Holding On To Summer

I'm not sure why it took me this long. Here we are, August 21, and summer is almost over. The cooler mornings have me thinking toward Fall and also wondering where the time went? Yesterday, I resolved to spending at least a half hour of my lunch break outside, reading, in the park. Soaking in the warmth and sunlight as much as I can and giving myself a much needed break from my computer. My thought is that ultimately, the time spent away from my desk will actually make me more productive. The importance of mental rest should not be underestimated, which - I'd bet - is part of the reason lunch breaks were invented in the first place (along with the need to nourish the body, of course!).

When I first started work, I promised myself two things - 1) I would make sure I used every vacation day allotted to me and 2) I would always take my lunch break. Seven years later, I've failed repeatedly on both accounts. And it hasn't been at all on my own accord.

When did life get so hectic? And when did employers decide to try to cram 10+ hours of work into 8? Or 7 work days into 5? (And I know that my attorney, doctor, and financial advisor friends scoff at the "minimal" hours that I work compared to their jobs.) If I only worked the 7.5 hours/day that I get paid and actually took every vacation day I'm owed (a whopping 36! which I've accrued based on good performance, promotions and time with the organization), I'm not sure how I would ever get anything done. I'm fairly organized, but not even the most organized could produce this amount of work - of high quality - in that amount of time. You'd have to be superhuman (or the woman on Bewitched).

There's something to be said about the European work environment. August off, flexible work hours... so what if we are a richer country? I bet they live longer.

A Thing that Amazes Me (and other tales from the recent past)

A Thing that Amazes Me...

1) The number of people who keep a pen, paper, AND tape in their cars. I can understand a pen and paper - in case of an accident, to jot down a grocery list item, or to pen the idea for the next great American novel, but tape? I am amazed when I see notes taped to meters noting they are broken and just wonder, who keeps tape in their car?

Other tales...

I gave money to a random man the other day. I got stopped on the way home - I truly thought the man was asking for directions, which is why I stopped to listen. He was clean cut, dressed well (shorts, shirt, belt, backpack, baseball cap), and was articulate. He started with a story - something about the bus down the street, missing a bus, working at the zoo for the past three days. Once the nature of the request started coming together I realized I was trapped. Sure, I could have just walked away, but I felt that my time frame for doing so had already passed. So, I reached into my bag and gave him $1. And, if I read his expression correctly as he took my dollar, I think he was thinking, "that's it?" Perhaps since I haven't been in the business of giving out money to everyone on the street who asks, I haven't picked up on inflation!

And to end this random post, some pictures from biking around D.C.:

Memories of Summers Gone

It felt like camp this morning. It was brisk summer morning with a light breeze, the sun drying the dew on the grass. It smelled like fresh rain. It instantly made me nostalgic for my childhood summers at overnight camp. Waking up on a thin cot mattress, dressed head to toe in sweatpants and a sweatshirt (sometimes even with the hood up if it was an especially cold night in the mountains), and often with a slightly scratchy throat. Our pull rope windows would be sealed shut and ironically the cabin wouldn't warm up without opening them.

The "20 minutes until line-up" announcements would progress at a rate that seemed much faster than reality, quickly building up to the last minute when you knew you had to get out of bed if you were to have time to brush your teeth before breakfast. A quick glance at your best camp friend sleeping next to you would be returned with an equally knowing glance... "do you think they are going to make us get in the pool today?" - a reference to 1st period instructional swim.

Soon all of girls' camp was stumbling out of their bunks, bags under their eyes from long nights of giggling and telling stories, some maybe even came back just a few hours prior from a raid to boys' camp with memories of a secret kiss and a summer crush.

By the end of breakfast, temperatures would have risen enough to be comfortable (but still not enough to go swimming! Never!). Another day in the Poconos awaited us - bound to be filled with memory-making activities that we would only realize later when walking to work on a cool summer day among the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C.

Rambles

I don't know whether it is my lack of creative ideas or this extreme heat we've been enduring that has hampered me from posting more often this week. What is the humidity, like 1000%? It is like there is no air to breathe out there.

Tonight I start my second drawing class and I'm way excited. Its the same class I took last time - I'm taking it again to "refine my skills." Whatever skills I think I acquired could definitely still use some refining.

And this weekend is my first pool party of the season. Don't think I haven't been kicking up the On Demand workouts to get ready for the official start to bikini season. And I bought a super-cute yellow polka dot bikini for the occassion. Now to get that six-pack in order...

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better post for you - but in my creative absence, here are a few sites to keep you going.

Draw like Jackson Pollack...

Pretend you are on the beach...

To market, to market!

14th and U is getting a farmer's market! Or, maybe we always had a farmer's market, but it is news to me. [update: looks like there has been a market at this location in the past, but on Wednesdays.] Starting June 2, and every Saturday through the summer from 10am-2pm, local vendors will be selling their home-grown fruits and veggies just mere blocks from where I live (specifically outside of the Reeves Center). See ya Whole Foods; Safeway, I shun you. I've got the real deal now.

To me, going "to market" is such a satisfying activity, and brings me back to simpler times, or even to memories of some places I've visited in Europe. For a moment, gone are the days of chain brand supermarkets and whole sale consumer clubs. You get to meet a face behind the food you purchase, perhaps even hear a story or two. You get to support a farmer - directly. And delight in selecting a vegetable or fruit that may not look perfect on the outside, but you know that it will be the most delicious one you've tasted in quite some time.

And there is something to be said about cooking "in season." We live in a temperate climate, but that doesn't mean that certain produce should be available year-round. It is nice to relish in the delight that summer tomatoes and peaches are on their way, and to remember with fondness the winter root vegetables of yesterday's stews. A farmer's market allows you this luxury. Everything on display is in season - no hesitation - because it comes from a farm just a stone's throw away.

So, I rejoiced when I read the news last night on an inconspicuous flyer outside of the old Companion Pet Store. A farmer’s market – in MY neighborhood. You know where I’ll be on June 2.

___________________

Expenses (on the road to saving something)

• May 10:
• Nordstrom: $32.00
• May 11:
• Breakfast: $2.50
• Lunch: $8.00
• Iced tea: $2.00
• May 12:
• CVS: $3.50
• May 13:
• NJ Turnpike: $13.50

total to date: $521.09