The Mid-Summer Reboot
The last time I wrote an entry for the blog, we were in the middle of what seemed like an endless winter. I was writing the specialized paper that would eventually form a major chunk of my dissertation proposal. With the support of my chiropractor, new doctor, and partner, I was starting the hard work of losing what now stands at about 45 pounds of weight through dietary changes and building strength. I was balancing a number of teaching obligations with writing grant proposals on the side, and taking my final elective as a graduate student (ever!). In other words, things got busy.
It’s now mid-summer, and even though we had high heat last week, it already feels to me like August, with the warmth tempered by cooler breezes as I sit working on our porch. Regrettably, the heavy amounts of academic and professional writing have kept me from diving into the more reflective thinking I like to do when I blog. I passed my orals and defended my dissertation proposal in mid-May, finished teaching my summer course earlier this month, and took a rare weeklong vacation in northern Michigan that may inspire a few posts in the coming weeks. But—it took a while to recharge the batteries, and since I should be starting my data analysis soon for the dissertation, I’m not sure how often I will feel like doing my own reflective writing in the coming months.
Still, this space feels important to me, important enough to update now so that I can at least remind myself of the space provided here for conversation (even if it’s mainly with myself). I have a few topics I want to explore, hopefully in the weeks ahead:
– A queer agenda beyond same-sex marriage (and how there has always been one)
– Mentors, protégés, and Doctor Who
– Striking a balance between quality of life and the need to reinvent my career every 4 or 5 years
– Etc.
We’ll see how I do with keeping this up.
Days of Wine and Proses 