There’s this problem with sabbaticals. I call it “sabbatical productivity syndrome.” A syndrome is a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms. Sabbatical productivity syndrome includes the following symptoms: (more…)

There’s this problem with sabbaticals. I call it “sabbatical productivity syndrome.” A syndrome is a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms. Sabbatical productivity syndrome includes the following symptoms: (more…)
The reason “What Millennials think about ‘The X-Files'” became so long is that I began with some reflection on how this sabbatical differs from my last. It’s an important reflection because I’ll be posting about the questions the reflection raises in the future. But I decided to cut it and make “What Millennials think about ‘The X-Files'” more of a teaser. For those who didn’t read it, what you were teased with was the following conversation I overheard between two twenty somethings: (more…)
I promised a post today about a conversation I recently overheard between two twenty somethings discussing the 1990s hit TV show The X-Files. I actually spent a couple of hours working on a post that grew to be too long. It’s also Friday and I know that when I tweet this post out I’ll get far fewer views than if I wait until Monday. So I decided to offer a bit of a teaser that, like the best X-Files episodes, will leave you hanging and waiting for the next installment. (more…)
This morning as my colleagues at the University of San Francisco sat through the annual ritual of convocation that officially launches the academic year, I was headed to my local police department’s property and evidence storage unit. This is a trip I make every couple of months (for reasons I’ll explain later), even during the academic year. So there was nothing unusual about this particular trip, except its simultaneity with the convocation I’d ordinarily be obligated to attend. During this mundane morning–if one can call a visit to the police mundane–the reality of my sabbatical finally set in. Which means today also feels like the right time to launch an idea I’ve been kicking around… (more…)