Timing

I finally (after a year of cursing the New York City skies and streets every rain) purchase a pair of rain boots on Saturday. On Sunday my errands are accompanied by torrential rainfall. Yay boots!

I carry wine and regular glasses aaaaaall the way from Brooklyn IKEA, through 2 hours of bus and train and aforementioned torrential rain. I place the boxes on my kitchen counter and one slips, resulting in 2 broken wine glasses. Boo irony. (4 survived, thankfully)

I spend a significant part of Saturday afternoon revisiting Wartburg Choir music along with a nostalgic tribute notebook reading. On Sunday the girl sitting next to me in church invites me to audition for a legit city choir. No member fees, Wednesday evening rehearsals, decent sound (pay no attention to the non-synced video)... I'm outsourcing this one--what do you think??

Also on the topic of timing but a little less specifically anecdotal, two weeks is the perfect length for a summer vacation, particularly when that time is split between two locations. South Carolina possessed all the calm and warmth (temperately and personally) and space I remembered, and I am very pleased with the copious friendship rejuvenations that took place back in the Midwest. It is so, SO comforting to reconnect beyond the limits of phone and Skype sessions. Additionally, the Anderson family (of ", Stephanie Pippi" fame) IS a wedding reception. Prepackaged. =)

And I suppose a well-timed sermon fits into this theme... Guest minister on the topic of salvation in the context of Unitarian Universalism. I'll post it when the link goes up, but it very adeptly frames the issue in a way that strongly aspires to reconcile "traditional" and "liberal" religion and/or faith, an aspiration that has been on my mind more than usual lately.

Last but not least, I replaced the battery in my kitchen clock so it keeps time as well as it did back in June. =)

KP

Productivity

40 minutes to kill before I leave for vacation...

I wish I had mornings off all year--I get SO much done between 6 and 10! This week, for example, I used my mornings to exercise, clean the apartment, pack (TWO DAYS ahead of time--new record), lower my Internet bill, work out a 5th day job placement... and paint toenails. It's been a good week.

5 days in wooded, lakeside, isolated South Carolina country followed by 8 days in sparkly, standardized, homey North Shore? Yes, please. =) I am ready for a brief sojourn away from the relentless pace and density of my beloved city, and spending quality time with family and (COLLEGE) friends only sweetens the deal!

And you read correctly... I'll be working 5 days a week come fall--a first in my adult life! Tentatively, my additional day will be at P.S. 484 (Van Nest Academy) in Central Bronx. The gig may or may not require an hour-plus, multiple-bus commute and lacks a classroom (my very first cart!), but I'm nonetheless excited to step into a school with a "fresh start" as it were. It's K-2 so I'll be teaching my favorite (and easiest) ages--a definite plus. And I think a cart might be freeing in some ways... Although I'm grateful I'll only have to use it for 20% of my week. =)

Recommended Reading: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver)
Two years ago I would have tossed aside a book about the benefits of organic, local food culture, citing irrelevance and/or boredom. Not now--this book is a revelation. Between my newfound love of cooking and the copious farmers' markets in NYC, I can apply so much of the new information I'm absorbing directly to my purchasing and consuming habits... Homemade cheese, anyone?

Love, Hugs, and Summer Vacation!!!!
KP

Community

Has it really been over a year in New York City?? This Saturday will mark my one-year anniversary at 75 Thayer, 4F. Ironically and/or poetically, this Saturday will also mark the commencement of my a two-week vaction this Saturday--AWAY from the city to reconnect with family, friends, and open landscape. Skimming the trajectory of this blog from its inception last summer, I can outline trails of whimsy, stress, accomplishment, personal growth... and community.

Like any recent college graduate, I've struggled to build community. Though my locale has a few million people more than, say, rural Iowa, the challenges of fostering a network of genuine support remain the same. Maybe moreso--many of those who have lived here for a while already have extensive and sufficient networks of their own and aren't readily seeking new bonds. Yet somehow I can count relatively close relations I've established in the past year on more than one hand.

It's happened so gradually, but taking a step back in reflection I stand in awe of the satisfying community I have built in year one. In just the last month, I celebrated my birthday with friends from high school and college, visited a teaching friend at her apartment, hosted a young adult event at the church, and attended a really fabulous and laid-back house party of church people... Obviously there are always "next steps". I hope to expand and deepen these relationships and new ones. But I leave New York for the brief hiatus a much more personalized city than it was upon gaining my address a year ago.

In Libertyville August 12-20... With an epic wedding/college friendship experience the 13th-14th. Let me know if I should be seeing you!!!

Kate =)