The last time I had a sabbatical, I not only wrote a textbook but I also figured out that I wanted to leave my marriage.  Because I had the wherewithal at that time to take 70 percent of my salary for a year, I took a year off.  It was a long, long year, full of wretchedness and a lot of time.  And, yes, the summer following my sabbatical, I moved out.

As you might imagine, I'm a little nervous about taking another sabbatical, though I am going to a meeting on Friday to learn more about doing just that.  Times are much tougher this go-round, so I won't be taking a year but a semester, a thought that actually makes me feel much relieved.  The devil's hands, idleness, etc.  Discuss.

But I need to come up with a project that I love, and I've been thinking about taking some classes.  I've thought about writing a novel and tying it into my curriculum.  I've thought about trying to revise the creative writing textbook I never did anything with.  I've thought about traveling and writing about it, though that is really not an option this year.  I would also like to clean my office, paint the closets, and start taking more hikes. 

The most surprising thing about the sabbatical application process is that there is such a thing this year, the year of reduced everything, the year the world is coming apart for education.  I chanced upon the education section in the New York Times yesterday, and tuition is up, applications are up, admittance is down.  Everyone is on furlough.  Salaries are reduced.  It's the world of the passive voice, something from on high enacting all this calamity upon students and teachers alike.

And yet, I am going to be going on sabbatical.

So fraught, this sabbatical.  If you have any good ideas of what I should do, send them soon. 

Jessica