Busy, Busy, Busy

Summer is going by fast.

Last time I posted, I was house sitting in Arlington.  Then, I took care of my grandmother for a week while my parents were out of town, followed by a brief stay at home before working as an Resident Advisor at Simmons for two weeks.

That particular odd job is especially fun.  I take care of a group of teenagers at the Simmons dorms and send them off to camp every morning.  The schedule allows me to continue my job during the day– in past years I was also a counselor at a seafaring themed day camp, taking children on field trips to beaches and lighthouses.  This summer and last I was focusing on my writing.  After dropping my teenage charges off, I retreated to the Simmons library or returned to my room to rework my manuscript.  The other RA’s and I would pick up the kids from camp for activities in the dorm or sight-seeing excursions in downtown Boston.  My favorite perk about this gig is for two weeks I get my own room with my own bathroom.

This might not seem like such a big deal to some people.  Growing up in a small house where I shared a room with my brother, or where five, sometimes six people needed to take turns with one bathroom; years of compromise with boyfriends and roommates before finally living in a Japanese guest house where a hall of foreign and native residents shared the same stinky stalls– has given me a deep appreciation for this simple luxury.

Even if it’s only for two weeks, I appreciate putting my hair brush where I want it, my toothbrush and toothpaste where I see fit or leave my towels to dry where I prefer.  I go to sleep in an extra long bed, alone, and wonder– when am I going to feel like this again? I always assume next summer, but I don’t know if I’ll return to the camp or if life with lead me in some other crazy direction.  And there’s the bigger question, when will being alone be a regular part of my life?  Will there be a time when I live in solitude?

Hopefully not any time soon– I’m getting married at the end of the month.

I’ve alluded to it in earlier posts, but never explicitly announced it.  Every once and a while, Kyle and I would turn to each other and ask, “Should we change our status to ‘Engaged’ on Facebook?”  We decided, Nah.  But I never knew what to do in my blog.

I don’t always know where the intersection is between my personal and professional life. I write, that’s just what I do.  Writing has always been the way I make sense of the world. But where does this blog fit into that scheme?  How should I phrase things?  What do I share?  What do I keep for myself?  I generally decide on a post-by-post basis, drafting what I see fit.  Sometimes the tone is more chatty than others, but I always try to be honest and I always do my best.  I don’t think there is any more I can do.

But among developing my manuscript and my array of odd jobs, I’ve been choosing flower arrangements and party favors and songs to play with my groom-to-be.  It is an exciting time, but busy as hell.  We are going to return to Arlington tomorrow for more house sitting, will return to Jamaica Plain for less than a week before staying at another family’s home while they travel abroad.  Three days later, Kyle and I are getting hitched.

By then I hope my manuscript will be ready for another round of feedback from readers and Jen, my agent. I don’t know what September will bring, but these days I’m full of hope.