Sabbatical begins (finally)

After 12 years at the University of Calgary, I have finally taken a sabbatical (research and scholarship leave – RSL). I am taking this time to read, write, and recharge. A lot has happened since I last posted on this website and my efforts to keep it up to date were an abject failure. More on that in future posts. I’ve decided reboot it and keep a journal of my RSL–the successes and frustrations. This is primarily so that I know what to write in in my end-of-RSL report. If anyone else finds the posts useful or entertaining so much the better.

So, the family has left Calgary and we’re based in the small town near Nîmes in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. This puts us very close to my in-laws, and allows my children to spend a good amount of time getting to know the French-side of the family. We can also easily travel to the UK to see my family.

Source: https://www.travellingbookjunkie.com/a_nimes_map1/

So, the work. In my application for RSL, I stated that I would use the time to:
1. Read papers in my every growing ‘must read’ list.
2. Work on data and drafts from my own research group.
3. Visit colleagues in Europe, building links and exploring opportunities that I can bring back to Calgary.

So, I will post at least once week; I’ve put a calendar reminder for Fridays. Now, I need to start reading a PhD thesis for a exam next week. (But first time for cuppa tea.)