It's wonderful to not have to teach any more. and no homework. The project I'm working on in my "free time" at work is basically POE + UOCD. I am estatic. For the first time since... well, kindergarten - I'm serious - I am in a place where I am completely incapable of helping anyone else. I have nothing to teach. It's impossible for me to tutor. What I can do is ask lots of questions of everyone else, and try as best as I can to learn. And WHOOSH!

I've never learned so much so fast. And until I stopped doing it two weeks ago, I never realized how much time I spend teaching other people things. I love doing it, but gosh, it feels good not to feel obligated to (since I can't) and I have much more free time. I've got to do this more. I've been teaching for 15 years. It's high time for a sabbatical, even if it lasts all of 2 months. So I'm learning how to not be a teacher; instead, I'm finally learning how to be a student

Why is it that whenever an Oliner finds a happy place, they always compare it to Olin?

The other revelation is that Blue Ribbon BBQ is the best stuff ever. It's across the street from my office, and my coworkers have been raving about it, but I never actually tried any of their stuff until I cooked in the kitchen on Saturday night. I'd volunteered to help with the Bikes Not Bombs bike-a-thon, and the chef I was helping turned out to be the man behind Blue Ribbon, so I got to make industrial-size tubs of salsa, saw fresh spinach and radishes for the first time in my life (you mean it it doesn't come in plastic bags all the time?), and learned a lot about cooking in the process. They've got a totally sweet wood-burning oven, and incredible amounts of meat everywhere. And the food. Is fantastic. And so are the people. They've just won a customer for the rest of summer - and I'm definitely helping with the bike-a-thon next year; I want to get back inside that kitchen.