This summer, I have had a long-overdue break from the hassles of academia, the lovely 20-somethings who woke me up at all hours in Georgetown, and the endless concerns about "what comes next." While this respite could prove quite dull for some, I've found myself filling up my days with worthwhile ventures.
For example, every day, I have been completing the New York Times crossword puzzle [something that I've never done before]. Of course, I am terrible at crosswords and consistently rely on my mother and father for help, but it is nevertheless a most rewarding quotidian venture. I have also been hunting around vintage furniture shops and secondhand stores around St. Louis for furniture for my apartment. It's quite a thrill to find a 1950's kitchen table in mint condition [yes, it's perfect!]. It's even fun to find a bookshelf [for $10!!!] that is transformed to "better than new" after a fresh coat of paint.
Surprisingly, I've found the task of finding and fixing up furniture to be the most rewarding task of them all [believe me, I was not eager to fix furniture up when my mother first suggested it would be a "fun" task].
