End of Summer II
Today is Mimi’s last day of summer vacation; I’ve got another week of freedom, but the writing is on the wall: summer’s over. I’m sad about that, but resigned to the inevitable. My biggest worry is that I’ve forgotten how to teach—although that’s probably something the students should worry about more than me.
I’ve been wondering what I’m going to say when people ask me about “what I did last summer.” None of my ambitious projects came to fruition: I didn’t finish the new Leider and Shapiro book; I still haven’t defended my dissertation; our backyard studio has yet to be built; and I never did an authentic wake n’ bake—although there were three or four afternoons when I found time to pause for that peculiar mode of reflection.
On the other hand, I did write pretty consistently on the blog; I managed to spend countless hours just hanging out with the family; I read half a dozen novels; I rode my bike almost every day; and I put away a good amount of beer, mainly Rolling Rock.
Mostly, I got a taste of what life might be like if wasn’t tied down to a job. I see that I’m probably lazier and more self-centered than would be if I weren’t so lazy and self-centered. But I’m also, I hope, a bit more patient and forgiving than I might have expected. At any rate, I’ve come, this summer, to be more or less satisfied by more or less whatever has ensued.
As I cast my eye on the upcoming school year, I’d like to retain something of this summer mood; I’d like to stay balanced between ambition and acceptance and I’d like my classes, insofar as possible, to flow as naturally out of the quotidian reality as my days have these last few months.
Of course, there’s still that nagging wake n’ bake; but then, I still have another week before my contract officially starts.
I’ve been wondering what I’m going to say when people ask me about “what I did last summer.” None of my ambitious projects came to fruition: I didn’t finish the new Leider and Shapiro book; I still haven’t defended my dissertation; our backyard studio has yet to be built; and I never did an authentic wake n’ bake—although there were three or four afternoons when I found time to pause for that peculiar mode of reflection.
On the other hand, I did write pretty consistently on the blog; I managed to spend countless hours just hanging out with the family; I read half a dozen novels; I rode my bike almost every day; and I put away a good amount of beer, mainly Rolling Rock.
Mostly, I got a taste of what life might be like if wasn’t tied down to a job. I see that I’m probably lazier and more self-centered than would be if I weren’t so lazy and self-centered. But I’m also, I hope, a bit more patient and forgiving than I might have expected. At any rate, I’ve come, this summer, to be more or less satisfied by more or less whatever has ensued.
As I cast my eye on the upcoming school year, I’d like to retain something of this summer mood; I’d like to stay balanced between ambition and acceptance and I’d like my classes, insofar as possible, to flow as naturally out of the quotidian reality as my days have these last few months.
Of course, there’s still that nagging wake n’ bake; but then, I still have another week before my contract officially starts.
posted by Professor Dave at 11:50 AM
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