Reading through my blogs on a break, I found a consistent Labor-Day Theme asking readers how they are spending their day off.
It struck me hard. And so I ask: Are any of you taking the day off? Me, I'm using this time to finish as much as I can on my book, while grading for my online courses and preparing for tomorrow's opening day at State U. I'll probably work until 10 tonight.
Maybe some of you are fairing better? Or is it just the fact of academia that a "day off" is just a day for research/writing/planning/grading?
I am procrastinating because I should be finishing my course outlines. Does this count as taking the day off?
ReplyDeleteI'm looking up student transcripts to see what transfers and what doesn't. I'm sure this isn't really a holiday activity.
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ReplyDeleteI'm struggling to master the newest iteration of our LMS, which is quite different from (and, at least at the moment, buggier than) the last one, and filling in details on course calendars that were, um, a little bit sketchy about details other than major deadlines as of the first day of school (which took place last week). Definitely not a day off, but I am grateful for the catch-up time, and for the relatively low volume of student email (which I'm sure will pick up substantially in the next 12-24 hours).
ReplyDeleteI just got back from a glorious bike ride. Now I'm glaring at the computer, trying to guilt it into getting off its lazy ass and getting those syllabi finished. It's pathetic that I have to spend the off time before in-service getting ready for classes since in-service will be so full of meetings and crap I won't have time.
ReplyDeleteDay off = working all day in PJs rather that working all day in work clothes. There is a difference.
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ReplyDeleteI'm at a SLAC and at work. Staff have Labor Day off, but faculty don't. Nor do we celebrate President's Day or Veteran's Day. I expect we wouldn't observe Memorial Day, if classes hadn't already ended for the summer. We do, however, scrupulously observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Cesar Chavez Day. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteHa. Day off = kid has no school = work day completely shot.
ReplyDeleteNational holidays. Who needs 'em.
Smug dissenting voice: I'm not doing shit today, and it's awesome. Got a big writing project done last week, am gleefully procrastinating with a couple of others, and today I'm completely hung over and relishing having embraced worthlessness. I have instituted a personal rule about not dealing with work e-mail while at home-- it's like a work-technology sabbath. Currently trying to decide between lounging on the hammock (finally under 90 degrees around here-- gorgeous weather, BUT the neighbor just started up a lawn mower, in the 'cons' column) and Assassins' Creed Brotherhood. Ooh, maybe read a novel. For fun. Do you remember that? For dinner we will order a pizza. I have no regrets. Of course, I do teach on a MWF schedule...
ReplyDeleteI'm working on homework, but I get to do it in my PJs with my Netflix queue instead of in the library. Also, I took a break for a couple of hours to play video games. Good times.
ReplyDeleteI had actually been planning to work today, but my co-researcher hasn't gotten her part of our chapter back to me yet, so I did have an unexpected day off. (I worked Saturday and Sunday, though.)
ReplyDeleteI worked for 3 hours or so, and then said "fuckit." And it was happy work I enjoyed doing. Let's call it "Unalienated Labor Day."
ReplyDeleteTook the kids to the annual fall fair, rode the rides, ate the annual spectacularly inedible hamburger, admired the needlework exhibit and the prize vegetables, but skipped the chickens; got a bit of a sunburn, spent 45 minutes trying to get out of the parking lot. Would have bought corn on the cob on the way home but the eldest has braces now and it would be cruel and unusual to make her watch the rest of us eat it. Now I plan to do a little sewing, make dinner and watch True Blood, even though Sookie is really uninteresting this season. But there's always Jessica to hold my attention.
ReplyDeleteI'm with F&T: holiday = kids are at home = I can't concentrate anyway, so I may as well enjoy it. My syllabi are done and my research can wait for a day. The weather's far too gorgeous to spend the day indoors.
Spent six hours at work without colleagues and students. It will be the most productive day of the week.
ReplyDeleteAs we drove back from our holiday weekend, I made a few assignments and finished off some lectures. Not too much work. I rarely spend any day without at least thinking about the many things I should be doing. good times.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's around midnight, and I am putting the books away. But incredible news: a final spurt of energy and I just completed my book draft!! It's late, school starts tomorrow, but I AM OPENING A BEER.
ReplyDeleteHuzzah!
Graded 200 assignments and then hung out with teenager, watching "Monk" on Netflix and getting caught up on laundry and the dishwasher. Visited an old friend and dished on our husbands. Mine redeemed himself by bringing home fabulous corn on the cob, probably the last time for a while since teenager gets braces on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI should have finished that book review, updated my web sites, and worked more on certain lectures. But laughing with my teenager is soon to be rare, I predict, and so was even more fun than usual.
I saw a movie and spent time with the houseguests, enjoyed some delicious grilled meat the hubby made, and then graded a set of papers and caught up the email. Tomorrow the guests are leaving and I'm back to the grind. Saturday was really the only day I completely took off over the holiday, and I spent half of it battling the migraine. I've always said I was going to carve out Saturdays for myself. This term, I'm going to do my best to make that happen.
ReplyDeleteActually took first mini-vacation with entire family!
ReplyDeleteOddly, all classes were over/not yet started over this past weekend so I had a relatively "clear" window of time.
Of course that didn't prevent my smartphone from chirping with panicked messages from students who just received their grades from the summer term or from students enrolled in fall classes worried about what is to come.
Ignored all but the most legitimate.
Oh, forgot to add that one of those EMails was from one program reminding us that all course materials were to be posted by Labor Day so they would be available for students to preview.
ReplyDeleteThe message actually highlighted the fact that it was known we were expected to have all materials online on the holiday itself.