As this Spring Break comes to a close (it’s Friday, school starts on Monday) I am a little wistful — thinking about all that I could have done, and all that’s still on my plate to do. But I do that to myself. I don’t take time to appreciate all that I do and stop looking for what’s next. So in this post, I’m going to recount some awesome things about this Spring Break.

I know I don’t use this blog to talk about my non-school life, but that’s only because it’s only about 1% of my life.

So at the start of this spring break, I did something I’ve been dreaming about for years. You see, when I was in college I had a bout of insomnia so I started to listening to Supreme Court oral arguments to focus my mind on something boooooring so I could fall asleep. Little did I know I would become a Supreme Court junkie. And so I went with a friend (who teaches history and constitutional law at my school) to Washington DC where I had a glorious time. The night before the oral argument, I invited @rdkpickle to dinner and didn’t get psychopathkilledtodeath. You’ll all be pleased to know that she’s just as personable in person as she is online.

The following day I got to Supreme Court

early enough that we got tickets to hear the arguments. It was similar to what I expected in terms of the argument, and also nothing like I expected in terms of the room. It wasn’t as grandiose as I imagined — I imagined the justices to be higher up, the room to be wider, and the seating for the visitors to be nicer (we were like sardines put on very cramped wooden chairs). The two cases we heard were Astrue v. Capato and Southern Union Company v. United States, both fascinating. (And for those of you who are dying to know, yes, I took off my hat in the courtroom.)

In DC, I also got to meet up with two dear old friends who I hadn’t seen in ages, and just in time, because they are moving to Korea for two years, soon. And one high school friend who I consider one of my besties even though we never see each other or keep in touch. He’s that kinda guy.

In addition to my trip to DC, I had my sister in NYC for a day, where we ate delicious food, traipsed around a lot, walked the high line, read a bit in Bryant Park, went shopping at the Strand (I didn’t buy anything!), and then met my parents and family friends for dinner. It was a full and lovely day.

Then I scampered to San Francisco for a whirlwind trip. I got to see a ton of high school and college friends, do a bunch of shopping, eat delicious food, watch the Hunger Games, and throw a party! That’s right — one of my best friends from high school just moved back and I convinced her throw a house party — and I invited all my friends.

Additionally, and this is going to make all of you jealous, I got to hang out and have dinner with the following math twitter people at Bar Tartine: @woutgeo, @btwnthenumbers, @cheesemonkeysf, @ddmeyer, and @suevanhattum. I only wish we had started earlier. It was totes amazing (@cheesemonkeysf wrote about it). And again, I didn’t get psychokillerkilled. Although when I talked smack about ed researchers, I thought the towering Dan Meyer was going to kill me with his laser stare! But he is too much of a Good Guy Greg for that.

And then I got back, and have basically been doing nothing but watching bad TV and thinking (but not doing anything) about all the work I have to do but haven’t done. I even finished the two seasons of Party Down (amazing, btdubs), and the season of Summer Heights High (also amazing, btdubs). Go me!

So even though I felt like that I could have done, all those roads not taken and all that, I think I’ll always feel that way. It’s just the way I am. And I have to learn to appreciate all that I have done, instead of focus on all that I could have done. In fact, that’s probably a lesson for me in teaching. There you go — I have a sickness. Everything is about teaching. 

With that, I’m out.

PS. I would love to have shown more photos, but I feel weird using photos of people who might care if their photo is out in the world. Dan, he’s probably okay with it. He has a TED talk and all that.