So, I found myself a computer here in Edgerton, Minnesota, where a brand new library has been built and waits to be explored. It's in a lovely stone building that still smells like paint, and it's like the kind of library that you would see in a movie about a small Midwestern town. Or maybe a librarians' magazine featuring a small-town library. (Are there librarians' magazines? Hmm...) There's a huge kids space, a a bookshelf that looks like a ladybug, a giant magnetic poetry section of the wall, and an actual fireplace with easy chairs and a coffee table clustered around it. (Maybe the Midwest isn't so bad after all, she thought to herself...) I browsed around for a little while (because even when you're coming to a library for the Internet, you should still pay your respects to the books) and here I am.

So I spent the last few days in Chicago with my friend Kandice--my first time to Chicago if you don't count brief airport layovers. We had a dress-up night and saw Wicked at the theater downtown, and it was as wonderful as I had imagined. I pretty much wanted to go back the next night and see it again, but sadly, that idea was vetoed. It was Sophie's first experience of anything Wicked-ish, so Kandice and I relished introducing her to the world of Elphaba and Galinda-with-a-Guh. We also had a glorious dinner out at Atwood Cafe, and as usual, I learned a new rule of etiquette from Kandice, who is the student of Miss Manners herself. Apparently, when you want to signal to the server that you are finished with your plate, you place your fork and knife upside-down at the four-twenty position on your plate. Who knew? (Well, doubtless some of you did and are shaking your heads at my lack of culture, to have nearly reached the age of twenty-five without learning such things, but what can I say? I have now been enlightened and will henceforward always communicate correctly by way of silverware.)

So that was Saturday night. On Sunday, we took a boat tour down (and up and down and up) the river and saw all kind of architecture and learned all about it. I don't know how much of what the guide said will stick (hopefully not his wretched jokes--I want those out of my head as soon as may be), but I do believe that I will be able to recognize Art Deco architecture now in any major city where I happen to find myself. Whew.

On Monday we went shopping, and I indulged myself in a spree at H&M, a store which cannot be found anywhere nearer my home than L.A., but which I love and want to pitch a tent and live in. I have to say, though, that even though I was at the glorious H&M, I could hardly find anything I liked. Is it just me, or are styles right now absolutely hideous? It's like prom night at Auschwitz. Everything shapeless and itchy. Perhaps instead of pitching my tent, I could just wear it for the same effect. I went to the H&M in NY a year ago, and even though we only had like 45 minutes, I think I found twice as much to buy. In any case, I did get a few things, and it was a fun trip. Oh, and we also went to a Greek restaurant that day too and had a Greek waiter, accent and all. He told us to sit anywhere we wanted, then treated us rudely the entire time because we sat on the balcony and he had to run up and down the stairs. Food was good though. Plus, Sophie and I are pretty sure we saw him grab the female server in a place not generally touched by one's co-workers, which furnished merry conversation for the duration of the meal.

And finally, I spent my birthday yesterday driving from Chicago to Edgerton and having dinner with my aunts and uncles and grandparents and one of my cousins. The atmosphere of my trip changed quite perceptibly (if not literally) in that one day. From big-city bustle, rich food, constant entertainment, and late hours, I've come to small-town peacefulness, home-cooked meals, and early-to-bed-early-to-rise folks.

I'm quite glad for all the variety of this trip--it's keeping me from getting bored or eager to be home. In fact, I had a dream the other night that Sophie and I had somehow swung back through Oregon on our way to Wyoming (geography has no place in my dreams) to find that school had already started and I had missed the first week of it! I was faced with a classroom so messy that it completely paralyzed me and no conceivable way of finishing my vacation. I remember trying to figure out a way to fit the rest of it in, but I had already missed so much that I couldn't use any vacation days. I was going to have to take the weekend to drive Sophie back to her car in Wyoming and that would be it. My summer was over. Whew, it was a relief to wake up after that one, let me tell you. Yes, I still have a few weeks at least before school arrives. Clearly, though, my subconscious feels the inexorable march of time.

The weather for this trip has been interesting, to say the least. I was plagued by thunderstorms all the way across the West. Now I like thunderstorms in general, but not when I'm trying to make time driving, and not when--as I was last Thursday night--I'm sharing a tiny one-person tent that is not built to withstand hours of heavy rain. (I spent the second half of that night trying to contort myself into a comfortable position in the backseat of the minivan.) But the storms seem to have moved on, so I'm anticipating lovely weather from here on out. After a few days here in MN, I'll be moving back down to Wyoming again, to stay with Sophie's sister at a dude ranch where she works, and then northward up the state to a fly-fishing lodge for awhile (where, I sincerely hope, I will not be expected to do any actual fly-fishing!).

Wow, I've actually gotten through an entire post without mentioning Harry Potter, can you believe it? Oh, uh, oops. Just kidding. Well, I will wait to discuss thoughts, feelings, loves, and hates for a little while longer. I'm rereading it at the moment because my opinions of the book need a little more time to settle. Also, I'm trying to shield you from (any more of) my fangirl giddiness. However, I will say that I love how Rowling is now coming out with all kinds of information in interviews that she left out of the epilogue (like, for example, certain people's careers after Hogwarts). And it's fun to bask in the correctness of a few of my predictions. So more on that later.

Labels: HP, summer

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