Late Mid-Summer Dreaming?

I've, not surprisingly, had little to talk about this summer that strays from my usual complaints and frustrations.

Working full time. Yes, I've been working all the time all summer as usual. Only it's quite different here in Lawrence. As I've said before, my office is a closet. The lack of sunlight and closed-in space for hours at a time has drove me slightly crazy. Luckily, I've had some opportunities lately to work in the store, which gives me a little boost. Don't get me wrong, while the environment adds a lot of stress, I still love the DB and the people there. They're fantastic. But a super exciting thing we worked on this summer is The Dusty Bookshelf website. We're all giddy about it, so please check it out: www.thedustybookshelf.com. And send us a message, too! We want to hear what you think about the website and the store. Or you can just tell us hello. Or you can tell us to look for a book for you. Really, just talk to us. We like it.

So that's my life. I always hope that in the summer I can relax and be super creative and write and read like I want. But the truth is, I get so tense and crazy from being inside in a box all day that coming home doesn't make me relax much more. Because my apartment is also a box with no light. It's the same ongoing disappointment. To want to come home and be happy and rest. But when I want to spend the evening in my home, to feel better, I really should be going elsewhere. Like the library. Or a park. But then that leaves Snickers alone for most of my waking hours. And that doesn't seem fair to her. But, heavens, things need to be a-changin' this next month before school resumes.

And when school resumes, I will be teaching. Yes, teaching Expository Writing I at KU. Teaching and taking two classes. It's wildly exciting and surreal.

Next week, my brother and I are taking a mini vacation in Chicago. He's never been anywhere (other than on our one family trip when he was 8 to Omaha) outside of Kansas. And he's never flown. So, we're going to be in Chicago from July 23-26...packing in sightseeing and museums and shopping. It'll be fun, I'm sure. Ah, Chicago.

Jedsen is moving to Lenexa in two days, and I'm really excited to spend more time in KC!