Happy July, everyone!  The tourists are out in full force.  It has been in the 100s.  People are hanging out in the grocery store in their bathing suits.  Starbucks made their amazing, meant-for-iced-coffee Gazebo blend available! Summer is officially here. But my summer “break” is over already.  I will probably always think of Summer 2010 as June 2010.  July and August will be fun, I’m sure, but it will mostly be filled with stress up to *here.* I thought I would also change things up a bit with my Month in Review series this month and focus only on my favorite moments of June. So here goes…

DC Blogger Happy Hour

I was in town the same night some people were getting together for a DC Blogger Happy Hour.  I invited J. Money and Brian who met up with me there.  It was lovely to see Maxie and LivItLuvIt again so soon after Vegas.  It was nice to finally meet DCPrincess!!! I chatted with Restaurant Refugee, Jasmine and Jesserker and got in a few words with *almost* everyone else.

The National

The National used to be just another quintet from Brooklyn. Now they are one of, if not the biggest, names in indie rock. The band had played at DAR before — opening for the Arcade Fire — but ‘this time sucks less,’ quipped guitarist Aaron Dessner between songs. In 2007, they played to a half empty room and in three short years later they sold out the building. ~ Andy Hess

Photos by Dakota Fine.

My favorite moment of the night:  Fake Empire will always and forever be their biggest hit and fan favorite.  It shines so much brighter live with the build up to the end.  Anyone who questions their talent as musicians must hear this track in a small venue.  It is melancholy perfection.  The best part about this track that night was that Matt high-fived a guy in the front row who had been dancing his butt off the entire night.  You can see that moment in the video below. You know that had to make that guy’s LIFE.

Two great posts about the show can be found here and here. Video via bizcut99.

Glasgow

Glasgow is maybe the most bullshit-free place on earth. I think I call it “the antidote to the rest of the world.” It’s so unapologetically working class and attitude-free. Everyone’s looking “to take the piss out of you,” as they put it. They’re all comedians, and tough. They don’t put on airs.  ~ Anthony Bourdain, interview by Dave Weich

On June 13th, I set off to Scotland for a week with only a carry-on (and no cell phone or laptop).  I canceled the London/Southampton portion of my trip so I could be a responsible grad student.  I attended the Human Performance at Sea Conference. We also did some work related to Human Systems Integration in High Speed Craft, but that’s about all I can say about it.

I could easily live in Glasgow for a summer because I love the people, the food, the late night sun and weather.  I know all you really care about is the fun stuff like the hot men, whiskey, pubs, museums and castles. Well, here are some of my favorite moments from the trip.  Oh, on a side note I did not in fact eat any haggis, BUT I did partake in the vegetarian version one night. Yes, they make vegetarian haggis. It’s a strange world in which we live.

On our first night in Glasgow, my boss, a professor at Naval Postgraduate School and I found a nice place overlooking the Clydes River and split a bottle of wine.  It was 50 degrees outside and the waiter brought us blankets so we could stay warm.

We had a reception at City Hall and met the Mayor of Glasgow.

We found a club that happened to have Salsa on Wednesday nights.  We drank beer and tequila, danced and laughed until closing time.

I had a zen moment at the Necropolis overlooking Glasgow Cathedral.

We took an evening trip to Loch Lomond for dinner and Glengoyne Distillery for whiskey tastings.  Here I am with the fabulous women of the group: my boss, my Program Manager, and an amazing Human Factors specialist who works for the Coast Guard. It is refreshing to find such amazing female role models while working in a male-dominated field.

We ladies took a day trip to Edinburgh where we toured the city and did a little shopping.  I love the juxtaposition of old and new in cities like this.  Edinburgh has a very rich history.  Darwin discovered he didn’t want to be a doctor there.  Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne there. Hume went to school there. J.K. Rowling wrote the first pages of Harry Potter there. But, I have to admit, it was a bit too touristy for my taste.

You can see the rest of my pictures here.

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What did you do in June?  What were the most important moments in your life this month?  What do you have planned in July to really kick off your summer?