Tag Archives: Back-to-School

Who Can Think In This Heat?

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daylight-landscape-reflection-1209610And just like that, it’s August and shelves are ransacked of glue sticks, pencils, Kleenex, and individual snacks (though the fruit cups are always the last to go, aren’t they?). It’s like an army of kid-sized locusts have swarmed through all the stores and that’s how I know school’s started.

The Junior Halls have long since left their school days behind but there’s a part of me that I suspect will always be on school-time, following that back-to-school calendar and all its holidays/vacations. It’s hard-wired into my system.

But what’s also hard-wired into my system is that August is still vacation, especially the first two weeks of this month of sweltering heat. I went back to school after Labor Day, lo those many years ago; my kids went back to school in late August. And I’m pretty sure I know why: it’s too darn hot to think when it’s 89 but feels like 102.

The brain cannot function when it’s that hot and I have science on my side here. At my Tybee Island spot, the heat pump can’t keep the house cool. Yesterday, it was 84 around suppertime. EIGHTY-FOUR. I had to write a post for The Muffin and thank goodness, I tackled it in the morning before my brain turned to complete mush.

Except! Except I had to think up something the day before and it was also exceedingly warm in my house so I could only come up with short, little topics. Thus we have a. scientific proof re: my heat-affecting-thinking theory and b. “Writing Shorts” over at the Muffin today.

I feel like it’s pretty decent writing stuff, August and heat and brain mush considered. But it might help if you set your expectations accordingly (for both my post and the poor kidders and teachers).

I Saw A School Bus in my Neighborhood Today

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back-bus-education-159658It’s August 1st, y’all.

AUGUST FIRST.

I don’t even have kids in school anymore and still, I’m seriously annoyed at this rush back-to-school. And yes, I know, the kids got out on May 22nd in my neighborhood so it’s really the same amount of time for summer break as they’ve always had. But when I see a school bus on my street on AUGUST FIRST, it just doesn’t feel right. I mean, when did we all decide to give August the summer vacation shaft? It just sticks in my craw.

And speaking of things that stick in my craw, I have a post over at the Muffin today on Stick-in-My-Craw Character Flaws.

I’ve come up with three annoying character missteps, if you will, but I’m sure there are plenty more which I neglected to mention. These flaws are just the ones that cause various extreme reactions from me. Like screaming out loud at the publisher (Come on, Harper Collins, how did you ever spend money on this book?) or throwing the book (That’s the final straw *tosses book across the room* I refuse to read another word— *remembers that it’s a library book and goes to find tossed book*).

Or maybe I pound my head into the desk because I’ve found in my very own manuscript one of the character flaws I despise (and just listed in a post over at The Muffin). So I’m getting to work on revisions for August, just as soon as A. my head stops hurting and B. Libs quits barking at buses in my neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

Did Somebody Say September? (Yep, It’s Back To Work)

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2014-08-12 15.16.02September already? 

Hard to believe but there’s no arguing with the calendar. September: the month for Back-to-School (though now the kidders and teachers go back in early August which is just wrong, y’all). Still, there’s a switch that flips in my brain come September and I find myself shaking the sand out of the little gray cells and hunkering down, getting back to all those projects I sort of neglected through the endless sunny days, reading in my lounge chair on the deck, the Libster at my feet.

So it’s back to work and all that jazz, and right off the September bat, I have a website surprise for you that I think you’re going to love ’cause I sure did. And I could just give you the link and tell you all about it but it’s September, y’all, so yeah, you’re going to have to work for it.

(Check out my Muffin post today for “An Easy Infographic Tool (Yep, It’s Really Easy!)