Water Water Everywhere - Beach Adventures 2012

At the start of 2012, I set the goal of visiting the ocean more than I did in 2011.  I am certainly proud to say that I have definitely accomplished that before the summer had ended.

Starting with going to Crane Beach even before Memorial Day Weekend, I went to the beach almost every single week this past summer.  There were even times when I went several times in a week!  The weeks when I wasn't able to make it to the beach, I was in some other form of water, like a pool or waterfalls.  Suffice it to say, I'm pretty tan as of right now.

Crane Beach
A little more than a month after the first beach day, I rejoined those same girl friends back at Crane Beach, and I ended up going to Crane Beach 2 more times with the summer camp.  Crane is really great beach, with or without kids.  Other than the long stretch of beach, there's a lot of parking (albeit expensive parking), decent changing and bathroom space, a kiosk with food and cold refreshments, and an outdoor shower/cleaning area.

beautiful sunny day at Crane Beach

Revere Beach and Nahant Beach and All Points Inbetween
There was also quite a bit of time spent in the Revere and Lynn this summer.  On Memorial Day weekend, a date took me to a beach somewhere between Revere and Lynn (maybe somewhere in Winthrop?), after a night of dancing at a drag queen bar.  Even though there were so many mosquitoes attacking me, it was a beautiful night, and watching the planes land and take off is really quite a romantic idea.

Logan Airport in the middle of the night

Later in July, I took my group of kids to Revere Beach for the Annual Sand Castle Competition.  I hadn't been there for quite a long time, so I didn't anticipate that there were going to be so many people and other camps present that day.  But the kids seemed to enjoy the free samples being handed out, and the sand art was quite impressive.

even the artist was impressing himself enough to take a picture...

how do they do it???

About a week later, I ended up back at Revere Beach, and once again at night time.  Originally, some of my coworkers and I were just going to hang, but when someone joked about going into the water only 2 of us were actually quite serious.

Remember last year when my girl friends and I celebrated one of their 40th birthdays by running topless into Revere Beach at midnight?  Well, I got to reprise this action with a couple of changes.  My guy and I both went in with just our undies, as I didn't want to go completely topless around my coworkers.  It was really fun, actually.  There were so many stars, and the water was relatively calm.  I wouldn't hesitate to go in topless next time, as there will obviously be a next time.

On July 1st, a friend invited me to join him and some other friends at Nahant Beach.  Though we got there later in the afternoon, it was still a pleasant day filled with riding around in my friend's Porsche during the day and a bit of hot tub action later in the evening.

a little topless action in a Porsche

In mid-July, I was once again at Nahant with friends.  This time, it was much more sunny, though the water was still a bit colder than I would have liked.

trying to touch the sun

Nantasket Beach
Early in July, we went to Nantasket Beach with the summer camp.  Nantasket is located right at Hull, south of Boston.  It's not too far a drive, actually.  There's an arcade and playground area for the kiddos, and there's also food kiosks along the boardwalk.  My only issue is that there isn't much beach between the wall that protects the boardwalk and the actual water.

But the water is shallow for a longer stretch, which allows the kids to think that we're going out much further than we actually are.

Good Harbor Beach
In the beginning of August, my guy and I decided to explore a new beach that neither of us had been to.  He had heard about Good Harbor Beach, located in Gloucester, and that it was a good one for families.  So one night after work, we drove up to the North Shore and discovered an amazing beach.  Two weeks later, we took the camp there.

There's a couple of showers, and a small bathroom area.  There's also a food kiosk with some pretty decent items, like a bacon cheese burger.  There isn't a lot of space to sit and eat by the kiosk, so we struggled with that when we took the camp.  But there's plenty of parking.

The waves are amazing!  I mean, real actual waves.  At all the other beaches, the kids would get all loud and scream when an ebb of the ocean would come at them.  But these are waves at Good Harbor.  Like, knock-you-off-your-balance-type waves.  The kids had a blast.

mermaid in the waves

My guy and I also had a great time here.  I don't think I've ever been at a beach on the East Coast when it's been around sunset and dusk.  I'm personally a fan of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, but clearly I'm biased.  But the way the clouds looked and just being out in the water together, well, it was perhaps one of the most romantic things I've done.  You wanna sweep me off my feet?  Well, well-timed sunsets and oceans are a good way to do it.

Horseneck Beach
With the end of the summer camp nearing, my guy and I decide it's time for another beach trip just for the two of us.  On a related side note, it's pretty awesome that he's so into playing in the ocean.  He's really much more into nature than I am, having not grown up going on camping trips with my family.  He's also more willing to go into frigid water than I ever will be.  Regardless, it's been kind of an epic summer because of our ocean adventures.

mermaid and merman

Horseneck Beach is located on the Cape of Massachusetts.  It might as well be in Rhode Island, as it's at the bottom part of the state.  The beach houses are all eco-friendly, with no-flush toilets and automatic sensor faucets and paper towel machines.  There's a shower to rinse off the sand right outside the bathrooms, and an outdoor changing station.  The best amenity, really is that parking was only $7!! On a weekend!!!  Most of the North Shore beaches request about $25 just to park, which is ridiculous to me.  So $7 to park at a gorgeous beach makes the longer drive worth it.

clear blue-green waters

Oh, and the waves were awesome!

Wheeee!

Old Orchard Beach
On Labor Day weekend, we went with his brother and friends up to Saco, Maine, for a weekend of glamping - that's glam-camping - at a KOA.  Basically, I was still in a tent, but there were restrooms and showers and a laundry room and electricity hook-ups.  There were also little extras, like a swimming pool, a playground, and bikes and trikes you could rent by the hour.  There are even cabins folks can stay in for the non-campers.

I had never been to Old Orchard Beach until then, but it reminded me a lot of Santa Cruz.  There's a trolly that picked us up from the campground and dropped us off right in the center of it all.  Old Orchard Beach has a small amusement park, with a couple of rides, games, and arcades.  There was also some fairly decent food choices at the boardwalk as well.

Now, the beach itself was nice.  It was packed, naturally, on this holiday weekend.  I noticed quite a number of folks speaking French, and I'm assuming they came down from Canada.

But holy-mother was the water FREEZING!!! I mean, even the wet sand started to make the bottoms of my feet go numb!  But, being that my guy was going to go into the water, I was at least going to be brave enough to submerge myself in the water several times.

And then there were the dead bugs  I'm assuming they were little gnats of some sort.  As we were walking towards the water, I noticed rows of little things in the sand.  I was pretty sure they were bugs, but that's always my assumption.  "No way! They're just plant matter!" he said.  But when we got in the water, I was even more certain they were bugs, and he couldn't deny it any more.

So, the water was freezing and filled with dead bugs.  I looked around and realized that I was the only person of color actually submerging myself into the water.  There was one man who was only in the water up to his ankles.  I joked saying that I was starting to really dislike white people at that moment, but it felt kind of real as my body went numb.

Venice Beach and Santa Monica Beach
That's right.  I got to go to some West Coast beaches as well.  After the freezing waters of Maine, it was a wonderful change to be back in California.

Naturally, I wanted to bring my guy to the beaches, even though he's been there, just to provide a comparison.

The waves were the waves that I so loved playing in.  He seemed to enjoy himself in the water as well.  So much so that even though we were only really in town for 48 hours, we got to go to the beach twice.

For the most part, my friends and I had explored Venice Beach.  It had been quite some time since I had stepped foot on Santa Monica Pier.  But when we went to meet up with one of his friends from college, we met at what basically was a playground for adults.  There were rings, balance beams, ropes, and tension ropes.

Truth be told, everyone was so fit and athletic that it made me extremely self-conscious of my own body.  I knew there was no way I was swinging on the rings like a monkey.  But I decided to give the tension ropes a try.

quite difficult...but fun to try!

16 Beach Trips Total...
...as of today.  With fall in the air, I'm sadly putting away my bathing suits.  But, who's to say that there won't be a randomly hot day that calls for the beach?

I'm still quite satisfied with all the trips to the water I was able to make this year.  It made for a truly epic and unforgettable summer.

Get-Away in the Berkshires

Before the summer officially started, my friends, coworkers, and I had been saying that we could almost sense how amazing this summer was going to be.  We could just sense that it was going to be filled with adventure and good times.

This summer was perhaps the first summer in a long time that actually felt like summer vacation.  I mean, I was working full-time and definitely keeping busy.  But, it truly has been an amazing summer.

Having a little summer romance just seemed to highlight all the great parts.

Some close friends sent out an invitation a to hang at their house in the Berkshires of Eastern Massachusetts, which I forwarded to my close work friends.  But in the end, I ended up just bringing my summer romance.

The last time I was at this house, it had been in the dead of winter.  I believe others went skiing, but I chose to chill at the house.  Being that this was the weekend after the 4th of July, this was the first time I was able to explore the grounds and greenery around the house.

Apparently, there's an amazing little pond right behind the house called Hallockville Pond.  The house itself was located in the Hawley State Forest, so it was quite idyllic.  There were several tents along the pond's shore and a camp site on the opposite side from the house.

campsites at Hallockville Pond

We ended up taking advantage of a rowboat that sat at the shore of the pond.  I'd have to say that I had never felt like I was really living a scene from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" until this man started rowing me around the pond.

"percussion...strings...winds...words..."

I was literally waiting for a little crustacean to appear and start singing.  It was honestly hard not to completely geek out at that moment!  But, unlike the movie, we actually chatted a bit as we rowed around.  At some point, he asked me if I wanted to try rowing for a little.  I was a little nervous that I was just going to have us spinning in a circle, but I think I did I pretty decent job and managed to row us around for a bit before going back to the house.

"there you see her, siting there across the way..."

In the afternoon, the group of us went to a more swimmable pond.  The Plainfield Pond was a little more than a mile away, but there was a little bit of beach attached to it.  There were several families taking in the sun that day, including a family of ducks which would sometimes get close to the humans with food items.

duckies!

The pond itself was fun to swim in, but we would continuously feel plants and other unknown algae-feeling things at our feet.  After a while, it just started to creep me out a bit and I needed to get out of the water.

Later that night, after the delicious feast of bbq and veggies from the garden, we decided a bonfire with Smores was needed.  It was nice to have a little fire pit a bit away from the house, enough that we could see stars. 

apparently, Smores are called "Pogos" or something in Canada...
???

Honestly, it was an amazing weekend.  It felt nice to be away from all the business and noise that's part of a city, especially knowing that the summer camp was starting that following Monday. 

On Sunday, we got to spend a bit of time in the sunshine before driving back to Boston.  Hopefully, next time we go out there, we can explore some of the other attractions in the area like zip lining or hiking.  Either way, this city girl is learning to enjoy these country get-aways.

gorgeous weekend

Beach Day - Nantasket and Nahant Beaches

Well, these last couple weeks of August have been quite unpredictable and unfortunately not as beautiful.  Though the rain is a nice relief from the humidity, its timing couldn't be any worse.  It rained on a Wednesday a couple of weeks ago, and it interfered with the summer program's beach day.

But on Friday, August 12th, the summer program made it's way to Nantasket Beach, in Hull.  I was looking forward to slightly warmer waters, even though it's still close to the Boston area.

The way the beach area is set up, there's a boardwalk that's raised above the actual beach area.  Since it's a thin stretch of land, it's possible that the concrete wall really helped to ensure that the high tide wouldn't overtake the boardwalk.

The water was also really not as bad as it could have been, though we arrived at really high tide.  It was still a tad bit colder than I would have liked, and yet it was really manageable.  I didn't get to explore the area that much since I had to stay with the kids, but it looks like a nice place to revisit.

Decent beaches in the Boston area

The next day, a friend and I went to Nahant Beach, on the opposite side of the Boston area bay.  The area that the public beach is located on is also another thin stretch of land and isn't too far from the city.  On this day, perhaps because we got there later in the afternoon, the tide was extremely low.  We walked quite a bit to get close enough to the water.

the shore and me

I'd have to say that I appreciate beaches with bath houses.  It's nice to not have to worry about restrooms and changing rooms.

At Nahant, the water was surprisingly not bad for being more north of the city.  It was also fairly shallow for quite a while.  At one point, I noticed some interesting debris in the water.  I thought it was small bits of seaweed, but as I looked closer I realized that whatever it was had legs and it looked like many of them were swimming towards me.  I quickly ran out of the water for fear of being overtaken by a bunch of little creatures.

I asked my friend to come out into the water with me just to get a second opinion on what the little creatures were.  She said that perhaps they were baby shrimp or other crustacean.  I felt a little bit better about having possibly identified them.  Then she said, "Hmm...well...I think I might have just gotten bitten."  I quickly turned around again and made my way out of the water.

I don't know if it was just the specific time of the year or what, but there are little creatures at Nahant Beach.  Otherwise, the water and the beach are really nice.

houses on Nahant

It was great to be out on the water for 2 days in a row.  I haven't had the pleasure of doing something like this since last year at Santorini.  It's also great to know that there are some decent beaches in the Boston area, and that I don't have to travel too far to get to them.

Toesies of the Month - August 2011

In the height of summer, it was time to revisit one of my favorite nail colors.  Sonic Bloom by OPI is the perfect bluish-greenish color. It's good for playing up your summer tan.

I was feeling the need for some pampering, and really felt that going after my physical therapy (where I get a bit of a shoulder massage at the end) would be the best time.  The physical therapy office happens to be in the South End section of Boston, which meant that any nail place might be slightly more pricey.  But I was pretty impressed with Town's Nails & Skin Salon.

But I was pleasantly surprised by the pricing for how nice the salon is.  I believe the salon is fairly new, since the Google Maps Street View shows that it's still "Coming Soon."  But everything was very sleek and quite clean.

Also, I was expecting that the nail technician would bring me a bunch of sample designs.  But then, she just asked if I wanted flowers or lines.  I said lines, but that I didn't really care.  I was really also pleasantly surprised by the awesome design, though I'm more of a fan of mirror image designs.

Designed by Kimmy at City Nails & Spa
Color: OPI - Sonic Bloom
Occasion: Time up play up the tan
August 2011

Here's a better image of the design

So, high marks for City Nails & Spa.

I'm also just loving my nails right now.  They're making me feel relaxed and calm amidst a lot of turmoil.

Yes, I'm still uncertain about what my next employment venture will be, though I am still a part of the summer/after school program.  Yes, I'm still busy with different projects and social engagements, though I'm trying to be kinder to myself and my immune system. 

But, things have felt rather unstable, to say the least.  So, I guess my toes are reminding me that I'm still here, feet on the ground.

Hedonism Lite

As part of the summer rituals, my friends and I travel up to the woods of Vermont to participate in the weekend of the All Night Costume Dance Party at Quarry Hill.  Though it is usually on the first weekend of August, this year it was in the last weekend of July.

What is the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it started in 1984 as a birthday celebration for one of my good friends, when she was asked what she wanted to do for her birthday.  She answered that she liked dancing, staying up all night, and costumes.  Thus the All Night Costume Dance Party was born.  Through the 27 years, it's grown into a reunion for the multitude of people who've lived there at some point, including international guests and children who grew up there.  But at its core, it's a celebration of life.

female Oscar

What happens at the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?  Every year, there's a theme.  This year, the theme was "Hollywood."  Though I initially thought of dressing as a homeless person, I decided to go for an Oscar award instead.  Now, on the day of the party, there is also somewhat of a variety show/talent show.  Different people sing, dance, and do other random interesting and entertaining acts.  Then at 10pm, the party begins.  Hopefully, you've got your nap on at some point that afternoon or evening, because the night can get difficult if you're not well rested.  So, if you manage to dance the night away (while intermittently visiting the bonfire) and you see the sky starting to lighten, it's time to head to my friend's house where 1 batter of vegan and 1 batter of regular blueberry pancakes are awaiting the frying pan.  The blueberries are from a farm right next door, and the batter is a secret recipe from my friend's step-father.  After you've feasted on the delicious pancakes, it's time to crash out in your tent until the heat of the morning sun wakes you up.

It's an amazing weekend.  One that's worth sharing with people who you know enjoy a good time with a bit of adventure. 

Though our group wasn't as big or as small as it's been in the past couple of years, there were 3 newbies to the converts.  One of the newbies spoke a bit about how she was exploring the idea of pleasure, and we decided to continuously remind her about finding her pleasure and exhibiting a bit of hedonism.

dancing and costuming

Of all the times and places, this weekend in Vermont was definitely a place to explore ones hedonistic side.

In the grand scheme of camping, this is really camping lite.  There's still some access to bathrooms and running water, and usually access to a shower.  Though the shower was out of commission this year, we still got a chance to clean up a bit at the nearby creek.

We even got to cook and share a delicious pasta dinner together with several other campers.

veggie pasta action

But there are still mosquitoes.  And once again, I managed to get bitten several times in the course of 3 days.  Bug spray was my friend, and I even invested in a clip on bug repellant.

This year, time seemed to fly by.  It didn't seem like there was too much activity, and yet we managed to dance the night away without realizing how fast time was flying.  Before we knew it, it was time for pancakes.

Though it was pouring rain the night we drove up, the rest of the weekend was absolutely wonderful.

Then it was time to rejoin civilization.  But, as it turned out, the hedonism wasn't quite over.

Early on the 2nd, another friend who was unable to join us in Vermont decided we needed to continue our friend's birthday celebration by doing a bit of skinny dipping at one of the local beaches.

As the evening neared, I became uncertain about whether I would join.  I attended a Hawaiian slack key guitar performance that was so beautiful and relaxing that I was literally falling asleep in the restaurant.  It had been a long day already, and I was exhausted. 

But at the last minute, it turned out that I didn't actually have a choice about whether I would be attending or not.  My friend and I were to pick up another friend and meet the other 3 at Revere Beach.

I was so glad I didn't lame out.  I would have been devastated if I didn't make it to the beach that night!

At first we were nervous.  Was it illegal for us to be on the beach after sunset?  It was definitely illegal for us to get into the water completely naked.  Was it going to be freezing since it had rained earlier that day?

But then we decided, to hell with it.  How often do we get to do this?  We had decided to just go in topless at the chance that the cops did show up; it would also make for a quick get-away.  After we set up our blanket near the water, we checked the temperature.  It was surprisingly not as bad as it could have been, and that just made us more determined to go for it.

At the stroke of midnight, the 6 of us went running into the Atlantic Ocean, alive and free.  It felt so good, we did it twice!  I don't believe anyone went in completely, but we definitely got ourselves good and wet.

free women

It was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  What a wonderful way to spend a 40th birthday.

After dining on some delicious banana bread and reflecting on our spontaneous adventure, we were all ready to head to dreamland.  I truly feel blessed to know that I have these type of women in my life.  I can only hope that my 30th and my 40th birthdays are spent with such powerful and inspiring people.

Beach Day: Crane Beach

On Wednesday, July 27th, the summer program got on several yellow school buses and headed for the North Shore of Massachusetts.  This beach day was spent at Crane Beach, where the water is freezing once again.

But the sand was fine and the weather was gorgeous!

Crane Beach

There's something quintessential about sand dunes at New England beaches.  Whereas the beaches stretch out for miles on the California coast, these beaches are punctuated by grassy dunes and marshes.  Though, I'd have to say that I don't agree with how the majority of nice beaches have a fee.

Regardless of the freezing cold water, I still braved it and managed to stay in the water the majority of the time.  Believe you me, this is really difficult for someone who's been blessed enough to know the pleasure of more tropical waters.  But, for the kids, I braved it.

my poor freezing toesies

The water was amazing, however.  Clear and casting a blueish-green hue.

Crane Beach is really nicely kept.  There are outdoor showers to help rinse off the sand, and a fairly accommodating changing area.  Though, this isn't necessarily surprising to anyone who noticed the signs for the Crane Estate as we were pulling up to the beach parking area.

The one part about these New England beaches that I'm not the biggest fan of is the bugs.  Big green flies and mosquitoes are just flying around the more marshy areas of the beaches, waiting to bite at my ankles.  In fact, I had 1 huge bug bite from Crane Beach that made my ankle swell up a bit and itch for a week. 

Still, Crane Beach was a good time with the program.  I had fun swimming around with the kids and joking around with the staff.

I'd have to say, speaking of the staff, that it's been a pleasant work environment.  Though I'm one of the older staff and I'm probably the one with the most advanced degree among the group leaders, I know that I'm blessed to have a bunch of like-minded people to work with.  Even when the kids frustrate us to no end, we all are still able to laugh about the ridiculous things kids try to pull among other more adult levels of hilarity.

Working full-time in the summer isn't ideal, but at least we get to play and have fun.

Beach Day: Houghton's Pond

Goodness. It's been a busy summer.  I have so much to share!!

Though it's not as relaxing as it can be, I've been able to go to the beach almost every week at the summer program.  So, I'm going to write a little bit about the beaches we've been to.

Houghton's Pond is located in the Blue Hills of the Greater Boston area.  It seems like it's a great place to go hiking and to have some outdoor BBQ action.  When we went on July 20th, the program took advantage of the BBQ pits and the beach area of the pond.

I had never swum in a pond before.  Up in Maine, the boyfriend's family took me canoeing and we swam around a bit in the river.  But swimming in a pond has not really come up.

Compared to the coldness of Singing Beach, Houghton's Pond was an absolute pleasure to swim in.  It really felt like bath water.  I suppose that in general pond water isn't super clear, since there's dirt and rocks from the forest floor.  But it felt really pleasant to swim in.  We also got to share the water with some geese.

honk honk, said the goose

The swimming area was pretty shallow, so it was a great place to take the younger kids.  At some point, the little kids decided that they wanted to hold on to me while I swam under water like a mermaid.  That was pretty fun, actually.

There were quite a number of people at Houghton's Pond for a Wednesday.  It was difficult not to run into other people while playing around in the water.  Still, it was a pretty nice place to be.

Gorgeous day for a swim

Day 21: Longest Summer Day

West to East, Night to Day.

Happy Summer Solstice Everyone!

Day 2: Stormy Spring/Summer Weather

If you're aware of what's going on in the world and in the United States, there have been some extremely devastating tornadoes in the past couple of weeks.

Here in Massachusetts, tornadoes touched down in the center of the state in the cities of Sprinfield and Bromfield.  It's horrible to know that something like that would happen so close to where I live.  I know it sounds weird to say this, but sometimes watching things on the news makes it seem much further away than it is.

But last night, it really felt and looked as though a tornado could make its way through the city.

Before I moved to Boston, thunder and lightening were really quite frightening.  But they are just so intense here, that it just became quite fascinating to watch.  In fact, they became awe-inspiring.

Nature's violent work of art.

I had to capture it on video.



Video taken on June 1, 2011.  Brighton, MA
Song: "Across the Universe" by Jason Falkner on "Bedtime With The Beatles"

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Sunshine

After what seemed to be an extremely dreary Spring, the sun has finally returned.  And so has the humidity.

I had a feeling that this was going to be the trend as this past winter was so long and so intense, summer is not one to be out shined.  But all of us here in the Northeast couldn't be happier.

Prior to the "unofficial start of summer" (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend),  I've already had the pleasure of riding topless in top-down cars (meaning the cars were topless...hahahaha!), sitting in the grass, and putting my face to the sun. 

This is the season that makes me love living in Boston.  All the free and upcoming events, all the trips to the beach, all the being outdoors.  It's fabulous.

taken with Camera360 app

I am extremely simply happy and content about this weather, and I hope it seeps into other aspects of my life.

taken with Retro Camera app

Unemployment Woes Temporarily on Hiatus

Last week, I had two interviews.  They were at places that I knew I could excel at.  Then on Friday, I get an email from the after school where I've been subbing.

They offered me a summer job.  I don't think there are too many benefits, really.  But it would be full time.  It's a job.

I agonized over this all weekend.  There was definitely a part of me that hoped the Rapture would come not only for my own sick fascination, but just so I wouldn't have to make a decision.

I knew that the other jobs were still in the midst of their interviewing process, and it seemed like I had always been the first person they interviewed for the specific positions.  At this point, there's still a possibility of getting second interviews.

But I had to make a choice.  And really, this was the only choice offered to me thus far.  I had to take it.

I'm about to see if I can finagle getting a couple of cents or even a dollar more in terms of wage.  I also let my supervisor know that I have made some plans, but that the rest of my summer is fairly open.

I know that if something better were to come up, I could always let them know that my plans have changed.  But I honestly feel like that is bad form, and not necessarily helpful in terms of building a relationship for future references.

I just happen to be the kind of person who tries to finish what I start, even if it takes me the longest time to get to the finish.

So, while I still need money now and I'm still not going to stop interviewing, I feel a lot less stressed about what is happening in my life.

Lastly, I wanted to share a hilarious cover letter that was posted on the Huffington Post.  Clearly, I should have taken a tip from this guy for a guaranteed hire.

I can do a Rubik's Cube!

******UPDATE******
So, I've now also been asked to work at City Hall for the month of June.  But this means 20 hours in a so-busy-but-they-don't-really-have-room-in-the-office so I'll have to do some weekend hours with another person there who's trained.

What?

I know I need the money, so I agreed to it.  But I'm literally having an anxiety attack right now.  I unfortunately haven't really been sitting around saving my weekends for this job.  In fact, I just agreed to do a Survivor Speaker Training at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center on the first weekend of June. Plus, I have my night job.  Plus, there's a wedding mid-month.

I mean, there HAS to be some flexibility, right?

This is a really good lesson for me.  Not only will I have to ask for a slightly higher pay from the summer program, but I will also have to ask for some flexibility from City Hall.

This will be a true test in self-care, I think.  I have to learn how to ask for what I'm worth.  I'm worth more pay and I'm worth some flexibility in terms of hours.

Goddamnit.

So Long Sweet Summer

This is the final day of Summer.  I'm a bit saddened by it, honestly.  But, I have to say, this has been quite a successful summer.

On the 1st of July, I listed my 8 Things that I planned to do this summer.  I got 7 out of 8, which really wasn't too bad.  Though, I'm still trying to figure out how to accomplish that 8th goal.  The following is a review of my successes.

1. Watched fireworks on the 4th of July

2. Absorbed some Vitamin D on the beaches of Santorini

3. Sang my heart out at karaoke in Greece and in Boston

4. Listened to live music via live bands several times in Greece

5. Watched "I Love You Philip Morris" in Athens

6. Was mesmerized by the bonfire at the Quarry Hill
All Night Costume Dance Party.  So mesmerized,
in fact, that I managed to convince someone to jump
over the fire naked.

7. I miss my best friend a lot.  We're both extremely busy and extremely poor.
But hopefully I will see her soon.

8. Floated in the Mediterranean Ocean,
and loved every salty second of it.

So, so long, sweet Summer.  Thank you for being so wonderful.