On Thursday, four candidates for a professorship in English Linguistics in the University of Basel English Department gave trial lectures and were interviewed by the hiring committee I am on. I was in a state of high concentration almost all day, with a few brief breaks to clear my head, as well as a longer lunch break. Most of the committee went out for dinner afterwards, which of course meant more conversation about the candidates. We were to meet again Friday morning to discuss which candidates would make the final short list, and just before I woke up, I dreamed that someone asked me whether I could "describe my teaching philosophy." (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 26 September 2026)