Benjamin Farrar, one of Poly’s most respected computer science teachers and a recently retired World of Warlock professional player, spends his Sundays watching sports, exercising, and relaxing.
Farrar normally starts his Sundays at 8:30 in the morning to watch a Formula One race. “It’s a primarily European sport. It mostly takes place in the mornings here because it’s the afternoon for them,” he said. He explained that he loves how easy the races are to understand. “It’s a really fun sport because there’s only 20 people. Whereas, with football or baseball or something, you have to know everybody on every team to really get a sense of the storyline. But with only 20 people, that’s like a reality TV show.” These races last around two hours, leaving Farrar with the entire rest of the day to still do what he likes, such as gaming or playing guitar. On weekends, when these races aren’t on, Farrar often sleeps until noon.
After 12pm, Farrar usually tries to get outside in a number of ways, often with a run. Farrar said he once ran from tip to tip of Manhattan, which took him over two and a half hours, and frequently runs down avenues for long distances. “It’s fun to see it change as you go through different neighborhoods.” Despite his frequent runs, Farrar doesn’t consider himself a runner. “It’s more about experiencing the city to me rather than trying to set a fast time,” he said.
On other Sundays, Farrar will go play a round of golf. “Golfing in the city is really tough because it’s so crowded. So, oftentimes I’ll try to go in the winter when there’s nobody there,” he said. Farrar has played at various golf courses around the city, including Van Cordlant, Dyker Beach, and Marine Park.
After that, Farrar said he has his “cozy time.” For Farrar, this often means playing video games. His current favorite is Animal Crossing, which despite releasing in 2020, he is just getting into. “I would describe myself as a patient game player, in the sense where I’m not gonna buy something right on release,” he said. Recently, Farrar, who had been playing World of Warlock professionally since 2007, retired from the game. “I was really highly ranked but it just sort of became too much for my schedule. I was dedicating 30 to 35 hours a week to it at least. Still, Farrar said he is happy with his decision now, since he has gained a lot of free time. “It’s nice to get a break,” he said.
After playing video games, Farrar makes himself dinner, which is often pasta. “I make a lemony brussel sprout spaghetti kind of deal. I make a pretty decent bolognese,” he said. Farrar has recently gotten into the habit of making dessert as well. “I’ll do an apple crisp or a mulled apple cider or an apple cobbler. It’s fall and we’re from New York, we should use the apples,” he remarked.
After dinner, Farrar begins grading assignments and planning for the upcoming week. In his Sunday downtime, Farrar often watches recordings of his lessons to note if he felt anything could be improved. “So being like, I didn’t explain that very well. I can fix that for next year or oh, what if I put this new idea? What if I explain this in a different way?” he said. “Usually, I find I do my best work between nine and midnight. Actually, I’m kind of a night owl. So I’ll let that kind of sit for most of the day and then I’ll punch in three solid hours of work at the end of the day,” he explained. During the summer, Farrar’s work schedule takes a turn, as he tends to go to sleep at six in the morning. “It’s so peaceful and dark and calm, and nobody expects anything of me,” he said, describing his preference for the quiet hours of the night.
Then, Farrar gets ready for bed. “My wife and I use this word ‘Smonday,’ which refers to Sunday evening when all you’re worried about is the upcoming inevitability of Monday morning,” he said.
Farrar then tries his best to be in bed by midnight. “Overall I would say my routine is pretty good, although it would be nice to have less prep work to do! I’m sure students can relate to having ‘homework’ always due on Monday.”
