Start of school

It's the start of school here at $UNIVERSITY, and for some reason I find myself noticing it more than last year. Then and now, my job has been one that is not flooded in September with new students (unlike a lot of my friends and coworkers), but rather it's more like a steady trickle. Grad students show up days or even weeks late; new faculty come in when they're good and ready; no one really has a firm idea when someone's showing up, but everyone's confident they'll be here Real Soon Now.

As a result, the biggest effect this usually has on me is the press of humanity in the bus and SkyTrain. My commute is a long one -- bus, SkyTrain, then another bus -- and it takes between 90 and 100 minutes, door to door. I get a lot of reading done, or I listen to podcasts, or if the Lithium Ion Gods are with me I fiddle with Emacs. This happens no matter what, but in September you've got all the people learning how the bus works, how far in advance they need to show up, and so on. The buses and SkyTrains are crowded because everyone's afraid it's the last one, or they'll be late for class, or everyone else is getting on so they must know something I don't.

And then it calms down. Some get tired of the bus and drive. Most figure out how late they can sleep in. (I vaguely remember that, in the same way that I vaguely remember kindergarten.) Things thin out. Before you know it it's December and it gets really empty. Winter brings humidity and rain, wet smells and drips on book pages.

And then it's spring, and then summer, and things get positively luxurious. There's room to stretch out, room for laptops, and lots to see. The kids' birthdays come around.

And then...September again.