Summer Vacation

As this week dawned, I put the women's history conference behind me and looked upon the expansive vista of summer vacation. I decided on three goals: complete a consulting project, plan my class for fall semester, and make serious dents in the stacks of books littering my floor. To give you some idea of the task ahead of me, I offer the following visual evidence:

From the living room:

Into the home office:

On to my desk:

In my defense, I have actually read a few of these books and some are textbooks that I just need to review. My plan: I'd choose a book and read at least 2 chapters each day. OK, the original plan was to read a book/day. That plan quickly went out the window, replaced by the 2 chapters/day plan. This was Tuesday. I dutifully read 2 chapters of Walter Johnson's study of the slave trade in the US South. Good book, sensitive treatment of a difficult subject.

Wednesday came. I decided to go the morning yoga class, promising to read my 2 chapters after I showered and had lunch. When I realized that it was a beautiful day, I decided to go to the local outlets. I promised myself I'd read my 2 chapters when I got home. I didn't. Instead, I tried to solve the cable/phone/internet puzzle. I promised I'd read 4 chapters the next day.

Yesterday came. I had the whole day ahead of me. I'd easily catch up on my reading and be back on track. I frittered away the morning ordering even more books - this time, textbooks for my fall class. That counts as work, right? Finally, at around 2PM, I settled on the couch with Walter Johnson. Three pages into chapter 3, I slipped into a coma. I woke up about an hour later. Needless to say, I did not immediately pick up the book and power through 4 chapters.

In the face of what might be considered utter failure, I've decided to focus on my accomplishments. Sure, I set a goal and have fallen well short. But, I learned how to upload pictures from my digital camera without completely tanking the entire computer, and I went to my local book club meeting last night - where thankfully, we were not discussing Walter Johnson's study of the southern slave trade. Now, back to my three goals.