Technically, according to the calendar, it's still summer. But summer semester officially ended last week-- first with a bang (the research paper that had been giving me panic attacks all summer), and then with a whimper (leftover assignments for Psychopathology, that I had been putting off until after the paper was done). And tomorrow, fall semester officially begins, with exactly one week in between. Seven days, five of which I had to work. Barely passed for a break. Needless to say, I milked the most out of every free minute during that week, reveling in the fact that I wasn't procrastinating some major assignment that would determine my fate for years to come. Because sometimes, that's what it feels like.
It will amuse my readers to know that the seemingly endless supply of Starburst gave way to more and more chocolate as summer school got down to the wire. As Buffy the Vampire Slayer once said, there is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate.
The week before the research paper of doom was due was my best friend's wedding. You don't know multitasking until you've bought fruit and champagne, then spent a couple of hours dissecting academic articles on the hotel's wi-fi riiiiight up until time to put on the bridesmaid's dress. Surprisingly, I kept my game face on the whole time.
Okay, maybe not the whole time. There was one point where I was particularly hungry and carrying a lot of the bride's stress and it took every ounce of restraint I could muster not to yell at a Subway employee who would. not. stop. asking nosy questions. Only time in my life I have ever wanted to utter the sentence, "WOMAN! Shut up and make me a sandwich!"
Then there was the moment after the bride and groom drove away, which... let's just say there were tears. That moment is always a little emotional, at any wedding-- the symbolism of them driving off into their new life gets to me a little. But most of the time, it is just symbolic. This time, the happy couple was driving away for their wedding night, and then would be moving to Rhode Island. Meaning, this time when I watched the couple drive away, it wasn't just symbolic-- I knew I wouldn't be seeing them again for months. And I still don't know just how many months it will be.
I remember lots and lots of stories in children's literature about best friends moving away. Somehow I escaped that particular heartache in childhood-- we all stayed put in my small town. This is the first time I've really been devastated by a friend moving far away. Yes, we were all apart in college-- but college has an end date, and everyone is home over breaks. The thing I am really not liking about adulthood is that everything feels so permanent.
It has made me clingy-- I want to hold on to everyone else who is nearby!
I am lucky enough to have two women in my life that I can easily refer to as "BFF"-- both of whom have known me since middle school, and SOMEHOW still like me. Now that one is married and far away, I am demanding that the other stay close. Unless she takes me with her. And since she is the only one of us not married, I will be bringing a ton of experience and wisdom to the table when she does get married. I brought this point up Saturday night. We are working on establishing a biweekly Saturday ritual-- also a part of my clinginess, which I am determined to use productively.
You know what hasn't been productive? All the hours I've spent in the past two days watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This is my brother's fault. And I am fully aware of how strange that may sound to some. But we don't have to fit your definitions of normal.
