What I did on my summer vacation by HB

Remember in elementary school when you had to stand up in front of the class and recite everything you did on your summer vacation? (Or if you were "that girl", like me, the ONE thing you did on your summer vacation besides sit in front of the TV eating Spaghetti-O's)

This summer has seemed a bit elementary to me. Given the fact that everything I do makes me turn around in search of a gold star to signify "Job Well Done!"

It has been a busy summer, what with the move into the apartment, the two new men in my life (remember, "crazy cat lady" here) and the addition of AC into my apartment. What a roller coaster. (BTW, went to 3 Home Depot's for this AC and finally found it in the middle of Queens where - and I have never seen this before since living in the New York area - the homes have actual LAWNS! I mean, they have to mow them ... crazy stuff! I was so far out, when I asked for a taxi to take me and my new air conditioner home, the woman had to call HER MOTHER to find out if taxi's run in the area. They do not. Car services do and that is how a black Lincoln Town Car took me and my new AC back to the non lawn care world of Sunnyside)

The cats have made themselves at home. Both are novice plumbers. They are intrigued with all things in the bathroom. Where does their kitty litter matter go when I flush it down the toilet? How does the water come out of the sink when I magically tell it to? And what is down the drain of the bathtub? I swear, it is like having my own crack team CSI Unit in the bathroom every signal morning.

In my non-cat life, I have been walking for the Breast Cancer Walk and in between I got the brilliant idea to run a 10K. Sometimes I wonder just who is in control of my brain. Clearly it is not me. I have not run anything since I ran away from my mugger in LA almost 10 years ago. But am trying hard. I run every morning and walk every weekend and somehow I have lost weight even though I continue to eat everything in site and still love beer.

I also still do not own a TV. Those of you who know me well are tired of hearing of this. You think I am some superior than thou person but really, I have just gotten used to it. I know, weird. I love TV. But since I moved in, there has just not been a reason to buy a TV and now I think, what is the point? It has gone on this long.

So what I really did over my summer vacation is read - a lot. I have read so many books that I have banned myself from buying anymore and now have my very own library card.

Here are some of my favorites:

The Host: Stephenie Meyers
Twist at the End: Steven Saylor
Big Stone Gap: Adriana Trigiani
This Charming Man: Marian Keyes
Breaking Dawn: Stephenie Meyers
Love the One Your With: Emily Griffin
Time and Again
1000 Splendid Suns
Power of Now: Tolle
Certain Girls: Jennifer Weirner
Skinny Bitch
Ten We Came to the End: Joshua Ferris
Wake Up, Sir!: Jonathan Ames
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: Susanna Carke

There are actually more, but you get the idea ...

I have also discovered new and interesting ways to entertain myself. For one, I spy on my neighbors. I call the guy across the way "Single Guy". He likes to cook in a variety of outfits. His boxers and T-Shirt, a suit -with jacket on- in a towel and in jeans and a tank top. This was all very amusing until I discovered "Single Guy" is not one guy. There are two of them. I guess they are related because I cannot tell them a part, even with binoculars.

The other entertainment I subject myself to is trying to understand the little old lady named Ursala who sits out on the park benches in front of the building. She lives here but she looks homeless. If I am sitting on one of the two benches available, no matter what I am doing (like talking on the phone) the woman will sit RIGHT NEXT TO ME and start talking to herself. This cries of a lonely person, I know. I sometimes talk to myself, but not in public and I certainly do not sit down next to someone to hold my own private conversation. Try as I might though, I never understand a word of the conversations we do have - not the ones in her head - and she never remembers me each time we see each other. But then sometimes, I am not sure the cats would remember me on a daily basis if I did not feed them regularly.

And so, that is what I did on my summer vacation ... gold star anyone?