Given that classes resume on Monday and this weekend I’ll be in a bike-riding hell of my own creation, I needed to do something special yesterday to say goodbye to this, my last summer of “freedom.” So Aud, who I bullied into taking a vacation day for the sake of entertaining me, took me sailing. The weather was absolutely perfect for a sail, and it may just have been the best day I’ve ever had on the lake. Afterwards, we dined on sandwiches and corn chowder before grabbing a taxi on W6th and heading to the Amphitheater for the Modest Mouse show.

The show was incredible (if rather short). I realized, yet again, just how small Cleveland is (and how long I’ve lived here) because I kept running into friends and acquaintances in the crowd. Aud and I managed to get a bit tipsy on $6 beers and walked back to the Warehouse District, since calling a cab would’ve taken too damn long. We climbed the stairs outside of the new federal courthouse (bee-yoo-tiful), admired the building for a bit, and then headed to the Map Room for the strongest gin & tonic I have ever attempted to choke down. Afterwards, we stumbled through the streets with the beagles leading the way, ended up grabbing falafel (for me) and a gyro (for the omnivore), made pigs of ourselves on the living room floor, and promptly passed out.

And now I’m just…dreading…this weekend. I’m actually wondering what sort of crazy person would think it would be a good idea to ride a bike 75 miles to Cedar Point, go on a bunch of roller coasters, sleep on the floor of a high school gym, and then ride home the next day. Who does that? Who are these people, anyway? Crazy bastards! I imagine I’ll have a story or two when it’s done, if I have the strength left to type about it afterwards. It doesn’t help that there’s a half a dozen things going on here that I am really loathe to miss (like the Feast in Little Italy, gosh darn it…I miss it *every* year). I intend to come home on Sunday night and check out the Warehouse District Festival… I don’t know if this is the first such event or not, but I’m looking forward to having something like this going on right outside of my home. Pretty cool, that is.

Next weekend will be the Last Hurrah, Part II (though I don’t know if it counts as I’ll be in school already) consisting of an 8-hour sail to Put-In-Bay and Kelly’s Island (I’ve never been to either island), with about 6 of my friends (including the boy) for, what I imagine will be, utter chaos. We’ll be sleeping on the boat, so if it rains, well…we’ll be damp, because I can’t imagine that we’ll all comfortably fit below deck. Hopefully the long sail will help me learn my way around the boat a bit better. I think Aud is getting tired of asking me to get something, receiving a blank look, and having to use words like, “the thingie with the black plastic handle in the blue thingie above the sink on the right hand side” or “THE BLUE ROPE! THE BLUE ROPE! I SAID PULL THE BLUE ROPE!” I have a very bad sailing vocabulary. Halliard? Starboard? Huh…?

Back to the answering of interrogatories. I’m looking forward to a shameless pasta-fest at my favorite little Italian restaurant located in [I’m-not-telling-because-if-I-do-you’ll-all-go-there-and-I’ll-never-be-able-to-get-a-table-again]. It’s great knowing that I finally have a 75-mile excuse to eat cavatelli and gelato.