For the past 10 months or so, I have been clerking. And while clerking, I feel like my empire has been burning–and there is nothing I could do about it.

Let me explain. For the two years while clerking in Johnstown, I had a lot of free time. A lot. In a very short time I was able to amass what I jokingly called my empire. I had, at the peak, about a dozen interns working for me on various projects–articles, Harlan, etc. I wrote and published many, many articles in that short time. My blog was gaining popularity, and was really covering some great material. I built and established a non-profit that flourished in a very short time. FantasySCOTUS came out of nowhere and blew up. Etc. It was an empire.

Then I stopped. Almost all of it. I have been working so many hours at my actual job, I don’t have time for my other jobs.

Harlan has languished. I set it up so that it could survive, effectively, on auto-pilot for the year. But a lot of the projects I started have just been floating around. And it kills me. I am beyond grateful that others in the organization, in particular two Harlan Fellows, have picked up a lot of the slack. But I feel so derelict in my duties as the leader of this organization.

This past year, my blog has been the only thing I have not given up. And even with the blog, I have slacked. I have barely read any of the SCOTUS opinions this term. I read almost no oral argument transcripts in their entirety. Things I love to do, I just haven’t had time to do.

I spent about 12 hours today revamping the Harlan web site. This is something I should have done months ago. In doing so, I took a stroll down memory lane. There are so many things I did in that short two-year period, I hardly remember it.

I feel like this past year has been a blur.

On July 21, 2012, I will return to my empire. I hope to rebuild it, very quickly.