“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with [summer].” – G Santayana

I’m bone tired today. True, our last big summer karaoke night at Solly’s was worth it (it was friend -opera-karaoke-er Em’s last night, plus karaoke organizer Lils’ birthday). We all sang our hearts out for both ladies and one of my oldest friends joined us from his Army base in VA (it’s hard for him to get into the city at all). We still didn’t call it a night until well past my bedtime (even with the late hours I normally keep!) and so this morning was rough getting going. I am going to miss my Army friend and singer Em so much after last night (she’s moving to Boston for grad school this weekend, he’s being stationed thousands of miles away in two weeks). For these reasons, I’m loathe to see summer end.

This summer has – in the big picture – been incredibly good to me. I have met some awesome people (from hill rats to musicians to vagabonds to lawyers) who have become good friends; I have tested the waters to dating (for basically the very first time) to various degrees of success, I have traveled a bit, spread my operatic wings, gotten involved with wonderful fellow professionals via blogging, twitter, and meet-ups, done some great writing, danced a lot, slept too little, been safe, been comfortable, and been well taken care of… These are all good things, and I’m afraid of the change that summer’s end will bring (because even as adults, the end of summer always brings changes – especially in DC with the Hill being repopulated, after all), but at the same time?

I am very ready for fall. I’m ready to relax a bit as the humidity dies down, get into a new fall routine living on my own and all of that (well, with housemates, but this will also be a first for me) and just have some of the heat and tension that seeps into you over summer come off of my shoulders.

I suppose lately I just don’t know where my mind is from moment to the next. It’s weeks like this that I feel Limbo claiming my focus once more, just when I feel like I’d found a path out. This isn’t good, or bad, and in that way I suppose it’s very much like the changing of summer to fall. Coming up: Part II of the latest in late summer music and a review of some of my favorite venues for local acts in town!

So tell me, what will you miss most about the summer of 2009?