How I've Been Spending My Summer Vacation

This is my last week before “real” school starts again. I’ve been doing some independent study type of classes, which means I’ve been reading a long list or articles and texts that I had approved by a couple of different professors with whom I periodically check in and report my progress, ask questions, etc. But as of Monday, I’ll be TA-ing for an introductory-level applied ethics course five days a week and taking a class on normative epistemology for six hours a week. It’s going to feel like a normal semester, but compressed. Granted, I’m not taking as many classes as I would in a normal semester, but the fact that both my TA responsibilities and my student responsibilities will be going at double the normal speed (so as to be completed in seven weeks), I think I’m in for a rude awakening. Even though I’ve remained a fairly diligent student this summer with the independent studying, it’s been wonderful not going to campus every day, especially lately, as the heat index is normally pushing past 100 degrees. In a word: poo.

Looking on the bright side, it feels like it’s been an incredibly long time since I was in school. Though it’s only been about eight weeks (which is lovely, I admit), it feels like it’s been twice that long. It probably helps that we went to Utah in the middle of it all. And I’ve been having fun. I haven’t worked as hard as I could have—and perhaps should have—but I think that’s a good thing. I’ve enjoyed more time with my family than I’m used to, and we’ve been exploring Tallahassee a bit more. The car is often cooler than the apartment, even with central air, and riding in it is conducive of naps for the young ones, so afternoon drives have become somewhat standard around here. (And it helps that Circle K is offering a summertime deal on soda fountain refills – just $.49!) We’ve also splurged quite a bit lately when it comes to eating out, and we’ve found a few places that we’re quite fond of. It’s been fun to find some places that are unique to Tallahassee, or at least weren’t available in other cities in which we’ve lived. So, with somewhat open summer days and not much to do to escape the heat, we’ve found ourselves doing a bit more, taking more ownership of Tallahassee, etc. It’s been very nice. Come Monday, of course, my world will once again revolve around school and being on campus, which is going to feel like a narrow and limited world in comparison. How sad.

I guess when you start a paragraph with “looking on the bright side” and end it with “how sad,” you’re probably being too whiny. So I’ll shut up for now. But there’s an update, for anyone out there wondering.