I’m not sure how long it’s been since I’ve taken regular days off. Certainly, the last years of juggling church and teaching have meant that the chance of a day off every week–a day with nothing hanging over my head, no papers to grade, nothing for which to prepare–was a rare occurrence.

With only one job, carving out that regular day off is somewhat easier, but actually taking it seems like something of a guilty luxury. Still, I’ve been doing it.

On Friday we had a great day exploring Wisconsin and Madison. We visited the Aldo Leopold Center up near Baraboo, then drove to Spring Green for a quick pick at Taliesin and a stroll through the streets of downtown.

Back home in Madison, we went to jazz on the roof of the Madison Museum of Modern Art and heard some great Gypsy Swing. The day was capped off with some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had–at Fugu. Corrie and I and another couple were the only Anglos in the restaurant. The tables were full of Chinese grad students. The food was exquisite. I had Cumin Lamb in chili sauce, to die for. Next up: tripe or pork intestine.

Days off like that are wonderful. I hope to enjoy many more in the months and years to come. The trade-off was a busy Saturday, meetings in the morning and then a sermon to write. But it was worth it.