Seasons of life

Signs of summer and a new roommate. Plus: Dyson vs. Shark (guess who wins?)

Early morning walk this week. Can you see the paddle boarder walking along the surf?

Happy Sunday, Midlifers!

Summer is almost here at the Jersey Shore. At least the “unofficial” start to the season, as evidenced by all the activity of my tiny beach town’s DPW crew. On my morning walks I’ve spotted them in their giant tractor things combing the beach (as opposed to pushing the sand around, which seems to be a wintertime activity).

This week, I saw the lifeguard stands lined up near the beach entrances and ready to resume watch closer to the surf.

Sitting at my desk not long ago, I could hear the town’s bulldozers carrying lockers out of some hidden storage location off Main Street to their summertime home near the boardwalk. The little libraries have been reattached to the boardwalk railing. And most importantly, the bathrooms are open again.

Other signs that the change of season has arrived includes the cross-fitters jogging along Main Street. There’s some gym situation off Main Street (in the direction of the secret boro storage situation and equally as mysterious to me) whose membership is really ramped up right now. The other day, they were all streaming up and down the sidewalk carrying kettlebells. Pretty soon, they’ll throw open the doors to the place and amp up the obligatory thumping music.

Morning coffee with a side of Eye of the Tiger.

I remember sitting on the porch early in the morning with my coffee when I first moved in around the Fourth of July, hoping to enjoy the quiet of my new life, and being so angry when Eye of the Tiger and muffled shouting broke through the bird chatter. I was outraged. How dare they.

But now, I just think it’s funny. “Oh,” I think, “those cute little cross fitters working so hard.”

Because I know that it just comes with the season. And in the blink of an eye, the doors will close and only a few cross-fitters will be left to run up and down the sidewalk. I always see them when I walk the dog around the lake separating my town from the next, and I always think, “Thank god that’s not me anymore.”

In other news, I have a new roommate! He arrived one night this week with a small SUV’s-worth of dirty clothes, golf clubs and beauty products. We hauled it all inside and then he immediately asked if we could turn on the Knicks game, despite me just getting into the most recent The Last of Us, and I was like, “I guess?”

Like, is this how things are going down?

Now I’m back to sharing the one bathroom with another person (rough) and trying to locate items in the kitchen after someone else empties the dishwasher (although that is a small price to pay for another person’s help around the house).

In other words: We’re still adjusting. I do find myself telling him all the things I usually say to the dog (“Didn’t it get so windy outside? or “I think I’m going to wash my sheets today.”). But tbh, he’s not really interested. He’s usually looking at his phone and trying to mind his own business.

I also have to remind myself that this new roommate isn’t interested in “doing” things together. He doesn’t want to come food shopping with me to keep me company or hit up Target to see what’s cooking in the dollar section. He’s very nice and all. But it’s just not his vibe.

But who knows? Crazier things have happened.

We all traipsed around the Penn State campus last Saturday so I could get one last look at how all the money I’ve poured into the place has been spent. I was really glad to see the approximately $400K we’ve spent on sending two kids there has resulted in a lot of new buildings and really pretty flowers in planters.

My graduate knew I needed to finally get to the arboretum to check out what I have only seen from afar during busy move-in and football weekends. It was lovely. We strolled down gravel paths and through a grassy meadow and when we hit the garden, my older son and I slowly looked at the different plantings and I stopped to take a picture of a birch tree.

We came upon one of the school’s art museums and I admired its architecture and told him how some of its elements reminded me of the Glenstone outside DC and how much I thought he would enjoy it.

“Speaking of museums,” he said, “there’s one that just reopened in New York.”

I got very excited because I’d just seen a whole segment on the newly-renovated Frick in Manhattan on CBS Sunday Morning (where I’d also first learned about Glenstone).

Then he said: “We should go.”

Ironically/coincidentally, I’d just asked my one friend who I know is into that kind of thing to go with me, but she’d already made plans to go with another friend, and I remember thinking, “Bleh. Now I have no one to go with.”

Isn’t the Universe crazy?

And also, this art-loving, garden-loving son of mine hasn’t always been interested in spending time with me. What a joy to have a grown son who wants to go to a museum with you and look at art and architecture from the Gilded Age. We’ve agreed to go this summer.

I guess these are the seasons of life. Like the lifeguard stands and cross fitters. Signs of where we are and reminders of how fleeting it all is. How we can soften around things that used to rankle. How people and relationships grow and change. I’m learning that the trick is to move with the current of it all. Not to throw down a stake and say, “Here! Here is where I’ll stay.” Instead, it’s best to float. Right through all the good and the bad. There’s always something new, right around the corner.

A video I shared with kids upon my return from graduation weekend to a very engaged second roommate and my favorite show of the week (please look at his face pressed to my knee).

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Hair shark

For Mother’s Day, my daughters gifted me with the Costo-edition of the Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System. Honestly, they bought if for themselves since they could NOT stand my beloved Revlon Brush, which — after about 2 minutes usage — is truly the hottest item on the planet. I had told them how I’d burned myself smoothing out a section of hair that I’d just released from the Revlon brush. This despite also owning a Dyson AirWrap, which the kids bought for my birthday a couple of years ago.

I would like to go on the record after two blow drys (I have not experimented with other attachments) that the Shark is far superior to the Dyson. I came home after getting my hair colored the other night and dried my hair at like 9pm and it looked so smooth after AND my hair did not burn my hand during the hand-smoothing process. I don’t know a lot, but I do know hair drying. It’s good.

Waving the white flag

Guys, sometimes we have to wear shorts. Or something other than long pants when it gets so hot outside. God knows, I have a million dresses, but sometimes shorts are in order (see photo from Beyonce Renaissance tour). May I suggest this style from Madewell, which is apparently selling like hotcakes. I tried them on in the store yesterday and the very chatty and helpful sales gal helped me decide we liked this style better than this one (but tbh I think I bought a version of that one two summers ago and really liked it — see Beyonce concert pic).

Wegman’s: You’ve outdone yourselves.

Darty* power move

Need a showstopper for an upcoming outdoor event and someone’s already beaten you to the Chick fil A nugget platter? If you’re near a Wegman’s, order a tray of custom cookies. That’s what we did for a little graduation weekend gathering in the backyard of my son’s off-campus house (which obviously has a name: The Dog Pound). My daughter and I dug up an old pic of him wearing one of his older sibling’s graduation cap and let me tell you, everyone loved them. Including the graduate. BONUS: they are super delicious.

*Day + party = Darty

Sorry to all my boyfriends

@grandfunkstoreno like let’s talk about it!!!😭😭#callherdaddy #amyschumer #men

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Au revoir

As (many of) you know, I am heading to Europe for my son’s wedding and non-stop sightseeing, so will not be here next weekend. If you want to see how it’s all working out, follow along on Instagram.

As always, I am so grateful for all your support. The subscriptions. Follows. Hearts and comments. It’s fun to be a part of such a kind community. Please, keep hearting and commenting to feed the Substack beast *lol*

I’ll see you in two weeks. xoAmy