I’ve always thought that today, Labor Day here in the U.S. — the day marking the official end of summer of — is a bit of a contradiction. Although it heralds the beginning of autumn’s labors, of vacations drawing to an end, of kids going back to school, Labor Day itself is pointedly a day of no work. This three day weekend is the last hurrah, a time for family, for barbecues and hanging out, for all sorts of leisure-time activities.
I think it’s a nice tradition, one I firmly support. Yet I confess that I do not practice what I preach. Even as I write this, I and all of the students in our research group are gathered at the lab, busy at our computers. Because, you see, with nobody around, today we can actually get some work done!
Of course we are then all going to have a barbecue†
† Don’t even ask what kind of barbecue — you already know what I’ll say. 🙂