As soon as I got back from Maurice's today, I brought up the site with an unexpected feeling of panic. I took two sections in June... and they were soooo HARD! I wasn't sure what I would do if I didn't pass, even though I didn't really expect to. I braced myself before scrolling down to look at the score.

To my surprise, when I saw the words PASS next to both sections, I started crying. Sobbing, actually. I felt all the subtle bottled-up feelings of anxiety flow from my body. The relief I feel right now is indescribable.

You're probably asking yourself, 'what does this all mean'? It means that I have only two remaining sections to take, in December. If I pass those, I'll officially be a licensed Landscape Architect. I'll also get a nice raise sometime between March and April.

Finding out that I passed those exams really made my day.

On a different note, I've been reading the first Harry Potter book. It's actually a pretty good kid's book and reminds me a little of James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. I'm pretty impressed by J.K. Rowling's writing ability, especially because this is her first novel.

I received a phone call from Daniel in San Diego the other night. His voice sounded like he'd been crying (stopped up nose, shaky voice). I was very concerned. Of course, he wouldn't tell me anything except that he'd just received a disturbing phone call. He just said he wanted to talk with someone and I was honored that he thought of calling me.

All the time I've known Daniel, he's never been very communicative about his feelings. I told him about the times he'd either laugh at my personal questions or would totally ignore them like he didn't hear them in the first place. He apologized, saying he didn't realize he even did that. He doesn't know why he's so closed up, but said it was a little surprising, even to him, that he'd want to talk with someone (me!) when he was feeling so down. He said that in itself was definitely a breakthrough. One thing at a time.

He told me that he valued my friendship, and thanked me for being such a good friend all these years. I was touched. It made me miss him so much!

We talked and laughed for an hour, reminiscing about the good old days when we lived down the street from each other in midtown Sacramento. Both of us were broke, so we'd go to Taco Tuesday night at Del Taco. Those were also our movie rental nights.

I reminded him of the time we went to Lyon's late one night. He got a wild hair and thought he'd have a Long Island or two. Now, keep in mind that this is coming from a guy who I'd never seen take a drink of anything alcholic. Whenever I'd ask him to join me for a beer or glass of wine during dinner, he'd always decline. That lightweight! Needless to say, he was big entertainment that night.

The call ended with us promising to see each other before 2001. He invited me and Maurice to stay with him at his place. He offered to be our tour guide. Otherwise, he said he'd try to make it up to SF before November. Yay! I can't wait to see him again.

Well, it's time for me to return my sister's call, so I'd better get going.

Hasta luego!