I'm on sabbatical for the 2008-09 school year.  My plans are to take a few classes in teaching students whose first language is not English (variously known as ESL or English Language Learners), study techniques for teaching/learning creative writing that can be transferred to the college composition classroom, and study community writing centers (largely creative writing centers) with an eye toward applying what works for them to our academic writing center.  I'm currently enrolled in an online class on vocabulary learning in a second language through St. Cloud State University.
 

We're back from New Zealand now.  I'm planning to go to the Nobel conference at Gustavus Adolphus Oct. 7-8.  The next big trip (I think) will be to NYC Nov. 15-18.  All the Pretty Horses are playing at Click and Drag on the 15th, and I want to vist 826 NYC (a writing center) in Brooklyn while we're there.

Oh yeah, we're planning on voting for Obama, Franken, DFL all the way.  Financially, I'm actually relatively conservative, but I don't think the Republican party has been financially smart since... I don't know... not in my memory.