Happy Birthday to Me

It's my birthday! Yay!

This will be brief (unusual for me, I know), but I have some shocking news for you folks. Z and I completed two items on the scavenger hunt earlier this evening, and we actually enjoyed both of them. I know this is hard to believe, and it may be that I've had a few beers at a local microbrewery with Gerg and Tibbets, but I actually had a lot of fun tonight. We went to Barton Springs pool, where the water from the natural spring is always a crisp, cool 68 degrees. I was pleased to notice that both Z and I are both inch-by-inchers when it comes to cold water. Maybe we don't walk at the same pace, but we had a lot of sympathy for each other as we eeked and squeeked our way into the chilly pool. After we finished swimming, we had to find a "shirtless, good-looking jogger on Pfluger bridge." As you can imagine, this second task was more difficult. First of all, who wants to stop a jogger? The jogger does not want to stop; if he was the kind of guy who stopped all the time to rest, he wouldn't be a jogger. He'd be...me. Joggers are trying to keep up their heart rate; if you stop one and ask him to take some stupid scavenger hunt picture with you, he'll probably throw your camera into the river. But Z and I figured out the solution: we took a picture with someone's labrador retriever. The lab was shirtless, and a good-looking dog indeed, and he was happily jogging along next to his master (who wasn't bad-looking himself, but was fully clothed). We got the point on an iffy technicality, but I don't think my boss should complain, seeing as how she only gave us this assignment because she wanted to get a picture of a sweaty runner hunk to put up on her wall. Serves her right. 

Maybe the scavenger hunt will be better from here on out. I can only hope. We've negotiated a possible extension, but I weakened our position by breaking one of the AmeriCorps rules today: I wore a Howard Dean t-shirt. I'm not allowed to promote any sort of political affiliation as a VISTA, seeing as how I might alienate the very people I'm trying to help by wearing a controversial t-shirt. I wouldn't want to scare away the poor by promoting a man that doesn't want their children to die in a meaningless war. That would be a tragedy. (This, Tim, is sarcasm.)

If you ever leave a comment, let it be today. I am 23 now, and I need your love and support during this crucial transition period.