The transition from the independent Shimer College to the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College entails a switch from semesters to quarters — meaning that my summer break is approximately a month longer than usual. Between my work on Neoliberalism’s Demons (which is nearly complete at this point) and my faculty seminar on “The Verbal Art of Plato” (which will be taking place at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., next week), I have done about as much as I could realistically expect to do in an average summer. Early August would normally be the time when my thoughts would turn more toward classes, faculty meetings, etc., but this year that stuff won’t be happening until September.
I suppose that I could have expanded my work to fill the time available, but instead I have effectively pulled a Cool Hand Luke and cleared out a space of freedom for myself. I’d like to use this time for something very different from what I’ve been doing recently, to get some rest and work out some different parts of my brain. I’ve thought of various reading projects, but what most appeals to me right now is finally getting a start on learning to read biblical Hebrew. I haven’t done a new language since Italian, and Hebrew is of course very different from the European languages I’ve tackled so far — fulfilling my variety criterion. I bought all the necessary books the summer before I started at Shimer, but never got much further than starting to memorize the alphabet. I could make it through at least a good chunk of the grammar book in August, and since my classes don’t start until noon for the fall term, I could likely spend an hour or so most mornings finishing up the grammar and starting to stumble through Genesis. People recommended that I learn Hebrew as a way to warm up for Arabic, and if I keep at it semi-consistently over the next academic year, maybe I could get a start on classical Arabic next summer. And with whatever time is left over, I could do some undirected reading and/or rewatch Star Trek for the hundredth time.
What do you think? What would you do if you had a block of time like this? What would you consider a change of pace or recharging type of activity?
An und für sich 
What do you consider “all the necessary books” to learn Hebrew? I have been in the slow process of trying to learn as well but feel like there are better resources than what I am using.
Reliable sources pointed me toward Seow’s grammar, Halladay’s lexicon, and the standard Stuttgart text of the HB.
No matter what I’m preparing for (this year a new fall class on Bonhoeffer) I see the summer as a delicious time to do something EMBODIED- ride my bike, motorcycle, collude with the Mrs. Engaging with nature also realigns the gears of my thinking. Maybe keep some vocal words in your pocket while wandering about?
Make that VOCAB!