Reasons Not to Stay Up Late

Well, I've really only got two:

You can't get to sleep before 2 in the morning

and

Late night IHOP is deadly. Or at least rock-like.

So I finished my grading a couple hours ago, which leaves me with a draft of a paper to write. What I'm actually excited about is that this is a paper I'll be working on for a while. Is it a bit weird that I'm excited to be working on something for a while? I guess what makes it exciting is that it is the first thing that has really made me feel like I'm working on a Ph.D. I plan to work on this paper for a while, put the ideas through the grinder, come up with a nice polished final product down the road. Sustained research. Makes you feel like you're actually doing something more than simply taking classes to complete requirements.

So here I am, one semester down, several more to go. I feel good about some things, not as good about others. It's been challenging to keep myself going at points, and I hope some time at home and away from school is just what I needed. I'm also looking forward to New Years and a couple weeks here with nothing to do (and a possible Vegas trip). I feel like a break is necessary. It's been non-stop since I got out here. Don't get me wrong, it's been a lot of fun. It's been draining as well.

For those of you in VA, I'm headed home Thursday and I'll be around til the 30th. I won't have a car of my own. It's going to be cold. But it'll be good. Only a little more work to do for now...and maybe some sleep.