Things I learned on vacation

1. Apparently I have been pigeon toed my whole life and nobody told me- thanks Dad.

2. It is also seemingly far too common for 60-year-old men to date women less than half their age. If one more person thought my Dad and I were a couple I was going to rent the Goodyear blimp to announce this was in fact not the case.

3.  After 28 years of effort and pain- it is abundantly clear, I do not tan.

4. Wild horses are pretty neat, but mini horses are still the cutest.

5.  I will never be on island time. This lifestyle works if I am ever running late, but me waiting for anything, especially a cocktail is not the prettiest site.

6. If anyone recommends you got to a place called the Cash and Carry- I would advise against this plan.  Our mission was wine; this establishment offers a can of Goya Black beans, a slot machine, and the stench of desperation.

7. If you ever need a bug repellent stronger than Deet, bring me. I think an inch of my skin is uneaten, my Dad, unscathed.  I am available for sunsets, jungle tours, and beach combing missions.

8. Keeping that in mind, nature is amazing and inspiring and infinite, but my one true love will always be A/C.

9. All that said, the people of Vieques seem pretty happy. If you haven’t heard from me in a while I may have purchased the shell truck for sale on the side of the road. I may or may not have left my resume with its owner and I am clearly qualified.

Love is all you need.

This Labor Day weekend was one of much introspection. While attending a wedding of dear friends hosted in our College town, there was much nostalgia and reflection. There was also a lot of commentary on the fact that apparently college females no longer wear clothing, but alas mostly the former. We laughed, visited some favorite haunts, and danced to the songs we have for years.

It was one of those crossroads where the past was very present. Through photos, favored stories, and inside jokes we revisited the moments that have forever impacted our lives. The weekend was about love, but to me of course it was also about friendship. Walking down College Ave was a unique moment, for it wasn’t one that was filled with desire to go back in time. It was one where I was grateful for all of the moments I have had and friends I have made, but it reconfirmed my position in the present.  Thankfully this position is one with many of those that I was with back in College by my side.

Additionally, I am grateful to greet fall: my favorite season. Fall is the time when NYC begins to smell less like sewage and more like air. It is when said air is filled with possibility, perhaps because it becomes dry enough to actually perform daily tasks without profuse sweating. And where I can once again pretend I will go apple picking. One thing that wasn’t left behind once my schooling ended is the school year calendar.  I am happy to take with me the things from the past I favor most and say goodbye to summer.  Cheers to love and cheers to friendship. And here is to a school year that outperforms the last.