an epitaph for summer 2011

okay, i do realize it's not quite the end of summer, but you know you're excited for fall. right? right?? here along the lovely shores of virginia, i can feel the crispness sneaking into the breeze and i want to sprint upstairs to my apartment, throw open the closet doors and unharness the legion of cardigans lurking within. also,  first semester of my MFA has officially commenced and weather notwithstanding, summer is O-VAH.

and so: i am writing an epitaph for my summer 2011 in efforts to both brief you, constant reader, on my whereabouts of late and also to commemorate a season that has been hectic, yet fortuitous and insightful.

in memory of summer 2011 (b. 31 may 2011 d. 30 august 2011) --

from the very beginning, you were a bustling, fussy little creature! when i was moving to my new apartment in norfolk during memorial day weekend (which was, previous to this time, a great idea), you had to bring the heat wave early. naughty little whippersnapper! me and my boyfriend thought we could surely transport our belongings to the second floor of our condo ourselves with a fair amount of effort. nothing we couldn't handle. bananas! thanks to your record humidity, we were dripping with sweat before we even began moiling. also, because we lacked the foresight to call the power company prior to the holiday weekend, we were entrenched in the sweltering second floor of a circa 1920s building for nearly a week.

ah, home!

and it wouldn't have been fun unless i got into a car accident the day before we were to move, ensued by insurance claims and chiropractors appointments for the next 3 months...

nevertheless! we settled into our new place nicely. tucked our jeans and leggings into the closets, donned the artwork on the walls, and (after a heated telephonic skirmish with ikea over botched deliveries) plopped cute pillows on our brand new 9-ft tranas light brown sofa. i find it quite fetching, and i'm pleased to inform you, adored reader, that reggie approves it on all accounts, mostly because it is exceptional for stretching out during afternoon puppy naps:

look at the cute puppy, ignore the greasy haired girl

but that's not all summer, that wily minx, had in store for me. i was fortunate enough to be associated with and newly employed by a phenomenal organization, The Muse Writers Center. I taught a teen writing workshop this summer past, and I couldn't be more thrilled at having such an experience. My students were purveyors of wild and imaginative and compelling stories, equally compassionate and salient writers, and just damn awesome pre-adults. i left each class feeling energetic and confident and, okay i'll say it, optimistic. for myself and for our collective future as a human society. i hope each of these kids is elected some form of public office, because i have full confidence that they will solve difficult problems and imagine a better world and make it happen. in short, i think i understood what it was like to be a teacher and feel as if you might have formed some modicum of a positive change in a young person's life.

yes, i realize that it's just my first class and i haven't even breached the tribulations of what it means to live the life of a full-time teacher. however, i'd be lying if i said i don't dream of growing old and quirky, tenured at a respectable institution, beloved by my students and admired by my colleagues. a female mr. chips, if you will. or:

it could happen.

summertime was also a fine time to traverse the great state of new york. namely: watkins glen. ny's gorgeous mountainous skyline makes you feel like doing cartwheels and the view of seneca lake along rte 414 is absolutely breathtaking, but watkins glen is also location of the finger lakes wine festival. i'm opportune enough to have family ties to this area, so me and the boyfriend packed up the pug and trekked north for a visit. thus, wine-drinking and some QT with the fam ensued:

behold, shopping carts of wine.

and since i'm a leo and i'm supposed to be some kind of proud feline beast, i also have to gloat that my birthday was a fantastic one (8/2/82...pretty neat, eh? i think so).

summer 2011, you brought me some awesome hangouts with friends, you brought my favorite band to a nearby venue, and you gave me the opportunity to explore the lovely city baltimore, wherein we drank great craft beer, visited an aquarium (an awfully brave act on my part), spent some QT with edgar allen poe, and caught an orioles game. 

IN A PHOTO MONTAGE:

i didn't swoon. but i was close.

heavy seas brewery. hit up the early morning tour for a healthy and delicious breakfast.

at the aquarium, anxiety level is low

this is not scary, just disturbing.

not pictured: empty liquor bottles scattering atop and behind the headstone.

birdland

lastly, summer bequeathed to me even more good fortune. i was the recipient of a scholarship for my MFA program (which will be used primarily for books and dark roast coffee). also,  one of my stories will be published in the future issue of a pretty neat literary magazine!  i won't include a link until they post the issue for sale (since they're biannual, it's slated to publish later in the year), but expect a link to it in future blogs!

and so, summer, upon your annual farewell to hibernate until next may, i want to say: "hey, thanks mamacita.  so...maybe if i'm good and i work really hard, next year you'll give me a polished book, ready to be devoured and loved by the publishing world. yeah?"