Today is now Friday. In two days, I resume work after my two weeks off, and I will work, besides school breaks, all the way until the end of the semester (isn't it great?!). These past few weeks have been incredibly boring in some ways, and incredibly enjoyable in other ways. In fact, that's pretty much the story of my entire summer. Sometimes (who am I kidding? Always) we plan things and never get around to them. That fine and longstanding tradition has definitely been upheld this summer. I had hoped to brush up on my German this summer, and also to read a number of interesting academic books and various novels. I am sorry, Alexandre Dumas--I still have not gotten around to reading your full and unabridged The Three Musketeers. That classic novel isn't the only thing which I neglected this summer, and I do regret most of it. In particular, it would have been great to write that research paper on how gender perceptions affected hagiography (and vice versa) in the 13th century. Instead, I spent my summer playing a lot of games, interacting with people whom I do not normally spend time with, and having lots of fun Skyping my girlfriend. For the record, she is terrific and does really well with maintaining communication while we're long-distance.
This summer featured a thrilling visit from the parents, followed by an even more thrilling rushed trip down to see my grandmother in the hospital so that I could see her one last time if she couldn't recover. I was visited on several occasions by good friends, and they definitely made this summer a good one overall. Even as it winds to an end and nothing has gone much as planned, this break was beneficial. It was restful, enlightening, and in most ways rather somber. Even the somber tone was a positive, though. There were a lot of things to think about, and even if I can't speak German much better now than I could at the start of the summer, I have figured out my views and thoughts and plans on a variety of matters, and have a better idea of why I am friends with my friends. For all of you who are reading this, the answer is that it's because you are awesome. You are terrific and inspiring to me.
I am looking forward to a relaxing semester without strenuous classes (French might be my most challenging course) and with lots of time to spend with my friends and with Nora, who is definitely my favourite person in all the world by now. There will be lots of cooking, there will be lots of reading, there will be lots of music, and movie watching, and probably a lot of squabbling; in the end, though, it will all add up to a grand time.
