29 days and counting

According to my 'days left' app, there are 29 days until I have to set foot in my classroom again. 29 days.  The time has flown and while 29 days is a lot more than many people will receive in holidays...it is not enough. I am tired, bored, I feel like I've wasted a lot of time and simply....my soul is sad.

This summer was a total bummer so far. The first week was spent running errands and preparing for a friend's wedding, while also getting last minute stuff done for school. Promotion meetings for ever ESL kid takes a great deal more time than I want to give. Before I knew it I was recovering on the couch from the wedding, then packing my bags and heading to the ship to visit Mat. That was three weeks ago. A quick stay in Quebec City and I was onboard. One stop in Isles de la Madeliene and that's it. Most of the time was spent on the computer or watching movies. On the plus side I've watched so many movies I actually question my former love for movies. I've also averaged 3 a day for 18 days...so I've seen enough to last me a lifetime. I've also decided to cancel my cable when I return home, since I don't want to be tempted to waste even more time of my life infront of a TV.

Another challenge this summer brought was the carb challenge.  I've been doing a pretty good job of eating a Paleo diet since April. In 3 short months I lost almost 30 pounds and did absolutely zero in the area of physical activity. All I had to do (and lucky for me I was able to do it) was stay away from carbs.  Then I visited the ship. Three meals a day with very limited protein and vegetable selections, tonnes of carbs and an endless supply of cookies and ice cream. Needless to say I've put on 15 pounds in the past 6 weeks! Boo! Clearly I've yet to master the art of self control. Where do they sell that? I've get myself a lifetime supply. Hell, I'd be good with a month's worth.

So now it's 29 days left and I have this anxiety over how I'm supposed to fit a summer vacation worth of fun in 29 short days. 28 if we're honest. 26 if we're brutally honest (meetings are sure to be called). So how??? No cottage. A dog. Just me.  What to do?

Toronto is a wonderful city, but it's not all that dog friendly...and my dog isn't all that friendly herself.

So....brainstorm. What can I do?

- camp
- Stratford for a play or two
- rent a cottage
- finally paint the kitchen
- beach
- find dog parks and use them silly
- go to the States for shopping and other frivolous entertainment
- finally finish that walk in Niagara that mom has been begging me to do for years
- visit the inlaws at some point
- drink great quantities of alcohol (preferably in yummy, low-sugar form- vodka and soda. Maybe get into the gin and tonic feel)
- visit the museums (preferablly on a half price or pay-what-you-can day)
- sit in a park and read
- sleep on the grass
- cut the grass (but this is not even a little bit fun)
- buy a kiddy pool and drink margaritas
- try to find the calm assertive nature my dog needs
- read even 2 of the books on my summer reading list
- smile
- listen to music loud and sing even louder
- get a suntan

So it seems I have a lot of things that I could do.  Now...what will I do?

There are some things I HAVE to do:
- get Becca into an exercise routine
- break my rejuvinated carb addiction
- set an outline for each of my three courses
- plan the first week of school
- determine a focus for the year (ie. learn french, ASL, sleep, lose that 60 pounds, etc.)
- relax

The boat should be tied-up in 4 hours. I'll be on a bus in 9 hours and I'll be home in 16 hours...then it's 3.5 weeks to myself!!