Column: Safety Dance

We’re in the the long and lazy days of summer, and yet, out of habit, I’ve made it into the office. I’m sitting around, minding my own business. I’m good at that. (I’m also good at finding lint, but no one pays me for that.) In the summer, academics are often left to their own devices, daydreaming about research, or travel, or giving everyone an F – that kind of fun. But there’s a hellish risk to visiting the office in the low season: people want to chat. The abandon of summer empowers my colleagues to ask all sorts of questions.

Column: Summer, Freedom, Family, Fulfillment

In the United States, our Independence Day on July fourth is a time to enjoy parades, fireworks, and picnics with family in celebration as we create new memories to enjoy when the days are not so long, nor so warm. Summer solstice has marked the height of energy and the start of the dark half of the year. Energy spills forth in the Northern Hemisphere, urging on our frenetic pace with children and loved ones on vacation, at outdoor festivals, and grilling in the backyard. We can still enjoy the last wisp of light past nine at night and greet the dawn at five in the morning. Summer fun is pure freedom.