A New Kind of Weekend

Now, this is what I call a weekend.

First, I got good news on Friday afternoon: the temp job where I've been working got offered to someone else, which means a) there's an end in sight and b) I'm spared the awkwardness of having to decline a job offer. Phew! Of course, this means continued financial insecurity, but...[*shrug*]. I'm pretty used to that. There is at least one other interview in the works for next week.

Yesterday I attended my niece's high school graduation. Back when I was 19, putting 3,000 miles between me and my family seemed like a really good idea. (It was.) But more recently I started regretting not being around for things like that. It was fun, and I'm very proud of my clever, talented niece. Afterward there was a nice open house and I spent an atypically hot afternoon having chilled white wine and snacks in the backyard with friends and family. Maybe it's just the relative novelty of it, but I had a great time.

This morning I went back for a second visit to a nearby parish; it's actually at the end of the street on which I live, just about a mile away. Today I walked. To get there, you pass a locally protected wetland, a large pond surrounded by marshes and some woodlands. No wonder we have so many birds around. It is a much smaller congregation than I'm used to, but I think it might be a fit. It's progressive and friendly, without being that kind of scary-friendly that so many churches mistake for evangelism. (I'll never forget going to my father's Baptist church once and having a woman exclaim in greeting, "Andrew, I am so pleased to share in Christ Jesus with you!" I had this vision of Jesus standing behind her making a gagging gesture.)

Walking 15 minutes to church, rather than having an hour subway+foot commute each way, is a pleasant improvement. Saves a lot of time, too. Of course, no place is St. Bart's. : (

After church I came home and did some work on the apartment. I finally organized the bedroom closet, though I am in rather desperate need of a dresser. After lunch, I went and spent a couple of hours reading and listening to my iPod by the pool. No, it's not Fire Island. But baby, it ain't Washington Heights.

Now I'm having a cocktail and writing a positively mundane blogpost while the last load of laundry is in the dryer. (Note to self: post-pool cocktails require Malibu.) In a bit I'm going to walk across the street to the market to pick up some pork chops for dinner (ulterior motive: say hi to my checker-crush).

Rocky is asleep on one of the living room window sills, and Starbuck is watching birds from another window. There is not a sound to be heard except birds chirping.

Yup. This is my idea of a weekend.