No travel for Northeastern this year (2016) – but already planning for next…

This is about the time of year I’d be posting an entry about my plans for travel this Spring. The semester is almost over… grades are due in two weeks… The Summer 1 session starts in about three weeks and on the first day of that is always when we leave. But, I decided to take a year off in 2016 for a couple of reasons. One is my daughter is going to a studio arts school in Central Square just for her 8th grade year, and I wouldn’t dream of pulling her from that for five weeks because, well, she would never allow it. Two is I started a doctorate program this spring and needed to stick around to figure out how to balance the work from that with my own teaching load. And three is that I want to really think about where to go next. In fact, I’m thinking of holding a brown bag lunch with some students to brainstorm with them about what we should plan for. The spectacular thing about these Dialogues is we can go almost anywhere. Turkey, Italy or Greece to report on the refugee crisis? India to report on poverty? China, Russia? Cuba is for sure on my short list. Needless to say, the next journey will be as transformative as all the others – for me, and for the students I am lucky enough to bring. So, stay tuned. And if you’re in my orbit, stop by or get in touch. I’ll be gardening, trail running and just bouncing around Concord for the next three months and then in Maine for the month of August. Ciao for now. Carlene (I’m leaving you with a few recent pictures – click below to see larger images – of some fun stuff we’ve been up to.)

Scenes during the sixth annual Academic Honors Convocation held on the 17th Floor of East Village at Northeastern University on April 21, 2016. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Lila and her Mama at the award ceremony. I was so very lucky to win a teaching award.

Cal and his chicken.

Lila (right) painting a mural in Central Square with her school.

Lila backstage at Hamilton with Jonathan Groff

Cal’s first day of Little League, with Daddy as coach. 🙂

Lila and me (with our two boys off camera) at the Pawtucket Sox game for Father’s Day.