My unusually sunny disposition can only be attributed to one cause. I’ve finally given notice at the restaurant. In a mere nine days I will know the freedom that working a mere forty per week hours feels like. I can’t begin to imagine what I’ll do with all that time, but I have a feeling that I’ll fill my days quite nicely.

I have about a dozen books in my bookshelf that I’ve purchased and not yet had the time to read. I plan on reading them outside on my front steps with a bowl of seedless red grapes, cold and crunchy, while the dogs play outside. I took my mountain bike to the bike shop yesterday for some maintenance, and estimate the odometer will record another 1,000 miles before August ends. I’ve already hosed down the kayak and applied some kick-ass decals that I bought in Hawaii. I’ll walk the hell out of the dogs and help them lose the little beagle-bellies that they put on this winter (though I’ll have to pretend that I’m the one who needs the exertion, my girl is a little sensitive about her “puppy weight”). I’ll also, *gasp*, clean the house, which is something of a novelty in that I’m actually looking FORWARD to it. I’ll drink some wine with some friends, spend some time on the lake, dance outdoors at night near the river.

I’m so excited that I’m about to jump on my desk and dance a jig. Books! Bikes! Paddling! Dancing! Wine! I’ll be living a dream!

Of course, there are a few not as exciting things to be dealth with, but today even they sound exotic and appealing. Go GRE! Yay, a teeth cleaning! Whoo hoo! Eye doctor here I come! Did someone say yardwork? Excellent!

And then there’s all the things I’ll NOT be doing. No more water with lemon! No more Atkins adaptations! No more snotty teenagers! No more drunk losers! (No, I’m not talking about my friends.) No more ugly uniform! No more rolling of silverware! No more crawling under tables to fish half-chewed french fries and stray mussel shells from underneath booths! I could go on for hours in this vein.

So yeah, I’m happy. Thrilled. Ecstatic.

*Sigh*