My blogging has really screeched to a halt this summer. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about or that I didn’t want to blog — I have lots of things I’ve wanted to post about. But this summer has been busier than I ever imagined it would be.

I’ve traveled more than I’ve ever traveled in a two month period (and that was after canceling one trip!). I’ve also been under a lot of pressure at work. While I love my job, I definitely feel a lot of stress from it. And I’ve had a lot of allergy problems this year, more than usual.

All of this has left me mentally exhausted. So much so that the thought of blogging has often been too much. I frequently think about blogging about something only to be too mentally tired to bother with it. So, for the past two months I’ve basically taken a hiatus from doing it.

But I really want to get back into writing. I find this blog is a useful way to remember what I thought about the movies I’ve seen, the music I’ve heard, the museums I’ve visited, etc. Even if no one else ever read it, it’s worth it just for that. It’s also a useful way for me to think through my work as dean and as a researcher and teacher.

So, I’m going to try my best to start writing again on a regular basis. I’ve got lots of things to blog about, so over the next few days I’ll catch up on whatever I can catch up on, and then I’ll start writing about new things. I’m hoping it will energize me a little. Maybe it will also be a good way to deal with the stress of my job. I’ve got a week left before our quarter starts. Let’s see what kind of blogging rhythm I can get into. Here goes ….