not to be vulgar, but you also live in a region with ass-weather during the summer. ;-)

As to your intuitions about greater productivity when you have more free time, I am not so sure I agree with it. When I am thinking about things, it can be anything, I am more productive. During the summer most of my friends are gone from school (I stick around to work), I am not in classes, so I do not think about different things as often. Maybe you're more motivated than I am.

By the end of college I had started noticing that my best grades were in the spring and summer, I was more interactive with my professors, etc. The first fall of my sophomore year was hideous. I wasn't out partying, I just hadn't been motivated to leave my room. (And fall is my favorite season.) It was actually when I was out partying that I made great grades (4.0 summers taking 15 hours). I think I'm out of that seasonal pattern though.

As for "ass-weather", I live in the DC area now and its summers are nothing compared to TX despite the constant whining up here the unbearable heat. I like TX, but not the summers.

well, then tx is rectal weather.