late july recap

today is tuesday, july 25th. it is 12:30 p.m.

to my right is barrique's coffee trader, to my immediate left is a patch of long green grass and straight ahead is madison's capitol building, though my view of it is obstructed by a row of tall leafy green trees.

i love summer.

there seems to be lots of car and pedestrian traffic today ... which i'd normally question (don't these people have jobs?), but since my own recent entry into the world of the jobless, i feel like passing out balloons to each person on the street, and offering a congratulations of sorts, a pat on the back to say "yes! you're seizing the moments!" and though today's sweet summer air makes being outside its own reward, i'll join nature and offer what i can to celebrate the people who won't let summer pass them by.

and yet, as i write, i'm oustide using my laptop to search for jobs. so to everyone working today, way to earn your living. i hope you take a good, relaxing vacation this summer. you deserve it.

anyhow, before i move forward, here are the past two weeks in bullet points:

• jon came back from honduras (!)
  
• and i got to pick him up in a borrowed mini-van.
  
• i'd never driven a mini-van before.
  
• sarah, chris, jon and i drove west to some friends' cabin in boaz, wi, for a mini-vacation.
• i discovered i suck at disc golf.
  
• we met two bats at the cabin, accidentally killing one and freeing the other.
• chris can put together the most lavish meals with the most random ingredients. seriously, he has a gift.
  
• jon took me to the american players theatre in spring green two nights in a row to see thornton wilder's the matchmaker and then shakespeare's romeo & juliet. they were both really excellent.
  
• and a former faculty member of the school i used to work at happened to be playing the role of lord capulet.
  
• on julie's suggestion, we spent friday in viroqua at a coffeeshop. it really was in the middle of nowhere. i loved it.
• saturday night, maria and mike got married in one of the more creative ceremonies i've seen. congratulations to you two :)
  
• later that night, the new drews shared that clinking of glasses would, yes, make them kiss, but they'd also be pulling names from the hat of other couples who would have to "out-do" the newlyweds' kiss.
• for the record, i think jon and i were the only non-married couple "picked."
• for the record, i think it is illegal that a dating couple should be asked to "out-do" newlyweds.
  
• tonight, i will be staying at the 6th home of the month. my current conditions are excellent, and i dare anyone to tell me that a papazan cushion on the floor is not just as comfortable as a "real" bed.
• yesterday, god sent toyota salemsan clayton to me and i am happy happy happy to say that i am now the proud owner of a silver 2006 toyota corolla.
  
• i am also now the proud owner of car insurance.
  
• though i admit my pride in insurance ownership is a bit overshadowed by my conversation with the state farm lady who told me of all the many possible ways i could die or injure someone. her assurance that state farm would cover the vast majority of all possibilities did little to distract me from the stories of past accidents.
• alas.
  
• today, i am going to edgewood for an information session on their graduate programs.
• i am excited to find a job.
• and a house, too.
• i'm excited to celebrate my birthday on sunday. and i'm loving that jon's sisters and mother, and my baby sister are all celebrating birthdays within weeks of me. i LOVE birthdays.
• tomorrow, i get to catch the last concert on the square. and after managing to make it to opera in the park on sunday night, i am feeling that i am reclaiming my summer.
  
• i love summer.
• i hope you are loving it, too.

more soon.