just "fell" for the e.l.f. make up and nordstrom scam but might be all right in the end. turns out there's this company, e.l.f., that sells their products for a 1$ or 5$, so really cheap and it's actually for real and over a certain amount you get free shipping and there coupons to be used for even more discounts. mom and i ordered a bunch of things, because we thought the product was quality and was cheap because it was being bought out by a major company, as claimed by the info i got from a friend. turns out they're an independent company and their products are legitimately that cheap, so will just have to wait and see if the quality is crap or decent enough to have spent a 1$ or 5$ on it.

last weekend i spent visiting a friend in Jacksonville, FL. It's a northern city in Florida, close to the ocean, on a beautiful St. John's river and with lots of great nature all around, including a large variety of birds. Those are all great things, but i found Jax itself to be rather boring and without any interesting culture or something to recommend itself. But i still had a great time visiting my friend, going to the oldest city in USA called St. Augustine, going to the beach, kayaking, seeing alligators and crocodiles at an Alligator farm (not a farm, actually), and just generally having good time with friends. The balmy, hot weather did make miss Okinawa, as did the palm trees, the beaches, and the expressive clouds, so i enjoyed that aspect of the visit as well.

it's good seeing friends that live in different places, 'cause it gives me a chance to explore and see more of this country, but i do wish that they were still living within driving distances and not hundreds of miles away. i doubt it will happen again that my close friends are near me for a prolonged period of time, but that doesn't lessen the friendship or the bond we have between us. it's a great feeling to be able to spend time with someone after months or even years of not seeing them and have the time pass without any awkward silences or questioning glances or wondering thoughts. Just to enjoy someone's company and feel comfortable with them is quite a gift, i always treasure.

in other news, waiting on decision from grad school about admiting as a non-degree student for the fall so i can start taking a course or two before applying for Fall of 2010. Considering counseling as a career.

i'll be off to Israel in 10 days, which is exciting. But before that i'm going to turn 31, which is inevitable of course and seems such an unlikely thing to happen but there it is.

can't think of much else, so here are a couple of pics i like from the trip.
at the fort in St. Augustine, park volunteers re-enact cannon firing
with Stan with one of the cannons at the fort, which is the oldest stone fort in the USA
nesting birds at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL
an albino, who if he didn't move an inch while i was watching, would pass for a wax liking rather than a real thing