daily preciousness: exhausted, but healing.

Ragged and red, I'm recovering from Piga's annual rafting trip and mobile alcohol binge. It's Anywhere Goes. It was a small but friendly group this year and I wish I would've been perkier after the long busride, because I forgot to get business cards so that I could connect with folks. But I might run into them somewhere and reconnect.

Phil and I shared a raft and I was a bit surprised that we got flipped. I guess even veteran river rats can get tossed, now and then. It's been at least a year since I gulped up river water. Hope I don't get the beaver fever. Ick.

I got to know a few movie night friends better and I even met two new Louisiana escapees. Scott, a graphic design professor at Gallaudet, lost his family home to Katrina. But he still managed to win "best smile," despite all of that. He *did* have a nice smile, too.

Jonathan, a former teacher from Boston, shared with me his stories of teaching math in an inner city Edison charter school. Amazing. And he had nice Japanese tattoos, too.

I also met a cool veterinarian from Pennsylvania, Marc. He has the auspicious sound-alike that brings to mind Obi Wan Kenobi.

Just got an amazing massage from Julia. She has magic hands. Wish I could afford to have her over more than twice a month! She brought green bean casserole with fried onion topping. Yum. That alone is worth a happy dance. Combine it with the afterglow of the massage, the pink cheeks of my only sunburn of the season and I'm positively glowing right now.