That time of the summer

It's getting to be that inevitable time of summer when I become bored with freedom, time off, and jobs that require little brainpower: the time when I start yearning for going back to school.

(Yes, I will always have my inner nerd to keep me company.)

We've enjoyed our time in Massachusetts (it's been 3.5 weeks now). But the longer you're away from home, the better home starts to look - never mind the negatives, the hustle and bustle, all the studying, paying the bills... I'm currently painting myself a much rosier picture of our beloved Windsor.

Things I Miss About Colorado:

• Air conditioning!
• Johnny & Simon
• Going to the grocery store
• Getting to choose what food we eat for every meal
• An awesome, 100% functional treadmill at my convenience
• Sleeping in a firm, queen bed with my husband
• Variety in weather (i.e. something other than [a] pouring rain all day, or [b] 85 degrees and 95% humidity)
• Orange-peach-mango juice
• The fantastic little Windsor library

Things I Will Miss About the Berkshires:

• The beautiful landscapes - hiking through the woods, jogging near the stream, watching the mist rise up from the mountains in the morning
• Free room and board (ok, so we are still paying the mortgage, electric, gas, water, sewer, and electric bills back home, but they are not quite so painful from many states away)
• Sleeping 8 hours straight without waking up (which occurs an amazing 90% of the time here)
• Jogging my one-mile loop around the edge of the campus, just after the sun sets
• The slower pace to life
• Not driving all the time (my vet clinic job in June was fun, but I am not missing the 50 mile commute)
• Earning money
• All the veggies and fresh fruits and salad bar always available in the dining hall
• The ice cream sundae bar on Wednesday nights
• The pasta bar at lunch on Wednesdays
• The omelet bar at lunch on Thursdays

Things I Will NOT Miss About the Berkshires:

• Bugs in our room (flies, mosquitos, ants, bees, weird little brown things that try to eat our food)
• The cheery maintenance and housekeeping staff getting right to work before 8 am (and our room sharing a wall with the maintenance closet)
• Bunk beds
• The 58-stair climb up to our room (yes, I count it almost every time)
• Terrible mattresses (it took three bath towels, a folded blanket, and a mattress cover to make mine bearable to lie on)
• Having to be polite and cheerful 16 hours a day, even when I'm not "working" (after all, choristers are everywhere, at all hours, and I wear a nametag, so I must be friendly and willing to help them with whatever they need...)
• The "well-done" (read: "hockey puck") pork chops in the cafeteria
• Having 4 to 6 different desserts available every day at lunch and dinner (ok, maybe I will miss that a little bit... but my waistline will not)