I just returned home from my international teaching assignment and am recovering from jet lag. This means whatever summer I had is ending. It’s time to get my children settled into school and go back to teaching, advising and continuing progress on writing my dissertation.
In the spirit of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Prof. Hacker’s post by a similar name, and what has become tradition here on Prof KRG, I give you 5 Things that Helped Me Survive Summer.
1. Books
Because of my 100 Book Reading Challenge, I spent a lot of time on my favorite hobby. My daughter’s basketball and social schedules also meant I spent most of the summer as a mom taxi, which made audiobooks a lifesaver.
2. Twitter
Twitter has become my favorite social medium. I love the engagement it encourages. I spent plenty of downtime this summer there chatting with friends and colleagues.
3. Running shoes
I’ve taken up running. My parents and siblings bought me new running shoes for my birthday in June. They make such a huge difference in how running feels. I started most of my summer days in them. I also should admit that I spent most of my days in gym shorts and T-shirts, whether I was running or not. Wearing what you want for most of the summer is one of the perks of being a professor.
4. Evernote
I finally figured out the perfect system for organizing all of the literature for my dissertation. It involves Evernote and tags, and allows me to have all of my documents, in searchable form, with me everywhere. I could not have survived my summer of writing without it.
5. Law & Order SVU
Yes, I know this show has been on forever, but my husband just became kind of addicted to it. I don’t watch much TV, but I love a good crime drama. I joined him in his Law & Order SVU obsession. The great thing is that it’s on pretty much constantly, so there’s always an episode waiting to be watched.
There’s my somewhat strange list of things that helped me survive the summer. I, like everyone else, am wishing I could slow down the clock before the busy academic year begins. Until then, I’ll enjoy the limited free time remaining.
What items are on your list for summer survival?
LadyJCMuses says
My Kindle reader, ultima powdered electrolytes (during the heat wave!), fresh fruits and veggies & my camera! 🙂
profkrg says
LadyJCMuses That’s a wonderful list! I took my daughter’s iPad Mini with me when I was teaching in Singapore. I loved reading on it. I am strongly considering buying myself one. Enjoy the rest of your summer!