Junebug's plane is, if taking off on schedule, leaving in about 5 minutes. Having returned all funkified from the 10-day kayaking trip, she spent today laundering everything, mailing off stoves to various people, and having lunch and dinner and a beer with me.

I never see Junebug enough; just a couple days here and there every year, and some years not at all. But every time I see her, I am struck again by how terribly funny she is, by her self-deprecating charm and wit, and by the sense that I am in the presence of someone who cares about me. Being a KA sista, she and I are damaged in the same ways: bad relationships with nutty mothers, resentment of stereotyping, the search for meaning in our lives. I always think, when either of us departs, that I don't have enough of the Junebug in my life.

Now the last visitor is gone, and the basement is empty. I've had 6 sets of guests since mid-June: The Ringleted One, Double M, the Fam, Charm and co., my dad, and Junebug. I've seen many things that I wouldn't have otherwise seen. But more valuable than that was the reminder, with each visitor, of why I love them, and how lucky I am to have these people in my life. To my guests: apologies for my shortcomings, and many thanks for coming to visit. To those who couldn't make it out here: there's always next summer. Though I may hold a lottery if it's anything like this summer.

At work today, I got to go to an eviction hearing with Big G, where the judge kept citing a case that my office did a couple years ago as the basis for 7 out of 8 findings for the tenant. That was interesting. I was then going to see another hearing that Supervisor was doing, but it turned out that he had told me the wrong time and it was over by the time I got out of the eviction hearings. Both Big G and Supe won, so Supe treated us to coffee. I indulged in a mocha.

After we got back to the office, I reported on my work to Supe (he'd been out of the office last week) and he didn't seem too bothered that I hadn't started the research he assigned a week ago. Yay! He also asked, "Do you really want to come back after you get back from Denali?" I actually don't need the hours, but I said I'd come in next week on Monday and Tuesday because I told them my last day was this Friday, but then asked for Thursday and Friday off. So -- only fair. I was tempted to say, "Are you saying I shouldn't come in next week? Because I won't! Yeah! Just watch me!" But I said I'd come in if I could do anything helpful during those two days. S'cool. Everything is quite mellow now, at the end of the internship. Tomorrow Co-Intern and I are being taken out fishing by the attorneys in the office. I actually don't really want to catch a fish. But I'll try anything once.