Have I mentioned yet how difficult it is to motivate myself to comment on student papers?

If it isn't the knowledge that most of the students will not actually read the comments, it's the problem of trying to explain to a student why their essay is just bland - maybe grammatically correct, but frankly, quite boring. I like tutoring and consulting with students who are interested in getting responses, but sometimes, trying to suggest ways for a student to improve a mediocre paper is just taxing - I have enough problems trying to figure out how to make my own papers interesting, let alone theirs.

What I wouldn't give for a vacation right now!