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[wet_blanket]

I'm a dissertating grad student at the moment.  As such, I can't really be going off and pursuing research  projects just for fun.  There are some areas of research in my field that I find fascinating, but that are completely unrelated to what I do and why I'm driven to become a professor of basketweaving.

I know that when (if) I hit the TT I'm going to be even busier than I am now.  But it seems that many people have their "serious" projects and manage to have an oddball, quirky, fun project too.  Not that such projects  lack rigor, or are only the stuff of the BMJ Christmas edition, but they're clearly playtime for the person concerned. 

Just wondering if forumites have these kinds of projects?  And how people find the time without feeling that they're slacking on the "important" stuff?

[msparticularity]

Yeah, I just did a book chapter on one of my ideas that is highly interesting to me, but not necessarily terribly compelling as a researched journal article. It is something of a balancing act, of course, because as another Forumite pointed out once (and as you clearly realize), there is an opportunity cost involved, since it takes time during which one might be doing more "significant" work. Still, mine ended up being personally very satisfying, and also helped me develop a literature base that does relate to some other things I'm working on. Also, I had some very cool conversations with wonderful people who share my interests, which also helps keep me feeling excited and motivated about my larger life and work.