It is officially September! (And happy Labor Day to all my fellow Merkans!) Well, the calendar says so, anyway. The weather says it’s still summer. It’s all sultry-muggy with those late-summer thunderstorms that come out of NOWHERE and BAM you’re soaked. Thanks, summer! Where are my crunchy leaves? Where are my cool evenings? I know. I am impatient. It’s an issue.
BUT! No matter! I refuse to let you get me down, weather of disgustingness! Because it is SEPTEMBER! Which means FALL IS HERE, DAMMIT! Also, it means I have SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO!
Somehow, the next six weeks have come together into the busiest, yet most exciting, weeks ever. EVER. I have more things coming up in the next six weeks than I’ve had the whole year, and they are all awesome, and I am SO EXCITED.
We’re going to save the biggest, most exciting thing that’s coming up next month for a later date once it’s official, and once those chickens are ready to be counted, because I don’t want to geek out over something that’s still in the end-stages of planning. It would be too depressing if it fell through. So once that’s official, expect MUCH REJOICING. And general rah-rah geeking out.
So…what’s coming up, Amy?
I WILL TELL YOU!
Andreas-face-talking! Andreas and I try to face-talk with a Google Hangout thingy on a regular basis. Like, at one point, we both got crazy busy? And almost two months passed? And the next time I talked to him, his son had a whole head of hair! THIS IS MADNESS! That much time can’t pass again. I need to see Andreas’ face regularly. Andreas keeps me grounded. He’s like my constant from Lost, I think. So there’s totally an Andreas’-face-talking scheduled in this month. This makes my brain settled, because I have a crazy-busy schedule coming up, and I like knowing I have Andreas scheduled in there. Being all constanty.
Laura-visiting! Very, very soon, Laura will be here to spend the weekend! Think of all the fun we had when I visited for just a few hours and multiply that times DAYS! We have grand plans; we are going to hit up the best thrift stores in the Capital District, we’re going to a play I’ve been looking very much forward to for some time (and it’s directed by, and stars, some of the best talent in the area – I can’t think of a better way to welcome Laura to town!) and we will have delicious foodstuffs. I need to get cleaning, because this place needs a good scrubbing. And I need to get planning, because Laura’s never been here before, so I really want to showcase our wonderful area so she falls crazy in love with it. (I want everyone to fall in love with it here and wherever they go, tell people, “Albany and the surrounding areas, they are wonderful! What do you MEAN you heard it was gritty and industrial and depressing. NO NO CHARLIE. Apparently you didn’t have the best tour guide ever!”)
Chris-and-Kat dinnering! Later in the month, Chris and Kat are visiting! In case you are all “who? what? what the hell?” Chris and Kat are Chris F. Holm, who is one of my favorite authors (and a downright awesome human) and his wife Kat, who I sincerely just enjoy the hell out of and is so kickass and awesome and funny and intelligent. There is a conference here, and Chris and Kat are attending…and we are meeting up! We are totally having food at one of my favorite restaurants! I am most excited, and hoping my excitement won’t translate into me spilling food all over my top or saying something idiotic or get tongue-tied that I am HAVING DINNER WITH ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS YOU GUYS. (SIDE NOTE: when I told Dad this was happening, he was all, “What? They want to have dinner with you? That’s cool. Wait, are they killers?” and I said, “No. I’m quite sure they’re not killers.” And Dad said, “You don’t know. Probably this is what killers do. I bet this guy and his wife are BOTH female truck drivers” and I said “DAD. They are not FEMALE TRUCK DRIVERS. They are VERY NICE PEOPLE. They live in MAINE” and he said “Just because ONE AUTHOR you like lives in Maine doesn’t mean ALL authors that live in Maine are good, and besides, that author you like in Maine is a HORRORWRITER.” Dad doesn’t approve of horror. Also, one time Stephen King said something against Fox News, and therefore – DEAD TO DAD. So, Chris and Kat, I sure hope when you show up you are not female truck drivers. I hate when Dad’s right.)
Cousin S. visiting! This one’s got me over the moon. OVER THE MOON! So when I was a kid/teen Amy, one of my closest friends in all the land was my cousin S. Cousin S. is most honestly one of my favorite humans in the whole world. And she HAS been, since I was a wee Amy, all ponytails and big old glasses and nose buried in a book. We had so much fun together. We laughed until we cried. We GOT each other. We had inside jokes and secrets and she got me through some really tough times and even better, she was my family. How often is someone you love this much actually related to you?

This is cousin S. in high school. I stole this from her Facebook page. DO NOT KILL ME, COUSIN S.! I love you more than ALL THE THINGS. Also, look how beautiful she was. She totally still is, yo.
Then life happened, and we moved away from one another, and went to different colleges, and there was marrying and child-having and job-getting and moving far and moving closer and all the things that happen while life is happening and you keep getting all these gray hairs, and then you turn around and you’re almost 40 and you haven’t seen your most beloved cousin in over ten years and you keep in touch with Facebook, but it’s still quite sad that you’re so far from those two girls giggling into the wee hours of the night over Princess Bride jokes and cute boys. Those girls would be SO ANGRY that you allowed life to get in the way of your relationship. Well! After us hinting at it and dancing around it and thinking about it for years, we are totally doing this thing, yo. Cousin S. is coming to visit this month for a WHOLE WEEKEND. I haven’t even decided what we will do yet. She said she hates it here so I have to win her over. Well, if there’s anyone that can win someone over to the joys of the Capital District, I think it might be me. I’m up to the task. We will eat food and talk and talk and talk and have adventures and then talk more and Dad was all, “Oh, no. You girls. That’s going to be trouble, is what that is. SO MUCH TROUBLE” but he was just kidding. He couldn’t be more pleased. I am so excited to see cousin S. SO EXCITED. (I don’t think we’ll get in trouble. Probably.)

This is cousin S. NOW. Guess what she does, along with being awesome? RACES IN TRIATHALONS. No, I’m totally not even kidding. She’s one of the most kickass people I’ve ever known, most sincerely.
Mom and Dad visiting! Mom and Dad are coming for a weekend soon to pre-celebrate my birthday. We will have food and go shopping and marvel over the fact that I’m like the oldest. Then Mom will leave for Rome! Which she is very excited about!
BIRTHDAYING! YES! It is almost time (again? yes) for my birthday. Which of course means ALL THE CELEBRATION! OK, fine, it means I’m going to work all day then come home and probably blog…but still! BIRTHDAY!
Play-seeing! THREE plays this month. All of them with some of my favorite people. I get three fancy theatery lady-dates this month! On top of all the other awesomeness! I know, it’s almost too much. TOO! MUCH!
I’ve not yet decided if this is all TOO MUCH or if it’s JUST RIGHT. I’m going to go with it’ll be fine, as it’s all things I want to do. (Oh, also I have to work, of course. And do things like grocery-shop and laundry and clean and give Dumbcat snuggles and bring the car in for an oil change, which is totally not a euphemism, and get a haircut, and, like, LIFE-things. Those don’t stop. Well, maybe if you’re dead. I’m not dead, I don’t think. Am I?)
SO MANY ADVENTURES, you guys. With one big one to cap ’em all off that’s going to stay under wraps for the time being. Chickens. Counting. You know. But we’re close. We’re REALLY close.
I’m so excited I’m bouncy. Sometimes I live a really exciting life, right? It’s a little hard to believe. It’ll all be something to look back on when we’re mired in the wilds of the winter and don’t want to leave the house, I’d imagine. YAY FOR ENJOYING THE HELL OUT OF THE AUTUMN!
Happy week, everyone! Plan something spectacular for your fall. Fall deserves it. It’s really the best season. No, seriously, it totally is.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:56 am
Made me think about my own fall-planning. It really is the best season. :)
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:18 pm
It really is! I hope you have all the adventures!
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September 2nd, 2013 at 11:58 am
I am so jealous of your AUTUMN-HAVING – autumn is my favorite, favorite, favorite season EVER and we don’t have one in Texas. It is the one time of year that I pine for Ohio. I do NOT pine for Ohio in the winter.
I’m also super-jealous of your upcoming adventuring with Chris and Kat – who are, I’m sure, neither female truck drivers nor serial killers. But that sounds like my husband – he thinks that all the internet people are secretly plotting to MURDER me if I’m ever foolish enough to meet them.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:17 pm
I don’t love winter. I like looking at it from windows where I’m safe and warm, but driving in it can bite me. HATE.
I am VERY excited about Chris and Kat! We have plans and an actual day and everything! I am bouncy like Tigger!
I wonder if we actually did some sort of investigation we’d find a very high or very low number of internet-people murders. I’m guessing low, but I guess my dad/your husband MIGHT be right. Maybe.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I am indeed very grounded. Like a ground sloth. Only less extinct.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:06 pm
Hee! You really are. Grounded. But not at all slothy. Well, you’re awesome like sloths, and make me similarly happy. But otherwise, not slothy at all.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 12:14 pm
(Also, I need to add, I very much like talking to you too, Amy. It’s one of my most favourite things.)
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 pm
MINE TOO! Aw, Andreas. You are the best. You are both my American-spelled favorite and my European-spelled favourite.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 12:47 pm
SO MUCH FUN! I am envious. I have a hard time not counting the chickens. See, there’s one…two…three… Curses! Stop me before I get ahead of myself!
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:03 pm
IT’S ALMOST TIME! Those chickens will be ready for counting by…the end of this week? Mid-next week at LATEST. Those chickens are lining up AS WE SPEAK!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 6:35 am
I do love chickens.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Very much looking forward to autumn as well. Summer can suck it.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:03 pm
YES. Stupid summer. So muggy and gross. COME ON AUTUMN!
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September 2nd, 2013 at 1:40 pm
I would like the seasons to go the other way. I’d like spring next, then winter, then autumn. It TOTALLY makes sense.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 10:00 pm
I would like autumn then spring then autumn then spring, in an endless loop. Would that work for everyone? AWESOME, thanks, world!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 1:44 am
Yes! That’d be great!
There are many reasons why not, but for health reasons I’d like to follow the weather or the no weather around. I can’t afford to, but I’d be SO WELL. It’s a shame, really, because in terms of sensibility I like mist and rain, and don’t mind the cold, either. But my body likes the sun.
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September 2nd, 2013 at 7:32 pm
You have so much to do! But when are you coming to NC to see ME? ;D
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September 2nd, 2013 at 9:58 pm
Oh, who knows? I seem very footloose and fancy-free lately. You never know! (You guys can ALSO come here and visit ME! Albany! And only about an hour and a half from NYC!)
SO many things to do…but all awesome things! I’m so excited!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 6:42 am
I can’t drive a standard (I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I’m SORRY), so I think you’re safe on the truck-driver front. And Chris isn’t a lady, so you’re good there. Can’t wait to see you, either! YAY! *kermit flail*
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September 3rd, 2013 at 7:46 am
Dad thinks everyone’s a female truck driver. Even men. The whole thing’s VERY CONFUSING.
I can barely drive a standard as well. I drove one once, about 10 years ago, and ground the gears a lot. And rolled backward down hills. It wasn’t my finest hour.
YAY YAY!!!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 7:11 am
ALL THE THINGS.
This is all so exciting.
I’d really like to help you count those chickens, though, so HURRY UP AND TELL US THE SECRET THING. Haha!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 7:45 am
Hee! Chicken counting will HOPEFULLY be by the end of the week, or mid next week at latest. The chickens are lining up! They’re getting ready for counting!
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September 3rd, 2013 at 7:22 am
Sheesh. No pressure or anything. Also, note to self: leave big rig out of sight around the corner. (Er, I mean, we’re super-psyched to meet you too!)
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September 3rd, 2013 at 7:44 am
There will be no room for parking your big rig downtown. There’s barely room for parking a CAR downtown. You should probably leave that at home.
SO EXCITED!!!
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September 4th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Your September sounds like my September. Every weekend is filled. It should be fun but very tiring! :P
I am very excited for you on all of these, but you are very lucky to meet Chris and Kat. :) Yay! Have so much fun.
Also waiting with bated breath on the chicken counting.
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September 5th, 2013 at 10:01 pm
I like that all the plans are in the fall. The fall’s the best time for plans! Not too hot…good time for traveling…I’m in the best mood…all yay!
Chicken counting is getting clooooooser!
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