Well, summer is nearly over.  Hard to believe, right?  It’s been a busy one.  I’m done with all of my classes (for now, at least).  I really enjoyed learning a lot from my teachers and being around other talented writers, but at the same time I’m glad to be able to reclaim some time.  This week marks my last at the cheese shop, as I am starting a job at Trader Joe’s, very conveniently located right by my house.  I put myself in the unfortunate position of working 10 days in a row, but I look forward to about six days off afterward. Leaving the cheese shop is bittersweet because I like all my coworkers (even though most of them already left to go back to school, and still more are leaving soon), but I’m not really going to say no to a better-paying job walking distance from my house where I won’t have to pay to park or commute.  (Plus, who doesn’t like Trader Joe’s?)  Working at the cheese shop has had an unusual and unexpected side effect:  The food there is so rich and heavy that I now look at the menu and turn up my nose–something I never expected to happen (you’ve seen my Instagram feed, so you know what I’m talking about).  Recently, I’ve found myself eating more bland things like graham crackers and English muffins (you know, totally balanced diet).  Last week, I started going to the salad place next door!  You know things are serious when that happens.

There isn’t really much else to report because I haven’t been anywhere–I haven’t taken a trip since I went to New York in February, six whole months ago!  I really need to rectify that soon!

In the past year, I’ve had a number of good friends embark on new adventures:  Two have had kids, one bought a house, friends got married earlier this month, and another moved with her husband and kids to Ghana for two years to teach at an international school. Meanwhile, all of my grand ideas about moving away from Virginia have pretty much withered on the vine because I’ve lost interest.  You may recall that not all that long ago, I had an obsession with moving to the West Coast, and while that still sounds like it could be fun, it just seems like a hassle aside from being financially unreachable (Serious question:  How do people afford to live in San Francisco?).  Besides that, all of my family and almost all of my friends are in Virginia, and with the mounting unexpected issues my grandparents have had in recent years, I’m not sure I want to stray but so far from home. That said, the fight to not just be complacent–to not settle–continues…

 

Where have your adventures taken you this summer?  Where should I consider going when I finally get out of town again?