I know, I know...

I’ve been gone for way too long. For over two months, to be exact. It is bad form and I know it. Hopefully, after hearing about the past two months, you can forgive me.

At least I’ve come back. Hopefully we can convince Damomma from Motherhood is Not for Wimps to do the same!

Let’s see, what has happened in the past two months? Life. Lots and lots of life.

I had a birthday, and those festivities were fun.

I then went to our big national conference.

A friend of mine had a baby, and I had to make some trips over to her house to breathe in that wonderful newborn smell.

Then it was orientation week.

My special section of Thesis Seminar (the one that I was teaching in four weeks—really. I know. I am a glutton for punishment) started.

Then school started. For my students and for my boys.

And I was still teaching a semester’s worth of class in four weeks.

Then we had the online students to campus for our annual on-campus seminar. I gave a talk and a presentation during that, in addition to helping another faculty member plan and run the thing.

Did I mention that I have the normal, semester-long section of Thesis Seminar as well?

I found out that my panel presentation on active learning and social media was accepted for a conference in November. So I started working on that.

J’s grandmother fell ill, so we went back home to check on her.

I then went to New Orleans for another conference, and I took the guys along (more on this later, with pictures, no less!).

I came back to find out a faculty member had been asked to present at another panel about our online program, and she’s kind enough to include me in her research.

You see? That’s quite a bit of fun to be had there. In addition to everything that a wife, a mother, an employee does on a day-to-day basis.

Despite the hectic schedule and the nerdiness I’ve participated in (which I find to be quite fun, but I don’t expect you to share my sentiments), there’s one thing I’ve noticed: I miss writing. I miss sharing. I miss being creative, and increasingly—over the past few weeks it has grown in intensity—I miss the words. The creation of a story. The narrative of our life.

Blogging does so much,: for the blogger and for the readers and even for the society as a whole. I know what it does for me when I write. I know what it does for me when I read others’ words. I have a general concept of what blogging can do for a democratic society and the free exchange of ideas. I want to delve deeper into what it can do for a culture, and the only way I can go about doing that is to participate, in part, myself.

So I’m back on the wagon. And I’m sorry for the break. Everyone deserves a reprieve though, right? Can you forgive me, if I promise to post pictures of the boys on vacation in my favorite city later this weekend?