Looking ahead, I see that I have no academic travel scheduled for winter term until mid-April when I embark on the first of two speaking tours in 2008 (UK/Netherlands and Australia). There is the small matter of a trip to Mexico over McGill’s “Study Break” (you can’t call it “spring break” since it’s in February) but that doesn’t count.
This may seem like a small matter, but the last time I spent 3 months of a semester without academic travel was apparently spring term of 2002. I’m really looking forward to actually being in Montreal for (almost) a full academic term and seeing what it’s like. I often say that travel is a perk of the job, but it also makes it gruelling, since I lose my weekends and compound my workload. It’s always been my choice, but it will be interesting to see what the alternative is like.
To celebrate yesterday’s arrival home from my final trip for fall 2007, I have contracted a nasty stomach virus. Which, poetically, meant that I couldn’t leave home today.