Sunday, February 12, 2006

As ProfGrrrrl would say: High. Eight. Us.

Hey folks.

As many of you know, lately I've been having some serious time-management issues. And I feel like a schmuck about it, since I'm only teaching 3 classes instead of the 4 that I know many of you are teaching. (I could list the other professional responsibilites I have, but then I'd sound like an even bigger jerk and the world's smallest violin would start playing for me.) But last semester's leave (on the heels of teaching-free summer, as well) got me out of the teaching habit pretty quickly, and I'm only now just getting into the swing of things 1/3 of the way into the semester. But other things are still suffering, including but not limited to: running, communication with my family (other than quips traded with the sibs on this here blog), e-mail correspondence with friends, the cleanliness of my house, my leisure reading (what's that?!), my diet (as in the "well-balanced" kind, not as in the "losing weight" kind), and other personal life-related things like that, not to mention keeping up with my corner of the profession (I can't remember the last time I read an article or a book review that wasn't directly related to what I've been working on). And I've also neglected the relationships -- social and personal -- that I have with my colleagues and friends here in Rust Belt City. I've actually been either pretty damn distant or downright crabby with a number of colleagues lately because of the stress and anxiety I've felt, and I've got to do something about that for professional and personal reasons. Dr. Crabby is not the person I want to be.

I think my biggest problem is too much on my plate and not enough time away from the desk and the computer. So I think I have to take a break from blogging for awhile, which includes reading blogs as well as writing this one, I'm afraid. (Certainly writing this one has not taken all that much time lately, given that I haven't done a weighty post in about a month, but when I do write something more substantial it takes me forever to write a damn post!) I really enjoy the little world created by blogging -- especially among the academic blogs -- and I've gotten so much out of the conversations and memes and cross-pollination that happens here in Academiblogistan. I hope to come back to it and renew those connections and conversations, but for now I need to see to the care and feeding of my little world here in the Rust Belt and the things I was hired to do at Rust Belt U.

This isn't farewell forever, and for all I know I may be back in a month or less. Or maybe I won't be back until summer. I don't really know at this point. In the meantime, if you want to drop me a line, the e-mail is now drvirago [at] sbcglobal [dot] net (replace the appropriate symbols and punctuation, of course). Ancrene Wiseass and I were talking about a medieval blogger meet-up at the Big Conference, and I hope I'll still be invited even if I haven't blogged between now and then! Or if any of the other regulars here know (or think they know!) where I am and happen to be in the area and want to meet up, let me know. And those of you who subscribe on Bloglines, keep me subscribed so you'll know when I start up again.

I feel a little like I'm letting people down since I just started to build a regular audience (including whoever does the "Around the Web" thing at InsiderHigherEd), but then I also figure y'all have lives to lead and too many blogs to read as it is! :) So consider this a Valentine's Day present: one less verbose blog to read!

And now I should sign off with something pithy and original, but I'm all tapped out, so I'll be unoriginal instead. As they used to say on the radio, when they still played records: See you on the flip side!

Dr. V

13 comments:

Ancrene Wiseass said...

Sorry to be losing your voice for a while out here in Academiblogistan, Dr. V. But we'll be happy to hear it again when you return.

And we'll definitely plan that meet-up at the 'Zoo, too.

Anonymous said...

Dr. V -- Good to know yourself and what you do and don't need right now. So cheers to you for taking care of yourself.

That being said, I'll miss reading your blog and will look forward to its resuming whenever it does.

Enjoy (or at least hang in there for) the rest of the semester!

Bardiac said...

Take care of yourself, but please, don't be gone too long!

And thanks again for all the Chaucer help!

Bardiac said...

Take care of yourself, but please, don't be gone too long!

And thanks again for all the Chaucer help!

jo(e) said...

Take care of yourself. Eveyone needs a break now and then.

Jeffrey Cohen said...

Good luck -- and welcome to the rest of your career. Time works in the most frustrating ways for academics, with blissful periods of leave interspersed with semesters where there is so much to do that ten clones couldn't accomplish it all.

Not a bad life, though!

Dr. Crazy said...

Good luck, and come back as soon as you're ready! You'll be missed!

Dr. Virago said...

Thanks for all the support everyone! You're awesome! Rest assured I will be back and perhaps then I'll feel refreshed and on top of things (and less likely to make weird spelling and grammar errors, as I did in this post -- man, I must be tired). I started off this semester behind because of all that was going on at home and I need to catch up; when I do, I'll be back.

Oh, and Bardiac (or others) -- feel free to e-mail me with teaching-related Chaucer questions. I'm happy to oblige, especially since I'm not teaching my Chaucer course this year and I miss it!

Dr. Virago said...

PS -- Dr. Crazy, I was just thinking of you this weekend -- I ate in a Brio! :)

MT said...

Oh, well. Don't feel bad. Just come back soon!

Anonymous said...

Coming to this late, but I'll miss your posts! you were one of my "must read first"s on my bloglines list. But I can also understand about the time crunch, especially after a change in circumstances like coming back from leave. (I know that if I didn't blog I'd blow the time on something else, but I'm exceptionally good at procrastination!) And I'd love to be part of any Zoo meetup.

Karl Steel said...

Agh. I'll get in line with the well-wishing.

Best of luck and come on back when it won't hurt too much.

Dr. Virago said...

I love my pseudonymous blogging friends!!

(Which, btw, reminds me of one of the best satiric lines in my favorite high-school-is-hell movie, Heathers: "I love my dead gay son.")

New Kid - aw, shucks!

And C&D - Have you been listeing to Keillor? Should I "be well and do good things"? :)