Dup now The rythm of life never halts, even though my brain keeps on ticking. So for lack of ability to create anything more meaningful at the moment, here's a quick update:

I'm now an official Junior at Loyola Marymount University. IB paid off, and all my credits transfered, and just in time to help me deal with a financial crunch I was not ready to handle. So I'm graduating in 3 years instead of four...scary, I know.

I'm still a dance major, philosophy/humanities minor. I love my political philosophy class and am finding deeper and deeper levels of joy in my art. I'm hopeful that the future will bring me to a career in performance; now I just need to figure out what I should do to make it more than a hope and closer to a reality. I'm rehersing for 2 shows in the up and coming Faculty Dance Concert here at LMU as well as 2 pieces in the Student Dance Concert in April. The result is a sore, achy, overworked body that has a mind attached to it that doesn't let it ever stop. Painful, yes, worth it? Definately.

Another current passion of mine is service. I feel it's the one time I can change the direction of my being and just exist for something outside of me. Every Saturday I walk dogs in downtown Beveryly Hills from a local shelter there and just this past Saturday, I became a trained and liscenced volunteer at the Los Angeles Animal Shelter (high profile, i know). Animals bring me down to earth, and seeing so many who have no-one to love them unconditionally forces me to come back. I worked in the bunny room last week; they smell funny and have big claws but the way they snuggle is almost unbeatable. I also teach at 186th Street Elementary school on Tuesdays in a program called Peace Games. Basically, it's trying to bring an understanding and commitment to young people on being effective resolvers of conflict and makers of Peace. Most anti-violence programs out there start after the problem already exists with resistance education; peace games sees kids as a resolution, a generation that can be taught to live in harmony with others, not a set of victims or predators waiting to go array. I love the hugs, the smiles, and the genuine hearts of compassion the innocent children posses and my first grade class is quickly becoming my second home.

I live with my roommate from last year, Olivia, and next door to the lovely Miss Andrea Parson. My room overlooks all of the valley and off in the distance on clear days (yea right) I can see the ocean hit the shore of Playa Del Rey. The season is slowly but surely changing in to fall and aside from a few orange painted leaves you can find on the ground hidden in the cracks of concrete, there seems to be little visual ques that summer has passed. Thanksgiving will be spent in Arizona with some friends and then back up to Oregon around the beginning of December. I miss Oregon, miss home, miss a lover, miss friends, but am finding peace in knowing that this is were I am today becasue this is where I have to be today.

AS for this evening, off to spanish, ballet, Dance for children, then rehersal. The sun is shinning and its just cold enough to need my jacket. Hope all is well.  ¶ 10:48 AM