Greetings from the last day of classes for spring semester! Oh yes indeedy, my time in the classroom (aside from proctoring final exams) is now over for the spring. I still have a mountain of work to do, but most of that will be done at home. This means patio time! I am, in fact, enjoying time on my patio as I type! A bit of sunlight, some twittering birds, a refreshing beverage, the distant laughter of neighborhood children, a sigh of relief.

Summer is almost here. As I’m sure you know, teachers have a three-month vacation in the summer. Oh, WAIT.

Sure, I could take a vacation all summer — if I didn’t mind not getting paid! No, I’ll be working. I have at least one five-week summer class from mid May to late June, and hopefully a second one that covers just June. Then, I will actually have some time off — a strange phenomenon, as it’s been years since I took any time off in the summer.

I obviously can’t afford to whisk myself away on a dream vacation in July, but I will likely have some truly free time, during which I plan to lie low and avoid spending money. In spite of the surely less-than-exciting sound of that, I am genuinely pleased. It means time for reading, writing, movies, bike rides, creative endeavors, late nights, afternoon naps, trail runs, leisurely dog walks, evenings spent floating in the pool, and whatever else I damned well please. All of that stuff? Completely free. Doesn’t cost a dime. I’ve got your dream vacation right here, y’all.

Today I packed up my teaching materials (normally left at the office) and brought them home so I can do a serious home-office set-up for the next four days, during which time I will grade 58 essays and write 8 different versions of the same final exam, all before finals week officially begins on Monday. Somehow, I don’t find this too terribly daunting. After all, I’ve already met my self-imposed grading quota for today. So I’m going to treat this afternoon and evening like a little dose of vacation time. Patio, sunshine, beverage, and dog snuggles are on the menu. Pants, on the other hand, are not.