The Days Are Just Packed

All apologies to Bill Watterson for stealing his title. Summer is upon us, and what more proof need I put forth than the shiny new boat and store schedules which provide us with services seven days a week? And in only nine of those full-service weeks, I will be done with the Fellowship (ready or not).

School got out on Friday, and the last week was an event-intense one for the community: Wednesday we had a graduation ceremony for our lone 8th grader; Thursday was the school's spring concert; Friday was the end-of-school picnic (and report cards), and there was a contra dance in the evening; Saturday was a big double-elimination volleyball tournament, where six teams competed for the Stanley Buoy.

I am still aiming to stay on the island. Tomorrow I have a job interview at Deer Isle-Stonington High School for a part-time position. It was to be full-time, but some of the duties ended up being parceled out to a recently hired English teacher to make his/her job full-time. The down side is obviously a decrease in salary and the unlikelihood of benefits. The up side is potentially increased flexibility in hours (making my commuting easier to pitch), and perhaps the time to work on writing my thesis and taking classes to finally get certified to teach. Maybe even just write for the love of writing..?

As to housing, the Institute is fine with me staying on in my current housing situation and living with the new fellow. The owner of the house basically sees me as an important fixture here, like the kitchen counter, or hot water heater. As he sees it, he gives me a house to live in, and I make it a home for him. Which is pretty much how it works. He's been on-island now since Thursday night, and we operate under the system that he buys the groceries and I make the meals. Being an independent type who tends to forget to feed herself, this whole "must have dinner made" thing is mildly stressful, but it also gives me a compelling reason to drop my worries and spend quality time in the kitchen. In good news, he more or less remembered that he is not allowed to be in the kitchen while I am cooking, or else I get cranky. I may have to remind him once in a while at knife point, but for all intents and purposes, he is containing his extroversion. Tonight I am choosing to ignore the implications of his comments about the Swedes and how great it is they don't consider age difference when it comes to attraction, and how he thinks getting me drunk on Kentucky moonshine would be a great project.

In light of all that I need to do to wrap up the Fellowship, the added challenges the Institute throws at us that was never in the original job description, and the added responsibilities that I have taken on far outside the scope of the Fellowship... I might already be looking forward to the fall. I will, however, say that I had the opportunity to take two wondrous walks Friday night- one at about ten, when the world was alight with stars and fireflies, and one at two in the morning, when a fog bank was just settling in to rouse the ghosts and obscure the moon. I will get things done, and I will deal with the parade of builders, daughters, dogs, and the home owner as they buzz in and out of this house in the style of French farce (it has 5 exterior doors, after all). I will also find a way to steal some summer for myself.

My first swim of the season (May 31st) will not have been my last.