Summer in the City.

Just a glance at the savory treats glassed in underneath the counter is enough to fill your belly. The bakers, or whatever the politically correct term for "one of those" these days, walk as if they're bandana-wearing pack mules on a narrow path to and from the back room, wielding cakes and cookies and tiramisu. I ordered tea today, breaking away from my usual day-off coffee. As I handed the man my debit card, he muttered a phrase that never fails to turn heads, "Only in Weaverville." Unaware of my immediate facial expression, another girl behind the counter began to laugh at the contorted snarl of my brow.

"Only in Weaverville," I thought to myself as I looked upon a man in the corner. Hairy, canine hands grasped the local newspaper and a werewolf face hid behind it. I wonder what he was reading? I don't think I've earned the right to say "Only in Weaverville," but I still thought it.

This place, college town turned retirement village, is a curious one. Each time we walk through a doorway the locals get more brave, asking us questions about why were here.

After being greeted with an excited wave and smile, I leaned over to Jackson while sitting at our new favorite spot and said, "We're the bees knees here."

This town isn't a big fan of change, and I see why. It may be sheer cockiness, or it may be the truth - but I feel like these new guys living on south College are a breath of fresh air to some Weavervillians. Soon enough, our faces will lose their freshness, and we'll be having "the usual." Let's soak it up boys.

Mercury.

According to general rules of physics, we don't have a choice in where we are headed. Gravity manipulates everyone and everything into heading towards it - but what happens when we get there? We stop. What is the point of gravity's selfish ambition other than to keep piling all of us, one on top of the other, just so we can sit there like a landfill? Like the tower of Babel without a purpose. At least the Babylonians had a goal. Some of us are driven by rebellion. Imagine a situation in which a car drives off of a cliff. While in a free fall, gravity begins to taste defeat. At the point of impact, the Cinderella we named Inertia clashes against it's older step-sister like Mario vs. Bowser. But in an instant, the vehicle comes to a complete standstill and all is at rest. For only a few moments, the contents of the vehicle stayed in motion, and deprived gravity of a flawless victory; it still wins, but it wasn't an easy one. Game Over. Continue?

Thats the beauty of it, it's beautiful - we reckon with the force. At any given point, hundreds of times a day, we see the ruler has overstepped her bounds and say, "Enough is enough." I don't really know where I'm going with this, it's just something that occupied my mind while ingesting two cups of coffee and a slice of quiche. I don't know, maybe it's nice to know that there are battles we'll never win, but we'll never stop fighting because, well, what else is there to do?

About Time.

Despair is the damp of hell, as joy is the serenity of heaven. -- John Donne

Two days from now, we will have been in North Carolina for a month. In our first month here, we've done a number of things some people will never do - and for that I feel blessed. We've climbed rocks and ascended ropes 80 feet up 100+ year old trees. We've been trusted by our managers to keep an eye on the new guides throughout their first zipline tours. We've met people around Asheville to the point they recognize us when we bump into them a week later. We've shopped at stores that sell expired foods. Most importantly, we've managed to lead happy lives that are not centered around money. Of course, when we received our first tips of the season this weekend, we were excited; but it was a genuine excitement for what we had been waiting for - income. It's a good thing to know that that we can look after each other for a significant period of time, not keeping tabs on who owes who what. Sure, it will be nice when we all have beds and our house finally begins to look like a real home, but this little bit of "hardship" hasn't really been all that bad. It makes us grateful to have jobs, and hopeful that our hard work has shown to those who expect it of us. Everything is fine, and its only a matter of time until we have the choice to become the over-consuming people we once were, or to continue shopping at the discount stores. Personally, I hope for the latter.

It's Just One of Those Days.

It's funny how big a part the wind plays in our lives. It can cool you down on a hot North Carolina afternoon, or slam the door in your face when you thought your day couldn't get any worse.

I wouldn't start today off any other way. We woke up within about five minutes of one another, and wandered across our creaky, 1950's style wooden floor into the living room. The same question rang through our minds: "Where's Jackson?" But, immediately, we all knew the answer - so we put our laptops in our bags and headed to the coffee shop. By now, you may be wondering why I'm talking as though though it's not just Joel and me. That's because Garrison, Jackson's little brother is here now. That's right, Smooth himself has graced us with his presence. And then there were four. You could sense his unsureness last night when we picked him up from the airport, but once he got into Frankenstein he was as comfortable as he had ever been; except his clothes didn't make it with him. It's good to have him back.

Yesterday felt like work. I was ground support all day, while the second training group ran their first of many, many tours to come. We lost four from this group of 10; not actually "lost" them, but they just couldn't handle it. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, with people telling you every day that you have the coolest job. However, it can actually be a very stressful job. Think about it, on a good day you are in charge of making sure that people safely make it across an 1,100 foot zipline, flying 40 mph 200 feet above the ground, that's all. On a bad day, add a medical emergency where you have to set up a sturdy anchor in a matter of minutes and make sure that the injured person hardly moves as they are being lowered to the ground on rope as thick as your finger, all while managing the other seven guests... in the rain. I've never had to do the latter, so I guess I can say that I've yet to have a bad day, and I hope it stays that way. Our managers could possibly be two of the best people in the world. They have shown me unimaginable kindness, and above all, friendship. Dylan and Evan knew nothing about me before I came here, and all I knew of them was an intimidating aura of two guys who run the best zipline in North America. Now I see that they are kids, barely older than me, who like to hang out in the trees. They're not so bad.

We're all a long way from home. We miss our families and western friends. The sun is treating us well, and I want you all to know that, although we could literally claim welfare checks right now, we're doing fine. This communal sense of life is one I've never known before. Everything is everyone's, and we'll make sure to be there for anyone who needs us.