My Vows for the Summer

It's still June, so this still counts as the beginning of summer. Thus, I can still make vows for what I want to accomplish.

Because summer isn't for relaxing when you're an adult. Not like the kids get it. Summer is defined by working without the stress of school lines and buses as you drive into or from your residence or work. When I was a receptionist at a local dentistry, I did appreciate how my commute time went down to about two minutes from the fifteen that I had living near three schools of different grades. I could get more sleep and had more time for breakfast.

But now, as an enrichment program teacher, I face a problem that I'm not sure other teachers actually hired by their schools confront: how to make an income over the summer.

I've got my teaching experience, so naturally I'm looking for summer schools, camps, or jobs facing customers but not retail - for the love of dog I don't want that haunted look in my eyes when I see retail employees. Thus, the new search for jobs has started, and hopefully culminates in me getting some type of teaching job soon enough.

Dog knows I have the credentials for it.

But in the meantime, what summer vows do I want to make?

Do people even usually do this practice? My mother would sit me and my best friend down at the beginning of summer and write down on a chalkboard what we should plan to accomplish in the three months we had before schoolwork takes over our lives once again. Read fifteen books, work on at least one article a month, contact professors, try to get jobs, etc, etc...

This was in high school. And then some years of college. Point is, summer is another period of making promises and accomplishing great things that'll propel me to a better future with greater income. And despite what they say, money does create happiness. Or at least influences it.

So my summer vow is to write more science articles on my blog. Now that I'm not teaching at the moment, my Captain's Logs are on hiatus until the next time I'm in the front of a classroom again.

I want to write about humidity and temperature, about gut bacteria and the microbiome, about magnetism, about capillary action in coffee filter paper and plants, about the flora of high altitudes, about reviewing The Woobles crochet kits, about my theory on meetups and networking, perhaps even about new crafts for future wacky science classes. I want to publish that memorial for my dog, Sasha, and the odd sensation of grief without anger. I want to talk about neuroscience, circadian rhythms, perhaps the effects of Vyvanse and weed, or perhaps just a review on Vyvanse now that I've been on it for months.

I want to learn more songs for karaoke, get better at playing pool, teach my cat to possibly swim in a lake, take him on walks and hikes with my family.

I want to get health insurance, make my summer as a 26-year-old feel big and accomplished and worth it.

Not to mention dip into the dating pool again.

So many things, so little time.

At least I've finished with a big amount of the game The King is Watching. Means that isn't too tempting at the moment, until the next gosh darn update.

My vow this summer is to make money and create a bigger name for myself. If I could be at all like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, explaining science for others, creating that reputation and charisma and momentum, then surely the fall will work better for me.

They say that by voicing your vows aloud, or just recording your goals, you are a step closer to attaining them. Here's my record.