I haven't given up on you, blog! Don't give up on me, either!

I haven't been posting... I am a loozur.
That's not true.
Well... it's true that I haven't been posting. But I'm not so much a loser. I've actually been doing a lot of winning recently. There has been so much going on in my life and it's hard for me to know if it's me or if it's just Bellingham that's building me so.

Well let's start at a good starting point. I've been travelling. A lot. I drove down the coast to San Diego in July. I met my best and longest standing friend, Niki, at her home in San Mateo, and we journeyed down together. I was pressed for time, having been able to take only a week off work, so we only got to spend a day there. But it was an incredible day. I got to spend another perfect day at Twiggs on Park and Madison. I saw Mike. He's one of the people in the world I love so very much. He lives in an apartment above the coffeehouse and spends his days sitting out front, drinking and playing sultry-like on the guitar. He's so careworn and mellow, he inspires me to slow down more often. I wrote him a letter the morning Niki and I left. I told him that I love him. I've never done that before. I've shared love with a lot of people and I've loved a few deeply, but I've never looked someone in the eye and said them in their slightly cliche "three little words" type way. Technically I still haven't, since it was in letter form. But I wrote it. And I meant it. So it counts.
I know I'll never actually be with him, but I don't care. I know it's nice to have love shared with you, and I know how incredible it feels to give love, so I give it freely. I love a lot.
I love San Diego. The corner of Park and Madison, across the street from Mueller College, with painted city fixtures and wholly beautiful people strolling by, stopping to talk, sharing smiles, that corner is my favourite place in the world and it's what heaven must feel like.
I also got to see Chanti and Johnny and I had a fantastic time singing at Mueller after a show there finished and a great group of people gave me some really positive feedback and inspired me to start work on a CD. I got to meet some new friends, particularly Running Cloud, or Dwain, who sends me neverending hugs and pokes on Facebook. It's nice to know someone's thinking of me.
Along the drive home I left some long-distance love messages for some beautiful people from my friend Julz in Maryland. She and I were originally planning on making the west coast trip together; unfortunately her health took a turn for the worse again and she was laying up with some blood clotting problems and needing to focus on some healing, so I made my other plans and decided to work as her love ambassador instead. I went to the Gratitude Cafe in Los Angeles and left love notes for her friend Nikki (("Julz Manlapaz sends you a humongous high-five, via her friend and love messenger, Carolyn, all the way from Maryland xoxoxoxoxo")) and Jon. (("Dear Jon, Your soul sister, Julz Manlapaz, one of the most amazing people I know, sends her love via her gypsy-type friend, Carolyn Della Malva. We love you and everything you are. <3 Julz and Carolyn p.s. I drive the country with love in my heart & blend apparel stickers on my car.")) (Jon is the owner of Blend Apparel, and is another lovely and extraordinary person whom I am looking forward to meeting someday).
Niki and I also stopped in at Jitters in Solana Beach to send a love message to a barista there, Vallie, who was there when we stopped in, so hugs were given in person. Also there for in person hugging was, none other than, Billy! It was so fantstic to run into him. He's such a joy and I love him so! We got to juggle together for a few minutes and he taught me some cool new tricks (none of them I've been able to pull off... but that will come in time, I know) and, when we were leaving, quoted some "red-round pound" from my "I like you, Billy" poem from back in D.C., so that was a huge affirmation for me. Niki and I headed from there to the beach where I wrote a song and she and I forgot about the absence of the ozone layer and found ourselves later turning into walking tomatos. It was definitely worth it.
All in all, San Diego was FREAKING MARVELOUS!
I have a million other things to write about, but for right now I'm giving the computer over to Gretchen, who needs to find a storage unit and an apartment (which is another story in of itself) so I'm closing for now. But I promise, now that I'm not travelling, I'll have more time to write, and write I shall.

Until next time,
I'll be having the best days EVER!
love love love love love Auggie <3