The dog days are over

Wearing: a long sleeve shirt and sweater. Temperature : quite cold and wishing I had a large mug of coffee with me at the circulation desk. Conclusion: summer is coming to an end. Yes, the dog days are over and it's time to plunge into fall.

Here at the University of Washington, the leaves are making their swift descent. Before I submerge myself into another academic year, a summer recapitulation is in order.

Books Consumed

1. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
2. This Book is Overdue! : How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All - Marilyn Johnson
3. The Double - Fyodor Dostoevsky
4. How To Read Novels Like a Professor - Thomas Foster
5. Resurrection - Leo Tolstoy
6. Paper Towns - John Green
7. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
8. The Road of Lost Innocence - Somaly Mam
9. When Broken Glass Floats - Chanrithy Him
10. The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver
11. Orlando - Virginia Woolf
12. Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
13. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender
14. The Trial - Franz Kafka
15. Looking For Alaska - John Green
16. She Walks In Beauty - Caroline Kennedy
17. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan
18. Baking Cakes in Kigali - Gaile Parkin
19. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
20. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (Again, yes I know. I'm obsessed.)

I'm currently reading: Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres, Zealous Love by Mike and Danae Yankowski, and Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose.

All in all, I am very pleased with my summer reading. Four Russian novels, some non-fiction, my last Austen novel, and some easy reading. Quite happy.

Places Traveled

• Theo Chocolate Factory in Seattle - Fair Trade Chocolate (scrumptious and guilt free!)
• Wallowa Lake at Joseph, OR - Camping, boating, Hell's Canyon and a tram ride
• Forks, WA and Port Angeles, WA - Day tripping with friends
• Port Townsend - More day-tripping with friends: farmers' market, ferry riding and screaming songs at the top of our lungs
• Nehalem Bay at Manzanita, OR - Camping, Tillamook Cheese Factory, biking, owls and playing in the ocean blue (or gray, as is the Pacific)
• Whidbey Island - Romeo and Juliet (In the Woods)
• The Evergreen State Fair - pig races, baby diaper derby, ferris wheeling, and the mega bunny

Other Random Summer Activities

Number of Doctor Who episodes watched: Approximately 33

Culinary Adventures: See Summer Loving and The Particular Deliciousness of Lemon Cake

Social Activism: Not For Sale Free2Walk and Viva Cacao Calidad! I have really been trying my hardest to only eat Fair Trade Chocolate. Harder than it seems. 

Number of Virgina Woolf/Frida Kahlo brainspasms: a ridiculously large amount. I rewatched Frida, Mrs. Dalloway, The Hours and also watched Orlando for the first time. Also, Florence + The Machine released a song called "What The Water Gave Me." I swear this song was written for me.. it's based on both Frida Kahlo and Virginia Woolf! Currently a favorite. 

Preparation for post-bachelor degree plans: Spoilers...

Number of hours spent on a bus per day: About 3 1/2 to 4 (a thrilling commute)

Organized and cataloged my library through LibraryThing (new favorite website!): Lois's Library II  

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I did work a lot, making this summer a bit different than most. There were a few chances to visit Warm Beach and see some of my camp friends. Quite lovely. I did miss camp this summer. The community mostly, and my friends. But working at the law library was the right choice. Gained work experience and saved money for tuition.

Missing the warm summer weather, but also ready for school to start back up. This is my senior year at the UW (crazy) and I am making goals and planning activities to make it quite fantastic!

The day becomes more solemn and serene
When noon is past—there is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Hymn To Intellectual Beauty"