I'm in a bit of a quandry.

Today is Friday.  I've actually been off of work since last Friday.  There were some projects that I wanted to work on, and I imagined that I might get some writing done for this blog, as well.  And I have done some writing, but I don't think I'll post it.  The projects-- well I might get started this afternoon....

Partly due to a letter I received, but probably largely because I've had all of this time to think, I've begun to reassess my plans for my life for the upcoming year.  I think it's time for me to get serious about returning to graduate school, and there are some definite steps that I need to take if I'm going to pursue that goal. 

One reason for this blog was to have some time to practice writing and thinking, again, now that my time has opened up.  And I will have been doing that for most of a year at the end of next week-  although my writing has slacked off in the past few weeks, it is largely due to the fact that my reading and thinking has gotten more focussed and complicated.  So, in that sense, the blog has been a success-- it has brought me back to a place where I feel competent to do school-quality work again.  But, if I am there, now, then it must be time to take the next step.

In order to re-apply to grad school, I'll have to have a couple of things:  One is to find three professors who can write letters about my ability, and since I have been out of school for over 15 years and some of my professors have died, I will have to impress three new professors enough to get those letters.  I'm going to see if I do that for free, by auditing some graduate seminars over the next year.  I may also have to re-take the bleeding GRE's, and that's another whole ball of wax.  My language abilities probably only get better over time, but I forget the basics of algebra and trigonometry with great speed when they aren't being used, and I'll have to spend a couple of months reviewing all of that.  And so.

I thought at first that there was a seminar on the book I had been planning to read next, anyway, Being and Time, but apparently that one has been cancelled and replaced with a seminar on Derrida.  If I were actually in college, I would love to take a seminar on Derrida, but since I don't have unlimited time, I think I'll go for the more foundational close reading of The Critique of Pure Reason. 

This is not going to generate much that is worth blogging about, however.  But I don't want to quit blogging.  I have come to value being part of this community, and I don't think I want to become just a commenter, which is what I have been doing lately.  I am not real confident in my ability to generate a lot of new material that is not philosophically oriented, but I suppose I'll just have to apply myself.  And keep surfing.

So look for a one-year-anniversary rethinking of this blog in the upcoming weeks.  If I'm to re-invent myself, the blog must follow, somehow.

12:41:59 PM    comments? []