Please forgive one of my periodic self-concerned posts. It’s not like Downes’s hiatus, but I have been quiet here. There have been a few kind souls who have sent me messages of the ‘are you OK?’ variety. Not to dwell on it, but my recent near-silence has in part resulted from:
* The meltdown of my hard-drive, and the apparent futility of recovering the data. There were some irreplaceable items there (three or four months of photos, some amazing audio I recorded at and around Northern Voice), and just thinking about it sends me into a self-destructive spiral. I did do some backups, but the damage is considerable. The process has dragged on for weeks.
* While my machine was out of commission, I learned it was pretty much impossible to handle and respond to the volume of email I receive in the course of my job with a web-based interface (especially when I was getting an extra 400-500 spams a day via our Movable Type installation). I’m still digging myself out from under — and if I owe you email, please feel free to follow-up.
* The plumbing quagmire at home is nearing resolution, and it’s been a nice refresher of my plumbing and reno skills, but it has absorbed lots of evenings and free weekend time, and contributed to a general unsettled vibe — I’m looking forward to having a proper shower again soon.
* The super-secret mission alluded to in posts just before my self-imposed exile was a speaking gig at an “iPods in Education” event hosted by Apple. I really tied myself in knots over that one, as I did not want to be a total hypocrite in how I presented at the event. The tension was complicated by an interview I did for the Chronicle of Higher Education expressing concerns about iTunes U, which was set to appear at the same time. I’m such a wimp when it comes to confrontation. Anyhow, things went OK — I managed to get my points across tactfully (and the audience asked some very pointed questions, bless ’em), and my presentation (with some nice audio clips from the UBC community) seemed to go over well.
* I was very stressed about an impending deadline for the Social Learning project, but right now things are looking better (more on that anon).
* There’s been some other stuff that really isn’t bloggable.
I’ve gotten better at pushing through these episodes, but obviously I’ve still got a lot to learn.
Sad to say, I hadn’t noticed any manifestation of a funk — the quality and quantity of the posts here has been great. But I hope things even out and feel better for you in the next while…I’d love to hook up for a beer (or few) this spring yet.
Jeremy — I hope our hang-out happens soon, it’s been put off for too long.
Dancing Elmo Smackdown:
http://sport-brands.com/basketball/index.html
Rasmussen Out of Tour De France:
http://online-pharmaceutics.com/drug/index.html
Chrysler Deal in a Struggle for Financing:
http://sport-brands.com/football/index.html
Chrysler Deal in a Struggle for Financing:
http://sport-brands.com/football/index.html