Way Too Long: Update

It's been a little while since I posted anything here. Thankfully, it's because I've been busy. In the first few weeks of November, I was occupied with writing papers for the Society of Biblical Literature. One was sort of an introduction to reading Revelation from a queer perspective and the the other was on how two modern visionary artists, Myrtice West and Sister Gertrude Morgan, interpret Revelation's bridal imagery in their paintings. I was happy with both papers. I received some especially helpful feedback on the queer readings paper: There was a respondent, a scholar I respect immensely, who pushed me to think in some different directions and encouraged me to flesh out one piece of the paper for publication. So more work for me! The second paper, on the visionary artists, made me dive into some material for the book project, material that I hadn't thought about in awhile. It was good to move into it, as it allowed me to see that I really do have a book in my head that could see the light of day in the future! Overall, my SBL experience this year was exactly what it should be . . . an academic push forward.

Since SBL, I've been working on a bibliography about Satan. It's been a ton of work, but I've enjoyed it a great deal. I forgot how fun new research can be. I think I needed the intellectual challenge of this project, even though it has drawn me away from the book (as well as from the blog). The due date on this project is Jan 31, so Satan will be out of my hair soon enough!

In one week I'm back in the classroom--sabbatical is over. O-V-E-R. Even though it got off to a rough start, I think it was a good experience. People keep asking me if it was "productive," which makes me bristle a bit. Isn't part of the idea of sabbatical rest and regrouping? I think I was able to do that to some extent, but I wouldn't necessarily call that "productive." In fact, one of the best things about sabbatical was the opportunity to detach from the workplace. I know some people have a difficult time doing that and there were a couple instances when I let myself be pulled in, but overall I think I was successful in setting limits. What a wonderful thing: I was able to gain some perspective by pulling away my attention. I was able to realize that curriculum revision, general studies assessment, departmental events and searches are not the beginning and end of the world. Yes, all of these things are important, but they are not the only things in this world that are meaningful and worthy of my time. Moreover, I was reminded that things will move forward without me. I, personally, don't have to do everything. I'm hoping that I'll be able to maintain this perspective as I return to school.

Another great thing about sabbatical has been the flexibility to spend time with my dad, who is getting up there in years. Because I didn't have to be in the classroom, I was able to take him to his 60th high school reunion and plan and host his 80th birthday party. I'm so thankful that I had these opportunities. This makes the fact that I can't live near my dad, since I can't find a job in the area where he lives, more bearable.

Still, even though the question of productivity irritates me, I did manage to get some work done that really needed to get done. Over the summer and early fall I completed a chapter of the book and in the fall I was able to make significant headway on the second chapter. I began to see this thing as a whole, which was a first. And, as mentioned above, I was able to start tackling another chapter by writing my SBL paper on visionary artists. And, with this Satan bibliography, I'll have another publication under my belt. These aren't necessarily all the things I had hoped to get done, but I'm pretty satisfied.

So, overall, sabbatical was successful. I'm ready to get back into the classroom and into the university mix . . . although I'm sure I'll soon be looking forward to the next time away!