Last night was one of those times when I was immensely grateful to be out of school.  I know that I used to love school, and school supplies make me giddy every fall.  Still, it’s a luxury to go home and not have homework or studying to do every night.

There have been approximately two and a half years in my cognizant life that didn’t include school (my memory was horrible when I was little, so preschool years don’t count), and they’ve had their ups and downs.  Downs include the reality that vacation time isn’t measured in months anymore.

I think the advantage of no homework is better than the loss of vacation time though.  Last night, for example, I found myself with some free time.  When I was in school, free time was always tinged with guilt.  I knew I should be studying or writing a paper, and even once I did start studying or writing, I knew I should have started earlier.  I tried to do things early, it just never worked out.

The only thing between me and free time now is a perpetual to do list, and sometimes I find myself blissfully ignoring that.  The cleanliness of my floors or the state of my fridge will never show up on a transcript, so I can get away with ignoring those things here and there.  I didn’t even pretend I was going to do anything productive last night (until I caught my second wind around 11).  Instead of productivity, I chose to straighten my hair.  The humidity gods were smiling on me, and it sounded like more fun than ironing clothes.

Really, straightening my hair is a total waste of time.  Nobody cares if my hair is straight or curly.  It isn’t going to save lives or even make anyone’s day better.  It’s still fun.  It means that for one day, I can brush my hair without turning it into a giant ‘fro.  So yes, today I’m reveling guilt-free in the results of a wasted evening.  I might, however, try to rescue some lost puppies tonight to bring some form of balance back to the world.