travel itch

I am itching to go somewhere. I want to pack my bags, hang out at the airport for an hour and get on a plane for several more. I always want to travel, but right now, it's worse. This time last year I was preparing to go to Paris for Thanksgiving (which was one of the best Thanksgivings ever), and this summer I've probably done more travel in a four month period than I ever have in that same period.

I had the opportunity to visit two countries for work. Well, one technically for work and the second, Denmark, when my flight was canceled and I had to overnight there. Horrible, right? And then I spent a week in Montana, and time in Dallas and Pittsburgh.

Maybe it's because this time last year I was getting ready for Paris, a trip at least about 10 years in the making. And now, as I think about fall and moving slowly (though it will happen all too quickly) into the holiday season, I find myself thinking of the holiday market on the Champs Élysées, with the hot wine and the Arc de Triomphe at the end there. And the lights too...all those beautiful, twinkling lights.


But at the same time, I also want to visit somewhere new. I'm thinking of traveling to Italy sometime next year, and already have one guidebook on my wishlist. Maybe it's also just to get into the act of planning again, to have that trip to look forward to in the near future. I know that last year, I could not wait to buy tickets to Paris, just so that it would be real. I could plan all I wanted, but until I had those tickets, anything could have happened.

leaving summer...or not

Right after I post about summer winding down, we have a week of 90+ weather. Which when you factor in the humidity, is kind of miserable. If you need proof, well, the Weather Channel ranked DC as number 1 of its worst summers this year. Hmmm...

Number one's number one, right?

And today was definitely a reminder that summer isn't quite over yet. Sure, it may technically be over according to this year's almanac, but no one told summer that. Today I was outside for about 5 hours, and definitely worn out after that. I wasn't doing too much either, mostly standing. In line. But totally worth it. I stood in line for two author signings: Isabel Allende and Orhan Pamuk. I wanted to stand in line for Elizabeth Kostova too, but that would have been another hour and it overlapped with Pamuk's talk. I'd already missed seeing Kostova speak by being in line for Allende, and I wanted to have the chance to hear some author's I really wanted to hear.

Every year I look forward to the book festival. It's inspiring to get a chance to listen to some of my favorite writers, or maybe even those I'd heard of but hadn't read. This year was also the first year I waited to get some books signed. In the past I spent all my time at the tents, which has always been incredible. But...I love my books and there really is something nice to having a book signed by a favorite writer. Preferably at a reading/signing when its just them, but for a heavy-hitter like Allende or Pamuk...I'll wait in the sun.

And as always, when I'm down there...I do get inspired. I look forward to coming home again and sitting in front of my laptop to get back to work on that novel that's giving me trouble or, like I may do tonight, the short story I'm working to polish. And I'll take the heat. Last year I skipped it because of the rain...so I'd rather it be hot and sunny!

leaving summer

Last weekend I spent one day out on the water, and it made me think about how much I'm going to miss summer. Not the high humid days when the air is so thick one can hardly breathe (because how much fun are those days?). I'm going to miss the warm summer evenings, the sun high and bright in the sky, walking home from dinner in the evening with the sun still on the horizon, and that lazy summer feeling when it feels more okay to lounge around outside. And the planning for summer trips (and the taking of summer trips).

Even though I've been out of school for many years, there's still a sense of summer vacation where everything just kind of slows. Okay, so maybe not at work of course, but in the evenings and on the weekends. And this summer was still busy. I made it back to Montana, traveled to a new country for work, made it back to Texas and even up to Pittsburgh. Probably more travel I've done in one summer than ever.

With this last winter that DC suffered through, summer was definitely a long-awaited blessing. And I am looking forward into fall and the leaves changing color. Now that this Texas girl can actually watch the leaves changing! And I'm also looking forward to more writing. With summer, I just want to be outside soaking up that missed-for sun during those cold months. But when I think of fall, I think of sweaters and hot tea, and preparing to settle in for the winter. And that right there is perfect writing weather.

But summer, you will be missed. And I will look forward to seeing you again next year.

tornado in dallas

What?

So I called my sister, one to find out how wet Dallas was and then also just for a general update. I was not quite expecting to hear that she was concerned for a tornado heading up towards North Dallas. From a brief search, there were a few "weak" tornadoes that touched down and it does seem the damage was minimal. But again...WTF?

I always knew that Dallas was kind of on the outskirts of Tornado Alley. Sure, I'd seen the sky turn that hideous shade of yellowish/green that makes your heart drop into your stomach, but it usually faded to a black storm cloud or back into a bright blue sky fairly quickly. And of course there is the monthly siren testing, so those need to be in working order for something, right? And on two occasions, I'd heard the sirens not on testing days (again, talk about a stomach flip). But that was pretty much the extent of it.

Maybe Dallas just wasn't flat enough. I think I'd heard of one time in my twenty years of a tornado touching down, but only briefly. Otherwise...well, we'd just have to worry about Texas sized hail and the sheets of rain that fell from the sky. A good rule: remember to pull over if you can't see outside your window.

Not going to lie...I'm a little amazed at this story. And at the footage and tracing the path of one of them. Streets I know very well (Mockingbird Lane, the tollway). Usually when you do hear of a touch down, it's far outside Dallas, not there in the middle of everything. The CNN guy said it was surreal. Yeah, I'm going to second that, and I wasn't even there.

dvd release

So...I have a small confession. I've been kind of looking forward to the release on Tuesday for The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season. I watched most of season 1 when it was first on, but once I missed a couple I figured I'd wait until it came out on DVD. This was a series I absolutely loved in junior high (wow! that seems so long ago!), back when the only vampire books were pretty much this and Anne Rice. Oh, and Sonja Blue. I remember thinking then that I just wished there were more paranormal choices!

Anyway, I used to think that it would make a really fun movie and so I was kind of excited when the series came out. Maybe a little nostalgia and because I do still enjoy the paranormal stories. The world is serious enough, why not escape into a little fun when it comes to reading?

I'll admit, I was annoyed when I learned the Salvatore brothers came from Civil War era Mystic Falls and not Renaissance Italy, but that only lasted maybe one episode. There is a creative license with adaptations, and I think it works that they were part of the founding of the town. It's an interesting twist.

So I did go to the bookstore after work on Tuesday, but I didn't see it there. But when I got home, I may have gone online and ordered a copy. And I think it's fun that the next books were released, what happens after the original fourth book in the series because I always kind of wondered. I haven't read them yet, but they might be on my wishlist.