesterday! On Thursday night, we're draggin' her out backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness.

Though the photoblog is still in the works, I posted a picture today and think I will tomorrow too.

In protest against Blogger's ugly publishing, I won't be posting for a bit. Also, I don't have anything particularly interesting to say. I think I might retire this blog and start another one for photos, links to interesting things, and the occasional story of my life--but stories that are actually interesting.

Tonight I went to the S.R. farmer's market with Elliot and wandered around a while. Some crazy woman whose entire back was covered in tattoos and who was dressed in pink walked up to me and told me I was an angelic beauty.

I went up to Davis on Tuesday to hang out with Brian and check out the Davis atheist club, which was really interesting. We went to slide park, which has some concrete slides, but only Brian was brave enough to slide down. To my credit, I have done it in the past.

I spent an incredible 3 hours in REI today, shopping shopping shopping for new boots. Our salesman was pathetically inept and knew less about boots than I do. Then, on the way home, we stopped at two other sporting goods stores to try to get things we couldn't find at REI.

By the time we got home we were so exhausted that I managed to take an hour and a half nap. I dreamt that I drew some cool drawings, so I woke up and tried to imitate them and failed miserably. I think I should burn my first attempt. That happened to me once before, when I was little, that I tried to draw something I dreamt I drew--only that time I was trying to draw a family of rabbits dressed up like an English family on a picnic.

This is my 500th post. Exciting.

Went up to Vacaville last night to hang out with Brian. We ate well.

On the way home, I decided to stop for gas and got tricked into one of those "pull off the freeway and drive a ways before the gas station" exits. Then I missed the turn for the first gas station, so I just kept going, figuring there would be another one. Finally I found another one. Then I tried to get back to the freeway by continuing along the road, but it took me nowhere, so I had to turn around and go back the five minutes total I had come. This is one of the reasons I hate getting gas. Another is that I couldn't ever get my credit card to work. Thankfully, either I have gained skill at sliding my card or the old one was demagnetized or something funky.

Tonight I went to dinner at the Grants, where we set our plans for our upcoming backpacking trip. One planned dinner is named "Tent-mate Surprise"--it features large portions of rehydrated refried beans.

Argh! Password requirements are so frustrating! I had to come up with a password for my New Zealand classes that is: 6-8 characters long, has upper AND lower-case letters, a number, and punctuation. That's so finicky, what do they think anyone's going to want out of my New Zealand "blackboard"--my grades, my bills? Who cares?

For anyone who has a blog and wants to kill 15 minutes:

I was bitter this morning because I had to go to the dump, but I discovered that it's actually fun--you get to fling things off a five foot drop!

I enjoyed myself at Pinecrest Lake by kayaking, hiking, and plenty of relaxing.

Last night, in honor of the 4th, I went with Brian et al. up to Ring Mountain or thereabouts in Tiburon to watch the fireworks across the bay in San Francisco and other various locations. We were running a little late, so we missed some, but on the whole it worked out.

On a side note, I think I'll soon be taking the photoblog down temporarily to make a new layout (and also to take suh more pictures!).

White rabbit everyone! (A first of the month tradition that I yet again neglected.)

Today I:

• remembered to go grocery shopping
  
• saw War of the Worlds at the THX-certified Cinema One (George Lucas was spotted at the showing)
  
• ate at M&G's--I'm not sure whether or not to give up my personal ban on eating beef that's not grass-fed
  
• watched In Good Company
  
• packed for tomorrow's trip to Pinecrest Lake
  

P.S. I put up this weekend's photoblog posts early, as I will be out of town.
P.P.S. Sorry about the weird formatting--I swear it's Blogger freaking out, not my layout!