Back when this site got started, we had a blogger named Weeping for Brunnhilde. Weeps was history grad student, a medievalist at an Ivy League institution, and one of the most brilliant people I've ever met. Around Summer 2007 or so, though, Weeps just sort of disappeared. He told me he had to start studying for exams and just didn't have enough time to devote to blogging. Since then, with very few exceptions, he's stopped writing not only at PH, but at all of the other half-dozen or so sites at which he was a regular contributor. He often doesn't even have time to respond to my Facebook messages any more.At the time, I remember thinking, "This guy's putting me on. He's been in grad school for two whole years and he never got so busy he couldn't blog. What's so different now?" Two years later, the same thing is happening to me.
This, my fourth semester in graduate school, was the semester when school stopped being time-consuming and started being all-consuming. I'm not even studying for exams yet (that's starting this summer), yet I have virtually no time to do anything other than study, read, and write academic things. What's more, I don't expect it to get any better any time soon.
I didn't expect to drop off the face of the earth when I handed this blog over to Andrew, but that's exactly what's happened. I haven't blogged for over a month, and with the exception of this brief respite, I don't intend to come back with any regularity for a long time, maybe ever. I love what I'm doing academically, but I simply have no time to do anything else besides study and write.
I'm thrilled with the excellent job Andrew's been doing as blogpresario, and I've enjoyed the writing of the great authors we've got here. I'm really happy that the site hasn't died without me at the helm, and that, on the contrary, it seems to be thriving. Maybe I'll be able to get back to this in earnest once I get a real job. For now, it's back to the salt mines, and you'll have to make do with an occasional howdy from me on my rare free days. (I'm still, as always, reachable by e-mail.)
Use this as an open thread. What's on your mind?
Labels: Jeremy Young
Ahistoricality on 4/11/2009 10:32 AM:
Bloggers do fade away, it's true, but they tend to wax and wane rather than disappear entirely.
At any rate, the obsessive phase of grad school is one of it's most wonderful moments, and I hope you make the most of it.
I recently began my very first blog in my 4th year of doctoral studies. Bad move. I enjoy it way too much but I don't have the time to write quality posts.
Consequently, the blog sucks b/c I have to schedule 10-15 minute blocks of time to write posts when I am not otherwise busy getting ass-raped by my advisor, devising creative ways to severely injure myself so I can drop out and collect SSI, and trying to write that dissertation thing everyone keeps saying I have to write before they will give me that PhD I used to want.
PhD="passion has died". At least, it does by the 4th year.
I'm right there with you.
::waves at Jeremy::
I've had to make peace that, until I'm old hat at this professor thing and not teaching new classes, I won't be able to blog like I want to.
I had to stop looking at it as an obligation--because then it became a task and I felt like I was failing.
But enough about memememe. I'm glad grad school is going well (I had no doubt that it would for you).
You'll be back, Jeremy, and you know it!!
g.