Over already: the Dog Days of September

September seemed to pass in the clichéd 'blink of an eye', and it is now October.  While September is marked by highs and lows, as the school year begins, bringing with it the usual ambivalence - high hopes and excitement about the new year mixed in with some dread and also nostalgia for summer days.  Forever the optimist (okay, not really), I love the beginning of most months, the promise that they hold, but October is particularly promising, offering up the possibility that the weather might change and I'll have to pull on a sweater or fleece on occasion.  Probably the only time of the year that I find myself cringing at the beginning of the month is springtime, strangely enough.
The last week of September presented a bit of work stress which resulted in some very restless nights of sleep, or lack thereof.  I did, however, learn a valuable lesson that most people already know:  when I receive an email after 5:00 pm, I should not reply until the next day.  Just wait.  I also realized that I am so happy that I don't have a truly stressful job or life.  I think that it would kill me, or I would be so sleep-deprived that people would just take me for a zombie.
September was also a bit remarkable in that we settled into very new schedule at our house.  Michael is taking classes at night, so I find that the afternoons, after work, are packed as we try to walk the dogs, cook dinner, maybe go for a run or take a spinning class.  When he leaves for his classes, I then crash out on the sofa and try to plan and/or grade.  After a summer in which we spent so much time together, it is strange to be home alone for hours on end.  The dogs and I have bonded, but I think that they still prefer their male 'food-giver' to me.  And, despite my attempts to stay on top of my work load, I find it more and more challenging to do so.  It *IS* October now and the piles of quizzes and essays have gathered, and I am inching closer and closer to that edge of "I-will-never-be-caught-up".  Once I hit that point, I feel behind all year long.
Activity-wise, I'm still running but not swimming.  Also, I've avoided any true cycling since the Santa Barbara tri.  Lame, I know, but at first it was really hot and I wouldn't dream of biking in 90 degree weather, and now the days are growing shorter and shorter, especially as we try to accomplish so many things between 4:00 - 6:30 pm or so.  However, Michael and I have continued our spin class addiction and maybe even upped the ante a bit.  We have started to attend the occasional 90-minute Sunday class, which sounds like hell but is a great workout.  Because it is longer, we don't push quite as hard, so I don't even want to puke during the class.  Win and win.  I do, however, have a new teacher/trainer crush.  We had a random substitute for a class on Wednesday, and this guy, Ron, kicked our butts, making us do intervals for 45 minutes.  He was INTENSE - from his general demeanor (kind of like a drill sergeant with crazy tattoos), to his style (not using the mike but just barking out commands) and even the music he played (nothing nice and "poppy").  It was both awesome and awful, but I'm now obsessed with attending more of his classes.
Finally, we've eaten a good amount of Mexican food throughout the month, and last night was no exception.  We had a great night out on the town at one of our favorite Mexican places, Amigos, in Pasadena.  Good food, a strong margarita, great conversation.  What more could we ask for?