Slouch

After my sophomore year of college, my first summer internship was at a Capitol Hill newspaper, where I was told to expect an "August Slump". As a fledgling reporter who spent a reasonable amount of her time chasing after members of Congress, asking substantive questions such as "Senator, what's on your summer reading list?", this meant that there would be no one around on the Hill of whom I could ask such deep questions. So, August was spent helping around the newsroom in other ways - which mostly consisted of answering phones and going through old clips for one reporter or another.

Fast forward to the internship I had one year after college, at my first public health non-profit. I was warned once again of this magical quiet time in August; but this time, as my duties were not related to Congress, my work load was more effected by coworkers vacations, rather than an absence of lawmakers. This internship became a full-time job, but when I experienced a lapse in my workload the following August, it turned out to be because I was being "phased out".

Oh well, I moved on! My next two positions were completely, totally and utterly disconnected from the comings and goings of the Hill - in fact, August was probably the busiest time for me in both of these jobs - yet I was still warned by supervisors and colleagues alike of this mythical August slump.

This will be my third summer at my current employer. Not once has anyone mentioned the slump of August. When I've asked my colleagues in the advocacy and outreach department about this so-called quiet period, they have looked at me as though I'm out of my mind. (More so than usual, okay.) My own work load ebbs and flows all year round.....

[Wed. AM]
... I had to stop working on this post yesterday because I was handed a large assignment out of the blue. And the point I was slowly making my way towards was that this may be the first summer that I've had a quiet August. Guess I was wrong. Carry on!