Chapter 83.4: A Few Moments Alone

The classical music has soothed the savage babies. The wife is out for an hour or so. And the coffee still tastes good. I will try to keep from wasting too much time from the one day when I can accomplish something on my own.

Later, in between diapers and bottles, I'll mow the lawn, which has grown once again to jungle lengths. Till then, however, I'll enjoy the skirl of the cicadas and crickets from my air conditioned home — pushing back the annoying question of how I'll pay for such amenities — and see what else I can accomplish in the time allotted.

How's your day?

Chapter 83.3: Summer in the City

The streets of New York City stink of garbage this morning. Scents of fish and piss and withering whatchamacallit grab onto the sticky humid air and embed themselves deep into people's nostrils. The occasional open door at this hour already has the air conditioner blasting out onto the sidewalk — an all too brief respite as I continue walking groggily to work.

I slept well on the train this morning as a pretty woman in a sundress read her Jodi Picoult beside me. Dreams of babies crying and parents consoling them. Diaper and feed.

I need my coffee. I need to sit for a minute or two. I need to clear the air. Welcome back, summer.

Chapter 77.1: Summertime, and the Living Is ...

We are closing in on the summer solstice. Last one to Stonehenge is a smelly druid!

I was a little surprised to discover that the moment of solstice -- that is, the exact minute at which the earth's axis is most oriented toward the sun (yet, ironically, the earth is farther away from the sun than it is during our winter, at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere) -- is at 11:59 GMT tonight. Seems like an odd time for it to occur, but I'm no solar scientist.

These days, summer isn't nearly as much fun as when I was a kid. Sure, the beers that I drink are legal, but that's not as much fun as when I was 17. And I haven't worked as a camp counselor for a loooong time now, so working outside with a couple built-in trips to a beach that I don't have to pay for is a thing of the past.

But it's still summer time, the best season of the year. Enjoy, everyone! And crack open a cold one for me.

Chapter 76.7: National "Take A Hike" Day

You may not have known it, but today is National Trails Day -- or as I like to call it: National 'Take a Hike' Day. While I'm sure the purpose of this day is to encourage people to walk through some of the many beautiful areas of our country -- mountain trails, forested areas, shorelines -- but I like the idea of telling people to take a hike.

The possibilities for corporate tie-ins are incredible. For example, Timberland might love this: "I can tell your wife's a hiker by that Timberland treadmark on your ass... Timberland: Take a hike!"

Ok, probably not what they have in mind.

Of course, today, the last thing I wanted to do was walk around in this oppressive heat; 96 degrees in early June is not my idea of fun. And tomorrow is expected to be worse. I already bought a six pack of cold beer. I'm in for the night, thank you!

So any one who wants me to head to a bar tonight ... Take A Hike!

Chapter 66.2: Closing Out the Summer

The tiki torch fuel is nearly spent. The charcoal bag awaits a few more shakes over the barbecue. And I think I'll probably purchase at least one more six pack of Sam Adams Light, which has become my summer beer of choice. Alas, Labor Day weekend is upon us.

Though the skies above are overcast and small drops have fallen upon the pages of a book I'm reading for an upcoming review, I fear no washout. For the gods of forecasting have peered into the future and predicted a beautiful weekend. I look forward to a couple pleasant jogs, an obligatory mowing of the lawn, and assorted other tasks, but most of all I plan to relax.

Relaxation does not come easily to me. I tend to write lists of things I need to do -- lists that cannot be completed within the span of a long weekend much less a 24-hour day. And my vacations (when I take them) invariably are spent at home tackling honey-dos and working on my novel. Indeed, I intend to do exactly that in late September or early October, depending on when I take my allotted week. By then, it will be fall, and I'll be anticipating the winter. When should I shut off the outside faucets? I'll get to the gutters today. Jeez, do the trees conspire to drop these damn leaves over the span of five weeks?

So rather than worry about the fall and winter, I'm going to enjoy this weekend. Perhaps we'll catch one of the many crappy movies that are out right now (I hate when the popcorn is more memorable than the film!) Or simply enjoy the time off. God knows, we deserve it too!

Chapter 61.2: Memorial Day Weekend

There's something special about Memorial Day weekend. Sure, it's the unofficial start to summer, which is something I'm pleased about. And so far this weekend, the weather has been summery -- almost too hot.

But a conversation on the train coming home yesterday reminded me that it's about a lot more than barbecue, beer, and baseball games. I sat on the bench with a woman I see and nod my head in recognition to most mornings at the train station. We've never had a real conversation before yesterday, however. Turns out that she and her husband are naturalized citizens -- three years as a citizen, but they've been living in the U.S. for about 14 years.

Each year at Memorial Day, they take their family down to Washington, D.C., and do things on the National Mall and go to Arlington National Cemetery. "In all the countries I've lived in," said the woman of Indian descent who speaks with a British accent and married a German, "I've never known another that celebrates the memory of its fallen soldiers."

I didn't realize that. The British have veteran's day, she said (as do we, of course), but that's different.

In light of the ongoing immigration debate, I think it's wonderful to see that type of respect for their adopted home. Personally, I think that we born Americans could learn a lot from those who struggle and sacrifice to get into this country. I'm not going to get into the fairness issue of the recently proposed legislation, and I'm unimpressed by the argument that "those people do the jobs Americans aren't willing to do"; it seems a racist and disgraceful argument to me. And I'm getting away from my point.

While I hadn't even realized that Memorial Day existed until I discovered I had a Monday Little League baseball game as a kid, I've come to take Memorial Day seriously. I make sure the flag is hung on the house, and I contemplate what others have done for America, sacrificing their lives for our continued freedom. I'm no proselytizer, but I appreciate the sacrifice. And I'm happy to see that others appreciate it too.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.