London Fogs

After some very noble blogging attempts, solo and collaborative, I sit in a place from which to say that writing is hard. There's a level of professionalism among the big names of the blogosphere that is just hard to match, and no mistake.

Even keeping somewhat regular updates to a personal travelogue is difficult, with all the other concerns of life whirling around as well. My thinking is, if I'm going to be writing something, shouldn't it be my dissertation? Why spend the energy elsewhere? I think I've found an acceptable answer. Because it's enriching, and a much needed mental health break from the academic coma into which I so easily fall. I've spent the last several months with my nose buried in more books than I thought I'd be able to get through in such a comparatively short time.

It's really interesting work, but that's not the point. Even people who love their jobs need vacations. Sadly, I have neither the time nor the money for a proper vacation right now. Italy and Sweden were about all the Committee of Ways and Means could handle at this point. Making the most of my experience in London is on top of my priority list right now. What that means is slightly more ambiguous. When I'm steeped in research for a week straight, I feel accomplished, but I have absolutely nothing to talk about with my friends or even my wife. Not that they couldn't carry a conversation in physiognomy and masculine anxiety concerning the British empire in the late nineteenth century, it's just that I don't want to talk about it anymore!

There's so many other things going on here that it's actually difficult to process and analyze. Considering when my last update here was, it seems like I have a pattern of going AWOL on personal writing until I build up a critical mass of tension and over-focus and need the outlet. It may make for interesting writing sometimes, but it is neither regular nor comprehensive enough to be really reflective of an amazing experience like I have before me right now. A year abroad in a place like London could bear writing everyday, probably more than once. That would take time and patience beyond what I have available right now. Instead, I will commit myself to slightly less frequent, but no less important and (hopefully) interesting writing.

By way of foreshadowing, our good friend is visiting us for a week or so. We're heading to Stonehenge, Bath, and looking forward to a lot of interesting times just around London. Should make good material for my next post!