I just got off the phone with Chantel, and apparently, there is a BIG party in the works for tomorrow night.

For all who haven't been paying attention, I will be 17 in approximately one hour.

So, anyway, she and a couple of my other friends (Trish and Andrea, I'm guessing) are apparently throwing a big to-do at the lake, and there will be a fire and marshmallows and blankets and lots and lots of people. The festivities begin at sixish, and I have been instructed to bring towels, matches, and a little cash. I guess it's going to be quite a party. As Chantel puts it, "Your real present is coming, but for now, I'm a broke-ass bum. I feel horrible, but I can't afford your present right now. I have NO money. So, instead, your birthday gift is people." She claims to have people from "every fun night we've had as friends in Brookings."

I'm skerrd (SD slang for scared, obviously). I'm very, very skerrd. I'd like to be excited, but I can't--if I look forward to something, it inevitably goes very wrong. So I've decided to be nervous instead.

I hope all goes well.