What are you going to do this summer?

Are you planning on traveling on vacation? We are. Last summer we went to Costa Rica for three weeks. My ulterior motive was to see if we could live there. I really should say if I could live there. I don’t think my spouse will ever agree to live anywhere other than Texas. Since I chose Costa Rica, it was her turn to select this coming summer’s destination. We are going to Ireland for three weeks this coming summer. We had considered going for a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec railroad in Colorado in May. I just found out that I will not be teaching summer school this year.

I can teach this summer if I chose to. However, the Dean’s office changed our pay for summer school classes to such a low rate that no one is going to teach summer school. I don’t know if the administration’s intention was to do away with summer school entirely, but they have effectively done that. I wish I could say that the administration made a conscious decision, but I suspect that the Theory of Unintended Consequences is alive and well. They are also making changes in the pay for faculty to teach online classes. The changes are published but are extremely nebulous and ill-defined. This has lead to another consequence. Many faculty have canceled their online classes for future semesters. They did not wait for further definition.

My question is, what am I going to do this summer? My spouse has already said that if I am home, I can see her for breakfast and evening supper. I am to leave her alone for the remainder of the day. It should be an interesting summer.