I try to update this enough to the point where you would think this is my only job. I’ve become a little obsessed with the blog overall, but I am a teacher, and thankfully it is once again time for the best break of all. We as teachers enjoy certain breaks that other jobs don’t exactly get. We enjoy a winter, spring, and summer break, but don’t even get me started on whether we actually deserve this on top of the meager pay we receive as well. I already work two jobs to keep my family comfortable. Anyway, despite the fact that I can’t stand the heat we get during the summer months, I will always appreciate the time off during those months. In the past we’ve enjoyed traveling over the summer. We’ve been to Uganda, Italy, and Costa Rica all over the previous few summer vacations. This year we really don’t have a big trip planned, but that could all change in an instant. For now, I’m really just looking forward to enjoying some time where I don’t really have to do much of anything. Here are a few of the things I’m hopeful to do plenty of during my summer.
Gym/Exercise: This may not sound all that restful, but I am actually quite looking forward to getting to the gym a lot more over the
summer. As some of you know, I have been running a little more than I used to. My wife and I completed a half marathon a few months ago; however, I’ve once again become rather sedentary over the past few weeks. A few years ago I was feeling pretty similar to how I am right now. Thankfully I managed to get to the gym an awful lot that summer and took off double-digit pounds. While I would hate to guarantee that again and fail, I’m definitely hoping to get somewhere back to the motivation and form I was in after that summer. There are a few factors in play this time that weren’t quite an issue last time, but I hope they don’t turn out to be my downfall. I wasn’t working a second job, and I didn’t have this blog. Hopefully my ability to eat out a lot and drink good beer for this blog don’t hinder my progress.
Reading: It may seem really silly that a reading teacher can’t wait to read; however, I barely ever get to actually read what I want to read. I am consistently reading the material my kids are reading, working on planning or grading (although that comes last), or working on this blog. Therefore, I really don’t get to sit down with a good book and just read. Ironically one of the things I like to read the most over the summer isn’t all that interesting to most people. There was one summer where I worked my way through the whole Harry Potter series, last summer I went through the Hunger Games, and this summer I hope to but a big dent in the Percy Jackson series. Yes they are all young adult literature books, but I teach those children. I have so many kids reading these books that I want to be able to converse with them. If everyone in your office was reading a book, wouldn’t you at least be interested in reading it to keep up with everyone else?
Other Areas of Leisure: While those are the two biggest things I want to do this summer, there are plenty of other aspects I’m really looking forward to. I of course want to stay consistent with this blog. You may be 
surprised that I’m worried about not keeping up with a blog when I have even more time on my hands, but I didn’t keep up with it last year. I managed only a few posts over the summer. I don’t want to slow down too much here and there. We are heading to NYC in the middle of this month, but I don’t think we are traveling very much else this summer. That should certainly help me keep from forgetting to blog over this summer. If anything I might be looking for some suggestions for a good beer place to go to in NYC.
One last thing I want to do this summer is pick up a new video game to work my way through. I know I started this blog by saying I wanted to work out more, and then I state a bunch of things that involve me sitting on my butt. Well I need to relax as well. I do have a PS3 that has basically become a glorified Blue Ray player. I want to grab a video game this summer that I’ll work through. I’m not sure what game to get, so I’m also looking for suggestions on that end.
I don’t know that I’ve been more excited about the prospect of doing very little over the summer than any of my previous summer vacations. I’ll still be working at the restaurant, but I hope to not be doing that all too often. Thus, I will have a lot of time to rest up and relax. I’m not trying to make anyone jealous here, but I do love being a teacher in the summertime!
