Sumer is icumen in

So, yes: this space is dormant and probably will stay that way during the chaos of the semester that has (as of this writing) about six breakneck weeks left. BUT there is, as there sometimes will be, some horizon to look forward to, and after the jump, I'll fill you in on all the Future Wonders...

This post is something of a BRIDGE to the future of this blog. (DO YOU QUITE RECEIVE MY MEANING)

The long and short of it is, the combination of a monthly lease, an academic schedule, and the total exhaustion of a first year on faculty marked by overload teaching both semesters and virtually zero course prep time has convinced me that, notwithstanding this area is a real Summer Getaway Vacation Dreamscape for lots of people, I am outta heeeeeere once my obligations wrap up in May.

Which means this blog is going to a little bit go back to its roots and become a space to share my travels and ramblings as I - [burns a series of potent herbs, knocks wood, whispers a hushed prayer into the mouth of a penguin] Covid permitting - summer abroad once more.

Me, embarking on another Grand Adventure (artist's depiction)

 

All plans are obviously subject to the whims of fate even more than usual, but at present it's looking like I will get a few weeks of more actively unplug-to-wander-merrily exploration in a few countries I've not yet visited, combined with a couple of monthlong (or near-monthlong) stays in beautiful spots I've been missing since travel came off the table in 2020. I'll be using that time to course prep properly, in the interest of starting next year with a quiver full of lesson plans, fully-thoughtfully-designed assessments, and a solid game plan for what ought to be my first directing gig in a number of years. I couldn't be more excited - nor could there be a better counterweight to the absolute frenzy that has, in candor, made this semester faintly miserable. I'm always happiest when I have a Thing to look forward to, and now that I've set a plan in motion, I Have That Thing.

As I say, there may be a handful of dribs and drabs here between now and May (life does go on, and I manage to sneak away occasionally, most recently for a spectacular popup jazz bar my sister and her husband ran in NYC this last weekend) but come May, we are likely to be back in the gloriously dopey swing of videos, photos, and inarticulate and inaccurate summaries of the places I blunder through! C'mon along you cowards!

Sure hope my hosts overseas are as welcoming and thoughtful as my NYC hosts last week.