Justus’s Faculty Blog

Just a reminder, folks:

The deadline for submitting to Issue 2 of Building 45 is Monday, January 26.

Celebrating the Ordinary

A reading and workshop with poet and carpenter Clem Starck

Download the flyer.

Workshop:

Saturday, Feb 7, 8:30am to 4:30pm
Chemeketa Building 3, Room 118
Includes poetry, snack, and lunch

Readings:

Friday, Feb 6, 11:30am
Chemeketa Multicultural Center, Building 2

Friday, Feb 6, 7:00pm
Blue Pepper Cafe, 247 Commercial SE, Salem, OR

Some people are built for blogging on a regular basis. I am obviously not one of those people.

It’s not that I’m shy about sharing my random, interminable musings with the world. Rather, I think I have TOO MANY opportunities to do so, and so blogging seems somewhat redundant.

First, I carpool from Portland to Salem and back again. It’s not a long drive; in fact, it often takes less time than it used to take me to get across town when I lived in Los Angeles. However, those hours add up, and I spend plenty of time airing my views on anything at all to people who are as sick of the scenery as I am.

Next, I teach. Five classes this term, two online and two face-to-face. Which means I get to spout off in front of students for a substantial portion of the day. And they, being students, have to listen to me, even if I get tired and start talking about 1) the time when my cousin tried to lasso my grandpa’s dog, and 2) how the literary tradition of the bildungsroman might relate to the films of the Coen brothers. (Just to take an example from today’s class…)

Finally, in my spare time not teaching or commuting, I make artsy-type things. There’s not much of an audience for the sorts of things I produce as an artist, but even so, it still counts as an avenue of expression.

I’m not even mentioning my poor wife and cats, who constantly have to listen to me (or at least have to be in an adjacent room while I’m muttering).

Looking over this list, it appears obvious to me that I am communicating WAY too much. Which makes me feel me feel much less guilty about the irregularity of these blog posts. Phew.