I've been seriously derelict in posting to this blog. I've felt long on frustration and short on inspiration lately in the world of life-more-generally, but I know full well that if I am to translate my "I should be doing x and not doing y" into actually doing x (and not y), I need to move beyond nightly self-recriminations for time ill-spent and actually start accomplishing things. So, step one: engage in the online behavior that is constructive for me (blogging and reading other useful blogs) and cut back on the behavior that sends me into destructive cycles of angst. Also, cut back on online time and wheel-spinning more broadly and use my hours on things more productive, like scholarly reading. And laundry.
In that spirit, since it's a beautiful day and I should be getting back into a fascinating book by William Robbins on the subject of Oregon's recent environmental history (Landscapes of Conflict), I leave you with an example of a useful blog -- for me, at least, in my work as a historian. The blog in question is that of the Society for U.S. Intellectual History. While I would not categorize myself as an "intellectual historian," I do harbor a deep fascination with the ways ideas have influenced society. I see the influence of ideas upon my own work, and would like to engage in this arena of study more deeply. The various contributors to this blog rarely fail to leave me energized as a scholar (even if, as happens occasionally, they leave me completely bewildered).
Onward and upward... and out to the patio. Robbins awaits. More to come.
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