Carbonite Compressions

My life is a compressed can of whoop-ass: I reel among graduate class readings and papers, teaching, student government, conferences, writing my dissertation, preparing for prelims, pets, partner, and family. Some things fall by the wayside, like cleaning, friends, and reading and writing for fun. I don’t write much that isn’t research-based these days.

So what you see here, on this blog, are the remnants of the last few years – the bulk of what little me-time I justified taking. This isn’t my core, it isn’t all the important stuff, but it is what lets me keep chugging along. It gives me enough peace to focus on academia.

With any luck, a year from now I will have less to juggle. I will have three little letters after my name. I will be on the job market. Life will be better. I will be better.

Something’s been nagging at me, though.

One of my graduate friends once told his advisor that he was looking forward to starting his career and his life. His advisor leaned back and cut straight to the point: “You’ve already started your career and this is your life.”

I guess this blog is a small step toward reclaiming a part of myself that’s been sealed away for far too long.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

(image by Seung Mo Park, found at http://sploid.gizmodo.com/these-wire-sculptures-actually-look-like-people-frozen-1458551798)