Last Day of School

My daugher ended her freshman year at NYU-Tisch on May 9 and has been finding ways to keep herself busy ever since.  She's working at a video production company this summer and writing her next screenplay.  My son is taking his last exam as I'm writing this.  He'll be a high school junior next year.  I envy them that "end of the school year" feeling.  That feeling that at least for the next 3 months your life is on vacation to pursue the things you love, whether that's writing your next movie script or playing X-Box for hours on end and texting your girlfriend 24/7 with no one to tell you you need to go to sleep. 

I, of course, had my turn at my generation's version of all of that, so my envy may be nostalgia too.  Now, mostly my summers look almost identical to the other 3 seasons, though the view from the window is greener and this year I am taking my vacations with "the kids." 

But I did like that feeling of being a pony let free into a very green field of very fresh grass for 3 summer months.

Compromise Is A Wonderful Thing

So, I did it.  Sort of. 

I decided that life is too short to drive around in an SUV all summer.  But instead of getting a new car, which I don’t need, and couldn’t justify, I bought a used Eos.  2008, white (again) with (this time) black interior.  Pre-Bluetooth so my phone doesn’t connect to the sound system for hands-free.  But it’s a convertible, it drives great, is familiar (because I had a similar one, a bit nicer, a 2009 with beige and wood interior) a few years ago.  That’s the car that I had for so short a time period that my daughter doesn’t even remember it.  But anyway, I got a good price (and practiced my negotiation skills) and have been driving everywhere with the top down since Friday night.

Wil will be learning to drive on this and I think it’s a good car for that too.  Good pickup, easy handling.  Small enough to maneuver easily.  Now if his dad will just get the paperwork from the insurance company documenting that Wil’s insured, we can get out there and drive. 

In the meantime, I’m having a blast.