I would tell him to shrug.

I began rereading Atlas Shrugged a few weeks ago when I heard the terms nationalization and socialized being bandied about in the news. What I needed was a healthy dose of objectivism.

Apparently I wasn't alone. According to a recent Economist article, sales of Miss Rand's mighty tome have spiked four times in the past year. It climbed from an average Amazon sales rank of 542 and peaked at 33 on January 13. (I ordered my copy on January 18.) A website, GoingJohnGalt.org, pays homage to Miss Rand's philosophy by encouraging productive citizens to engage in a "calculated work slowdown."

Many news stations have called attention to this likeness of thought, especially Fox News. But you know it's really news when The Colbert Report features the story as The Word. ("Rand Illusion" was the word for last night.)

Maybe Miss Rand's ideas are extreme, and maybe he who runs GoingJohnGalt.org is a nut, but we should still pay heed to history and literature alike. And if nothing else, let's be impressed that so many Americans are reading a 1200-page novel.

A Compartmentalized Life

I had a friend who liked to eat one part of his meal at a time before moving onto the next one. The first time I realized this, I witnessed him eat every french fry on his plate before touching his hamburger. When I asked why, he said, "My hamburger will still taste good if it's just warm, but the fries are best hot." I, on the other hand, ate a bit of a burger, then a fry or two, then went back to my burger. I liked mixing everything together.

This preference stems beyond my eating habits, however. My professional life permeates every other part of my life: Student emails arrive in my gmail account, I read for pleasure and think of how I can use the piece in my classes, and I constantly think and talk about the courses and students I teach.

Some would call me a dedicated instructor, but I worry this behavior is unhealthy. I am unsure of how to balance being a dedicated, hardworking instructor and being a human being. How to balance being Professor Casey and being Ann.

But is there a difference? Have I not been an educator—in mind and in soul as well as in actions—my entire life?

There are many days I wish I could compartmentalize my life, just as a styrofoam lunch tray separates the main dish from the sides. But even if I could, I would probably mix my food together, anyway.

Word Nerds, Unite!

Every year, unused words are removed from the Oxford English Dictionary. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Visit SaveTheWords.org to expand your vocabulary—and do a good deed!