Holiday

Today's the Fourth, but tomorrow's the Monday after the Fourth. Which means that I don't have to go to work.

But I haven't had to go to work in a week, because we've been on vacation. So how best to use a day when nobody's expecting me anywhere?

I'd feel bad taking a day -- or half a day, at least -- to hang out at the coffeeshop. But tomorrow's kind of a special case. First, everybody needs a vacation from vacation, as you well know. For me that means some concentrated time with my own work, which is not necessarily the work I do at the office.

Second, that work involves deadlines. Tomorrow I have two of them, and I need time not only for the research I'd normally dive into during a coffeeshop day, but also for writing those two pieces. And third, if I bail on the home front, Noel's not left supervising two kids and trying to get his workload covered at the same time, because Archer's going to a day camp on my university's campus next week.

So all things considered, it's the perfect day for me to put my nose to the grindstone. And that's my version of a perfect holiday.