The rainy season

I'm enjoying the beginning of this summer as only a teacher can! It's been so nice to have time to think, practice piano, make plans with friends! I'm not completely convinced that teaching isn't an addiction...my friend Jennifer keeps falling off the wagon year after year and going back to teaching, and I did the same last fall, even though I said I probably wouldn't. It doesn't pay much (especially piano lessons), you take it home with you, but it's a meaningful job and you can almost get lulled into thinking you are making a real difference. Now, you are, for individual lives, but remember when we all wanted to save the world?

So summer so far:

I'm rediscovering what it feels like to sweat (this was the worst winter weather I have EVER experienced) in my new apartment, drinking AE reduced-sugar lemonade, possibly the most delicious drink ever. (AE is a dairy in town. My friend Sharon admitted to me one day, "Sometimes I buy Roberts or Hy-vee milk, but I'm really an AE girl.")

I went to the Sex and the City movie wearing heels and a skirt, with (oh the shame) 3 girlfriends and went out for drinks afterwards. A divorced friend was particularly impressed with the non-judgemental way the movie portrayed adult single women. I like how the series shatters the stereotypes about grown women looking for love. You may want to rent this one, though. Some scenes might be a little less shocking on a smaller screen. That's all I'm saying.

I played piano in a wedding in a town that got hit by a tornado the next day, and was almost completely wiped off the map. I enjoyed getting to know so many people in the tiny town of Parkersburg; and worry for them during the rebuilding efforts. It was a great wedding; held in the not-so-romantic Veterans Hall but with a different cake on every table. I danced with perfect strangers (some random girl whose name I don't know and I screamed "WALK THIS WAY" in each other's faces), flirted with boys, and enjoyed Leeann's family's bizarre traditions (her 20 something twin brothers breakdance, and her whole family adds a special touch to the old 70's song "Living Next Door to Alice" - everyone yells "Alice? Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?" after every chorus, while standing on chairs.)

Last night I watched the Saturday night movie on the CW, which should also be known as Theatre for the Lonely Single Girl and her Cat. The rom-com ending made me tear up a little, and I had to get up and move around after that, so I took a walk down Grand Ave, with its giant trees and stately old apartment buildings. I found out recently that a close male friend had started happily dating someone. This is a big deal because he was THAT guy - the one you can call at 2 am with a heartbreak, the one who has lots of time for you because he's never dating anybody. You know who I'm talking about - the back-up guy. The one with whom if when you're forty, and you're both still single, you figure you'll probably marry. I was surprised about my feelings though. Sure, I was a little jealous, and a little scared for myself. But mostly, I was just really, really happy for him. As I walked, I saw a beautiful hill with the sparklings of fireflies everywhere. I had seen a similar scene before with a guy, and thought it romantic. I found, however, that it inspired the same awe when I viewed it alone.