The update you've all been waiting for...

So much has happened this summer that I've been hanging on by my toenails! Here's the update in abbreviated form:

Early July:

Ryan, my Little Bro from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, came to visit me all the way from Georgetown, TX! The last time I saw him was just after my college graduation 2 years ago when we said goodbye because I was moving back to Chicago. When we started our mentorship, Ryan was a wee little 8 year old in the second grade, and I was amazed when I saw him last month that he is 13 and now several inches taller than I am! We had a great time exploring the city--Millenium Park, the Hancock building, Lincoln Park zoo, Shedd Aquarium, riding the El, taking the bus, you name it! I got in touch with the extent of my "whiteness," and my favorite quote from the weekend was when I tried to imitate the "gangsta strut" while we were downtown that comes to Ryan so naturally. Ryan's response when I asked how I was doing: "Girl, you look handicapped."

Mid-July:

New apartment yet again! Luckily the weather stayed cool enough for the move, though my friends and family were starting to mumble on their 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th trip up to the third floor with no AC lugging my stuff. One of them commented that I have so much stuff I don't even need to get married! The apartment is coming together nicely, albeit slowly. There are good things and bad things.. We have tons of sunshine (and heat), and the landlords leave bags of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden on our doorstep. On the other hand, when I started suspecting that our next door neighbors run a crack house I half-jokingly told my friend about it. He asked if there was always somebody sitting on the front stoop and my jaw dropped to the floor! I thought the kid was just waiting for his ride to school everyday when I leave for work. I've been instructed to listen for whistling and birdcalls to further prove the point. I'll send an update. I'm not posting pictures of the new apartment this time because I don't want anyone to make fun of my David Hasselhoff pictures again.

Late-July:

Vacation to Scotland! Finally a reprieve from the craziness of summer at work... The Scottish countryside was so green and the skies such a soothing gray that all I wanted to do was curl up on a porch swing with a cup of tea and a book. One of the days I got to do just that, and the rest we spent on a good balance of city and country, architecture and nature, active and resting. Highlights included: witnessing the Highland games where we saw large men in kilts tossing tree trunks end over end, a tour of the early 20th century Hill House designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright), touring the grounds and gardens of the Balmoral Estate where the royal family has holiday, and taking cream tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream (only good the first time, the second time the clotted cream turned me off for the next 10 years). More pictures on the post below...

Early-August

Back to work, God save us all. I'm stuck dealing with complicated HR issues regarding employees who either just don't show up to work, or lie about their sick time. Unfortunately the strain on the team is huge and the icing on the cake is when parents get upset with management for the fact that their children keep having substitute teachers. It's when I want to say, in Dad's words, "Up your nose with a rubber hose." Probably wouldn't get me high marks for customer service.

I can't believe summer is almost over and I haven't even filled up my beach quota. I'm going to start wearing my bathingsuit underneath my work clothes so that I'm prepared in a moment's notice to head over to the lake. I have to have SOMETHING to offset those sub-zero temperatures that I know are coming all too soon.

Until next time, ladies and gentlemen...