1. Summertime is truly fantastic. I know I’m always getting excited when new seasons roll around, but seriously. Despite the warmer-than-comfortable temperatures, I’m really excited about this season. First, summer always brings about trips. I just got back Sunday from the Grand Assembly session in Columbia with the Rainbow Girls, which went well — it’s always nice to get to catch up with friends I usually only see about once a year anymore. This weekend is a long weekend thanks to Independence Day (hip hip, hooray!), and I have a MULA week coming up in August — the current plan is to take a road trip to Ohio with Abby, to visit some of her family, and maybe a day or two in Chicago if time permits. And then, there are concerts. I’m seeing Pete Yorn / Zee Avi in Atlanta the 17th, Bob Dylan / Willie Nelson / John Mellencamp on the 29th (in Simpsonville? yep), and possibly the free Bele Chere Festival in Asheville the 25th. (The Old 97’s are playing!) It should be a busy month, but I’m excited.
2. Productivity. Referring back to last month’s list of things that really couldn’t wait to get done, Very few of them ACTUALLY got done. I actually made a dent in some of the podcasts, though with few finds worth noting (The Blow being a somewhat short-lived and unexpected exception). Didn’t fry any doughnuts, but I did make some chocolate eclairs, two lame batches of amaretti cookies (the first with almonds I blanched and ground myself; the second with proper almond flour, but to much the same effect), and two experimental batches of spiced molasses cookies. I will learn to make a good cookie if it kills me. I have not taken any photos, gone goodwill shopping, sewn anything of note, or dived in any way, shape, or form into my chocolate cookbook (though I have drooled over the pictures more than once). I have joined the gym, started running again with more dedication, and made a couple of half-hearted attempts at cleaning and organizing things. So all is not lost. I have, of course, added many other things to the list, including:
Finish old paintings and start new art projects
Catch up on films, possibly via NetFlix
Read the Edith Wharton novel I purchased but never opened
3. And now, I will introduce a new feature to SuperAmy.com — an informative, highly-relative “Did You Know” portion of the blog, devoted to keeping you up-to-date on all sorts of things I find interesting. This week, we’re starting with the obvious: Philadelphia. Sure, you’re thinking, “Why do I need to go to Philadelphia?” Well, according to WikiTravel, Philadelphia is the fourth largest urban area in the country. Where else can you go to one city and find the Liberty Bell, cheese steak, AND the biggest municipal park in the country? What about tons of art galleries, a diverse immigrant population, AND the prison which held Al Capone? So here it is: did you know that you can fly to Philadelphia this weekend from Charlotte for only $201.70 after taxes? Fact. US Airways has a special weekend deal running from Charlotte to Philadelphia. So if you still don’t have any holiday plans this weekend, here it is: Philadelphia.
Listening to: Wilco (the album)