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The joys of August

docoflove1974

Entry posted by docoflove1974

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It's hard to come up with a 'favorite month', but if I had to, it'd be August. Let's weigh the facts:

 

  • PRODUCE!!! The tomatoes right now are unreal...just the most amazing thing ever. I know people swear that canning tomatoes helps 'seal in the goodness,' but even the most awesome canned tomatoes pale in comparison to the goodness at my farmers' market right now. Holy Christ, I eat them as fruit. And that's nothing to say for the peaches and nectarines (surprising, as we didn't get quite that much rain this year), the corn (absolutely to die for!), the cucumbers...oh Lord, I can't stop! Two weeks ago I bought too much...my eyes and my nose were way bigger than my menus. But it's been fun to create different salads, sides, and mains with the veggies I have.
  • Weather: Now starts some of the best weather in the San Francisco Bay Area. Warm during the day, hot inland, but with a cool breeze once the sun goes down, and the fog rolling in, covering us with that cool blanket.
  • Start of school: Ok, I'm a bit sadistic, but I love my job. As I told a neighbor recently, I get paid for doing what I love: talking, thinking, and helping people learn. How in the hell is this bad? Ok, it'd be great if I did this with a single full-time position, but it could be a lot worse. I love the schedule, I love the interaction with new students, and I love working with my colleagues. I don't like vague instructions from state and federal groups telling us they want 'data' and 'outcomes'...and then not really giving us a concrete idea as to what we want. Just in my department alone, you have 2 PhDs, a former software engineer, and two researchers...we know what data are...and how nebulous they can be. Clearly they want results...so here they are! What do they mean? Oh...didn't get that far yet....

August is the start of change in the academic world...new full-time positions start to pop up...new academic years start...new hires come in and add to the department...new students come in with new questions and new perspectives on assignments. Some say the calendar starts anew in January...I say it starts in August.

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Nephele

There's nothing like this time of year for a feeling of exciting beginnings, I agree with you! But then, I've always thought of September as the start of the new year. As a kid, I remember getting new clothes and shoes right before school would begin in September. Also, when I was a kid and used to watch television, I remember all the new teevee shows would begin in September. And, of course, there's Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) in September. The change in the season (here in New York) from hot August nights to cool September evenings always seemed to lend a feeling of excitement and newness to the air, too. Hmm... Yep, I have to say that September is my start to the new year, for many reasons!

 

-- Nephele

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docoflove1974

September works, too...that's the start of the harvest festivals, there's a change in the winds. Here September is still quite warm, but wonderful. And school...it always started the day after Labor Day for me, but then in high school it started to creep up. This year our community college started on 18 August! But, hey, it's all good :blink:

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