For the past couple years my university has sponsored many community service projects on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I’ve participated in the past–it’s a good tradition, and it’s important to serve others, not only on Martin Luther Kind, Jr. Day, but everyday. But I did not work on a community service project today. Instead I worked with my graduate advisee for several hours on his capstone project. It was another way to serve another.

I also worked on my 2014 self-evaluation (due in ten days), and on my alumni talk (due in eight days). The talk is still coming together well. My goal is to have the draft completed on Friday, then spend the weekend working on a PowerPoint presentation. The talk is an opportunity to synthesize some of the dominant themes of my book in a non-academic environment. It’s always thrilling when people willingly listen to me talk about something I like.

I believe I nearly made CKT cry tonight. He was splashing around in the bathtub, carelessly pouring buckets of water on his head. I snapped at him to stop, saying I would get mad if he spilled water on the floor. Then I told him he looked foolish. He hung his head low a little, and I could tell I hit a nerve. When I was a little boy I was immature and acted foolish, and I believe it hurt my development a little. I don’t want CKT to struggle like I did, so I respond to his silliness a little more tersely than I ought. But CKT held it together, like a mature young person.