Summer has come to a close and on this occasion, I offer a Best/Worst summary.
Best 1. Visiting the Cape 2. Seeing movies (The Dark Knight, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder) 3. Sports (vball, tennis, climbing) 4. Cooking 5. 4th of July 6. 21st Birthday 7. Concerts (Aimee Mann, Fleet Foxes, Tilly & the Wall) 8. Work
Worst 1. Mosquito bites 2. Work
Ay, ay, ay. It was my last summer between school years where I could have hypothetically done nothing at all! It was a good one, but I'm happy the school year is starting. More updates and less lists in the near future. Slowly but surely, I'll be blogging more consistently... and on more interesting topics. Until then, happy hump day.
Funny article in Slate entitled On Not Owning A Vacation Home by Timothy Noah. Read in full here.
I do not own a summer house. The summer house I don't own has not been in the family for three generations. It's a simple, shingled affair, weathered and dear, with fishnets not hanging from the ceiling, duck decoys not arrayed on the shelves, and a large, yellowing map of the area, festooned with incomprehensible nautical markings, not stuck to the wall with pushpins not manufactured in 1954. I love the scent it doesn't give off of mothballs mingled with mold.
I've been neglecting the blog for the past 2 weeks or so, but never fear. While I haven't been updating the blog, I've been thinkinga lot about updating the blog. True, actions speak louder than words but I will be blogging on a fairly consistent basis when the school year starts.
Get ready for life updates and commentary on... whatever I feel compelled to write about. It's time to flex the blogging muscles.
The Chinese do in fact put on a good show, emphasis on the show and not reality. And they're dominating the gold medals race (26), but the US is on top for overall medals count (46). Why do I care? It's hard to tell, but I feel like I have something invested in this Olympics. I screamed at the tv when unlikely Belgium almost won the first set against Misty May and Kerri Walsh in beach volleyball, and I squirmed waiting for Shawn Johnson's scores in the women's individual all-around gymnastics.
It's possible that my interest is simply due to the fact that this is the first Olympics where I'm old enough to really know what's going on. True, I was a "mature" 17-year-old when Athens happened, but that still didn't mean I paid attention to the world. What else was I doing, you ask? Well, neither working nor studying. Not filling out college apps. Not really traveling. Somehow, I have zero recollection.
But I've turned over a new leaf. I'm making up for years of indifference by watching events as obscure as handball, archery, and cycling. So as I sit in my PBS cubicle watching MSNBC on mute, I say, "America, *@$# yeah!"
In non-Olympic news, it's been busy times here in DC. People are moving in and out of our house, and I'm getting steadily more excited for the year to start. It feels like I've been working a lot, but it'll soon taper off after the Patagonia sale. Back to work now.
To close, check out this video of US gymnast Alicia Sacramone knocking a guy out. Badass.
I've never really been that excited about the Olympics before, but times have changed. Being abroad has amplified my American pride, and I can't wait to watch the Opening Ceremonies tonight. After seeing some pictures, my excitement has multiplied a few times. They're... stunning? I never use that word, but I'm compelled to use it now. China may be a questionable host for the Olympics, but they sure put on a good show. The military one creeps me out a little and the excessive red reminds me more of communism than luck, but I'll get over it. Go USA! Photos from NewYorkTimes.com
Continuing with the recap, I turned twenty-one a few weeks ago. Twenty-one... pretty much the last year to be excited about aging. Besides for the fact that twenty-one is a big deal, this is the first birthday I've actually "celebrated" in a while. Last year I was on a plane to Montana and the years before, I had small low-key dinners, etc.
This year's festivities were slightly more elaborate with a small dinner, a cake/beer get together, and an outing to the Tombs. This might sound weird, but to have a semi-large number of people gather in a room for my birthday was really touching. It just made me really happy to see people I like and who, presumably, like me back all gathered in one place. And it's not like we don't hang out in large groups at other times too; this scenario isn't overly unique. It's just that the visual of this gathering was easier to notice since it was a special occasion.
Jared, my travel pal from London, came down from NJ, and he bore gifts of port and Cuban cigars. Besides his visit, highlights of the day included Indian food at Aditi and of course Carvel Ice Cream Cake (always a coveted delicacy since moving to California). Mmm, good.
Now back to work, land of paper cuts and damaged cuticles thanks to all this filing. Blurgh.
I haven't posted in a while so to avoid summarizing the last three weeks of my life in an overwhelming monster post, I'll slowly post some highlights.
First up: the Cape. Although I'm viewing this whole summer as a vacation, my trip up to the Cape was my only formal vacation of the summer. I flew up to Boston, proceeded to complain about my basement sleeping arrangements, and then realized that the entire thing had been redone during my yearlong absence from the states. Even though I'm "all grown up," these moments always tend to remind me that I am the baby of the family.
We headed to the town of Brewster the next day, and I set off on a mission to win back (assuming I'd lost it due to absence) the love of my two little nephews. A few frisbee tosses and splashes in the pool later, I had succeeded.
In the next two days, we played some tennis, swam in the ocean, and rode bikes (see picture). Nothing overly elaborate but fun even so. Somewhat strangely, I managed to watch two jearjerkers during my vacation: Brokeback Mountain and Million Dollar Baby. I guess a good cry is always welcome.
That's all for my Cape summary. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for all the the birthday wishes! Contrary to popular belief, a 3-week hangover is not responsible for being MIA on the blog.
I am a Georgetown graduate with a double major in Political Economy and American Musical Culture. I love music and am pursuing a career in the music industry. If you like what you read, contact me!
via Darkman's world Flickr
