Good Morning from my office,
I am still working on housekeeping details for the new semester and this little corner of the world, known as 119B Bakeless, has seen more of me than any other place. For the last 13 days, it seems I have spent more time at my desk and worked on more things than one might imagine. At this point, I have met with three of my four sections of class (only my Writing for Multiple Media class has yet to meet) and it was pleasant to see so many emails as students tried to work on the first of some of the technological items they have to manage for the first week of class.
In the first six years that I have been blogging, I have watched the importance and the variety of blogs become quite an interesting thing, I initially blogged as a sort of journal. I was working in the Miraflores winery that summer, which is located outside of Placerville, California. I had the pleasure and great fortune of meeting Marco Cappelli, one of the most truly Renaissance persons, I have ever gotten to know. He is amazing. Here are a couple of links you might so you might have an opportunity to meet him also (http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?content=57321§ion=features) (http://www.sacmag.com/Sacramento-Magazine/May-2009/On-Wine-Putting-the-Foothills-on-the-Map/). The summer I spent out in the Sierra Nevada Mountains changed my life.
When I came back to Wisconsin, I continued to blog and my blog at that point took a sort of cultural/philosophical personality. I wrote about things I noticed everyday and things that caused me to step back and wonder. In someways those blogs were both cathartic and freeing. I had a space to say things that I believed somehow needed to be said, while I did not ask for a following, I imagine some people did read because I got comments. I should also note that it is not that I believe I am that wise or profound that people need to listen to, or read texts about, things I believe need to be said. Yet, I do believe that I am willing to see a bigger picture often. During the time I have been here at Bloomsburg, I have not been as disciplined about the writing. That is sad because I think it has affected my writing. I find it harder to write, more difficult to get started, and infinitely more frightened about whether or not I have something worth saying. I should note that this seems to be the same across all of my writing.
So, while I have written a bit more regularly in this WordPress blog, I plan to be even more disciplined. I will write at least three times a week. In those posts, I will try to cover three things: things I am observing in my class will provide some of the text that I want to consider in my writing. I want to reflect on what is happening in my classes as well as do some scholarly work with that reflection. Second, I am going to be doing some other needed writing and I want to use this as a sort of sounding board (for my own mind, if you will) for that writing as well as a sort of discipline to say this is what I am accomplishing. Third, in being as I have always been, to be somewhat reflective on what is happening in and around my life.
At this point, I am headed off to a meeting with various constituencies and the dean about the certificate, the minor, and the proposed major track in professional writing. I hope you have a good day and can stay warm.
Dr. Martin (aka: Michael)
thewritingprofessor55 