19:05:05:21

That's me counting the minutes until grades are due. It's motivational for me to have a countdown clock on my PC, for it helps me pace myself on work. At this rate, I only have to grade 15 essays daily, or roughly read 30,000 words daily.

Today is also 'hump day,' that is, of course, Wednesday.

I never used to keep track of these little milestones. I always thought people who clocked their time or needed hump days and weekends were just....well...sissies.

Now, I am almost as bad as this guy:



I really cannot account for it, this clock watching tendency I now have. I once was a work horse, a workaholic, a great salary man who would give you more than a bang for your buck. Now I do my job to the best of my ability, but I also strive to do my job within reasonable hours.

Some say it's old age, others that it's family. The best answer is probably simple common sense. Why did it take me over 20 years of working to figure it out? Where did my warped work ethic come from? It was not modeled at home.

Anyway, I'm whiling away the hours and whittling my way through the grading, but always with an eye on the prize: freedom. Family. Fun.