Happy birthday to me!

Yep! Its my 32nd birthday today! Born on the lucky double sevens of July 7th! I definitely can't complain about my luck to date. The year in review:
- spent a summer rowing with Claudia on Lake Windermere (I've ALWAYS wanted to spend some time rowing). Those day-breaks on the lake were amazing - with the dead flat water shrouded in a foot or two of mist that would slowly evaporate as the sun rose and our workout went on... and on ... :) (as a bonus, cycling in the rockies was pretty nice too)
- Spent December down in Ecuador learning Spanish and surfing and otherwise having a spectacular good time (except the decomposing tortoise incident).
- Spent a winter ski teaching some pretty fun and funny 5-6 year olds. ("Do you really have Santa's cell phone number?").
- had the best skiing of my LIFE in Fernie after it dumped three feet and my awesome and ridiculously understanding boss was like 'go skiing!'. I finally understood what is meant by bottomless powder - it's not really like skiing at all.
- Finally faced up to what I've really known since second summer of law school (coincidentally first time I tried to work as an actual lawyer) - that I'm not meant to be a lawyer.
- Started my bike tour in may. And you people pretty much know the rest :)

But my favourite thing about right now isn't what I've done in the last year, its that I have NO idea what I'm going to do next year! None! It could be anything! The mind boggles!!!!

Good things that have already happened today:
- had an awesome birthday latte ( I treated myself) at the local cafe. Even better is that they are showing the tour de france!! Spent 90 minutes watching the last part of a very gripping and exciting stage. If you are un(der)employed, I hope you are watching!!!!

In less great birthday news
- still no tent (but I think the campground host is taking pity on me and arranging it so I don't have to pay for camping - which at $16 a night is really nice.) How can the world have so many problems in it when there are so many nice people???
- My bike has a flat tire (HOW?????) and in trying to change it this morning, I discovered my pump is broken. Good news is I got a better pump for 6 dollars! (on sale from $35. I guess road bike pumps don't really sell in Zion.
- Having a fly that doesn't fit properly on your broken tent (and having no pegs to attach it to the ground) means that when the wind comes up your fly ballons like a spinnaker, flaps like a giant flightless bird, and creates a horrendous noise as your tent starts to elevate. I woke up disorientated and panicked early one windy morning thinking a helicopter was trying to land in my campsite (the campsite is large, my tent is small, it made sense at the time). Since then, I've just left my fly off. Other than waking up covered in a thin layer of red dust, its actually been a nice, cool(er) solution. Until yesterday when Monsoon season began in Zion National Park. I got back from my hike after a 30 minute deluge of rain to discover that my fly (having not been used for over a week) was just about the only thing dry, buried as it was under my soaked sleeping bag and thermal rest. Good news: Everything dries here in about 30 minutes.

ETA: oh and I promised Dennis I'd mention him in my blog. Dennis is a fiftish? gentleman who works in the park, who reminds me a bit of Morgan Freeman. He approached me, curious as to what my job was for the park (no doubt as it appears that I don't do anything, nor am I wearing a Ranger uniform). We got to discussing 'journaling' - he is trying to start an journal but is having trouble knowing what to put in it. I told him I put things I wanted to remember and things I didn't want to remember in mine.