End of Summer...

It is official: the middle of August has passed, and we are now heading into the latter portion of August. That means that we are getting closer to September, and we all know what the beginning of September brings: Labour Day, yes, but also the Back to School Fiasco. The countdown has begun – T minus 15 days and change. Did I hear someone say ‘term paper’? I think I’m going to have a panic attack.

These next 2 weeks will be insane. I’m talking about finding all of my junk that I threw in the basement back in April when I moved back home. I’m talking about packing my stuff into boxes, and then re-packing these boxes when the car won’t hold it all. I’m talking about last minute shopping when I break my el-cheapo wooden clothes rack from Walmart. I just may require nap time to re-energize.

You can feel it in the air when the ‘back to school’ date gets closer. The weather is still warm, but the heat and humidity are not unbearable. Some of the leaves on the trees are even turning a little brown. It’s still ‘construction season’ in Monkey-Town, but summer is coming to an end. It was like a bitch-slap to the face when I got the Sears Christmas Wish Book in the mail yesterday.

It was the ultimate wake up call. I mean, I was aware that we’d soon be under 8 feet of snow (ok, more like 8 cm), but it’s a whole new level of awareness when that Wish Book enters your home. I flipped through those pages in a semi-state of shock, my eye catching on what seemed like hundreds of items with NHL team logos (ok, Canadian team logos). If only I could win the lottery and get that mini-fridge, those slippers, an alarm clock and a wall clock, that super-cool watch, a few hoodies…that would be so cool in my dorm room. Too bad Sears is so selective with their logos – would it kill them to show the Pens some love?

Oh well, I guess “Summer 2007” is rapidly coming to an end. I should enjoy these last few precious days while I am still free, because in less than 3 weeks I will find myself trapped in a Halifax dorm, surrounded by 18 year olds going crazy with ‘freedom’ (oh, how naïve they are).

As depressing as this sounds, there is a light on the horizon. If the end of summer brings anything good, it’s hockey. So while school crap might start in September, so does training camp. Hockey will get me through those term papers, tests, quizzes, midterm exams, lab reports, projects, and final exams – and then the playoffs will bring graduation – and then a real job.

Hopefully.

The government can be a bitch when they want their money back.