Is it Summer or Fall? I'm Confused.

Its Labor Day weekend and I'm so pleased to have had an extra day off from work. On the news these past few days, they have repeatedly mentioned that this weekend marks the unofficial end to summer. However we still have about another two weeks before the actual end of the season. While we are all in a holding pattern in the wait for fall, I've been feeling as though I've been in this liminal position between seasons since the first of August.

At the beginning of the eighth month, I returned back to work in preparation for a new school year. The perks of summer were over and I was back to making my lunch and setting my alarm every night. This while people in my circle were still sleeping in and on vacation. I traded late nights, swimming and middle of the day visits with friends for new copy machines, GATE results and registrations.

The approach of fall has been evident in stores for awhile with the endless aisles of "Back to School" supplies. It was even present in my backyard with the fallen leaves everywhere needing to be raked and disposed of. Those leaves never stop coming! I've already received a few notes in the mail about Halloween Time at Disneyland. And fall decor has begun to make its way onto store shelves once again.

Meanwhile here in Southern California, it is still hot enough to wear tank tops and flip flops everywhere. On weekends I do my best to maintain my tan (tan for a freckly Irish girl,) that I achieved for my friend's wedding in July. And at night all the windows in the house are open and the fans are put to work.

Now school is back in session. The phones are constantly ringing, the tardy slips are being written and the health office is seldom empty. I already miss the ease of summer. I'm still finishing up my summer reading selection, still listening to the songs that became my soundtrack for the season and still laying on the chaise in the backyard.

While the ease of summer reading and music is still something that I'm trying to hold onto with a firm grasp, I'm slightly anxious for it to actually be autumn. I can't wait to wear a sweater outside and not die from heat exhaustion. I can't wait for the local pumpkin patch to open, to buy a Halloween costume for my dog and to walk down the street and hear the crunch of leaves below my feet. And although most people like to say that we don't have seasons in California, we So. Cal. girls have a terrific way of determining the change of seasons: The Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. When that arrives you know that fall is here and that I'm in autumnal heaven.

Long story short, I haven't decided whether or not it's more summer or fall right now. My entire summer was great: NKOTBSB concert, family fun at the Hollywood Bowl, a good book, and a great friend's wedding. While the relaxation is over and the temperatures are quite unpleasant, I'm eagerly awaiting : picking out pumpkins with friends, snuggly sweaters and the excitement over upcoming holidays.


My Summer Books:
El Dorado by Baroness Orczy (The sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel)
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (I'm about 150 pages from the end but, I love, love, love this book!!!!)

My Summer Soundtrack:
Don't Turn Out the Lights- NKOTBSB
Paris (Oh La La) - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Hot Summer Night- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Pause (Zumba Mix)- Pitbull
Run the World (Girls) - Beyonce
Streetwalker- Michael Jackson
Moves Like Jagger- Maroon 5

I'm your Vitameatavegimin girl

   Lucille Ball turns 100 today. Like a lot of people, I've grown up watching I Love Lucy. It is one of my favorite shows of all time. And so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that the show's star is one of my favorite cultural/ historical figures as well.

Lucy became one of my favorite figures because of her television show. Then she reinforced everything I thought I knew and felt about her with her autobiography. On the show, I saw a woman who despite being a 1950s housewife, was her own person. Lucy was silly, creative and defiant. In real life, Ms. Ball was courageous, a trailblazer, and someone who never gave up. Whether on stage or in real life, these qualities were presented to me in a manner which I whole heartedly responded to. They made me love and appreciate her for more than just the comedy. 

By the time I hit the sixth grade I had seen every episode of I Love Lucy at least a dozen times. Sometime during that school year I discovered Ms. Ball's autobiography on one of my family's frequent Saturday morning trips to the bookstore. My dad bought the book for me and I brought it with me to school for our afternoon reading time. I devoured and mastered as much of the material as my 12 year old brain could absorb. Later, in my junior year of high school I used it as the source for my history book report. What could be better than a book about one of the most famous Americans of all time, who discussed Old Hollywood, unions, the Red Scare and of course one of the most popular television shows of all time? As far as I was concerned it had a wonderful combination of American and cultural history. My teacher disagreed with me and told me I could have made a better book selection. (He clearly never read Love, Lucy.) I got a "B" on that paper. 

Through the years I've continued to love, memorize and learn from the show. My sister and I committed the famous Vitameatavegimin speech to memory. We can decipher which episode is on air after only a few seconds.  I learned my first few words of french, spanish vowel sounds and the difference between the bow and stern of a boat from the series. (I also learned not to exchange my dollars for francs on the streets of Paris. Always use the American Express office instead, so as to avoid the risk of getting arrested for counterfeit!)

So today on her 100th birthday, I want to shout out a big thanks for the lessons, comfort, and many laughs that Lucille Ball has given me. 

My favorite I Love Lucy episodes include:

Pioneer Women

Women from Mars

Lucy dancing with Van Johnson