June is already over?

I can't believe it's already July!

I have a 4.5 day weekend, and I must confess, I'm liking this. I can see the nightly "Taste of MN" fireworks in downtown St. Paul from my apartment windows (no mosquitoes!). Plenty of grilling, sunshine and friends. I'd say "family", too, but just yesterday, I sent my parents off to Alaska for two months. They are off on their dream vacation, celebrating retirement and uh, wildlife, or something. I hope they have a great time, and I pray that they are safe for these two months of travelling.

My goal this summer is to sit on as many patios and decks as possible. At restaurants, particularly. So far, so good. We've been having nice weather, and there are a lot of restaurants in St. Paul and Minneapolis from which to choose, so I think this is a fairly attainable goal.

I've also decided to take up a new sport this summer, as has become my tradition. Three summers makes a tradition, right? Two years ago, golf. 2005, tennis. This summer, rowing. Indeed: I said rowing. I have joined a crew team, and we begin at the end of this month. Now, my hope is that finally I will take up a new sport, be really good at it, and keep it up more than one year so I don't just dump things in my trunk and never use them again (such as a tennis racquet. I don't really carry around golf clubs in my car, but that might be a good idea...the clanking of clubs every time I brake my car might be a reminder to use them more often). And then that might be the end of this "tradition" of taking up something new every year because I'd actually be busy doing the things I've already "learned" to do. Maybe. It's kind of fun to try new things. I'll keep you posted on the rowing adventure, and I am already fervently praying that I don't end up in the Mississippi River, 'cause it's rather dirty and gross. Oh, and there's a really big current, and it's fairly cold, but really I just don't want to get dirty and gross (at least not from the river; I'm sure there'll be sweat involved with the rowing part).