Now that this site is listed on my CV, I should probably do better at writing here. I thought that I would have a bit more time this semester, but it turns out that even the second go-round of the US History survey is pretty time consuming when you’re a) not an American historian and b) a perfectionist. And while getting the opportunity to spend two weeks in central Europe with a RU alumni group in May is going to be excellent, it turns out writing five lectures on a part of the world that I could easily talk about for several months is also time-consuming.

While writing here may be my fourth or fifth priority (probably closer to eighth or ninth, if I include things like eating), and despite the fact that very few (if any) others will actually read this, I will do better.

Given my upcoming trip to Vienna I think I’ll put aside Robert Gernhardt for a while and try my hand at some Erich Fried.

Yes, I know. For those keeping track, this is the fifth time I’ve started one of these. Actually, maybe it’s the sixth, so it’s good that nobody is keeping track.

However, it is 2014, and since I’ve basically given up on Twitter (couldn’t keep up) and won’t join Facebook (because I don’t trust my family, my students, and my family, in that order, more or less), I need some online presence.

So I figured, while I was at it, I might as well get a proper domain, too, so that I could put it on a business card. That means that this is primarily going to be a professional thing, a cross between an online CV (note the menu above) and a place where I can note things that might have professional implications for me.

That means a bit about my research, a bit about teaching, a bit about books that I read and conferences I attend. I’ll probably keep up my occasional translations of German poetry (which I do to keep sharp in the language). Maybe a bit about music or beer (being a Germanist, this comes naturally), though I’ll probably stay away from most other topics. We’ll see.

I don’t have high hopes for readership, but for once I’ll actually start publicizing the link (like I said, it’s on my business cards), and perhaps someday this will find some attention.