An unseasonable season

These days, the Fourth of July can signal either the start or the end of summer’s high season.

It’s a great start if you’ve just made it to the beach, taken that first swim, begun to lose that whiter shade of winter pale.

More and more, however, the Fourth has become a harbinger of the upcoming fall season. Back-to-school sales are already underway (see below) and save-the-date announcements for holiday events are readily found.

Unseasonable and almost unreasonable temperatures have helped to push along the calendar this year. Heat waves made March seem more like May, and June more like August. So far July feels like we're living on the sun. My late summer flowers have bloomed and withered already, which leaves me wondering whether I can keep anything green until Labor Day.

The cycle of days, of seasons, of calendar dates seems to speed by with the years, but maybe that’s because I spend too much time anticipating what’s next – thinking about deadlines and scheduling new projects. Today, however, I’ll do none of that. My clients are either on holiday or their projects have slowed. This is the perfect time to sit back and enjoy the relaxed pace of summer, whatever the temperature.

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Those of you looking for a jump start on end-of-season sales can start here:

• The Apple Store has special “education pricing” on Macs, with a free iPod touch, through September 7. 
• T-Mobile, AT&T, and other mobile carriers are (or will soon be) having back-to-school sales. Check their Web sites or an aggregator site like Bestincellphones.com.
  
• The latest on back-to-school sales and coupons at CouponClock.com. 
• More end-of-season deals at TheBarganist.com.  
  
  
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