once in a blue moon

Let me set the scene:

11:10 on a snuggly-hot Thursday night. Everything smells like honeysuckle and new dirt. My parents are in bed, I'm downstairs, grateful for air conditioning, and my brother's celebrating the beginning of summer. It's not quite dullsville. It's comfy and home. It's amazing to realize I've been home four weeks today, and tomorrow we'll wake up into June. Where did May go?

Yet! We realize it's a blue moon tonight --- oh, don't be naive and be fooled like I was. It's actually golden-yellow. A blue moon apparently doesn't have to be blue, it just has to be the second full moon within a calendar month. Who knew? We sure didn't. A la The Notebook (oh man, talk about Weepytown Central, Population: whatever dummy decides to watch that movie), my broseph and I decide to lie in the middle of the street to wait for the blue to show up. Hey, we're patient!

Then WHAM! Out of the darkness! Scampers this little fellow! I know I ought to be thankful that it wasn't a car that interrupted our pre-witching hour reverie, but still --- imagine having that guy run right by your face while you're prone, helpless, and incapacitated by humidity and the potential to see the moon turn blue! It was more than a little startling.

And clearly, this could never have happened in New York City. Yes, I'm home in Silver Spring, and more in love with the D.C. area than I think I ever have been. Summer's been lovely to me so far, though I haven't had the pleasure of seeing ducklings every morning or making charmingly awkward phonecalls from the beach.

But attending three concerts in four weeks certainly is nothing to frown at --- especially when they were as massively varied as they were. A brilliant songwriter, an unstoppable herd of edgy electronic dance-rockers, and a glamorous (hah!) popstar --- each entertaining and excellent in their own ways. More to come on that.

For now, I'm well, and thinking of you all --- happy June eve, everyone! Watch out for those raccoons.

Whot? I can't hear you...

Summer so far? Among a few other things not really worth mentioning, our duck just hatched eleven little baby ducks.

All together now: one, two, three - AAAWWWWWWW!

Movin' out...call the UHAULL TRUCK! (Get it?!)

Oh, boy! An empty room! Boxes of stuff! It must be August 27th and I'm moving in! I can't wait to put up all my Dali posters- oh wait, I just took those down, and anyway it's not August, it's May. Could've fooled me!

No, but really, I'm sitting here anxiously waiting for my parents to call me and tell me they're almost here to pick me up. My laptop is the only thing left in my room because they might not be here for another hour, and get this: my keyboard is echoing. It's making me super uncomfortable. I didn't go to bed until maybe 3:30 because I was thinking of how on earth I was going to pack everything up (of course, some Insomnia Cookies helped ease my mind - sooo good!) and I've been Up And Atom since 8:00 this morning. Highly unnecessary? You bet.

I spent the rest of my Declining Dollars, but I still have 24 cents left, and I'm thinking there has to be something I can get with that. Maybe a gummy bear...maybe even two gummy bears?

I found some pretty silly things cleaning up. So much change I didn't even bother counting it, batteries, Lite Brite pegs all over the place (after a certain point I just started sweeping them up with the dust bunnies and throwing them out), and a ketchup packet under Monica's bed. Didn't you have a story about a ketchup packet? Was it a special ketchup packet or something? If it was, I'm sorry, I threw it out. Or, wait, am I just thinking of an episode of Doug, because didn't he save the ketchup packet he got from Patty Mayonnaise and kept it in a treasure box and took it out every now and then to admire it? Am I totally making all this up?

Oh, another thing: We used to have this little dry erase board that I got at the craft store for a buck a few days before I left. For the first few weeks we drew Kermits and Teen Girl Squad and a few other little things on it but after that it didn't get much use. Where on earth did it go? I seem to remember it on top of the dressers, and I'm wondering if it didn't fall down behind them and get stuck. I would love to see some of the things that end up back there. I can just imagine some housing employee finding our dry erase board and wondering, "Two stick-figure girls appearing to be in love with a man with a funny haircut holding a...stapler in jello? Who the hell lived here, anyway?"

Last but not least, they totally put up padding on the elevator walls. Scary.

Ladybird289 (7:23:59 PM): did i tell you that joke about hayden panettiere?
sprite2248 (7:24:07 PM): no, tell me!
Ladybird289 (7:24:11 PM): eh, forget it, IT BLOWS!

it's the greatest day?

So, I'm going home tomorrow?

Big day. The last couple of weeks have been ridiculous. I've been packing all day and just now I'm having to face the fact that I'll sleep in my now-posterless room once more, then be home in sultry, sweaty D.C. for the summer.

How did freshman year go by so quickly? Time flies when you're having fun? And fun we've been having, but it's been that sort of rambunctious, highly, highly productive fun that results in comments like this, from two-time Grammy winner (and my professor!) Charles Potter:

Grade: A
Comments: This is a great moment for me - I want you all to know that this is the best produced piece of work that I can recall ever reviewing down here. And a great moment turns into what, a half hour show?...And your documentation is likewise superb... I appreciate the work that must have come into doing this. WOW!!

I don't mean to be braggy, but you understand just why that's kind of exhilarating, I hope!

Over the next couple of weeks, I want to make countdowns chronicling our year here in the City. I need themes, though --- suggestions are more than welcome! Because I'm unoriginal and kind of preoccupied with seeing my dad tomorrow, today I'm counting down my top celebrity sightings of freshman year!

• Emily the Intern - from "The Hills," she made LC look like a total n00b! Oh man, I'm going to miss Monday's trashy television.
• Harvey Weinstein - he's arguably the most powerful man in Hollywood. He dresses like a homeless fellow. Curious!
• Haley Joel Osment - first meeting him at 2 am at Amore's Pizza was thrilling, but the awesome power of America's favorite seer of the dead wore off as I had my Writing the Essay lecture with him every Monday second semester. Nice fellow. Held the door for me twice.
• Mara Wilson - Matilda's all grown up! And signs people in at the gym.
• Natalie Portman - you guys have heard the report. Tiny, instantly recognizable voice, slouchy walk, baggy jeans. Takes her time going down the sidewalk.
• John Krasinski - FABULOUS. Warm and hilarious and has incredible taste in wool coats! Awfully nice guy! Aspiring director! Cast Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab) in his debut film! One of the best nights of freshman year!

Number one was a tough decision, between John Krasinski (it's Jim, for crying out loud!) and this fellow. But the top prize goes to my encounter with the glorious Sufjan Stevens. Beautiful eyes, walked at a leisurely pace next to me while crossing East 14th Street at Broadway. I was terrifically homesick, listening to "Chicago" --- and BAM! there was the troubadour himself. Magic, I swear, kids.

Time to finish packing! Big thanks go to Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry, the Vermonster, magnetic boxes, laptops that break like nobody's business, Kennedy impressions, Popeye, Julia, Yummy House, and all the rest.

Much love!