Tomorrow in the a.m. I am departing to the land of sun (although Chicago has been the land of sun lately, we are awash in perfect weather), ie. California and – in an unusual move for me – I am rather looking forward to the flight.  Paula is my traveling companion and I used the last of my corporate frequent flier miles to upgrade us both to first class.  Yes, Madam would like a complimentary glass of champagne, thank you so much for asking.  The lack of abject terror doesn’t mean I have been xanax free tonight, but I can proudly say that I didn’t feel the need to wash it down with a shot of liquor, so HEY! progress.  (Flying ain’t my thing, if you haven’t already gathered.)

However, I hear there might be a pool and the Magic Kingdom in my near future, and throw that in with loving family and the chance to decorate the new home addition, well hot damn, the winged beast of death might actually be worth boarding.

Tim from Urbana nudged me and helloooo out there….the summer has flown by and two jobs have kept me very busy.  I am only just now looking up and realizing that there is a life full of goodness and excitement out there and wow, now that my project is over I’m gonna go get me some of that.

Fun news first – the Intern Show is done, produced, in the can, dressed up pretty, etc. etc. etc. and it will air this Saturday on 89.5 from 12pm to 2pm.  That means you, Northern Indiana.  Tune on in.

More fun news – I am off to California on Thursday for a vacation.  I hardly know what a vacation is at this point, though I hear you read lots of books and drink margaritas and bask in the sun and go for walks, and so I’m jetting off in first class style (thank you frequent flier miles) to the land of sun and I’ll be back next week.  Catch you later on the down-low, peace out.*

*That’s either hip Hollywood talk, just plain hippie talk, or evidence that I’ve clocked a few too many hours recently catching up on The Wire.  Have you seen this show?  OH MY GOD GO WATCH IT.  I’m on Season Three and what I’m going to do once we’ve seen all five seasons of this thing is beYOND me I have no idea.

This is Isabelle. How did I get through Maine without her?

I’m not sure what slays me more here – the paw delicately covering her face as she sleeps, or the fact that she’s actually tucked herself in.

I had a nice interview over at Chicago Public Radio on Tuesday and yesterday they called to offer me a part time internship position for the next 8 (or so) weeks, executive producing a two hour block of programming that will air on Vocalo/89.5 in mid-August. It will be almost entirely put together with contributions from their intern pool, and contributions from their user-generated upload site. Two hours is a lot – had to take a deep breath there for a bit, but it is going to consist of 6 twenty minute blocks on 6 different topics, which kind of makes the whole thing seem a lot more manageable. Kind of like life does, when you break it down one week at a time. For this I will be paid the grand sum of $0, which is the going intern rate. I am very proud to be making my first foray into the extremely lucrative world of radio. Watch me go!

AND I’m going to do my regular job as well, which basically means that whole lazy summer idea of long walks by the lake? GONE. But it is all for the good.

I’ve also been spending the last several nights catching up with one friend at a time, and I’d love to tell you all about the drunken evening that consisted of cosmopolitans and Katie grabbing her boobs on my back deck, but that would be blowing our sober and sophisticated cover. All I will admit to is that I have drunk more liquor in the last three days than I consumed in all of Maine. IT’S GOOD TO BE HOME.

HOME.  Absolutely thrilled.

Made it as far as Maumee, Ohio – home of the Mac Daddy Antique Mall, which will be visited in the a.m.

Poster in the restaurant across the street from the hotel:

“TOLEDO COUNTRY LIMITS: WHERE GOD GOES COUNTRY.” Featuring a “casual country atmosphere” with “relevant messages.”

Come for the line dancing, stay for the Lord.

Last night 5 cars in the hotel parking lot were broken into.  All of them had GPS units and laptops and iPods stolen.  Considering that my car was visibly packed to the gills with STUFF I’m considering myself kinda lucky.   There is something to be said for choosing to pack your crap in big plastic bins and covering the whole pile with a bag of laundry.  NOT THAT APPEALING.

Mile 600.  500 left.  Comfort Inn in Erie, Pennsylvania.  The room here comes with a whirlpool bath built for two, and I have now whirlpooled myself into a prune, not that this is a hardship.

Sign in the lobby for the restaurant next door: EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS BIKE NIGHT AT THE QUAKER STEAK AND LUBE.

Tomorrow I will stop in Toledo and spend much quality time at the Mac Daddy Mother Ship of antique malls.  Calgon take me away.

Goodbye Maine.  I love you dearly.  The fact that you never really warmed up consistently and insisted on blowing cold wind right up until the end of May is but a pimple on the nose of my adoration, and I am choosing to look beyond it.

I put 370 miles on the car today, and am currently in Utica, where there is a Wendy’s Restaurant and a fire raging about 10 blocks away that has made the air here smell like a giant woodburning stove.

Rather sad, about the Maine, but also rather joyful about the Chicago.

Not joyful about the remaining 830 miles. Send nice thoughts.

(Realized earlier that I never opened up comments on the earlier post about the pieces that I produced.  That was exhaustion and distraction, methinks.  Regardless.  It is fixed.)

I haven’t died, I have simply been very busy giving birth to some radio. It was a long and difficult labor. If you’d like to see the bouncing babies, check out the box widget on the right. There are 3 new pieces there: the Vox Pop that I did early in the term, and my two long story projects -

1. What You Choose to Look At – about the glass artist here in Maine that I was working with

2. The Davey Joe – about a family here in Maine that had a summer cottage on the coast

Home to Chicago at the end of this month. I can’t believe this is almost over. There was LL Bean shopping today, however, and it was good.