Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The procrastinator returns!

Well well, look who's back! It's been over a year since I posted, so naturally I don't expect anybody to actually visit and read this. But perhaps in time, as I begin to rebuild my presence here. Why the hiatus? I don't have one clear answer - events conspired against me, but I was also just kinda lazy. I haven't really done a very good job of chronicling my year in my personal journal either, although that's another area where I'm trying my best to keep up to date. Especially as I go through this particularly trying emotional period.

On the plus side, I have been busy with both my work and my reading. I've still been reading, and some wonderful stuff too, especially over the last few months. James Salter, Peter Stamm, Tessa Headley, Philip Roth (some re-reading of him, which is a project I'm continuing) - all have made appearances on my reading nightstand. I'll start to write more about some of these books over the next couple of months.

I'm also engaging in another intellectual exercise: I'm preparing a proposal to deliver a paper at next year's Humanities Congress in Waterloo. Let's face facts: I'm no academic, and the paper I'm pitching is certainly not breaking new academic or intellectual ground. That said, I do think I have a decent idea for a presentation. Part of it is giving myself a project to work on through the winter. (I'm also doing some book reviewing, although that's more my speed than an academic paper.) I need to challenge myself, to get outside my comfort zone. Wish me luck.

In the meantime, since I'm sure not to have anybody say it to me, I'll say it to myself: welcome back! Watch this space.