Season 3, Day 1: Revenge of the Jet Leg

Welcome back everyone (both of you)! I’m back in Spain to teach my class on Understanding Determinants of Health and Wellbeing for the third time folks. Our trip again begins in the capital of Madrid. After a few weeks of rain, Madrid has returned to her dry, warm nature. Flowers are in full bloom and the temp is in the mid 80’s…certainly warm enough to cook you in the sun but a lovely temperature as soon as you find that perfect table in the shade.

Day 1 of this adventure is all about beating jet leg, in any way that you can. And it can be a marathon! Only the strong survive!! Our 8 hr flight left Chicago at 5 PM and arrived in Madrid at 8 AM. If you’re lucky, you might catch a few Zzz’s on the plane, but this is not a given. I tried taking some melatonin for the first time, which made me drowsy, but my seat - located conveniently in front of the restroom - made sleep an impossible challenge. (Seriously dude, you’ve gone to the bathroom 4 times. Enough.) Subsequently, in place of sleep, I ended up binge watching old Star Wars movies. (Is Episode III: Revenge of the Sith the best one?! Maybe a good sign for this blog?)

The key to beating jet lag is to stay awake as late as you can on day one. This means staying busy, staying outside, staying hydrated, and avoiding chairs, beds, and all forms of relaxation as much as you can. Not an easy feat but I am fortunate this year to have a teaching assistant accompanying me on this trip! Garrett is a doctoral student in my lab and so far seems to be a more than capable space travel companion. In our quest to stay awake, Garrett and I bravely armed ourselves with a collection of hydration tools (day beers) and wondered the city for several hours. And by God it worked!  We made it to our 8 PM Welcome dinner with the team and blew up the Death Star! A one in a million shot!  (Ok maybe I went over board there but we did make dinner damn it!) 

And dinner was lovely. A three course meal with way too much food for our group of 25. The first course of appetizers included Russian salad (which is essentially potato salad with tuna), fried calamari (tasted like chicken) bread with olive oil and vinegar, and patatas bravas (always a fan favorite). I had the steak for my entrée while Garrett bravely attacked the squid. (We almost lost him.)  Dessert options included Greek yogurt with a raspberry sorbet (money), an apple cinnamon strudel, or cheese cake. A glass of white wine (vino blanco) to wash it all down…and I’m back fighting the Death Star!!! I need sleep. More adventures tomorrow. 

“These are not the droids you’re looking for.”

In the war room/hotel wine cellar for Day 1 Orientation. 

Enjoying a couple light sabers and a lovely day in Madrid. 

May 2026: It’s Conference Season!

Well it’s been a minute… It’s May! Springtime in the Midwest, which means…hell it could mean anything really from a weather standpoint. Bitterly cold mornings? Sure! Hot, sweaty days? You bet. Tornadoes sprinkled with hail just for shits and gigs?!  Hop aboard! All natural disasters are welcome here. 

For some reason, spring is my least favorite season. I’m not really sure what it is. Maybe it’s the unforgivable weather? Or maybe the lack of any fun holidays? (I’m looking at you Easter!) 

Or maybe it’s the fact that late spring is an insanely busy time of year in academia and I’m just running on fumes?!  Last week of classes, final exams, final projects, seemingly endless hours of grading, grant deadlines, annual reviews, commencement…I got a lot of balls in the air people! 

It’s also a transition period in which the exhausted academic begins to prepare for its summer hibernation. Hang up that corduroy jacket and bust out that Hawaiian shirt you should have thrown away 5 (ok 10) years ago! Put that text book you’ve been clinging to for 4 months back on the shelf and pick out a new guilty read! And for God’s sake, try to get some sleep old man! You deserve it. 

For me, I’m also adding a couple of conferences to the chaos so that I can present some of my latest research.  Spread the good news and all that… Conferencing is one of the perks of this line of work (in my humble opinion). It’s a chance to connect with old friends who you only see once per year, check out a new city, eat some moderately priced food (per diems can only take you so far), and take in some of the latest research in the field. This is the science that got you excited about this gig in the first place! 

Now while you may be picturing a conference as a mass gathering of nerds yammering on about protons and quantum physics… (Actually, that’s what I picture when I think about a physics conference.) Nerds! But in my field, conference folk can be fun folk! 

I recently had an opportunity to attend a conference in Chicago and reconnect with some friends who I haven’t worked with in over a decade, eat some amazing pasta, and even took in a White Sox game (go Tigers!).  And I must say it was motivating and invigorating! New ideas are taking shape that hopefully will lead to new knowledge and improved systems for keeping people healthy. That’s the goal anyway. 

And at this very moment, I’m sitting on the Riverwalk of San Antonio, listening to a guy give his best impression of Johnny Cash, and enjoying a delicious margarita and trio of street tacos. (I’m actually here to share some of my recent research with some weight loss nerds, but when in Rome right?)  BTW, I fully realize the Riverwalk is tourism central here, but it’s pretty easy to get sucked into her charms. I’m a sucker for tasty margaritas, twinkle lights, street tacos, outdoor seating, shade trees, live music, regular tacos, and a lazy river. I never stood a chance.

Ironically, I almost forgot to go to the Alamo…almost. It’s…ok. No tacos but I appreciate the historical relevance.  

Ok, I feel like I’m rambling (damn you margarita). In an attempt to tie a bow on this yarn, I’ll end by saying I think these conferences are actually really important to the scholarly process. In addition to the science and sharing of ideas, they bring overworked, like-minded people together and give them a real chance to relax and connect. Human beings need time to recover. We can’t always be expected to do more with less. I very much look forward to the recesses of conference season…the best part of spring. 

Sharing our work with dozens of people. 

 Go friends!! (And go Tigers!!)

The Alamo. It’s ok.

❤️

Jan 2026: Strikes and Gutterballs

It’s January. It's cold and regretfully we are without snow here in the Midwest. Winter without skiing just feels wrong. It’s been said that bowling is a winter sport. Let’s stick with this theme today. 

The past couple of months have been a bit of a roller coaster for me career wise. “Strikes and gutter balls” as The Dude would say. In terms of gutter balls, I won’t go into the details, but there’s always some level of disappointment in academia. It’s a field, where you and your work are constantly being evaluated. Papers get rejected, grants go unfunded, proposals are denied. Thick skin is a must to survive. With rejection often comes a lot of self reflection. And it’s easy to fall into the Impostor syndrome trap. 

After my most recent bout with rejection, however, I oddly don’t feel like an imposter. I actually feel more confident in myself and my capability. This experience has also had an impact on my motivation. Not necessarily a negative impact. Just an impact on what motivates me.  I find myself asking what the next step is for my career.  To this point in my career, I’ve always been looking for the next thing. Always reaching. And admittedly, doing some things simply for the sake of adding it to my résumé.

But now I’m wondering if I’m at a point where I should stop doing things solely for the sake of padding my stats. Rather, focus on the things that I find rewarding and impactful.  This is a difficult thing to consider however!  The American work culture is one that constantly pushes individuals to continually keep working harder, to achieve more, and to be efficient in the process. It’s easy to feel like a failure if you are not always running this race.

Putting those feelings aside, if I were to stop and think about the things I most enjoy about my work life, so many things come to mind. It’s extremely rewarding to work with students on a daily basis. The energy they bring is just infectious. I love the opportunities I have to be creative. I get to ask and answer new questions. I get to create new knowledge. I love building programs and seeing the impact that comes with organizing a group of humans towards a singular mission. 

That’s a lot of strikes! And if I know anything about bowling (I actually don’t but stick with me), the strikes are the things that stick with you. The things that bring joy. You don’t have to be perfect to enjoy the game.  Just a few lucky rolls and friends to share the experience with. 

“I’m throwin’ rocks tonight!” - Donny 

October 2025: Moving on Up?

October! Arguably the best month of the year! Especially in the Midwest. Temperatures are finally coming down and fall colors are in bloom. AND it’s Friday morning! My absolute favorite time of the week. Friday mornings have a very chill vibe about them. It’s technically a workday but it’s usually more relaxed. It’s easy to look forward to a weekend of relaxation, time with loved ones, and for many in this Big Ten town…college football. 

I’m enjoying my Friday morning by sitting here with a fresh cup of coffee on my porch and hanging with Otis. (Otis, our golden doodle, loves slow mornings more than I do!)  My first meeting isn’t till 10 so I have some time. I’m lucky and I fully appreciate my fortune. 

My wife on the other hand has a real job. By “real job”, I mean your traditional 9 to 5. She works at a hospital and is absolutely our breadwinner. In the 11 years we’ve lived in this town, she’s been promoted five times! (I’ve been promoted once in that time but who’s counting?)  And she’s incredible. She has an engine that never turns off, a positive spirit, and I have to imagine she’s fun to be around in the office. 

When we moved here, she was the trailing spouse. Now, the one luxury college professors don’t have is being picky in where they get to live. You go to where the universities are located. (Fortunately, I happen to LOVE college towns - best energy.)  If we were to move again, however, I would be the one following. And that shift has been an interesting experience. My ego has to be put aside. Any decisions we would make would be in the best interest of our family. So if I have to be a barista on the coast of California, so be it! ;)

It’s more common for people in business and industry to bounce around, move up the ladder, and make more money. That brings me to the second luxury college professors don’t have…the ability to make excessively large amounts of money. The money is not bad by any means. In fact, studies have shown the correlation between income and happiness is strongest at around $80k per year as opposed to $800k/year. And it may be a cliché to say, but I am not strongly driven by money. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a 2% raise as much as the next guy (why are you laughing?), but if I were in this for the money, a college professor I would not be. (I’d probably be like a….business scientist or something. I actually don’t even know if that’s a thing. I’ll stop.)

I am trying to get promoted though you know. It’s not like I don’t have ambition! But in the world of academia, promotions are much less frequent occurrences. For example, if I were to be promoted five times like my wife, I could honestly be the president of the university (maybe the academic world!). In the world of academia, it’s common to be an assistant professor for six years before going up for promotion to associate (oooh fancy!).  That first promotion often times comes with something called “tenure”. Now tenure is not a free pass to do whatever the hell you want for the rest of your career. You still have to do the basic duties (teach, research, service) and it is possible to get fired if you do something really bad. But what tenure offers is academic freedom. Being able to explore unknown topics, even if they’re controversial…without government oversight. (Cough…Vaccine therapy, critical race theory…cough, cough.) 

I was promoted to the associate level after six years. Now six years later, I’m trying to be promoted to “full professor” (double fancy!). In order to get there, however, I have to demonstrate that I have an “international reputation” for my scholarship. How you go about defining that is not always clear but my portfolio (which is well over 100 pages in length…thank you very much) is reviewed by no less than 20 full professors from my own institution and from other peer universities. It’s required that you publish that research regularly in good journals, and that others around the world read and cite your research. I also have to be a good teacher and mentor, and conduct a lot of service for my university and the profession.  The process takes around a year to complete. And at the end (if I’m invited to the club) it means…well I’m not sure really. A little more money (hello 5% raise!?) and a new and ironically shorter title (Professor vs Associate Professor). For me personally, it also means that I’ve achieved the highest professional level for a professor… which is nice. ;) Promotion to Full Professor could also open doors to future leadership/administration positions if that were ever of interest. (More on this later.) 

For now, I wait to learn my professional fate. Have I done enough?   If yes, then I’ll be buying that Kirby vacuum I’ve had my eye on. If not, oddly nothing really happens beyond the personal embarrassment. I don’t lose my job. I just stay at the same level and live to try again I suppose. Either way, I anticipate this will be a time for some deep reflection on the next chapter. 

Otis and coffee, Friday morning.

Sept 2025: Off season

I’m trying something new. For the past two years, I reserved this blog for my time teaching a study abroad class in Spain. But I got the thinking, my life doesn’t start and stop with that experience. And I actually kind of enjoy writing this little blog.So I’m considering dropping a few posts every once in a while throughout the year. The content will focus on my life as a professor, father, husband, concerned citizen, and very amateur, middle-aged men’s league soccer player. 😉 There’s some reservation on my part as I’m not sure I can keep things as interesting while at home. Maybe I don’t have a voice outside of the time I’m traveling in a beautiful foreign country. Maybe no one outside of my mother will read this. But what the hell… let’s give it a shot, eh? (Sorry for the swear Mom)

It’s September. And I’m back home in Iowa City, Iowa. (Oh God is this already boring? Proceed with caution reader!) And it’s beginning to feel like fall in the Midwest. My days are filled with “work” at the university, moonlighting as a chauffeur for teenage kids, taking care of our one year-old golden doodle (Who’s a good boy Otis?!?), attending kids sporting events, and spending time with my wife when we can find a spare hour. Depending on your vantage point, this may sound awful or wonderful. Put me in the wonderful category.

Today I’m going to focus on my role as a college professor. I put “work” in quotation marks because my role as a professor rarely feels like work. I get to spend my paid time thinking, creating, helping, mentoring, and making decisions that can have a positive impact on the lives of a few students and my fellow community members. So there’s 30 hours a week. (Just kidding, like most professors, I do actually put in a fair amount of hours but I get to choose when and where…just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Great film.) 

Now to become a college professor, I had to go to college for 10 years which may be a deal breaker for some.  I also put in an extra two years of training just for giggles. During this time, I was basically broke or at best, horribly underpaid. Looking back though, I didn’t feel poor. I was going to school, making enough money to pay my bills, and enjoying my life. There’s a lesson in there somewhere I’m sure. 

When I turned 30, I got my first “real job” as a college professor. (Goodbye generic Ramen noodles… hello name brand Ramen noodles!) 

Now it may not be common knowledge that life as a professor often times means more than teaching classes. I actually only teach two or three classes per year. I am what you call a tenure-track professor, which means that a large part of my role is dedicated to research and scholarship.  Scholarship is about answering questions that haven’t been answered before and generating new knowledge. (Like why do I constantly crave Capt Crunch cereal at night time before bed?)  It requires some level of creativity, but also a solid understanding of the scientific method. Our job is to find gaps in understanding and then design studies that help us fill in those gaps. The day-to-day stuff involves a lot of reading, writing, and arithmetic. (It’s almost like all of those elementary subjects in school were important!) If you are a naturally curious person and don’t mind putting off a full time salary for a few years, you might have a knack for it. 

In truth, this is a great gig. I’m 45 years old now and I have absolutely no interest in even thinking about retirement. I’m actually half excited to go to work most days. I’m internally motivated to start the projects that I designed and created and to see them through. It’s fulfilling work and I feel very lucky to have found this vocation. More later. 

“Professing” at a research conference with a couple students. 

The family. Chicago, July 2025. 

Otis. 

S2D?: Reverse Culture Shock

This year I was very fortunate to spend five weeks abroad in Spain and France. This amount of time is long enough to throw your circadian rhythms completely out of whack. Upon my return, I’ve found myself falling asleep on the couch at 4 PM and waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4 AM, much to the dismay of my wife who for some reason is not interested in waking up in complete darkness. ;)

 And I think it’s long enough for your gut to adjust to new food exposures. I’m not sure I would say I absolutely love the food and cuisine in Spain or France. Both are a bit more bland than what I’m used to. Certainly much less spice making for some really strong and severe Mexican food cravings! But with the agricultural regulations employed in Europe, there’s something different about how food impacts your belly. Pasta doesn’t seem to create this same sense of bloating that I would get in the states. Milk tastes much milkier in Europe but doesn’t cause distress.  And upon my return home, I’ve had a general sense of G.I. uneasiness. I can’t exactly pinpoint what causes it, but I’ve taken more Tums in the last two weeks then I care to admit.

But this year, I’ve experienced something different up upon returning home. People have asked me if I’m excited to be home and I know the socially correct response is to emphatically say YES and waive an American flag high in the air!!  And there was indeed an initial sense of euphoria upon returning home. I had already reconnected with my family for the past two weeks in France, which was the biggest thing I missed because THAT is home.  But I was also very excited to sleep in my bed, to see my dog, to get back on my bike, and to see friends. And that lasted a couple days. And then something changed. 

For the past week or so (one week after returning), I’ve felt very uneasy mentally. Anxious. Irritable.  Overwhelmed. Lonely. Sad even. And this has not gone unnoticed by those close to me. My wife called me out on this yesterday when she said “You don’t seem happy. You don’t seem like you are here.” And she’s right (as usual). In my brain, I’ve been wondering and ruminating about these feelings.  But not sharing these ideas with others because I don’t want to bring anyone down.  Frustrated at some things that are different than before. Things that seem like they could be better here but aren’t. (I’m looking at you fancy trains!)  In the lowest moments, not feeling like I know my place. Even rethinking my career and overall purpose in life. 

Now I know I experienced a bit of this last year, but not nearly to this degree.  And after A LOT of thought and some research….I’ve come to a conclusion. I think what I’m experiencing is Reverse culture shock (https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/c55963.htm). It turns out this is fairly common for people who’ve been abroad for a period of time. And after feeling what I’ve felt for the past few days, there is a lot of comfort in knowing this. 

Reverse culture shock is accompanied by most of the symptoms I’ve described before. For some people, it lasts a few days or weeks, and for others it can last months. I’m really hoping I fall in the “days-weeks” camp because it’s no picnic. In terms of why I’m feeling this way this year, I think a lot of it has to do with how much the United States has changed over the past year and how different this country looks compared to the countries I visited. First and foremost, my life’s work as a professor and scientist is being challenged every day. Truth seekers (e.g., scientists, journalists, activists) are being suppressed. Immigrants are being treated with cruelty. This is a stark contrast. In my five weeks abroad, I felt like a guest being welcomed into somebody’s home. The people in Spain and France were so kind and warm. (The idea that the French are cold to Americans is a myth.) And I know those people exist here too but the folks in charge right now don’t seem to share this sentiment which is disheartening.

So why post about all this stuff? Well, through my research, I learned one of the best ways to get through these feelings is to blog about it. (Hey, I have blog!!)  That’s the selfish reason. The less selfish reason is to share this with others who might be experiencing similar feelings and let them know that these are normal and common feelings. We talk a lot about culture shock that can occur when visiting a new and different place, but I never once considered the idea of reverse culture shock that comes from returning home. 

And writing this blog out actually did help. I’m not hoping to go back to the person that I was prior to traveling abroad. Traveling fundamentally changes your perspective in a great way. I don’t want to unsee things. But I do want to have the ability to contextualize my feelings. I spent five weeks looking for all the amazing things in another country. I came back comparing that experience to what things are like here and started looking for the things that were missing here. I want to get back to looking for the beautiful things that exist here, at home. So that’s my focus right now.  And this is a much better thing to think about. 

My 45th birthday celebration with close family and friends. 

Why yes! I do have a mustache now, thank you for noticing! 

Otis. Never more than five feet away. 

Home. No matter where I am. 

S2,D18: Adios Amigos

We’re at the end of the road and my students are off on their flights back home. A good time to reflect on how far we’ve come. To recap, I led 20 students to Spain in the pursuit of understanding what makes Spain so darn healthy. And I’ve come to a new conclusion this year that seems so obvious. The factors that determine one’s “healthiness”overlap directly with the factors that determine one’s “happiness”. 

For years, I’ve followed the research of Dr. Robert Lustig who has written a book on the four C’s of happiness (https://robertlustig.com/4cs/). Coping, cooking, contributing and connecting. Lustig’s research shows these four things result in lasting feelings of happiness as opposed to short-term feelings of pleasure that come from things like sex, drugs, money, and material gain. And there’s physiological evidence to support this work. When I made this connection, a light turned on. Let’s dive in.

Coping. Check! This is a low hanging fruit and something we tend to overly focus on in western cultures. Coping is about self-care with sleeping, physical activity, and stress management as examples of coping. In Spain, both the physical environment and culture make it easier for one to achieve these health behaviors on a regular basis.

Cooking. Check! As we’ve discussed, cooking with friends and families is a regular occurrence in Spain. And the types of foods that are cooked and consumed tend to follow the Mediterranean diet, which is uber-healthy. So I guess double check!

Contributing. Check! Spanish government is more socialist than many countries. Taxes are higher but they go towards supporting resources that are available to all including fancy trains, excellent schools, and public art, which just makes the whole journey so beautiful.The social safety net is very strong, resulting in fewer people falling through the cracks. And there’s just a general sense that giving to others is the right thing to do here. “A rising tide lifts all boats” and all that. 

Connecting. Triple Check! Spain is a uniquely social place and is literally built on the idea that humans need to connect often and deeply. Both the physical environment and culture lend themselves to supporting social cohesion and social capital. 

Over the past 18 days, my class has experienced all four of these things in abundance. We’ve been extremely physically active, mostly due to the walkable environment. I’m averaging 17,000 steps/day and haven’t so much as sniffed a gym in Spain.We’ve cooked together and shared many meals together. We’ve supported each other. And we’ve connected.

Aayusha, Ava, Alyssa, Claire, Emma, Ellie, Elly, Eli, Ella, Hallie, Maisy, Molly, Kat, Leah, Lexi, Lily, Lexi, Paige, Tiffany, and Sam…20 amazing students who I now consider friends. And that’s what this experience (and life?) is all about, isn’t it?  The relationships you build. I can’t wait to see what they do to make this world a healthier and happier place. 

I hope it involves little boats. And tapas. And Tinto de Veranos. ;) 

If little boats don’t bring your stress down, I don’t know what will!

We hiked TWO mountains together on this trip…take that nature!

We cooked ourselves some paella. A little crunchy, but damn delicious!

Connection. ❤️🇪🇸