Summer’s ending, and every year that kind of feels like the year is dying. This year it’s especially tragic because weather-wise, I had a total of maybe ten summer days. I know some people would love that, but despite my choice of places to settle in, I really love the sun. Since I have an iguana’s ability to produce my own body heat, I really appreciate this brief period where I can wear one layer of clothing and still not shiver. Thanks to my friends deodorant and aloe I don’t mind sweating or moderate sun burn and I don’t really understand why other people do. Okay, I guess the whole skin cancer thing, but I choose to put that out of my mind.

Speaking of friends though, it’s always interesting to come back from an extended leave and see who’s still my friend and who has lost interest. It’s no fun coming to the realization that some people just can’t be bothered to make time for me anymore, but I guess I’m glad I have this kind of clarity. If I haven’t been here all summer and I’m leaving again in three weeks and you’re repeatedly flaking on me and then not even apologizing, you’re not really my friend and you don’t get a Belgian beer I smuggled back with me. You know who you are. But if you’re reading this I’m probably not talking about you. And I have seen my best friends. They work crazy hours and still make time for me, and that’s why I love them.

I’m going to “The City” this weekend to see my favorite cousin and my favorite aunt on Saturday and Katie and I’m hoping some of my other friends on Sunday. All this distracts me from how much I miss Ader and how much it sucks to be forced back into a long distance relationship by things way out of our control like immigration laws. He’s in Morocco now without internet so we can’t even Skype. He’s going to call me briefly on Thursday so I can wish him a happy birthday, but since it’s expensive we probably won’t talk long enough for me to vent about how they charge for water at the Beach Bar or people who ride their bikes in the middle of the road right next to the bike path. He’s missed me too.

In other news, the University of Florida lied to me; they said they would start accepting applications for fall 2012 on August 22, but they pushed it back to September first. And I found out that editing the rough draft of my novel the way I had envisioned costs about a tenth of what I had been told before. Just thought you’d like to know.