Oriented

I had the day off today, which was thoroughly enjoyable. I don't often have a weekday, or maybe I should just say I don't often have a day, that I get to sleep in a bit and sip on my coffee for a good, long time. It wasn't a purposeless day, though. Andrew had 7th grade orientation today. That, in itself, is a frightening statement. We shouldered our way to his homeroom class amid the throngs of adolescents. My senses were assaulted and I was reminded that middle school stairwells always smell like sweaty armpits. I filled out all sorts of paperwork and set up his lunch account and then...that's it. He's a seventh grader now.
It felt so official. It was a moment of great import. So we went out to lunch. Steak N Shake is always a good idea when you are taking a boy out to lunch. Cheese fries and a heart attack burger with bacon please? Okay. Comin' right up!

This evening, I attended my first photography class. I was a little bit nervous, to be honest. I haven't been in a class for kind of a long time. But by the time I left, I was mostly just excited. I really like my professor - he seems to really love what he's doing and that counts for so much in my book. I can listen to and learn from anyone who genuinely loves what they're talking about. And if it's something I genuinely love, too? Well, that's just icing on the cake. I mean, it's definitely going to be a challenge. This will stretch my creative muscles. This will be all coming from me, you know. It's not like knitting or sewing, where you follow someone else's instructions. Hm. I don't always do that, I guess. But the instructions and the final idea are provided. Here, the final idea will come from me, with a few instructions provided to help me get there. Subtle difference, but a big one to me.
We were let go a little early, since this is the first night. After an intensely hot afternoon, with no rain at all, the evening was dry and almost pleasant. The sun was setting and I decided not to go home. I headed to Starbucks (where else!) and took myself out for some coffee.

My coffee and I pulled out my big notebook and we wrote a little bit. A friend has asked me to contribute an essay to a project she's working on. It's an essay that requires some alone-time for thought and introspection, and alone-time can be a bit hard to come by. So we seized the moment, my coffee and me. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, a pleasant breeze and a big notebook that still has lots of empty pages.

Wake-up Playlist: Gwen Stefani, Keep On Dancin'