Erin begged me to teach her how to play checkers. It seemed like such a nice idea that I decided to brew some tea as well and have a nice little Victorian afternoon with my daughter.

Good times, Internet. Good times.

Best to bring protection. Those scouts don’t take “no” for an answer.

1. I was supposed to be on leave from the department this quarter, but two days after classes started they asked me to TA an ethics course. I said yes. This was stupid because…

2. I was supposed to be using my leave to work on my dissertation, which I had on the back-burner during the fall and hoped to make some progress on during the winter. Now I’m doing that while also TA’ing. This is stupid because…

3. What I really should have been doing during this quarter, while on leave, was work on a course I’m teaching in the spring. Now I’m doing that while also writing a dissertation and grading papers/holding sections for undergrads.

4. I’ve been playing Hanging With Friends and Words With Friends. You should play me. I’m mediocre at it. My username is BackpackingDad.

5. I’ve been making Art. I’m an excellent drawer. I draw pictures and post them on my Google+ page. They often look like this one I did about the ESPN headline about NBA star Jeremy Lin:

6. I’ve been playing Mega Man 2.

7. I’ve been parenting. Sort of.

8. I’ve been husbanding. Sort of.

9. I’ve been pet-owning. Sort of.

10. I’ve been making lists.