Meeting people and making friends is a beast. I hate it—and I am not going to do it. I am making ballet instead. Tomorrow I sign up for two or three classes. YAY!

I spent the day with Pastor Michael, Aunty Magrate and Melissa. I had a wonderful time. It was so cool seeing them come in at the airport. They joked that they can’t get rid of me, even when I move away, here I am. I had the honor of being the one driving Meli when she first saw her college. You can tell this is a dream for her—and it is so special. No one deserves it more with her humble sweet spirit and selfless attitude. We followed them to get the rental car and it took both cars to fit their stuff. Then we went to their hotel. It was too early to check in, so they left their stuff and we all went to Chinatown for lunch. Aunty bought me Chinese fans and then added some of her own artwork to them to cover the Chinese things that are not godly—she made them totally godly. Really cool. Then we hung out in their hotel. They didn’t need me much today and so I got to go to church. Worship was good. It was the special worship night. It was the most peace I felt in WEEKS. I probably should have left right after that.

Anyway, I had a great time with the Yaps. I know there is a reason Meli is here and I am here and other connections are happening. I think it helped my own faith about being here. Someone from home and all, and let’s face it, very little meant more to me in Texas than Shachah. I don’t think people really understood because no one delved into it or saw much of it, but other than Robin, nothing meant more to me in Texas, so it helped me bunches to have them here. It was the most comfortable and familiar I had felt since Robin left. I really should have stayed with them later.

Tomorrow UPS will bring Meli’s boxes and I will take them down to the hotel in the evening and have dinner with them. I am looking forward to it immensely. In fact more than anything else I can think of right now.

The other thing I am looking forward to is seeing a new friend in Ventura. She is the one I met in Vermont who has a tambourine team here and has been affiliated with Shachah for years. She wrote today and we are going to get together—possibly next Tuesday all day (the day before I begin work). I have a hair appointment with Terry that day but I am going to cancel it. You can always reschedule something like that. Anybody affiliated with Shachah is a fresh air to me. That is where I fit. But there is a piece of Shachah here, so who knows all together what might happen. Shachah is home.

After church I went back to Baja Fresh. Man is that place GOOD! I imagine I will take up residence in there. I know where the ones in Pasadena and Toluca Lake are now—and I think I know Burbank, so as soon as I figure out Glendale I am covered across the territory I travel regularly.

I am so glad I live where I do. Even in down times I look forward to coming home, I am so far away from the rest of the world and I love it. I just had to go to the store for a plunger—at 11 p.m. fun fun—but I love my neighborhood and the store is a block away. It is good to be up here. Easy access to everything and near nothing I don’t want to see.

I gave up on the vitamins and ordered them online. I found my brand at some place for a decent price. Now I only have to find my hair gel. Nexxus.com says there is a place in the same shopping center a block away as the store—so if they only sell the right kind all that junk will be done.

I sure hope that TRS check arrives because I no longer have rent money! But it should be fine. If not, I will be evicted and move back home.

Tomorrow morning is busy as can be. I have until 1 p.m. to get my paperwork to Glendale, get my application to a college, pick up training materials at the high school for work Tuesday, get my house clean and done and be ready for the influx—glass man to repair my windshield, UPS man with five boxes for Meli, Probably Pastor Darrell with the dresser they are bringing. Then when all that is over, I shoot back down to USC. That will be all night and I will come home and go to bed and get up for my conference. Three days of captivity. No plans anymore at night—they changed again—so other than Wednesday, maybe I can talk to people back home. Friday and Saturday are nothing specific, except that I expect I will go to a local dance studio with open classes and take some. Next Monday is the textbook meeting, Tuesday I will probably go to Ventura and see Aunty Margaret (not to be confused with Aunty Magrate!—this is the other Shachah lady, but all ladies older than you are Aunty). Then Wednesday I begin my first official day at work—not on my campus but with the district. That is through Thursday. Thursday night through Saturday I am at a conference at a church in the city—we are talking time consuming and spiritually intense. Then a day off that Labor Day before I go to work for real. My time is gone. I will have no free time left. If I take the dance classes I think I am, and do the other stuff I plan, I will have no free time.

Good.