Still here

Although my last post talked about inspiration, for some reason I haven't felt all that inspired to blog in the last week. Things are kind of busy around here, too -- job candidate visits, a book review that I need to finish (and that's causing me a bit of "imposter syndrom" anxiety), an article due in March that's in progress, and the usual teaching and advising stuff.

In the meantime, you may not have noticed this if you read me in an RSS feeder, but I redesigned the blog over the holidays. I'm still fiddling a little, which you may have noticed by my constantly changing avatar. First it was a South Park style image of me -- or close enough -- that I made some time ago when everyone was doing those things, but never used. But that was just a place holder until I decided which photographic image of myself to use. I settled on a picture that the Pastry Pirate took back in 2004 when we did a week's hiking trip around the Isle of Man. The fact that my back is turned is useful and functional for a pseudonymous blog (although if you know me you'd probably recognize me in an instant, even with my hair in braids -- but that's OK, too), but I also like its somewhat melancholy, wistful, or at least contemplative spirit and its suggestions of journeys, stopping places, horizons, and points of view.

Oh, and if you haven't noticed it, the picture at the bottom of the front page of the blog is one I took in Cumbria in 2004. There was this old stone mill house that had been renovated into a modern home, and in addition to its general coolness, the owner had a great talent for gardening in a limited space. This particular planting was in a hole in the garden wall. I just think it's pretty -- it doesn't really mean anything, except that it's English.

Anyway, I've got some things to post about and will start back up again today.