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I can’t believe that I didn’t wake up and go to class this morning. I didn’t teach. I didn’t work. I didn’t crack open a book or have to write a fourteen-page essay. I haven’t been carrying around a book-bag all day, and I don’t have to prep for tomorrow’s in-class discussion with my students. I don’t have anything that I have to be doing. This is real weird.You know what I did today? I slept until 11am (Yes. Yes I most certainly did.) I made breakfast, and it was grand. Egg sandwich with Pepper Jack cheese, tomato, and lettuce with breakfast potatoes made from scratch, coffee, and orange juice. Pure luxury. And then I watched two movies on Netflix. And then I ate again (more potatoes). And then I watched a few episodes of Downton Abbey, all the while ignoring the pile of dishes in the sink and the mound of laundry in my closet.  And, I may be feeling a wee bit guilty for being so lazy all day, but not really. The downtime is much needed and appreciated.

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And so the summer is here, and it was a lovely 50 or so degrees and drizzly out today, not exactly summer weather, but still so lovely. This week I need to submit grades for the Writing and Rhetoric I class that I teach and have a meeting scheduled to discuss my new position with Academic Affairs, but other than that, it’s all relaxation and fun with friends.  Later this week, I am going to see The Avengers. It has been about six months, maybe longer, since I’ve even been to a theater, so I’m looking forward to that. I also have a drink date scheduled with people from the program and can’t wait to buy new curtains for my new apartment. I know, you’re beginning to be jealous of all this luxuriousness and free time. It’s ok. Just a week ago, I was up to my eyeballs in paperwork and Febreze. I deserve this, and all of my MFA colleagues deserve this time off. We’ll enjoy it for now, but then it’s time to get serious.

Summer is time for updating your CV, revising work from the previous semester, submitting to literary journals, and for us third years (oh man, we are third years!), it’s time to generate work for our thesis, which we will be focusing on for the last year of the program. So, between festivals and trips to the beach and my job at Academic Affairs,  I’ll be squeezing in some time for professional and creative development. I mean, summer’s long this year, four months to be exact, so I have to be productive. But, for now, I’m going to kick my feet up, enjoy a glass of wine, and return to Netflix. I’ve earned it.