things i learned this summer:

how to strike up a conversation with anyone. anywhere. over anything
how to hitchhike effectively
that my parents really did a damn good job raising me. and
that i really do love them.
how to drink cheap whiskey straight from the bottle. without wincing.
proper hostel edicate.
how to not act like an american in toronto
how to roll a cigarette.
how to roll a joint.
the value of a real friendship.
how to set up a tent in the dark, in high winds, in rain, in pretty much anywhere
how to get by on very little
how to will yourself to greater will
that i never want to go to jail
how to debate chomsky
how to see the human in all, regardless of age, social class, location, personality.
how to play the wii
what the heck poutine is.
how much the stars shine at night
what to do with all those endless hours on the bus
how to beat off depression and loneliness
unconventional ways to charge a cell phone
how much people i love truly mean to me
how to see the light through the dark
how to find a summer job anywhere
how to put a stranger at ease using only body language
that everyone truly is kind, deep down.
that you really can get by on two seventy five a day.
the effectiveness of a really really good delusion.
how wonderful marijuana is sometimes
how evil marijuana is sometimes
how to give away your last dollar.
that true love really does cross time, space, national boundaries, and all the fucked-up shit you can throw at it
how to look in someone's eyes and know what they want.
how to fight for what you want.
how to listen. to yourself, to others, to nature.
how to fuel the expressive side.
how much it is possible to love a backpack
what it means to truly be alive