Here I thought that a few months off from Lux would mean a long, slow-moving, contemplative summer. I thought there'd be lots of lemonade and reading my school books out on the porch.
Remember that internship I did at the beginning of the year with that media company? Well they got such kick out of my nonsense that they asked me to "cohost" the program for their next batch of interns. They called me "unique" the way Don Hon called Brett and me unique during our wedding ceremony; emphasis on the unmentioned but obvious kookiness factor. "Each of them is unique... very unique."
So I've been over there encouraging the new interns. "If I could do it...." They put this on the website and I'm quite embarrassed and tickled about it. I made sure business was in quotes. Sounds too serious.
While I'm doing that, I'm also attending my college classes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. We are halfway through the trimester already and boy do I love it. What a brilliant bunch of compassionate butt-kickers. (Myself excluded.)
I had a grad-school wake-up call on my very first week when I came to class prepared to discuss our assignment and everyone else came to class prepared to debate the assignment with the supreme court. That's when I realized grad school is very different from undergrad school. "So like, you mean I should have been uhhh... taking notes?"
I'm in the groove now and am usually prepared. When I don't know the answers, I deflect with humor. My professors are cheerfully confusing my wit with wit. You can imagine they don't get many giggly smilers in a program based on fighting systemic injustices.
Here's what I've had to read so far. I recommend Sapiens and Earth In Mind. Interesting reads through a different lens.
Also, because that's not enough, I've started volunteering at Pet Helpers twice a week. It's "Kitten Season" which means that people are finding (and dumping) kittens all over town. I found Pippa through Pet Helpers so I'll forever be in debt to them. They sent out an email begging for help (they have 200 kittens to find homes for) so Big Lue arrived on the scene with a toothy grin and a paralyzing fear of this new commitment.
Mostly I clean cages and litter boxes, and sweep and mop floors but I'm encouraged to cuddle and play with the kittens so that they get used to humans. I'm on it! The kittens are adorable and lots of fun to watch, but I especially love the older cats in the shelter. I've really fallen for an orange fella named Blake but special mention goes to Billy and Glen. Billy swats at people that pass his cage in the hallway. Glen has his own room because he figured out how to escape from the kennels. Now he's living the dream in his own kitty suite. I've enjoyed getting to know all the personalities. That place is also made up of a bunch of compassionate butt-kickers.
Meanwhile, Brett has been alternating working from home with some in-person office hours, and is also on a tomato pie baking kick. Homemade crust and all.
I have one homework assignment and two proposals to update before we head to North Carolina for a beach vacation with the Eisenhauers. From there I'm headed up to DC for Jessie's bachelorette weekend. Things really kick into gear when I get back, but more on that later.
Let's end for now with another great shot of Pippi.
Do I take too many pictures of her? Am I blinded by love?
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