I always get the blahs in August. I suspect it’s some combination of too much hot weather, too much boredom, and the changing sun angles. Or maybe Rob’s right and I’m just cracked in the head.

Gym
I’ve been going to the gym three times a week and working out for 1.5 hours consistently for three and a half months now, yet I’m not shrinking. It seems unfair that I can shrink without trying, but when I try to shrink, nothing happens. Still, I am making good progress toward my black belt.

School Supplies
I whittled down the boys’ school supply list a little today. Today’s trip consisted of two pairs of white soled gym shoes (to be worn only indoors in the school’s new gym), and two USB flash drives. Total cost? Nearly $100.

I also ordered them new lunch boxes online from Land’s End. For anyone who has kids who are rough on their clothes, shoes, and backpacks, I would definitely recommend Land’s End. Their prices aren’t cheap, but their stuff really lasts. The boys are required to wear navy blue pants as part of their school uniform. I picked up a few pairs for $9-12 last year. I also bought a couple pairs from Land’s End for $25ish each. The inexpensive pants had torn knees after TWO wearings. The Land’s End pants lasted the entire school year and still show no signs of wear other than a barely noticeable lighter area around the knee. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lasted another entire year.

I also learned that backpacks, coats, gloves, snowpants, shoes, and boots from Land’s End end up being a huge bargain in the long run. We’re going to see if their lunchboxes will last an entire school year this time around.

Still on the list? Twelve folders, more pants, new shirts, new shoes, new winter coats.

September Schedule
I go back to school on Sept. 5. I’m also going to go back to substitute teaching twice a week. All these school supplies aren’t cheap! So I’ll be at the gym MWF mornings, sub-teaching on TTh days, and go to class at night M-F. I can’t remember the last time I had such a full schedule, and I’m pretty excited about it. Give it a month or two and I’m sure I’ll be complaining about having too little free time.

The Big Secret New Career Path
It’s not a big secret, it’s just taking me some time to get used to the idea. I’m not quite used to it yet, but the more I hear myself say it (and type it) the easier it gets. So, the big plan starts with the small step in September when I will be taking classes at a vocational school for training as a medical assistant. From there, I hope to get a job within the University of Michigan medical system. They have tuition reimbursement/assistance for their employees. From there, I would like to get into the nursing program.

Never, in my entire life, have I considered a career in nursing. Medicine, yes. But not nursing. For whatever reason, I’ve always had this negative image in my head about nursing. But I’ve talked to a few people and done a little more research, and it seems that nursing may be something I would very much enjoy. But, since my whims seem to change annually, I know that at the very least, I’ll have a very marketable skill when I finish the medical assistant program.

In Batman Begins, there is a line that goes, “It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.” I agree with this statement to the extent that what we do defines us in the eye’s of another person and in the eyes of society. If I call myself an artist, people get a certain impression of me. If I call myself a stay-at-home mom, people get a totally different impression of me. Try it with any career. My range of interests is very wide, but I’ve always been afraid it gave people the impression that I am not serious or passionate about any of them.

I think that’s why I’ve always liked the the concept of the Renaissance Man. These men had a wide range of passions, talents, and expertise. When we hear about the accomplishments of Leonardo di Vinci as both an artist and a scientist, we don’t find it strange. Why don’t we have room in our world for these Renaissance Thinkers now?

During my job search these past months, I’ve come to realize that I don’t want a job, but rather a career. Sure, I’m a stay-at-home mom, and that’s important. But anyone who tells you that being a stay-at-home mom to children over the age of five is a difficult job is either lying or has no idea what it means to work hard.

So this morning, I enrolled in a new program. It’s not a course to further my art education, and it doesn’t fit with our modern day thinking of an area related to art. But once upon a time, it might have been. It’s the first step toward a larger goal. When I mentioned my art degree to the woman in admissions, she was curious as to why I wanted to study something so different than art. When I explained my history of studying a variety of different things in college, she seemed to understand. She even made me feel good about being so flaky.

I don’t think that making this move from art to something else means I am no longer an artist. Nor do I think that having an art degree means that I am not passionate about this new career path. I’d rather think of myself as a Renaissance Woman.