Bunichiwa

We have been back home from Japan for a week already. Time has flown by and I'm worried it's going to continue to do so for the rest of the summer. Things need to slow the heck down so that I can be leisurely and lazy for as long as possible before the semester starts up.

Speaking of leisurely and lazy, Loo Loo Bean is taken with her new friend.

Although she's an antisocial little bully towards us - you know, the ones who feed her and care for her and give her copious amounts of love and bunny kisses - she takes her friends seriously. She grooms them and then they all watch TV together. G, in his role of IT support, is a genius and figured out how to set up our Netflix account on the the TV, so we've all been binge watching The Americans.

What else? I've done absolutely nothing to prepare for teaching Comp II in the fall. I've done some research but not much writing on that article I'm trying to publish, which is due very soon and I'm in complete denial about. There is still the occasional email from a student who is beyond shocked about his or her grade (#growup, #welcometocollege, #gradesarenotamystery #DID YOU LISTEN TO ME AT ALL DURING THE FIFTEEN WEEKS WE HAD CLASS TOGETHER?!).

But!

I developed my Virginia Woolf independent study syllabus and my prof approved it! So that is, theoretically, yet another thing I need to get moving on this summer. The amount of reading is no joke and it turns out I'll only have myself to blame if things go south.

And!

I've read a lot of books and need to fill you guys in. Books Books Books coming soon.

I went on a 10-mile hike yesterday that made me question my ability to make good decisions.

It was hello Colorado beautiful but it was 10 miles. Oh, did I already say that? About it being TEN MILES? I should have thought more about the fact that traipsing 10 miles through the mountains, with no oxygen, is a wee bit different than traipsing 5 or so miles through Tokyo while stopping to buy souvenirs and shaved ice.

G and I have started up our summer bike riding and - while I can't really bear to think about this right now since my body is screaming at me from yesterday's trauma - are planning out an eventful summer of hiking in the Rocky Mountains. We have initiated a weekly date lunch, where I meet him at his work and we catch up over G-friendly foods. Various gaggles of his cousins are about to descend upon our house so I need to start setting up the guest room (read: Lucy's side room) as a dorm, and buy All The Oreos and Cheetos.

What else? I have transformed the front yard and it now looks like functioning humans live here. I'm trying to add a bunch of color with the flowers, and it's working!

See the forest growing behind that fence? That's our backyard. Which I need to tackle. Which I'm currently ignoring.

Look at these lil beauties!

I made dark chocolate caramel sea salt brownies from scratch for a get together earlier this week. I may or may not be everyone's favorite person now.

And that, my friends, just about covers it. G is nerding out today with his friends and I'm gonna hit up the annual Garage Sale at REI to see if there's anything I can't live without. Then? More research for my paper and most likely a ton of procrastinating with this one.

Happy Saturday!