Gardening, Grading and Babysitting

I broke ground in my garden today. It felt good to work outside, the heat of the sun on the back of my neck, and looking back on the progress being made. I find it rewarding to stand back after several hours of hard work to see the large pile of weeds sitting beside the freshly turned soil. I hope to spend several hours tomorrow finishing the weeding and adding fertilizer and compost. I'd like to plant some seedlings this next week, though most likely it will get put off until next weekend.

I volunteered to grade for two courses this semester-developmental biology and a genetics class for non-biology majors. Both of these classes had midterms last week, so I have a HUGE pile of grading to do (about 250 exams all together). It's not hard work, but it is tedious. I don't do it because I have time or like it, but for the money. We get paid over $10/hour to grade, and it usually works out to be more because I tend to grade the exams in less time then they expect it will take. Maybe it's a bit dishonest, but I figure I could take my time and really milk it for all it's worth, or I can be super efficient and still make the money. I choose the latter.

It's just as well I have the grading to keep me busy, Chris is working hard to put together several end-of-term papers this weekend. He has two 10 page papers due this next week so is pretty busy getting them done.

We are also babysitting for our neighbors tonight. Mel and Frank rarely get out on their own, Mel is getting her Master's of Fine Arts (she graduates this May) and Frank has a research associate position at Stanford and has a terrible 2 hour commute to Palo Alto. We offerred them a night of babysitting in exchange for cat sitting while we were at my sister's wedding. We would babysit anyway, but I think they feel guilty asking us, without it being in return for another favor. I really don't mind babysitting, but in the back of my head I can't help but hope that we are building up a supply of good babysitting karma for when we have kids and desperately need a night out!! Callum is such a cute little guy. He's three now and is growing up literally every minute. So many questions about how the world works and comments on life as he sees it. It's a shame people have to grow up. The curiosity and wonder of a three year old is so honest (and humorous). He is such a good kid, hardly any trouble at all.

I should get back to my pile of grading. I'm only through to the G's. Most of the alphabet is still in front of me.

'Night.

Chris and Callum Playing Legos