Relatedly, I was asked the question today, "what do you do for kicks down in Richmond?"

Not that I've never talked or thought about this before, but as an exercise, I feel like talking/writing about it again. Awewesomee. (Pronounced "ah-weh-weh-so-meh.")

For kicks? Well I'm still trying to climb out of the "come home from work and hide in my bed" post-breakup phase. It's good times. Basically I just try to stay out of my room until it's bedtime, whether that means hanging out with Kelly 24/7, volunteering an afternoon at the RBA, or spending way too much time on my computer--as my mom never fails to point out. In Richmond for kicks I hang out at Kelly's house, go to the movies, read, waste time online, and as I said the other day, belly dance at work when no one is looking.

For kicks in general I often try to get out of Richmond. Not that I don't love my hometown, but most of the people I love, and people are what I love, live in other places. I used to visit David, and may do so again. I am visiting Lindsey. I met up with Chris and Fran and Matt and Beth and Christian in DC. I went to the Camp staff retreat. I'm going to the Festival International. In short, for kicks, I travel as much as I can. This is part of the reason I tend to be so terrified of settling down, esp. having babies, incl. getting married, having pets.

Also for kicks in general I take pictures, and I think about interesting/awesome things, such as dinosaurs, water, trees, linguistics, psychology, and etymology. Stuff like "what would happen if velociraptors attacked?" (Actually though I think about dinosaurs pretty rarely. I mostly just comment on their awesomeness when I see them around.) More often, where did that word come from? How would that have evolved through changes in language use? Why do we say things that, objectively speaking, make no (or little) sense--such as "I've gotta go," or "I have got to go." I possess obtained to go? Interesting...

For kicks in the summer, or when I can get to Camp, omg, I go caving. I go caving and I swim I swim I swim in 100% not-chlorinated water, and I climb mountains, and I steer canoes downstream, and I look at stars, and I build campfires and I paint rocks and I wash dishes and I try to teach kids, and sometimes other counselors too, that they matter, and that people love them, and that God loves them. And that they matter. And that things can be hard, but life can still be good. And I try to remember those things myself.