At 2am this morning I’d had enough of my dog stinking up my bedroom with his gas so I decided to get up and let him out to relieve himself, and while outside I happened to glance up at the sky and got a remarkably clear view of our closest constellations, despite all the light pollution coming from my neighbors’ security spotlight. Nothing but the stillness of a black speckled sky and the sound of a bloated old cricket to keep us company as Axl rooted around in the backyard for the perfect spot to take a poop. It reminded me that I need to go stargazing before the end of this month so I added it to the long list of things I want to do before my social life comes to a slow crawl in September. So far, I’ve checked off 5 items from that list: happy hour sushi with drinks outdoors, free jazz in the park, catching a movie with lemonade, skinny fries and sliders at Gold Class Cinemas (I’m doing that again, though, as soon as Taken 2 comes out), checking into a hotel where I swam, relaxed and ordered room service, and a spa pedicure (this may also be repeated). Other things listed are:
• a pier rollercoaster ride,
• make cotton candy,
• make ice cream,
• paint front door yellow,
• go to the Aquarium of the Pacific,
• catch an outdoor movie,
• enjoy my new fenced in front yard,
• thrift shop and flea market hunt,
• get a massage,
• attend a concert at the Hollywood Bowl (already got tickets),
• beach bonfire
• etc.

All of this will certainly make the most of what’s left of the summer, before fall arrives and the days get shorter, colder, and more harried with my upcoming schedule. It’s kind of like filling up on joy and stockpiling for later. Seeing the stars always makes me happy and whimsical and the sky last night totally filled me up in that brief moment that I was able to look up and see them… before I had to chase and, ultimately, cajole Axl back into the house with doggy treats. I knew I should have taken him out on a leash. He just ruined his chance to go to the dog park. Crazy dog.