Summer Heat in October

Somehow summer weather made its way back to Washington, D.C. around Wednesday of last week. And the 90-degree temperatures lingered into the weekend. My heart melted a little as I pulled tank tops from the bottom of my dresser drawer.

Friday I was essentially furloughed... so I seized the day! I rode the metro into the middle of the city and had coffee--blissfully alone--at M.E. Swing Co., a coffee shop I've been eager to try. One that has unfortunately restricted its opening to business hours, when I've commuted far from the city. There I sat and read chapter after chapter in my book. I thought about heading home after I had slurped down my final drop. Then decided, rather brilliantly, to do the opposite of what one is probably supposed to do on your unpaid vacation--I walked over to Georgetown for shopping. I hit up Gap, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, and J. Crew. I was on a mission for a properly fitting, work appropriate pair of jeans. This has been ongoing hunt for several years now. I always procrastinate until I no longer need them. I thought Friday would be the day. I ultimately ended up with a well-priced jean jacket and a pair of red shorts. The shorts paid for themselves as I proceeded to wear them all weekend; my normal shorts repertoire wound up at my parents house after my bi-annual clothing switch. (I might have been preemptive in that move.) Once I had all the shopping I could handle, my walk continued to Dunkin Donuts for a lunch of champions--a pumpkin donut, then home.

Following a showered, I headed toward Bethesda, MD to meet Boyfriend at The Barking Dog for a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraiser held by K.S.D., my roommate. There we sipped adult beverages and watched the Atlanta Braves hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Tired, we were in bed promptly at 11:00 pm. When morning came, Boyfriend and I were up early for no reason as is always the case on the weekend. We took advantage of the quiet streets with a morning walk that became more focused on food and less focused on exercise with each step. The first stop was Brooklyn Bagel for egg, onion, and cheese bagels. From there, we headed over to the Court House Farmers' Market.  We struck it BIG. I purchased beets, the most beautiful--vase worthy--rainbow swiss chard, and kale. In the seasonal department, I got a loaf of pumpkin bread and pumpkin yogurt. Then I might have gone back to Dunkin Donuts for another pumpkin donut and been convinced (by Boyfriend) to instead go with 50 munchkins (for the weekend). I clearly have no willpower; it's an issue.

From there, sweaty and hot, we changed clothes for Oktoberfest at The Village at Shirlington in Arlington, VA. This was something new and totally different for me and ended up being an awesome spontaneous date. I truly enjoyed the peak into Boyfriend's world; it was really fun to step aside and bear witness to him in his element--watching his nerd fully bloom. See image, note--the lanyard with an attached glass holder, the paper, and pen. He was clearly prepped for the ample note taking. This being my first beerfest, I had no idea that took place after each pour. Also, he later had me run to the grocery to purchase pretzels for stringing to his lanyard. I'm not sure if he was hungry, trying to impress or embarrass me, or clearing his palate between samples. I do know he received several compliments on the pretzel necklace. Bizarre.

Then I had all these ideas productive indoors ideas, since I could not longer tolerate the outdoor temperature, but those lost out to the superior plan of sitting on the couch watching football--Go Clemson Tigers! Georgia Bulldogs! Michigan Wolverines!--the rest of the afternoon. There might have been a late nap that wound me up until well past midnight.

Sunday morning was an easy one... until convincing Boyfriend we should walk to Buffalo Billiards in DuPont for the Kansas City Chiefs/Tennessee Titans game. He wound up getting more out of the Chiefs game while simultaneously watching the Green Bay Packers/Detriot Lions game than me. H.M.O. and I could not be bothered as we caught up on all things this and that. I left the bar and relished away the rest of the day in the fashion I began the weekend--alone. There were NO roommates. There was NO Boyfriend. I bounced around from the reading on the balcony. To wishing both Tony Romo and the Denver Broncos could lose the same game. To walking around my neighborhood. To writing. To deciding the Braves would lose and ultimately settling in to bed before 9:00 pm. That was a winning decision last night; it will absolutely not fly tonight.

This was the kind of weekend that gave me a chance to catch my breath before another week hits me with high sports drama... and life.