She's only happy when it rains.

I don't know if you've noticed, but it is HOT outside. We're talking the kind of hot that causes an outbreak of sweat at the mere exertion caused by standing still. And this isn't even the worst of it. I just returned to Philadelphia after a lovely vacation and, much to my chagrin, it was a whopping 99 degrees. At 6:30pm. We learned on the news tonight (we snuck into a guest house that just happens to have cable) that 9 people have died due to heat-related causes. Outrageous. It rained last night (hence the title of this post-not just an allusion to the gloriously angry Garbage song), which served to reduce the temperature and the humidity to a comfortable 85 degrees today. It's still too hot for my taste, and people keep reminding me that it's only the beginning of summer.

I suppose the one bright spot is that the heat will make it that much easier to leave here in 44 days. Not that anything could make it easy. I'm so torn between excitement about the future, sadness about leaving people who have become another family to me, and a little fear about heading off into unchartered waters. During our roadtrip last week, my mom and I spent a fair amount of time (and money) shopping for clothes that would make me resemble an adult. The realization that I would one day soon be needing blouses and dress pants and dressy shoes was a little scary, and not just because I'm a ripped-jeans-with-a-souvenir-T-shirt kind of girl. I think it's the fact that people will finally be taking me seriously and entrusting me with important responsibilities. Yikes.

Another feature of the road trip was a meeting with an admissions counselor involved with the Physician's Assistant program at Le Moyne in Syracuse. We had a great talk, and she declared me a "very competitive applicant." Another exciting, but rather scary, development. I have begun my application, and am still looking at schools, although I really liked the sound of Le Moyne.

It's good to be back in Philly. I jumped right back in to the routine by coordinating the meal this evening. It was good to see everyone again, and I received a very warm welcome.

Peace be with you!