Yes, I'm an academic dork

Even though I'm sad that the lazy days of summer are coming to a close, I have to admit that I love this time of year.  By August, I'm sick of sweltering 100 degree days which make it too hot both inside and outside, and I am frustrated with my semi-successful attempts to be productive during the unstructured summer.  Fall is a chance for new beginnings and new opportunities. To me and probably to many others in the academic world, the beginning of fall semester is more about starting fresh and making resolutions than New Year's Eve is.

When I was a kid (and who am I kidding even as a teenager), August was the highly anticipated month of finding out your teachers and which of your friends were in your classes, getting your school supply list, and back to school shopping.  When I was a college student, August meant moving back to campus to friends and independence, new exciting classes, football season, and of course back to school shopping.

I love the fresh energy, excitement for new and old connections, and the anticipation of learning new things that floods a college campus in the fall.  I have to admit that I think that my addiction to the academic atmosphere and energy is part of why I got my PhD so that I never had to leave college. :)

This year as we head into mid-August, I'm just as excited but find that now I have all new things to anticipate and think about. Evan has added a whole new dimension to everything. (You didn't think I could get through a whole post without talking about him, did you?) I'm excited about teaching the same course again in the same format so that I don't have new course prep. I'm excited to meet my new students who are apparently very eager to learn because many of them have already emailed me. I'm nervous about sending Evan to daycare but excited (and feeling guilty about my excitement) to have long periods of baby-free time to get things done. I'm looking forward to seeing work colleagues more frequently again.  I'm nervous about how the schedule changes will affect Evan (and Scott & I).  I'm eager to get back into full speed on my research projects, and to make my first attempt at writing a National Institute of Health grant application.  I'm bewildered about how I can pay so much for daycare and still find times in which the daycare is closed and I will need to find a babysitter.  As you can see, I've got a lot on my mind.       

You know how they always play a rousing, energetic video right before a game starts to get the crowd pumped? Like the video they play at Allen Fieldhouse right before the basketball team comes out which always includes "The Shot" and gets the crowd on their feet and screaming? Well, I just watched this video of the beautiful KU campus (click here to watch) and I found it ALMOST as exciting as the basketball video. Now I'm totally pumped for fall semester.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

What can I say? I'm a self proclaimed academic dork, and I'm proud of it.    :)


And as you can see, Scott is also excited about the fall, and has dressed Evan accordingly.....