Turning up the heat

Well we've finally got the heat of summer upon us, just in time for the solstice and the end of school for the kids in the area. Although it was hot this week, it was a relief to wear a swimsuit instead of sweats to work.

Monday: A wall's responsibility
In the closet where the guards keep their things there is a large sign that reads, "not responsible for personal property." I look at it and wonder, who is not responsible for personal property? The golf club? The management? The wall? Sometimes having a subject in your sentence can make a huge difference!

Tuesday: Gift wrapped and only 185 days until Christmas
Near the train station in Harlem sits this very festive wall. It is all ready for the holidays. Too bad we're 6 months away from exchanging "Merry Christmases" and "Season's Greetings" with one another. Oh well, I guess it is better to be early than to be late.

Wednesday: Hello, Mrs. Dalloway
After finishing the very masculine literature of Jack Kerouac, I've moved on to the notably feminist writing of Virginia Woolf. In my opinion, her beautiful metaphors and imagery are some of the best in anglophone literature. Beware though, she is famous for long sentences. It is not unusual for her sentences to extend through the full length of a page.

Thursday: Battle wounds (tan lines) of a lifeguard
One of the benefits of being a lifeguard and out in the sun for 40 hours a week is that you gain a nice tan. One of the drawbacks is you'll also get some pretty funky tan lines as per my flip flop tan here. After 10 years working at pools, I have come to accept this as an occupational hazard.

Friday: Mister Softee
Mister Softee is a nearly ubiquitous sign of summer here in New York. The Mister Softee ice cream truck offers soft serve cones with sprinkles or dipped in chocolate, sundaes, and milkshakes to hot New York residents and visitors. Summer just wouldn't be the same without the Mister Frostee jingle resounding through the streets as the vender trucks around looking for customers.

Saturday: Central campus
Columbia's central campus is one of the most beautiful campuses I've seen (besides University of Delaware's of course). The design is unique for New York city, with its large courtyard and green spaces. When you enter campus you feel like you're worlds away from the noisy surrounding streets of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

Sunday: Pasta dinner
Rich and I decided to experiment with making our pasta sauce from scratch tonight. It was quite a delicious experiment! We have lots of leftovers and I can't wait to eat them up for dinners this week.







Well it is time for me to prepare for another week in the sun. Have a great first (official) week of summer! -K