Organizing My Christmas Break - Grad Student Style

I'M FREE! I'M FREE!

Free from what, you ask? I handed in my LAST essay of the semester today, folks. And to top it off, I'm also done marking student exams! What! I know, what a day, right? Picture sixteen Politics TAs and a professor locked in a room together for about 9 hours straight marking exams. That, my friends, was my day today. It was a marking party that boggled the mind. And as 5:00 pm rolled around, and as I marked that last exam, I felt a huge weight fall off my shoulders. I officially have no other assignments left for the semester, nor do I have any other pending responsibilities. I'm officially... done!

And yet, I still have that nagging feeling. That feeling to do something useful with my time. I don't know if it's because these past three months have been devoted to incessant work, but I do feel the need to be somewhat productive over the holidays. And so, dear friends, as I've begun to organize my Christmas break, I've put together a Christmas reading list for myself. Don't laugh. Who knows how productive I'll actually be when I find my way to Holt Renfrew (after three months of separation), never to be seen again? Behold are the titles I hope to read during the break:

1. The Powers To Lead by Joseph Nye
2. The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
3. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
4. Towards Juristocracy by Ran Hirschl
5. In Defense of Global Capitalism by Johan Norberg

I have three weeks of holidays. And five book titles. I don't think I'll be adding anymore to the list. Let's not kid ourselves, I think five is enough, yes?

Let's hope I get through most of these! I'll be spending tomorrow packing, running errands, organizing my office, lounging/reading at Starbucks and Common Ground (I can't go a day without loitering in a coffee shop, obviously), and picking some of these books up at the library.

Exciting times, my friends. In addition to creating a reading schedule for these books, I also have to organize my holiday social calendar and list all the places I want to visit when I get home (I miss Square One. And Panera Bakery. And Sherway Gardens. And Holt Renfrew. Too many to list, really).

Two days till I leave Kingston for the holidays, it's almost time! Hurrah!

"Even as an adult, I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age."
- Carrie Latet