Now This Feels Foreign

Do you know how long it's been? Long enough that I forgot my username/password for Blogger. Ten to twelve tries later and here I am.

Miranda and Nancy, let me assure you that I've not (at least intentionally) forsaken this place. On the contrary, I offer you the following rationalization: Not wanting to offer up to the few readers out there absolute garbage, which is normally all my mind can muster these days, I'd decided that I would postpone posting until the day came when enough mental energy was present to present something presentable. As I told Shawn and Jeremy in an email recently, I pretty much read 'till my eyes bleed these days, and that just doesn't leave much left in the tank when it comes to blogging (still cringe when I type that word). So, in the immortal words of high school relationships -- it's not you; it's me.

I should be clear: I don't dislike reading 'till my eyes bleed, or at least until they're sufficiently tired. By and large, I have interesting things to read, and, as someone not prone to keeping good habits, I'm both proud of and empowered by the diligence grad school has somehow coaxed out of me. That said, diligence in other areas, namely posting, has lagged. I don't think it necessarily has to be a trade-off. But for these past months, I've been admittedly neglectful here.

I don't even have sweet photographs to help atone for my absence. You'll have to settle for old ones. I can say that there have been many things worth photographing lately, including a dandy of a morning tailgate at my cozy apartment, complete with breakfast casseroles, biscuits and gravy, mimosas, and more biscuits and gravy. (It is the South, you know.) And on Thursday, a fine get-together has been planned in honor of the season debut of The Office -- many fine baked goods ought to be on hand. But I have not photographed the former, and likely won't do so for the latter either, mostly because I'm just not given to photography. (The parents are now questioning why that digital camera was purchased...) I feel odd taking pictures, whether the subject or the artist.

This all leaves you with little but a few short paragraphs to account for life these days. I'll do my best to give a few more in the near future. In the meantime, here are memories of better days, when cameras and postings were more abundant.