The Plan

Academic sabbaticals are supposed to be a time for careful reflection--an opportunity to read and think broadly, retool intellectually and perhaps work on long-term projects. As I thought about ways to spend my sabbatical, it occurred to me that I could pursue all of the traditional goals while living on a sailboat--and have a sailing adventure at the same time. Thus, I decided to spend my sabbatical on Sabbatical (which, not coincidentally, is the name of my sailboat).

The timing is right. I just completed a three-year term as Chair of my academic department (Criminology, Law & Society) at UCI. Our youngest child, Elliot, is beginning college this Fall. So I am free of most administrative and parental obligations. I am working with a few graduate students, but all are at a stage where they can (and should) be working independently; I can continue to help them from afar by e-mail.

The plan, then, is to rent our house in Irvine, move onto the boat, and go sailing. We'll be starting in the Fall, so we'll begin by heading South toward warmer waters and keep going as long as far as it's fun.