... or Kickin' it Into High Gear
Heading back to the Square for one more year.
All right folks. I know what you're expecting. Usually, people try to prolong summer, to revel in the warmth and the sun and the surf (if you happen to be so lucky.) You're waiting for me to be all, "Dear Summer, please don't end. Please don't leave me for your lesser cousin, Indian Summer, which combines the sweaty, moist heat of summer with the unfortunate addition of classes, homework, and a required daily commute." But I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to whine that I wish Summer would stick around like an unwelcome house guest. Go ahead and hate me for it, but it's officially over in my mind. Summer, even though I technically have two more weeks of you, I don't want them. We're through.
Why? Because I'm officially ready to Kick It Into High Gear. No more dreading the stressful school year or the pressure of "What Am I Going to Do When I Graduate?" or even "How Am I Going to Pay for My Groceries?" These are inconsequential problems that can be solved if I just say "Okay, summer's over. Let's do this." This morning, when I got off the subway lugging my suitcase from my weeklong vacation in Martha's Vineyard, I looked at the empty Brooklyn street, smelled the delicious stench of hot pavement and city dirt, and thought to myself, "I can do this..." whatever this happens to be. One more year of school isn't something to be feared, it's something to be EXCITED about. So I'm having my team huddle, blog-style, and giving myself a pep talk. On the count of three, I'm putting my hands in and saying "Bring It." 1...2...3... BRING IT.
But first, before I start, I think I need to pay summer its dues. Sure, I spent much of these past few months umbrella-less and penniless, but it was a memorable summer, and even an enjoyable one. This is the summer I became autonomous, did a lot of thinking, made some Big Steps. I read a few great books, watched a large amount of Sports Channels, and spent a lot of time with someone who, back in March, I thought I might never see again. So here is a list (in no particular order) of high points -- an homage, if you will -- to Summer 2009.
1. Fourth of July Fireworks
From the top of the MSLO building, right on the West Side Highway. What could be better? A bottle of wine, some cherries, and one of those "Only in New York" kinda nights.
2. Friends from Across the Pond
The infiltration of Adorable Welsh Subletter into the Brooklyn Nook was a blessing and made a fun little trio of Myself, the Welsh Cake, and BiddyLuddy. I will miss seeing her little orangey-red head sleeping in that room and now have a reason to save up my money and visit London and Wales, if only to hear her call potato chips "crisps" just one more time.
3. Reading and Writing
This summer, I finally got to do some reading, notably a few books by Wally Lamb that were really fantastic. I also got to do some writing -- and not just blogging. If you read regularly, you know that I am on a Crusade of sorts to write a novel. Well, I am FAR from writing that novel, but getting to sit and ponder and write was a luxury I know I won't have time for once the school year begins. Still, walking along the street deep in thought about characters and plot (not test material or song lyrics) is something I will miss greatly.
4. Minimal Connecticut Involvement
This isn't meant to diminish my hometown. The Constitution State was a great place to grow up, and I will never forget my New England roots that include, among other things, polo shirts, ribboned pigtails, vacations in Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, house parties with "beirut" and cruising with the top down through the streets of Suburbia. But that time has passed. This summer, I was a stranger in my own home -- literally. I don't fit anymore, Connecticut. I feel like a sore thumb, an anomaly, an incongruity within your confines. When the express train leaves Grand Central, I ache for the smell of the Main Concourse (see previous "Smells" post). And when I get behind the wheel of a car, I can't remember any of the street names or the simplest routes to the movie theater or the mall. Bottom Line: Although a Nutmegger by blood, I think I'm more of a New Yorker at heart... for the time being.
5. Borough Discovery
I feel as if I haven't even scratched the surface of my new home, Brooklyn, but what little I have seen of it, I love. This is the summer I learned there is life outside of Manhattan, there are places to see that extend past the East River. Who knows if I'll ever move back?
6. Paying A Lot of Money to Learn Things
As you must know by now, I did an internship at Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I am more than fairly certain that confidentiality is of the utmost importance at MSLO, so I've avoided putting much about the internship on my blog. (The last thing I need is being sued for writing something that too closely resembles an exposé ... although the internship wasn't a Devil Wears Prada sort of internship). But I really did learn about the industry, about making a magazine, and about the fact that I could -- and would -- work for a publication in the future.
6. Skip This Point If You Have An Aversion to Romance
Yes, Number 6 has multiple parts. And yes, Number 6 is about That Guy, The Boyfriend, who was a big part of why I will miss this summer, whether he likes it or not.
a) Nothing Beats My Couch...: Some of my best weekends were spent glued to our Ikea couch watching 30 Rock or Dexter, drinking beer, and either laughing or biting my nails (depending on the series) along with The Boyfriend. On my last day of my internship, he came over and I roasted us a chicken that we consequently ate while watching an epic extra-innings Yankee-Red Sox game. It's true, what they say -- true love is being comfortable enough with someone to really just do nothing. Er, actually, I don't really know who says that. But I do. And I believe it. He doesn't need to be entertained, and neither do I -- unless, of course Showtime On Demand is doing the entertaining.
b) ...Except Maybe Kayaking: I took The Boyfriend on family vacation in Martha's Vineyard this past week (which is one of the many reasons why my posts have been scarce recently) and, bless his heart, he survived. Not only did he survive, he played guitar for everyone on the beach. He answered all of my little cousin's questions about baseball as well as chorus of, "Hey [The Boyfriend]! Is THAT Mustang like your Mustang?" about a car that was, always, at least 30 years younger than the beautiful creature he drives. He sat on a bench with my grandfather while my grandma and I shopped, the two "boys" sipping coffee and trading stories. He played Scrabble with me and shared my kayak and biked 15 miles and ate sea pickles. Who knows what the future holds -- lives get complicated, people get jobs, some people go back to school -- but it doesn't really matter. You can't hold on to moments or count the seconds or worry about what's to come. I had his company for this summer, nonstop for this past week, and I couldn't really ask for more.
Okay, WMWC readers. There you have it. Sure, I may do Summer-esque things in the next two weeks, but they don't count. I'm writing off summertime and bidding it adieu. I have a To-Do list of 14 things that aren't going to check themselves off.
Summer, it's been real.
