Beginning again.

Life seems to come at me quickly these days. I never thought I would be writing blogs again, much less two at the same time. The learning curve is steep – newer, more customizable websites make life a bit more interesting than the old days of the early internet where everything was plug-and-play — or so simplified that it was just a matter of open a blog and type.

I finally have focus after years of disability so profound I had to stop working completely, and did not even have the energy to read, much less write. There is a lot of inspiration that has come with the organization I am creating in my personal and, I hope, professional life. I was an ABD PhD historian with a passion for teaching, but COVID and my rare illnesses conspired to end my career there. I need outlets for the ideas that burst from within, and I crave getting back to teaching on my professional blog, albeit in a very different way.

I’m really excited about the prospect of beginning again. My last blog had thousands of followers and was a daily routine. In the end, when I shuttered it completely, I downloaded the entire site. Putting it into Word, I was stunned to find it was well over 2000 pages of text and comments, even after reducing it to 10pt, judiciously pruning HTML items and eliminating code I didn’t need to save as part of my text. I haven’t read the whole thing lately; I actually find it a bit daunting.

I don’t plan on making this too terribly prolific, especially with the time and effort I will be expending on my professional side. I have butterflies, but as I become more organized, the historian/commentator in me is coming back with a vengeance. And, the desire to write on outside projects has blossomed.

The exceptional opportunities afforded us – all of us – on the internet can be inviting, and the temptation to cut corners is made manifest in the garbage in, garbage out mentality. I hate nothing more than inaccuracies, distortions, and outright lies. As a beloved cartoon said years ago (I paraphrase), “I’m coming to bed soon, honey. But first, someone is wrong on the internet!”

Thanks for your understanding while my site is going through its growing pains. And, if anyone has any suggestions or technical help with BlueHost or WordPress, I would also be grateful.

Please be kind… and do good things, even when the world seems set on destroying itself. My world is wide enough to encompass all of you. Thank you for allowing me to intrude, albeit in a pretty non-intrusive way, in your lives. You have choices where you spend your time online, and I am glad you are now here. Stick around a while, if you will. I think you will enjoy it!

Laura