summer, eternal

the kids are out of school now. I am envious of them; not necessarily for their long, expansive summers full of sunshine and boredom, books to read, pools to swim in -- although of course I envy that too -- but rather for those few days of delicious anticipation just before school lets out, and that wonderful afternoon when you step off the bus and realize this is it, you're free, you're in the next grade, and there is so much time between then and now it might as well be eternity. don't you remember those days? it's warm out, you're wearing shorts, you've been waiting to wear shorts for all those long cold months. in class the teachers have mostly given up; you're watching Disney movies and having cupcake parties and getting your friends to sign memory books, planning sleepovers and feeling a sharp pang of regret that you won't see the boy you have a crush on until NEXT YEAR and that's forever. but maybe you'll go to that friend's house who lives in his neighborhood and maybe he'll be walking down the street and you can sneak a peek.

I think there's nothing in adult life to rival that moment.

rain.

Woke up this morning with
a terrific urge to lie in bed all day
and read. Fought against it for a minute.

Then looked out the window at the rain.
And gave over. Put myself entirely
in the keep of this rainy morning.

Would I live my life over again?
Make the same unforgivable mistakes?
Yes, given half a chance. Yes.

-- Rain, Raymond Carver

28 things to do before I turn 29

1. Eat a doner at Doner Kebab
2. Go kayaking around Ross Island
3. Brave the long route in Ape Cave
4. Swim across the Columbia River
5. Eat beef head tacos at the Rose Festival
6. Hike Beacon Rock
7. Go to Paris with a girlfriend
8. Get a motorcycle license
9. Read the Bible
10. Go to the nude beach (nude)
11. Compete in the Mississippi Pizza Adult Spelling Bee
12. Watch the Vaux's Swifts
13. Finish reading all the Pulitzer winning novels
14. Get a Garmin Forerunner
15. Play Brahms clarinet sonatas with Rob
16. Compete in a triathlon
17. Visit Mill Ends Park (the world's smallest park)
18. Eat an insect
19. Fall in love with someone or something that matters
20. Pay off one of my credit cards. For good. Seriously.
21. Go skiing
22. Climb a volcano
23. Finish War & Peace
24. Shave my head
25. Run in a scramble
26. Eat boiled peanuts at the beach in North Carolina
27. Catch fireflies in a jar
28. Read 100 books

as always, inspired by the beautiful andrea at hula seventy