The Window on the World

I am listening to The Smiths right now (The Greatest Hits CD), sitting at my desk, doing a little writing and looking out the open window at the sodium-light-bathed parking lot of the apartment complex. The air is cool but still warm enough for the window to be open. I am thinking back to the time when I was hearing The Smiths for the first time, seated behind a different desk in front of a different window, looking out onto the side street of the little neighborhood I lived in when I was in high school and university. I did so much writing, schoolwork and thinking at that desk. I can recall when the March thaws came in late March and gave way to April when I was in university. There was nothing more frustrating than when the weather just started to get warm and I had to try to sit at my desk and focus on an essay instead of going outside to enjoy the weather. It's an interesting contrast with my life now, when work is probably much more exhausting, but when I leave work, I don't have to take anything home with me and as a result my free time is my own.

I was thinking this week as Bonnie is getting ready to end school for the summer that there is no adult equivalent of the feeling that you get when school ends for the summer. I can remember those days vividly, the final day when you couldn't focus on anything and couldn't wait for the final bell because it meant that you didn't have to go back to school for two whole months. There's nothing in the adult world that's similar - even when you leave work for a vacation, it's only for a week, maybe two if you're very lucky.

Life is generally good. Work is going well for Jennifer and me. We will be caught up soon from Jennifer being out of work. Weather has been good, we need to get an air conditioner by July, but right now it isn't too bad. Toastmasters is going well, my speech performance is improving, and my writing is going well.

I am able to listen to my iPod's music library while using Linux thanks to gtkpod and xmms. I am able to function fully in Linux and spend as much time if not more logged into Linux as Windows. The only problem is quality printing output. If only Linux could sort out its printer compatability problems.