Summer in Summary

I regretfully and shamefully come back to you after a long and unintended hiatus. That is, the coming back isn't regretful, but the fact that I have to come back because of this accidental hiatus is. I did not intend to leave you all for so long, but as they say, life happens. I had hoped, at the beginning of the summer, that I would faithfully record this summer because I expected it to be something great. And it was -- so great and busy, in fact, that I did not feel I had the energy to write  about it most days. I have a smattering of pictures sitting on Facebook as a sort of record, but beyond that, my personal journal's proof of the summer rests on exactly one entry, and everything else remains in my unreliable memory.

That said, I will attempt to recount all of the things that have happened of note in this entry.
Ghost, who I mentioned in a post some time ago, was presumably adopted. We went back to PetSmart several times, but his name and picture had been removed from the adoption binder next to the wall of cats. I sincerely hope he joined a good, loving family who can care for him better than I can.

I took last Friday off and met my boyfriend in the city. We went to the zoo and ate Lebanese food

At the Molon Lave winery.

after. I ate calamari for the first time. If you can get past the fact that the thing you're eating used to be waving, squirmy tentacles, it's not so bad. I also ate falafel. The following day we went to Molon Lave winery for a tour, wine tasting, and olive oil tasting. It was some of the best wine I've ever had -- very smooth, quite fruity -- and the olive oil included unique and surprisingly delicious flavors such as lemon and blood orange. It rained that day. Prior to the tour, we spent time in downtown Warrenton, where we ate in a basement restaurant called Brick. It was delicious. We got rained on during the walk back to the car but we survived. The town was lovely and I'd like to go back sometime.

One evening we drove to Walmart to pick up the futon my boyfriend ordered online. After lugging it out in the scorching heat to the back of the parking lot where the car was, we decided, after forty-five minutes of trying, that the futon was not going to fit. We returned it (which took another extended period of time, because Walmart was just not cooperating with us) and went back sweaty, exhausted, and annoyed. We ordered another piece of furniture from another place and got it sometime last week. It's been great having a couch to sit on.

Earlier in the summer we spent time in a part of DC before going to a Doctor Who happy hour at the Black Cat. Prior to the showing of "The Doctor's Daughter" we ate at Ben's Chili bowl (where only the President, his family, and Bill Cosby eat for free). We waited outside the bar after that. Inside, I had some kind of hard lemonade. In hindsight, I should've known it would be hard indeed when I watched three quarters of the glass fill with vodka.

We did the whole Fourth of July thing. That evening we walked from a metro to Roosevelt Island. We walked around Roosevelt Island, hoping to have a better view from the other side. No dice. As the sun was setting we did our best to find our way out to avoid getting stuck in the swampy mess that was the island and get back to the bridge. We got back in time, ate some granola bars, and

The marshy path on Roosevelt Island.

watched the half-tree-hidden fireworks with a dozen or so other people on the footbridge. We walked back from the metro and ended up walking about eight miles that evening.

My internship has been a mixed bag. I typically write a to-do list each day on my legal pad and highlight an item in orange when I've completed it. Some things are on-going and other things I finish in half-an-hour. I'm lucky that it's not like McDonalds in that I don't have to interact with people all day long. Mostly, I'm left to my own devices and trusted to be self-motivated, which I appreciate. Jameson and I talk when we feel like it and feed off each other's energy fairly well. We both contribute to the other's successes and depend on each other for answers and advice -- or moral support when we have to seek these things elsewhere. It's nice to know someone else is in the same place I am here.

I've made some big decisions about life after graduation. Those came in the last few days and I'm sure details will develop over time. I won't specify my decisions here and now in case things change. Just know I've been busy and thinking about these things.

I'm preparing to enter my final year at Hollins. It's sad, and I frequently think about people who were seniors when I came to Hollins. I remember specifically the SGA (student government association) president and my SSL (student success leader) at the time, Kyra Orr. I remember thinking how sophisticated and prepared for the world she seemed. How adult. Mature. Capable. Now I find myself in the same position she was three years ago, although my leadership positions and involvement differ from hers, I've no doubt we share an equal amount of responsibility. Still, I don't feel like I expected to feel. Hollins has, I know, prepared me for great things. But I thought I'd feel older. I thought I'd feel professional.

Really, I just feel like a kid.

I keep seeing quotes on the internet about how adults are really just kids pretending to be adults. Each day I find this to be more true. I still make a wish twice a day at 11:11. I still stay in my pajamas as

Still doing dumb kid things at the zoo.

long as possible. I still crave cake over vegetables. The difference now is I can choose to eat cake instead of vegetables because I'm an adult. And I'll pair it with a glass of sparkling wine, thank you very much.

My resume continues to grow with new experiences. Between my time at the National Science Foundation and a recent addition to my list of publications, I certainly look like I'm a professional adult. Yet, I look at my resume and wonder why I didn't write it in crayon, instead.