“The bigger the summer vacation ... the harder the fall.”

- Anonymous

Can you believe that it's September already?

Labor Day has already come and gone, so that can only mean two things - children are going back to school and no more wearing white, which I hope doesn't apply to underwear because, well, I just bought a new pack last week.

My biggest curiosity at this time of year is that just because students are back in school, why does summer have to end for us adults?

I mean, sure, their vacation is over but does that mean my season has to end, as well? After all it's 80 outside and I'm wearing shorts - but I digress.

Well, seeing as though we're keeping to this Labor Day-equals-summer-is-over equation, I guess the only thing to do now is write that perennial of classroom assignments: “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”

This summer I had a lot of time on my hands because I finally took a page out of Johnny Paycheck's notebook by telling my boss to “Take this job and ...” you know the rest.

Which is not to say that I wasn't busy. I had a few adventures and learned some things along the way. For starters, I had a garage sale which basically amounted to me moving a few dozen items onto my yard and hoping that someone wanted everything I didn't.

What did I learn from this? I learned that I bring hope to people's lives, as in, “I hope this radio that I just paid $5 for works when I get home.”

I also got to go camping this summer, and even then I learned something new.

Did you know that tents are a lot like pants? If you leave your fly open, everyone will point, stare and tell you about it.

How embarrassing!

When I wasn't job hunting, I spent time going to the movies. Watching Robert Downey Jr. flying around in a turbo-driven soup can was totally cool.

Then there was Heath Ledger's Joker, which left me with chills. That Dark Knight definitely brightened my days.

I did lose a bet to Honey, though, and wound up taking her to see “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants 2.”

I wish I could tell you some interesting plot points but, I fell asleep during the opening credits and missed the entire movie.

For all I know it was a story about a mobile dry cleaning service run by feminists.

Did I learn anything from my time at the cinema? Yep. Superheroes will keep you on the edge of your seat, while drama will make you drowsy.

Looking back, I'd have to say that it was definitely a summer to cherish.

After all, when was the last time I got to have a few months off to really kick back and enjoy the season?

Oh, now I remember, it was when I was in school.

Auburn native Bradley Molloy's column appears here, each Sunday, in The Citizen.

He can be reached at lovonian@hotmail.com