Hi again,
we've made it out of California and I have cement in my sinuses. It was a little surprising we actually did make it out of ca. It's almost absurd how beautiful and wonderful it is there.
I actually realized something weird about east coasters that I never really noticed until I realized I was being super rude somehow and couldn't understand why.. But people on the west coast don't really interrupt each other, they don't really talk over one another.. I'm actually not entirely sure how they interact because I'd forget what I was thinking before the other person was finished. I didn't even really consider it interrupting, necessarily.

Anyway people seemed to like us okay despite our abrasive interrupting new York ways. A lot of people treated us like we were these snow creatures from a different planet but everyone was nice about it so i didn't mind.

We are now in bowie, Arizona visiting Dennis and Brian at the Buddhist school/ commune/ monastery called diamond mountain where they're studying and workng. Dennis came out here for a full term and to build cabins for the monks, but Brian was just traveling like us, visited Dennis and ended up staying three weeks. It's a pretty cool place.. Free study, free yoga classes, free food, free camping. I'm pretty sure longterm students have to do some sort f workstudy but from what I hear it's pretty minimal.
I've attended two yoga classes which were pretty awesome but this damn sinus infection has put me pretty much out of commission. Here in the desert it's hot(ish.. Pretty bearable actually unless you're in a tent and the wind has ceased to blow..) and freezing, FREEZING at night. It actually snowed last night, believe it or not. And I am too small for my zero degree sleeping bag so my first night camping was pretty unbearable. I shivered all night, finally fell asleep, and then woke up at ten, hot, dehydrated and hyperventilating. Ouch. Dennis and his housemate, a monk named Venerable Phil, have been nice enough to let me sleep in the house.

Christian and Dennis climbed the mountain yesterday where Geronimo went on his vision quest/ spirit journey. I was sick and still recovering from my hellish night in the tent so I stayed in the m.a.s.h. style tent on the campus for three hours reading little women and cursing my nasal and bronchial passages. Christian came back and said it'd be too hard for me to climb so I'm going to go climb it. It was my idea anyway to go, the bastahd.

Headed to Sedona soon where there are energy vortexes and weird stuff
last night heading home to Bowie, Brian and I saw a white thing shoot straight up into the sky from the ground, which was weird and hard to explain.
Very much love to you all,
Jackie


Ps Justin we need to talk soon about that blog of yours ;)