It's never too late.

And I mean flushed in the non-bathroom sort of way

Weighing my pockets with stones of longing

Especially when those days are Saturday and Sunday.

They always come crawling back

I drove my dad downtown at 6:30 yesterday morning, and we saw the big fire at Malone's and Joe's and the Chinese place. The firemen were still spraying it, so we got there pretty soon after it was called in.

I worked seven hours straight that afternoon. Then I went out for dinner with Hillary, my favorite person who talks about burping up burritos and it's funny and something I can relate to. Go us! Today I was downtown at 8:30 a.m. I went out for breakfast with Kim and Jocelyn, then went straight to work and was chipper and energetic despite my fever and cranky nose. And even though I desperately needed a shower and felt gross from the 100 degree weather and was wearing semi-already-worn clothes, Jess (coworker) told me her funny male friend who had stopped by the store told her that he thought I was cute! (That's something from somebody who hangs out with Jess.) So as if that weren't enough to make me feel better, it turned into super compliment day! I was walking down Clinton street on my way to the Chamber of Commerce (where the car was parked), and there were two young gentlemen walking the opposite direction. Here's how the conversation went between me and one of the gentlemen, just in the span of time it took to pass one another on the sidewalk:

Gentleman: Excuse me, young lady.

Me: Yes...

Gentleman: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me: I do.

Gentleman: No wonder. Look how beautiful you are.

...And that was it. Can I believe it? No.

And now I'm sick, and my dad hasn't come home from work yet even though he left at 5:30 this morning because there was a high-speed car chase near North Liberty that ended in a shoot out where the Sheriff killed the guy driving the other vehicle and they called my dad into the courthouse on an "emergency" notice. I don't know why it happened, but the shooting was right outside Hillary's Mom's elementary school classroom, and it turns out my mom used to work with the sheriff when he was still doing juvenile social work. And even though I have to work all day labor day, at least I have my first day off tomorrow and I can clean my room.

I'm really looking forward to going back to school.

Love to you all,

Allison

super highs and the down sides of working for the police at 8:37 p.m.