Summer lament

Tonight New York is covered in fall. I can't exactly describe it, but after the rainstorm around 5 PM, the place cooled off dramatically and it is actually what one might describe as "chilly" after all those nights of 75-80 degrees plus high humidity, where you stick to your bedsheets and can't bear to have skin touching skin anywhere on your body. There will be no fear of that tonight. I love sleeping on nights like these, when there is a legitimate need for both a sheet and a light blanket, when your nose is slightly cold and you have to snuggle up to your (egg) pillow for a little warmth. The remainder of the weekend will be in the low 70s, which is closer to late September than late August.

I feel the summer ending in other ways as well, mainly because my social calendar has suddenly cleared. Summer is all about being out, particularly in the city. There's nothing keeping you indoors or at home, as you can run about the city without a coat or even real shoes to hassle you. New York in summer is always a little bit wild, and that's the best way for me to describe the last six weeks, if not the entire thing: out until 5 AM on weeknights, drinking at least one alcoholic drink five out of seven days a week (if not more often!), runs in nasty humidity in Central Park, the beach, picnics, laughing until my cheeks hurt, dancing all night, my new jean miniskirt, sweat rolling down my back while reading on a bench in Union Square, riding the Cyclone at Coney Island, spontaneity, summer flicks, visitors crashing on the couch, my birthday.

Now though, things at work have ramped up to intolerable levels (left the office tonight, yes Friday night, at 8:30 PM and have to work over the weekend in prep for the software launch on Monday) and while my boss still strolls in at 10:30 AM every day, I don't feel like I should follow suit due to an all night bender, the last of which was Monday. There has also been a massive shift in my people. Some have left the city permanently, others are off on vacation, others will return as fall really takes over, others perhaps next year. Their absences are keenly felt. The upcoming classes at Teachers College looming ominously in front of me inspire only dread, as I see them prepare to dominate my life for the next two and a half years. While some of these factors are already in play, others won't be for another couple of weeks. I'm sure that summer will come back to pay another visit on New York before surrendering to fall for good. I'll be ready when she comes for one last drawn-out hurrah.

Favorite summer moments