a picturesque summer

i walked home from work in a tank top last night, shivering. i know that autumn is undeniably approaching, but that first night of cool air was still a shock.

unlike the other seasons, the end of summer feels monumental. like it's the official close of the year. as reflective a time as New Years and, in a way, sadder. the things i did, those i never got around to doing (hello McCarren Park and rooftop pools), lots of thoughts of 'why didn't i just lie out in the sun more?' at least at New Years there's talk of resolutions and fresh starts. while end of summer is about the world getting cold and grey for the next six to eight months. (are you starting to see what it's like living in my head?)

ANYWAY.... even though June and July were all about a first draft of a new work (which, rough as it is, i can say i pretty much achieved) and August was solely about some intense edits on an older work, i did manage to have some fun as well.

and now, a pictorial review:

summer began with lots of concerts at Prospect Park.

and even though my favorite was the Puerton Rican band Calle 13 (there's nothing like being squeezed in amidst thousands of singing, laughing, dancing fans), Trombone Shorty hands down gets the award for the hottest (on so many levels) act of the summer.

clearly, right?

oops, okay. i mean, clearly, right?

 

 

i had visits with some of my oldest and dearest friends this summer, and made a few new ones to boot. one has a last name as a first name and we adventured and played all over Brooklyn, initially trying to bring an idea i have for a picture book to life. except, it's really REALLY hard to find a stuffed house cat to photograph. please (seriously) if you know of a taxidermied tabby write me a comment, because the best i could come up with was this guy:

a lot of change came this summer. the most minor was that i got bangs:

then realized, i might actually need to see, so i had a friend give me neater bangs:

can you see the difference between awake corrie and sleepy corrie? ageing's fun, no? le sigh.

but aside from the length of the hair that covers my forehead, there were some massive changes in life this summer as well. a lot of very important people moved back home. first my beloved dance teacher. next my upstairs housemate gave her notice. and worst of all, my very first friend in Brooklyn made good on this 5 year threat, and moved back to Mexico. but let's not dwell on that or i'll start crying again:

living in Brooklyn does feel a little like living at the center of the universe. (yes, yes, manhattanites, i'm sure the feeling is tripled there). there are new restaurants, bars, galleries, comedy shows, concerts in the park, bike trips, homemade gelato stands, book readings, food trucks, and happy hour specials, opening or going on all the time. more than that, every Brooklynite seems to make or do something interesting. i probably have a hundred published writers living less than twenty blocks from me. probably, it's more than that.

but living in Brooklyn means that your center of the universe is loud, crowded, and busy busy busy. most everyone i know who lives in Brooklyn wonders if there isn't someplace a little greener, more peaceful, but hopefully only slightly less interesting for them to call home.

i've spent the entire summer in awe of the above mentioned people that had the guts to pick up and begin life again somewhere they haven't been for more than eight years. Jose, especially. and i'll admit to a little envy over the friends who moved to entirely new places like Lauren Morrill and her Boston to Georgia transfer.

maybe it was all this moving about, but this summer involved a little city searching of my own. first, was a last minute, perhaps ill advised, trip to can you guess where?

second was a much more invigorating journey to Newport, Rhode Island. with its surfers, mansions, fresh air, and beach beach beach, i did give a little pause, mostly to wonder: how in the world would i earn an income here? and would it matter if i made money or not, when i lived in the same neighborhood as this:

overall, it was a good summer. productive, fun, lazy, busy.

and now it's (almost) fall. in an effort to think positively, i'm side stepping my 'summer is almost gone' nostalgia, and remembering that fall means cool air at night and better sleeping weather. people finally turning off their air conditioners so i'm not living in a constant drone. pumpkins, hot cider, Thanksgiving, new New Girl and Boardwalk Empire episodes, hockey, leaves crunching under your feet in the park and best of all - layers!

i'd love to hear about your favorite moments of summer. if only to feel like mine is being extended through the vicarious living. and, truly, let me know if anyone in your family has a taxidermied cat i can borrow.