Summer Vacation

There are many, many good things about the so-called ``academic life.'' And it really is churlish to complain -- especially given the number of people I know in the private sector who have had the misfortune to suddenly find themselves out of a job. But I am going to be a tad churlish here and complain about one of my pet peeves: The assumption by so many people I meet that I'm ``off'' during the summer. Now, I know that my schedule during the summer is pretty darn flexible. I know that I get to wear shorts and faded Hawaiian shirts during the week. I know that I don't have to shave or otherwise take care of my appearance. Or bathe regularly. But darn it, I'm working hard. Banging my head against research projects that seemed so promising in the spring. Writing grant proposals. Getting grant proposals rejected. Revising papers. Getting papers rejected. Revising them again. Rejecting other people's papers. Helping graduate students finish their dissertations. (Well, one graduate student.) Grading qualifying exams. Etc.

It's an Exciting Life

It is a commonly held opinion that child-free adults lead more exciting lives than their child-burdened contemporaries. Not true. I've just returned from a drive (as passenger) with my permit-equipped 16-year-old son. Yow!

It's a Wonderful Life

Now that September is almost upon us, I thought I'd start things off with a preparatory note for the upcoming Holiday Season. By ``Holiday Season, '' I mean, of course, that time of year (in the US, at least) when the super-duper-classic film ``It's A Wonderful Life'' is put into continuing rotation on cable TV. For the dozen or so residents of the English speaking world not familiar with that film, let me briefly review the plot: George Baily (played by Jimmy Stewart) runs the Baily Building & Loan in Bedford Falls. On Christmas Eve, George's not-too-bright and borderline drunk Uncle Billy misplaces a bag containing a substantial portion of the Building & Loan's cash on hand; the evil Mr. Potter finds and hides the money. Suddenly, the Building & Loan appears to be on the brink of collapse, and George decides to take his life -- believing that the world would be a better place if he had never been born. George's guardian angel intervenes, saves George, and shows him an alternate history of Bedford Falls, without George Baily. In this alternate history, of course, the world is a much worse place. George realizes that, in fact, his life was worth living. George returns to his family, and all of his friends show up with money to save his business. Community, family, and friendship prevail. Everyone cries.

HOWEVER....the real moral of the story is that George should have fired the obviously incompetent Uncle Billy well before he created serious trouble -- or should have placed him in a position without actual responsibility. Family loyalty should never trump sound personnel management.