The Endless Summer

So far, I haven’t noticed that my day job has come to an end. There’s been no change in my routine. After all, I’ve always had summer break (except for the two years that I was out of academe, causing me both times to run back to the Ivory Tower screaming, “Take me back! Take me back!”), and so far nothing is different. It’s been a normal summer break.

With the other new emeriti

Sleepy and stubbly, but happy!

Or has it?

After Vanderbilt’s commencement, we went to our son’s commencement (way to go, Patrick!) and a mere few days afterward, off to Italy for a brief but very lovely trip (lots of photos). We came home and I had barely started making a dent in my jet lag when I went to speak at a conference, came home, and am now preparing for two more conferences.

This is the busiest June I’ve ever had. I don’t think I would have committed to all this busy-ness if I’d also had to plan classes, make syllabi, check on book orders, etc. But this, after all, is why I decided it was time to say “Goodbye, day job!” I’ve rarely had trouble finding time to write; it’s the time for promotion—including speaking at conferences—and for travel that has been hard to find. Or at least it was until this summer.

So maybe I have noticed.