June assessment

It's hard to believe that June is nearly over! I'm packing up my stuff tonight, teaching my last day at the Institute tomorrow, and D. will move me out tomorrow night. I can't wait to get out of my stupid sublet. One thing I've learned this summer: I am now, apparently, too old to handle crappy living arrangements. Remember when we could say things like, "It's only for a month; I can handle anything!"? NOT TRUE ANYMORE.

As excited as I am to leave the apartment, I am sad to leave the Institute. I don't know whether I'll be back to teach next summer, and after that, the opportunities to return will only grow rarer. My colleagues at the Institute have shaped me into the teacher I am today, and I will miss working with them. I feel grateful, however, simply to have been here, for teaching at the Institute was one of my major goals for graduate school!

I wrote a post at the beginning of June with my goals for my month. Let's see how I actually did:

Wedding-related:
We picked a venue! We picked a date! Still working on church and style.

Dissertation-related:
I actually made more progress than I expected: I conceived an overall theme for my final chapter, got it approved by my advisor, and wrote the first five pages this month. Hopefully, this means I can hit the ground running when I return to Ann Arbor. I did not read any German or Pindar.

Job search-related:
I did nothing!

New York-related:
I got to see my friends! I visited the Met, MoMA, and Morgan! I ate delicious foods! I walked in the parks! I saw a play! I almost stepped into a dead bird! I smelled a lot of trash on the sidewalk!

And last, but certainly not least, I got to spend time with this little niece o' mine:

This picture was taken two weeks ago, and she's EVEN CUTER NOW!

I think that June has been a productive month, but that's been possible only because I've cut a number of things out of my life: reading everything I'm interested in on the internet, reading fiction for pleasure, running/exercising, cooking (and refrigerator/fresh food management), spending time with D., and most forms of entertainment (TV, movies, games). I'm glad to be rid of some of these time-sinks, like mindless internet browsing and TV. My new challenge will be to use the hours I'm no longer spending on teaching to pursue only the good stuff: eating healthier, regular exercise, the occasional novel, and of course, enjoying the summer with D.!