As may sometimes have been clear, 2008 wasn’t exactly a hoot and a holler and a gaggle of memories I’d love to relive. Exhaustive detail on all the reasons why wouldn’t be at all appropriate, let alone interesting, in many cases; therefore, instead of a lengthy retrospective, I decided to see if I could go month-by-month and write descriptive three-word phrases. Here’s what I came up with:
January — Uncomfortable but hopeful.
February — Hope seeping away.
March — Devastated and trapped.
April — Escaped, thank God.
May — Decompressing; emotionally raw.
June — Left at roadside.
July — Picked up briefly.
August — Rock bottom. Miserable.
September — Some good ideas.
October — Leveling out slowly.
November — Waiting, hoping, writing.
December — Door opened, finally.
For 2009, now that I actually have an official academic field (and might still have yet another), I hope to be able to spend some more time here discussing it/them. Obviously, a lot of professional wind got let out of sails after March and April, and the blog as a result became much more of a personal exercise than I originally intended. I don’t expect that will go away, exactly, but I hope to have more to contribute in terms of academic discussion. I don’t plan on discussing original research in detail, exactly, but it would be very much in keeping with my original intent to be able to at least jot down some notes here.
It’s possible I may have additional opportunities to post some travel journal kinds of things in the coming year. More on that as it happens.
I really hope to have more to say about Pascha at the Singing School, and very soon. I’m so close to having a draft completed I can taste the cheese.
There are other writing and musical projects that may or may not get anywhere as I have time to devote to them. As some things get completed, more capacity will be opened up. We’ll see.
At any rate, I will be toasting the New Year with at least one Maker’s Mark Manhattan tonight.
Leitourgeia kai Qurbana: Contra den Zeitgeist 