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Long title, but quick post - I promise! Not one of my typical 10 page pieces.
First of all, I just wanted to express a HUGE "thank you!" to everyone with whom I had the pleasure of cruising during this Spring Break. It was one of the most memorable - and quite possibly the single most enjoyable - vacations of my entire life, and this would have not been the case had I not been cruising with an amazing group of old and new friends. Really, I can't emphasize how much I needed that. The combination of living in Pittsburgh and being a student at Carnegie Mellon is the most unpleasant, nasty mix that I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing in my life, but this Spring Break actually made it better - as I crossed the Allegheny County line today for 50 more days in this horrible shithole of a city, I wasn't remotely as depressed as I usually am on that occasion. I'm literally still carrying a smile with me from the trip, and even dreary, cold, ugly Pittsburgh can't erase that! :-) (And of course, knowing that I'll be in Florida for the entire summer in less than 2 months certainly helps.)
As my second note, let's revisit the long-term/short-term thing. I know this theme keeps constantly resurfacing in my thoughts here, but it really is one of the grand dramas on which the story of my life is taking place. But at least for now - that is, within the confines of the academic realm - I truly do believe that I have found that elusive balance. I have been gradually shifting in the direction of the coordinates at which I currently find myself since the first day that I stepped on UF's campus back in 2005, and the current "mix" seems to be a great fit. I should really retake the Myers-Briggs thing to see where I register now, particularly on the Introvert-Extrovert scale. Of course, I will have to relocate this orientation once ripped into the career realm in about 270 days - which basically amounts to balancing work and career advancement against everything else in life. That is most certainly a feasible proposition, but it will require a more delicate and nuanced balance than the current academic situation, if for no other reason than the fact that many more variables are involved. I'm already aggressively planning and thinking about how I might accomplish that, but I'll ultimately cross that bridge when I get to it.
And as a last note - since this is an appropriate time - I just have to comment on the importance of travel in my life. Not relocation - I'm perfectly content spending the next 60 years in Florida and have no intention of living in a new city every 5 years, a horrible existence which I find to be a betrayal of municipal civic responsibility and a rejection of the importance of roots - but travel, for a short duration (i.e., a few months at the max) to experience new places, learn about new cultures, and just for the sake of the trip itself. I grew up taking 10 hour roadtrips to visit family, and I believe that it was that youthful exposure to different states and different people which permeated my nascent schema and greatly amplified my desire to see the world (and of course, growing up largely in an isolated town full of ignornant hicks provided a significant boost as well.) I'm one of those quirky types who actually has written out in detail his values and life goals (perhaps I'll share them here one day?), and "travel" as a concept is one of those core values. Whether it be flying to France, driving from Florida to Pennsylvania, or cruising to the Bahamas, I certainly hope that I will continue to be so fortunate to expand my horizons through travel, throughout the rest of my life.
Regular blogging will resume later this week with the second installment in my series on African American homophobia, an exploration of the role of the Black Church in incubating hatred of gays among blacks. See you then!
First of all, I just wanted to express a HUGE "thank you!" to everyone with whom I had the pleasure of cruising during this Spring Break. It was one of the most memorable - and quite possibly the single most enjoyable - vacations of my entire life, and this would have not been the case had I not been cruising with an amazing group of old and new friends. Really, I can't emphasize how much I needed that. The combination of living in Pittsburgh and being a student at Carnegie Mellon is the most unpleasant, nasty mix that I've ever had the misfortune of experiencing in my life, but this Spring Break actually made it better - as I crossed the Allegheny County line today for 50 more days in this horrible shithole of a city, I wasn't remotely as depressed as I usually am on that occasion. I'm literally still carrying a smile with me from the trip, and even dreary, cold, ugly Pittsburgh can't erase that! :-) (And of course, knowing that I'll be in Florida for the entire summer in less than 2 months certainly helps.)
As my second note, let's revisit the long-term/short-term thing. I know this theme keeps constantly resurfacing in my thoughts here, but it really is one of the grand dramas on which the story of my life is taking place. But at least for now - that is, within the confines of the academic realm - I truly do believe that I have found that elusive balance. I have been gradually shifting in the direction of the coordinates at which I currently find myself since the first day that I stepped on UF's campus back in 2005, and the current "mix" seems to be a great fit. I should really retake the Myers-Briggs thing to see where I register now, particularly on the Introvert-Extrovert scale. Of course, I will have to relocate this orientation once ripped into the career realm in about 270 days - which basically amounts to balancing work and career advancement against everything else in life. That is most certainly a feasible proposition, but it will require a more delicate and nuanced balance than the current academic situation, if for no other reason than the fact that many more variables are involved. I'm already aggressively planning and thinking about how I might accomplish that, but I'll ultimately cross that bridge when I get to it.
And as a last note - since this is an appropriate time - I just have to comment on the importance of travel in my life. Not relocation - I'm perfectly content spending the next 60 years in Florida and have no intention of living in a new city every 5 years, a horrible existence which I find to be a betrayal of municipal civic responsibility and a rejection of the importance of roots - but travel, for a short duration (i.e., a few months at the max) to experience new places, learn about new cultures, and just for the sake of the trip itself. I grew up taking 10 hour roadtrips to visit family, and I believe that it was that youthful exposure to different states and different people which permeated my nascent schema and greatly amplified my desire to see the world (and of course, growing up largely in an isolated town full of ignornant hicks provided a significant boost as well.) I'm one of those quirky types who actually has written out in detail his values and life goals (perhaps I'll share them here one day?), and "travel" as a concept is one of those core values. Whether it be flying to France, driving from Florida to Pennsylvania, or cruising to the Bahamas, I certainly hope that I will continue to be so fortunate to expand my horizons through travel, throughout the rest of my life.
Regular blogging will resume later this week with the second installment in my series on African American homophobia, an exploration of the role of the Black Church in incubating hatred of gays among blacks. See you then!
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