Summer's end

I really should be working on my course descriptions, the syllabus for one of the classes, and general planning for the 2011-2012 academic year.  Gearing up, in other words, for next week when the proverbial "rubber hits the road", and I am back in the classroom!  See, this will be my experience:

Source

Okay, so my students are a bit older and don't look at me with such adoration.  Other than that, my teaching experience exactly mirrors this photo!

(This isn't helping me at all....)

Obviously my summer has pretty much ended, so I need to get OVER IT.  The greatest challenge as I transition from summer break to school has nothing to do with the idea of work.  Surprisingly, there is that little rush that comes with being back on campus, returning to the classroom, and seeing students and colleagues again.  It is quite comforting, in fact, to find that my brain cells still whirl along and enjoy a bit of stimulation.

The hardest part, for me, about returning to work is dressing the part.  After 3 languorous months in which I lived, for the most part, in flipflops, Patagonia capris, Patagonia t-shirts and Patagonia dresses (slight obsession, I know!), I now have to return to the adult world, at least in terms of personal appearance.  We had meetings last week, and I tried to cut a somewhat professional profile, but on Tuesday, it's D-day:  Wake up early, shower at the beginning of the day, try to 'do' my hair and even leave the house with make-up scattered on my face.  I seem to have slacked off on these sorts of habits over the summer, wallowing in dirt and sweat on a regular basis.

However, since I don't want to mourn summer's passing before that has even happened, I AM enjoying my weekend, damnit!  We had totally blown whatever budget we thought that we had this summer, and we've continued that trend this weekend, eating out on Friday night, Saturday night and brunch today.  Shameful, I know!  I also just cut up a watermelon, which I plan to finish off by this evening, while indulging in my last "Law and Order" marathon viewing session (the whole DVR thing is terrible!).  We should also eat the rest of the Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche that is going to be the last ice cream that we buy for the next several months!

Yep, that, in a nutshell is my summer:  lots of eating out, lots of eating ice cream in, not showering, sweating plenty, and wearing flipflops.  

Next week just might kill me!