I swore I'd never fall into that rut...

Well, so much for keeping this thing updated. But really, I do have good reason. This summer was a summer of introspection. It was my second summer without a job. I'd lost my clerical worker job I'd held from 2004-2007, but this summer, I really wanted to make something of it. Last summer, I spent my time around the house, watching Spongebob and Miami Vice, lamenting over my loss of income (however small). The summer of 2009 brought about great change. Graduation day, I walked down the aisle in a secondhand vintage Gianni Versace Couture dress (a mere $21.64 at Thrift Town, courtesy of the half-off color tag sales), knowing I was destined for something great. No more Marin County, no more commuting across the Richmond Bridge, no more 6:30 AM wakeups and 6:45 AM car-engine revvings.

I started my summer by cleaning out my closet. From the mountain of clothes that no longer fit or were my style, I gained a massive amount of trade credit. In my eternal quest to clean, I tried to find the surface of my desk again. This venture was far less successful than any other cleaning project I took on.

I spent time with friends, heading to Santa Cruz and San Francisco. I let loose for the first time in a while, joining in with the almost-near-virgin Long Island Iced tea as we played Little Big Planet and Super Mario Kart. One Saturday evening, the same group of friends asked me if I wanted to meet up in Japan Town for dinner. All of a sudden, I decided that my Target adventure earlier today really didn't tire me out that much. I hopped in my car, praying for light traffic. To my total shock and surprise, I was there long before anyone else. I don't think I've ever made it to San Francisco in that little time. That night, we drank mudslides and played Captain Novolin, quite possibly the only game to ever feature the ugliest diabetic superhero.

I came to a few personal revelations. I felt as if I'd been going through the motions of my relationship for quite some time, but I wanted to sweep it under the rug and pretend it would get better. A few days after we'd initially met, one of my friends asked me "So, why are you still dating that guy?"

I realized I didn't have any answer other than "Because I don't know what else to do." I ended a 3-year relationship with the sobering realization that I should have come clean about it earlier.

I said goodbye to a dear friend of mine last week. This friend got me into photography all the way back in 2003. This friend and I never spoke a word. This friend of mine, he was nailed to a storefront on Delancey Street for many years, his black spectacles calling all to Triangle Optical.