Tales of the Invisible Ben

Five months have passed since my last blog post, a nostalgic throwback to my days as a public school educator inspired by the blizzard-based cancellation of my recent university seminar. Since then a great deal has happened, both to me personally (e.g. I survived my semester of teaching and made progress on my book manuscript!) and the world at large (e.g. Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Malaysians lost an airplane!), and yet I chose not to remark on any of it.  Once again, I can only attribute this trend to the presence of other social media platforms and a recognition that compared to my previous life in the classroom, people simply are not as interested in the daily travails of an itinerant academic.

If that is the case, why am I breaking radio silence--if that is even the right term to use when talking about a blog--on this particular occasion? I suppose the answer to that question has something to do with a sense of obligation that I feel towards you, my loyal yet dwindling readership, and to myself, both now and in the future. Because today, the 14th of July, is my birthday, and every year since I staked out this little square of online real estate, I have taken it upon myself to jot down some wisdom that I have picked up during my most recent trip around the sun. Even if no one decides to read what I have to say, I would hate to break the tradition. At a bare minimum, it is a useful and constructive exercise to schedule some time for self-reflection. And who knows? Perhaps in a few years, I will want to get a sense of who I was in the summer of 2014, and this brief essay will provide at least a partial answer to that question.

On a professional level, not much has changed over the past year. There have been ups and downs, certainly, but I remain a postdoctoral researcher in the same institution that has employed me since defending my dissertation in 2011. I have also been able to maintain the same apartment, just a block away from my office, which guarantees that I will retain the shortest commute of anyone I know, at least for a little while. Most of my friendships here in the city are work-based, which can be something of a mixed blessing. Outside of work, I retain ties with the few people I still know around Old Ivy, but most of my peers have graduated and lately I have begun to feel a bit out of place, even at my biweekly pub quiz. In all likelihood, I will need to find a new social outlet a bit closer to home. Exactly what form that will take remains to be determined. Perhaps I can find a new extracurricular activity or find a more structured way to pursue some of my existing interests. Either way, that's something I would like to concentrate on during the coming year.

At the same time, I do not want to lose touch with friends who are further away. After all, I have no excuse. Compared to most of them, I am fortunate to have a relatively flexible work schedule. Moreover, unlike a growing number of my peers, I am neither married nor a parent. I am unattached, except for commitments that I have largely taken on of my own volition. So why is it that despite having numerous technologies at my disposal that enable instantaneous contact, I have found it so difficult to stay connected beyond the most superficial level? Sometimes I wonder if this centrifugal fracturing an inevitable part of growing older or if it merely feels that way due to my own actions. I would like to believe it is the latter, because it offers the possibility of change. And in the end, what could be more inspiring than the knowledge that even if life seems terrible that there are things we can do to make them better?

Whether or not I succeed in this endeavor over the course of the next year remains to be seen. For the present, however, I can at least make up for my recent stint of blogging inactivity by posting the overdue answers to this year's movie quote contest. This year's crop of quotations was trickier than most, so thanks to everyone who submitted guesses this time around. Our winner was none other than Ramblin' Dave, the only person on my blogroll who still posts updates from time to time. He will be receive our customary prize, an Invisible Trophy to place on his mantle.

Until next year, have a happy Bastille Day!


Child's Play