But I don't even own a bikini!

What would you consider a "typical Spring Break activity"?

I'm asking because I recently had to clear up a misconception cherished by a (not very close) relative, who thought my thwarted trip to Florida would be devoted not to visiting my ailing father but instead to participating in "typical Spring Break activities." Did she think I was planning to appear in a Girls Gone Wild video or get plastered and dive off a hotel balcony?

Most professors of my acquaintance spend Spring Break grading piles of papers, prepping classes, and perhaps grabbing a few free days to devote to advancing their scholarly research and writing. The three Spring Breaks I've spent chaperoning students on trips were strictly atypical; normally it's all about spending a few days visiting family and then getting caught up on work. One year I painted a room over Spring Break, but again, that's hardly typical.

In fact, as I look back over the years, the one constant, the only activity guaranteed to appear in every Spring Break, is work. And in fact that's how I plan to spend the final days of my break, now that I'm home again: work, work, and work.

Typical.