sort life out

I've spent the evening reading on the porch. A moment ago the sunset was a brilliant orange-pink swath behind the houses across the street and the faint smell of pot wafted out of the house, presumably from my roommate's girlfriend. There are a few tasks I need to complete. Come to think of it, there are several tasks I need to complete ranging from the right now to the before-I-go-to-bed to later this week to the indeterminate future. I feel a lot like Shaun in Shaun of the Dead when he puts a to do list on his refrigerator before passing out that reads, "Go round mum's, get Liz back, sort life out." Minus the impending hangover and the zombies, of course.

So let's see. I need to bring in the cactus, definitely, and probably clear another path in my room since I was rearranging the already post-earthquake-looking apocalypse earlier. I don't know what to do tomorrow. At some point I need to return that stupid stereo receiver and one day head to the airport to exchange the pounds, Euros and Swiss Francs for legal U.S. tender. Wednesday evening the Timbers are playing Seattle in a cup match, which is bound to be epic considering they're our biggest rivals and since we're now in different leagues it's a matter of luck that we get drawn together at all. There's a possibility that we won't play each other again until 2011. Thursday is another Timbers match, but this one is an exhibition against Bayern Munich's reserve squad, and my roommate's hurling team is playing a short demo match at halftime. I'm sort of obligated to be there.

Then there is the mess of the holiday weekend. I've been locked into going up to my grandparent's lakehouse since before I left for Europe by my grandpa. For some reason, he's really excited that I'm going to be there. I have no idea why. My cousin is plotting something elaborate and probably dangerous and definitely something I won't want to participate in and he's involving my youngest sister in it, possibly because he knows I'm a big party pooper and don't like to see my family members do dumb and illegal things while inebriated. Ironically, I will probably just get smashed so as to be able to ignore everything stress-free and end up hanging out by myself for most of the weekend. I like the lake, but I like it for apparently different reasons than the rest of my family. I like to chill out and look at the trees in the breeze; my family thinks I'm depressed. I like to take the canoe out in the morning; my family likes to drive the speedboat fast and inner tube or water ski all day. My cousin especially likes to push things just slightly too far. He's always wired and has ambitious plans that require the collaboration of nearly everyone else. It's not a fault really, it's just the way he is. I'm just way too laid back and lazy for it. Just lemme alone with my beer and let me roast marshmallows or something!

Before I go camping again I need to remember to buy new batteries for the flashlights that all died at the same time (while putting on the rainfly in the dark after it suddenly started raining, of course. When else do flashlights die? Convenient times? Ha!), plus dish soap and paper towels. I also need to rinse out the gross cooler that's been stewing in the sunshine of the car.

Before the roadtrip this summer I need to get my brakes checked out and possibly replaced. I have no idea how I'm going to swing that financially after the school certification debacle.

School starts at the end of September. I have one term until graduation. Then what? Fuuuuuuuuuck dude, I dunno.