OMG I'M DONE WITH SUMMER SCHOOL!

I finished up my grading this week and turned in my final grades on Thursday night. And this is what the parking lot looked like when I left campus.

It might have been kind of late, like, maybe about 9 p.m. But I got it done and didn't have to go in on Friday, which was fantastic.


The day before, I decided that I'd walk from campus to the train station in downtown Crystal Lake. I haven't been sleeping well, so I figured that a nice three mile walk would tire me out for bedtime. A former student of mine had told me that he'd once ridden his bike on the trail that starts next to our baseball field and it had taken him to downtown and pretty close to his house. So I packed my walking shoes, wore something loose fitting, and left campus at 3 p.m. in hopes of catching the 4:15 train.

The first half of the walk was great: it was sunny and beautiful, I was walking through corn fields, and the only sounds were crickets and my sweat dripping onto the asphalt (yes, it's gross, but oh my goodness was it hot out.).

So, after about forty-five minutes of walking, the trail...ended. Yes, it ended. It turned into a little cul de sac with only the Queen Anne's Lace and the railroad tracks beyond it. I stopped, wondering what on earth I was going to do, and then I decided not to waste all of my hard walking and sweat. I took the train tracks for about a block to the road (Yes, I know that's how people die, but I did not die, and I felt for a few nostalgic moments like I was Corey Feldman in Stand By Me. Is this the only time I've felt like Corey Feldman in a movie from the '80s? No, it is not.).

And the story ends on an anti-climactic note. I didn't have to dodge a train; I actually took sidewalks and was able to do more than a mile in the shade. But I did look hot enough (I think my face and neck were the color of sweaty radishes) for a woman in a Toyota sedan to pull a U-turn and ask me if I needed a ride. I told her, "Thanks! But I'm actually doing this on purpose." People are sometimes nicer than I give them credit for.

I made the 4:15 train, but only because it was running two minutes late. I should have waited for the 5 p.m., because although the train's AC felt just glorious, after fifteen minutes, my muscles were angry with not being stretched out and cooled down properly (after a week of exercising, I've got the jargon down). But my radish face eventually paled on down, and I was glad I'd made the walk (and of course, I was glad knowing that I will never make that walk again).

Friday was fairly uneventful, though T. and I watched Kick-Ass, a surprisingly violent, and surprisingly fun, comic book adaptation. We saved up our energy for the Neenan's Third Annual (I'm making that up) Air and Water Show Party on Saturday.

In the morning before Trevor went to work, we met Dan, who's back from Lithuania (Simona and Maya are staying the rest of the month), for breakfast at the Howard Johnson's Luna Café. Why is it called the "Luna Café"? I have no idea.

After breakfast, I headed home for a few hours to hang out with Henry before heading to the Neenan's place and meeting the gang. We ate, drank, laughed, watched some people jumping out of airplanes and parachuting into the city (I'm sure they were landing in the lake, but from our vantage point, it looked like they were landing on top of the Hancock), and after he was done with work, Trevor met us there. We stayed until dark and then rambled home to sleep.

(From Left) Rebecca, Julie, Mike, Jeremy, Rory (hand in the air, head blocked by her husband), Matt (Rory's husband), Mike and Amy's friend, Julie, Lisa's friends, whose names I didn't get

A poorly designed Blue Angels montage (I designed it)

Julie, Me, Rebecca, and Amy

Mike's New Little Lady Friend

Lisa's friend and her little baby, Mike, and Lisa

Julie's New Snooki-Do

And now Trevor's getting ready to take the bike to Dan's house, and I'm about to take my lazy self to the roof deck for some reading in the sun. By Thursday, I've got to re-read Devil in the White City, which is the book my One Book, One College committee chose and which is the basis for a couple of our Thursday workshop breakout sessions. I read it years ago, but should brush up on it. But I'd really like to finish White Teeth first, so I'll spend some QT with it this afternoon.

We're visiting the new parent Borks tonight for Paula's birthday BBQ, so we'll have some Bosco pictures for you all later on. Until then...go, lazy Sundays!