Right! So, I haven’t posted in a while. I think when you’re alternately really busy or horrendously bored, you either don’t have time to post or you can’t think of anything to write about. But here are some Quick Takes to catch you up!
My Father’s Day blog: …is on the way! I started writing a piece for all the dads in my life, including and especially my own. But the idea I had didn’t really flesh out the way I wanted, so I scrapped the whole piece on Friday and haven’t finished my new one yet. I promise to send you some Father’s Day love as soon as I finish, Dad! Sorry for the delay!
My left foot: About a week and a half ago I went for a run. (I had not been running for two weeks prior because of the heat. Bad Molly.) I was so happy to be out and at it again, but a few blocks into a three-mile route, I twisted my left ankle. I think it was a pretty mild sprain (I ran another mile on it before it got really painful, which was sort of stupid. I also didn’t even go to the doctor), but it hurt pretty badly. I’m trying to get it back up to full strength, but if last night’s yoga session was any indication the whole foot and leg have been affected. I don’t expect it to slow me down much longer, but it was still a bummer.
Personal space: The same day that I hurt my foot, I went to mass at a parish in downtown Philadelphia. I’d been to the church a few times for Adoration before, but never for mass. There was a young adult service scheduled in the evening, and I decided to check it out. At the end of the service, I was approached by a man, probably in his forties or fifties, who was very inappropriate with me. I won’t get into too many details, but I was definitely touched in a way that no man should ever touch a strange woman. I felt awful about it, and I didn’t even do anything wrong. I did tell one of the priests about it, though, because this guy was clearly hanging out at the young adult mass to get near the young women. I don’t plan to go back to mass there (there are plenty of other churches between my house and that one) because I don’t want to see him again.
Hail, hail, the gang’s all here: Last night was the first time in over two weeks that the entire JVC Camden community ate dinner together! I couldn’t believe how much I had missed Mark and Jenna’s presence in our house and around our table. Just hearing Mark’s voice made me giddy, and seeing Jenna sitting in front of me felt like home. It's sort of like missing your siblings until you all come back home for Christmas break. Dinner lasted two hours because we just hung around and talked. Which means the next two weeks are going to be odd for my housemates, because…
I’m going home in two days!: I fly out for my long-awaited vacation this Thursday night. I will arrive home just in time for Corina and Ed’s wedding, and stay through Tuan and Sara’s wedding, celebrate the Fourth with my loved ones, and then come back home for the final month of my volunteer commitment. If you can believe this, I will arrive in Camden again on July 6th, and then fly home for good exactly one month late on August 6th. That. Is. Crazy. I can’t believe it’s almost over.
Writing: I don’t know if it’s that it's summer, or that I have more free time, or if it's just a creative itch that needs to be scratched, but I’ve been writing a lot more recently. Nothing share-worthy yet, but I’ve been able to scratch out a poem or two and the beginnings of a couple of stories. I’ll need time (and more inspiration) to finish them, but I was really frustrated with myself for a while because of an insane period of writer’s block. Glad that’s sort of over.
Employment: It occurred to me that I haven’t made this information truly public yet, but I got the job at St. Brendan’s! I kept most of the interview process very quiet because I didn’t know if I would get the job, or when I would start if I got it. But now I can freely share that I did get the position, and that I will start on August 9th. It will be sort of a quick turnaround, but I am excited to start a new chapter of my life, get my feet under me, and my life back home going! Who knows what this will bring…
This past weekend: The four out of six of us that were in town last weekend had a really fun time-- we went to the Jersey Shore (I avoided all guidos and anything related to the spoiled brats on the show) on Saturday, where I played in the water for over an hour. Then on Sunday Stephanie, Amber and I checked something off of my Bucket List-- we visited Walt Whitman's grave and read from Leaves of Grass while we were there. Photos to come soon!
