how i spent my summer vacation...

well, only a week remains until i load up my backpack with my computer and my books and my highlighters and return to life as a student. at this moment, though, with milo curled up in a white heap on the couch next to me, i'm feeling somewhat ambivalent about the inevitable shifting of gears. but deep down, i truly am looking forward to it.

if you will, please indulge me a bit in this brief recounting of the stuff that filled my summer months...

ahem, how i spent my summer vacation, a top-five list:

5) my thumb looks a little greenish, right? maybe not, but i have managed to grow peppers, tomatoes, sunflowers, marigolds, and a flowering pumpkin plant in containers of various sizes on my windowsills and on the roof that my windows open onto. i know that people garden all the time, but this was my first attempt and i'm very proud of my little plants. every morning this summer before work when i left the house on my way to catch the bus, i would cross the street and look back at my apartment windows so i could see how the plants looked from a distance. they looked lovely -- all green and new! and so what if the peppers are so damn hot they're almost inedible? i grew them all by myself.

4) finally, i have non-law school friends in pittsburgh! well, only a couple, but they are folks i really like and hope to keep around for a while. also, i've cemented some solid friendships with classmates whom i hadn't anticipated would become so important to me. this has been a fantastic summer for people and pittsburgh-exploration and feeling like a human being again. always good.

3) nothing says the fourth of july like fireworks, baseball, and caitlin! caitlin = my fabulous little sis. the child is seventeen years old and finally this year my dad lets her come and visit me on her own. and while i wish he hadn't taken so long to realize that she's old enough to ask directions if she gets lost in an airport, she was worth the wait. i love my sister ad infinitum. she's beautiful and smart and clever and tough -- so much more so than she recognizes yet. we had a great weekend together: saw the butterflies at the phipps, went to a terrible movie together (_war of the worlds_ blech!), saw the phillies spank the pirates, watched a damn fine fireworks display downtown. and we didn't even get into any sibling squabbles. it was a perfect city 4th of july weekend.

2) emily -- fighter for freedom, defender of liberty! my internship at the ACLU plainly and simply kicked much ass. i am convinced that i had the best summer job of any of my friends. i learned a ton, had a hell of a boss, worked with a great team of interns, renewed my conviction in why i've chosen this line of work.

1) i rode a bike 150 miles against MS! i still can't believe i actually did this. the thought of spending two solid days on a bike, dealing with incessant hills and sweltering heat (not to mention the sunburn and the saddle soreness) is totally laughable to me now, but in june it was something that i was determined to do. i raised a little more than $1,100 for the national MS society, borrowed my friend oliver's road bike, and told myself that as long as i did my best, i was okay. but folks, i have a lot of pride, and even though by the 80th mile on day one i was about ready to curl up in any available shady spot and shut down for a while, i kept going and successfully complete the whole ride. the weekend was amazing -- friendly riders, helpful volunteers, great organization -- and i am absolutely hooked. i've already started recruiting friends to ride with me next year.

so, there. not so bad for a summer. i didn't rescue any babies from burning buildings or stand on the front line of any revolutions, but i did all right. so...okay. i think i'm ready to go back to school now.