Eight hours from now, my alarm will sound, waking me up to begin the first day of my next five-day workweek.

I am not looking forward to it. I feel like I've been working extra hard lately, and, frankly, I need a vacation. It's been almost six months since I've taken a day off from work (not counting the one sick day I took in early February).

In three weeks, my parents and I will be in Houston to celebrate my sister's "official" graduation from graduate school. I say "official" because A) she defended her thesis nearly a year ago; and B) she has been working as a post-doctoral associate for nearly six months now. All that was missing from the past year was the cap, gown and hood, along with a procession to "Pomp and Circumstance."

And so, we are heading to Houston for three days of celebrating the accomplishments of my sister and her former colleagues at the Baylor College of Medicine. I've visited Houston once a year since 2003, and this will be the sixth and last time (for awhile, at least). But it will be a quick trip, packed with receptions and luncheons and a graduation ceremony held in a theater that hosts Broadway touring productions.

In other words: After I return, I will still need a vacation.