Some other beginning's end

First of all, check out this amazing email my workplace sent me:

Wait, wait wait--tell me it's an unpaid vacation and this new deal will go from being good news to best news. 
RELLLY? 

WIN!
My favorite part of receiving this mail on the 31st of July is that it was already too late to get cheep tickets for nearly anywhere in Europe for the month of August.

In all fairness, I was told back in May that I would be obliged to take two weeks off in July or August. Later that same day, I sent them a quick email stating my general indifference to the dates and they could email me what would be best for them. Well, they never did and as the classes continued to be scheduled on the online forum where I teach, I assumed I had gotten away with not taking time off at all. But then, well, you read the mail.

What a summer it has turned out to be. The sentiment has been very, Sunglasses and Advil. But I would have given at least half back for a night alone with the stars. France is loosing four good Americans to their adventures elsewhere.
Our buddy Chris had headed to New Zealand to pursue new work in the film industry.

Brennan promises to come back as soon as he has cash. But we always knew we'd have to give him back to NYC eventually.

Sweeney has gone home  to work on her thesis.
I got to catch up with her the night before she left and we talked books and drank dranks at this cute little sangria bar she frequented.

Yes, she they was trying to make me cry.

And My flatmate Nat has headed back, back to Cali to work on her grant to study transport.

We had a pretty swinging party Tuesday night in her honor. It occurred to me around 3  that the neighbors must have left  town because no one went home/to bed until after 6.

 Some of the invitees camped out and drank bags and bags of beer all the next day. Suffice to say they're a little more rock and roll than I.
 I went out with them one last time on Wednesday and woke up in a bit of a mood. I'm not looking forward to replacing the expensive beer of my coloc that they drank.

But things are a lot more organized around the flat now that 4 people moved out. In their place have have two Spanish girls who work in Television, a French Engineer, a Swiss German medical student and one room free.  I tell ya, something a little bit grown up in me likes finding clean dishes in the cupboards and no crumbs on the table. Le changement c'est maintenant !
As for taking my unplanned, unpaid and required holiday, Seb and I are going to his cousin's house in Nancy on Saturday and heading to Portugal the middle of next week. He's flying out solo tonight and I am going to be hanging out on this website, putting in work. And so for the moment, at least, all my ducks are in row.