February 16: Day 10

Day 10. I'm freezing. I didn't get any sleep last night. I couldn't get comfortable. My back hurts and my neck is throbbing. I stepped on some kind of thorn last night hiking back to the camp. My left foot is really tender and I can hardly put any weight on it. I have no idea what time it is. If I had to guess, I would say it was around six in the morning. The sun has officially risen above the horizon.

We still don't have an adequate shelter. It rained last night, but not as hard as it did those first nights. Everything is wet. How am I supposed to fall asleep in these conditions? Brian (I hate that turd with a passion) has got to be the loudest sleeper in the world. How is it that the only guy that can fall asleep snores like that? Even if I could get comfortable, I wouldn't be able to doze off because of that jerk! I can't wait to win blankets and pillows just so I can suffocate him into silence.

I can definitely start smelling everyone too. The lack of deodorant out here is becoming painfully noticeable. As rancid and rotten as their stench may be, I'm getting more comfortable with sleeping (or lying there) in such close proximity to these people. Maybe it's because I'm getting to know them better, but their body heat sure doesn't hurt either.

I'm really surprised I don't have more bug bites. I have quite a few, but not nearly as many as I had expected. I wonder if it has anything to do with the time of year. Maybe if it was hotter, the bugs would be thicker. I'm really thankful I don't have more though. I wonder what my arms and legs will look like in a week. I can't wait to see the before and after pictures.

Last night was the third tribal council and second one in a row that I've had to attend. We won that first immunity challenge and felt pretty confident, but going to two in a row has really shaken the tribe's confidence. I really hated to see Kelly leave. I didn't want to vote for her, but I can't let my emotions get in the way of my ultimate goal. I was just starting to get to know her, too. I'm looking forward to laughing with her again, but I hope it's later rather than sooner.

I've finally gotten the fire going again and I'm starting to warm up, but that's all relative. I'm still freezing. I'm covered in sand. I've only been here for ten days. How did my body attract so much sand in so little time? What am I saying? Ten days. It feels like a lot longer. It honestly feels like I've been on this beach for a month already. Some of these people are really getting on my nerves. Twenty-four hours a day for ten days. I'm so sick of listening to Brian talk about the job he left in Missouri.

So far my game is going well. Will I still be here in twenty-nine days? I don't know. Do I trust the people that I've aligned with? To a point I do, but I'm not dumb. I've seen the show. I know how people flip. If the opportunity arises, I'll probably do the same thing if I don't think it will cost me final votes. The trick is to do it before the formation of the jury. If the opportunity doesn't present itself before then, I might be stuck with the group I'm with. I think I can trust them. I need Jim to remain the ringleader. I'll continue planting the seed in his mind and let him voice the decision to the rest of the alliance.

How long have I been staring into this fire? I was the first one awake and now there are four other people chatting around me; including Brian. They're talking about going out on the raft today for some more fishing. More of the same. I think we should focus our efforts on fixing up the shelter or making a small shelter to store the firewood under so it can have a chance to dry out. I'm not going to say anything though. I'll just nod my head and go with the flow. Man, does Brian ever shut up?!