And as quickly as they came...
They were gone. My curls deemed California no longer safe. I am back to straight hair with an unruly flip.
I have also moved into Summer Part 2. The first half was ruled by a (almost) 40 hour lifeguarding work week. It's the closest thing to returning to corporate life since my career as a technical writer. I packed a lunch 4 days a week and was on the regular corporate schedule. The other day pulled me from my bed kicking and screaming at 5 am but I was luckily finished at 1 pm. I worked with kids every day which was a nice break from college students (whom are now my colleagues).
Now I am down to 13 hours + sub shifts. It's more relaxed and will bend even more as the traveling begins. Next week- Wisconsin and in September- France and Italy. Ashley and I have been planning for so long and talking about it for so long (between 7 and 8 months) that I can't believe it's really coming up.
Of course the summer has flown by. Not so predicable is that I am starting to (dare I say it) look forward to school starting? Hmmm...that's still a little drastic. I can however start to put my head around being back in class. Given my state at the end of last quarter, this is something I wasn't sure was going to actually happen. So I am pleasantly surprised to find myself thinking of the Fall without involuntarily shuddering.
Unfortunately, my body won't be responding to the same physical cues I have grown up with. In California, the air does not get cooler, the leaves do not change, and you don't start wearing sweaters in when school begins. Autumn does not come until December. Even last year, the season started to change before I moved here so I was ready for it. We'll see, but luckily I have a lot time before then. An entire summer if you will. That is something you have to love about academia.