a pretty ridiculous friday

The day had started off well considering all the stress ive been under. I went to school on time, checked out a potential space to move into, and had a nice lunch at Famima. But as i drove to pick the children up for a fun day of swimming, something seriously changed. While i went to sign the 3yr old out of preschool i was robbed. My car door opened and my ipod, purse and wallet stolen. 

At first i couldnt believe it. I stood there looking around expecting to still see the thief running away. A beautiful day ruined by some petty theft. (the only cash i had was a measly 7 dollars) In front of an elementary school someone had the nerve to steal from a beat up old saturn with a child's seat in the back...like...really? There are children everywhere. Its a small neighborhood. Broad daylight.

Disgusting. People disgust me and while i suffered no major loses (as my ipod was circa 2003 anyways and pretty broken at times) im hoping these people will understand that what they did was small and inconsequential to my life. Of course at first i was upset...but no serious items were taken and it just felt more personal as my ties to my things were purely emotional. 

The first thing people seem to say in these situations is that "karma" will come back around to them. Or "things happen for a reason". While ive tried to accept these terms over the years i just feel as though these cliches are simply not the case. I did nothing in the past month to have deserved this to happen to me. So wheres my good karma? Why do good people get cancer? Why do people die in car crashes? i suppose its simply the unknown that causes this stuff to happen. I cant write it away that these people will chronically have "bad karma". But i will come to the conclusion that they will probably eventually go to prison at some point in their lives. None of this will be resulting from them stealing my purse.

Ive had to just realize that ive made more than enough money this week to replace everything ive lost...so those people can have my 7 bucks, dinners on me tonight losers. Its too bad they gave me the excuse to go buy a nice new ipod touch and my weekend can only get better from here since i have reason to celebrate tonight with bike rides, drinks, and the best friends that anyone could ever ask for.

its about time.

Wow. So here i am, reading my last posts and realizing that it has been almost 10 months since i last wrote anything simply for fun. I went away to AEI. I lived on and off a bus for 3 months. I slept outdoors every night, i was lucky to get a shower, and i experienced true, untampered, and sober life. I broke my veganism (as it was very cold in the sierra nevadas and i lacked body heat) and learned that it was okay to live life in moderation. A "choosetarian" as one of my classmates had said. Im still vegetarian, i couldn't bring myself to bridge that one. 

The whole experience was absolutely amazing. We began in the Sierra Nevadas amongst the giant redwoods and sequoias and worked our way down into Mexico. We worked and presented at the annual BIONEERS environmental festival in San Rafael and volunteered our time on organic farms. I spent a couple weeks in San Francisco during our break and did an amazing internship at rainforest action network where i learned all about the ways in which a non profit organization works. In mexico we spoke spanish, ate beans and rice...a lot, and backpacked through the Arroyo Grandes. I cant really fully describe how much i learned about myself and the natural world. I connected.  Come late December upon my return I felt a little weird that it was almost christmas.

Many didnt understand my distance. I felt odd...i had been cut off from the world for a while. I was awkward. My structured days were now loose and open. I began riding again, and fell back into a good group of people that i had barely gotten to know before leaving.

Fully adjusted and motivated on life, i have been loving the norms of public community college. SMC is amazing, and im grateful to be living and working in west la again. Ive got great friends now, who really appreciate me, and i love when things work out.

Looking towards the near future...

-having my own space to live in? since ive been couch surfing now for 4 months.

-learning film photography

-finishing my general education and transferring to a Cal State.

-saving up the $$$

so happy to be back with my family.