Escape to the island

Today was the last weekday before classes start next week. So, unusually for me, I did something sensible.

I got the heck outta Dodge.

I had decided to go to the Coastal Studies Lab, and nothing came up that prevented me from going, as so often happens. I did leave a little later than planned, as I got into an early morning unexpected hallway conversation about how messed up certain assessment practices were.

On the drive out, I used to feel guilty about not going to the Coastal Studies Lab -- and I still do. But now I also feel guilty about going to the Coastal Studies Lab. My carbon footprint is on my mind a lot.

The day was just about perfect for collecting. Not very busy, and cloudy. Particularly important today, as aI forgot my sunscreen (again) at home. I was able to get everything I went to South Padre Island for, but the best thing may have been that I got an idea for a fun little project I'll have one of my students get on.

I returned to the department to a broken photocopier -- which is a big deal just before classes start because all the instructors want to copy their class outlines -- and our hardworking clerk staying late to copy the material for the professors who had gone home already. She also tells me there was a steady stream of people going by my office looking for me.

Heh. But I fooled them...

Very tired, though. While I was not as waxed as if it had been sunny, I was shoveling for a few hours on the beach, and it's hard yakka.