Classes Start Again

I think that I actually got done over Spring Break all that I hoped to. There's still plenty of work to be done, and classes have started up. Still, I don't think that I have the same guilty feeling as I usually do after Break.

Working Through Spring Break

It's Spring Break, and I'm back in my office. This is a good time to get at least a week or two of good class preparation out of the way without distractions. It being March I'll also try to finish off the taxes. It does look sunny outside and I do feel as if I'm missing out on something.

Back From Conference

Back from my annual regional conference.  This time it was worth driving instead of flying, but kind of long---roughly 400 miles each way.  It was good seeing familiar faces and I think that my talk went well.  I definitely can take pride in our students.

But---I don't ever socialize.  I am so exhausted that the thought of hanging out with others seems to be work rather than play.  I wish that it wasn't this way.  I don't know if my sleep situation will ever improve that much.

Interviewing Students

I interviewed students for the first time in a long time yesterday.  The interviews were part of a scholarship application by the students.  My input, at least theoretically, has an effect on their ability to be able to comfortably afford our university.

I don't like having a fixed prompt or set of prompts.  I prefer to ask about the students' interests and go from there.  I think that I'm pretty good at it but there isn't any oversight so there's always that nagging doubt.

Being Sick

I'm often affected by some malady (sore throat, allergies, back pain) but I go into denial and keep chugging along.  Yesterday I had a fever and some diarrhea and had to call a halt to my scheduled activities.  My wife and kids don't handle it well.  They seem to take it for granted that I will just continue doing things as I usually do.  Is it the father role in general?  Do other father's get this kind of reaction?

Presentations

I am writing a presentation to give in a couple of weeks.  I had the idea firmly in my head months ago when I submitted the abstract, but work being what it is I haven't written anything until this weekend.

The Beamer package in LaTeX works pretty well so that I don't have to worry too much about formatting.  Each slide seems to be a good way of chunking content.  It's just a matter of typing, re-wording, practicing, repeating.

I wish that I hadn't let it run this late.  Too many other things going on simultaneously.  My talks have gone over well recently so I'm getting better in some fashion, but I can't slack off and just trust to luck.

Working on Saturday

I went in and worked most of Saturday at my office.

I try not to abandon my family (and put more responsibility on my wife) very often, but two or three times a year I need sustained focus and access to materials in my office.  This time it was to write drafts of annual evaluations for the faculty that report to me.

It's both quiet and loud.  I usually don't play music loudly at home.

I don't have to be prepared for interruptions.  I can focus without reservation on the task at hand.

I usually set unreasonable expectations for the quantity of work done.  This time was a closer match.

Not bad---kind of a vacation in a sick kind of way.