Summertime

... and the living is easy.

The first few days of my return to the couchwife life have found me taking it very, very easy. I rolled out of bed at noon on my first non-working Monday, snacked on leftovers while catching up on my stockpile of Gossip Girl episodes, and did a lot of surfing.

Having failed at my attempt to get up early and cook my husband breakfast, I compensated by having dinner up and running by the time he got home -- grilled cinnamon and ginger chicken with couscous salad. I can't remember the last time I did that and it felt wonderful to be wifely again.

Yesterday I swam a few laps at our condo's bleached-hot, deserted swimming pool. Then I did the groceries, whereupon I found that the deserted supermarket aisles do wonders to alleviate the usual "supermarket-cart rage" that comes upon me on Sunday evenings at Fairprice. In the evening I met up with Bianca and Chi to help Chi put together his Miss Greece costume for a Miss Gay Universe pageant on Saturday. Craziness!

I'm at home and really feeling like it's summer, what with these long, lazy and unbelievably hot days. I quickly learned that one of the upsides to working full-time is having the aircon on 24/7 at full blast, and not having to pay for it. Still, as I putter around in a constant sheen of sweat, I am almost giddy with gratitude at being home to experience a summer vacation for the first time since graduating from college.

On this summer vacation, I am both child and parent. I'm finding things to fill my own days -- overseas trips, exercise, lunches, visits from friends, doctor's appointments (hello Mommy!) errands and cleaning sprees. My supposed holiday is turning out busier than I expected, but I can't complain when I see the neat little boxes in my iCal filled entirely with things I want and choose to do.

It's a big change from the couchwife life of two years ago, when I had just moved here and was still trying to find work. We're financially in a better position to fund my "summer vacation", so I don't feel so guilty about leaving the house and doing things like having lunch with friends or buying tickets to shows I would like to see. There are freelance clients -- not to mention new skills and a level of confidence -- I have now that I didn't two years ago.

All in all it's shaping up to be a good summer. Now if only it wasn't quite so hot...