20 June 2005

Well...here goes...

So I have now joined the throng of bloggers. I've hitched my wagon to the electronic equivalent of the old party-line, only there about 27 billion people listening in, and not just on conversations, but on my own random thoughts, and this I do voluntarily (?), knowing that the world can see. This is too odd. At one point not long ago I whispered a vow to myself that I wouldn't get caught up in this gig. And now I'm rambling on my own seconds-old blog about how I'd never blog. And what is "blog" anyhow; sounds like something you'd scrape off your shoe after a walk through the park. (Excuse me sir, but I think you have stepped in some blog...) I suspect that this sort of mildly self-critical irony, and dry mediocre humor, is par for the course.

So here's to it. I'll only go around once, so why not?

I've been mulling over this blog for a while, even in spite of my prejudice against all things technological (in the new world order there will be no technology: that's an inside joke only about twenty-seven of you in cyber-space will even get), primarily as a way for family to keep up with us, our goin's and doin's, and as a way for me to interact with my students, who are more comfortable online that I am drinking coffee in a Waffle House (ok, another one of those things that only the elect will understand). Of course, the trick is to con my students into actually looking at their teacher's blog. How dorky that must be. What am I thinking anyhow?

There are some creative things I'd like to con this blog into doing: hopefully to extend the conversations begun in my classroom, to probe ideas and post reflections. I'd like to take advantage of those possibilities. I'd like to write and publish; this is a way to do that as well.

So, perhaps this will be a worthwhile journey (there's another one of those esoteric "blog phrases"...I'm irritating myself). Time will tell.

In all seriousness, my hope is that this will be a place for thinking out loud about all sorts of things, where the journey is as prized as the destination, and where enjoyable conversation makes the whole thing worth its bandwidth. Do check back in; I'd like to hear from you.

From my desk to yours, my sincere wish for you is grace and peace.