She’s come unplugged
I have, really. In a most peculiar, drastic fashion.
Truth be told, I haven’t read a news feed in at *least* a month, perhaps more. I’ve visited certain blogs directly but sporadically, mostly out of some sort of attempt to prevent myself from being sucked into catching up and never get out.
The whole thing has been entirely effortless, with an eery, normal feeling, like falling out of the digisphere is really what eventually happens, and it’s really all OK, when there’s something about it that really isn’t OK at all. And yet, upon reflection, I think it was a good thing that it happened.
I attribute most of my recent disappearance, and now most of my other accidental hiatuses, to just a simple need to unplug. A need to not feel constantly driven by external forces of content, a need to find some breathing room between my brainspace and the digital knowledge mindshare that is the online world. My new jobs required a lot more attention than a originally anticipated, crashing into the plate that held my previous existence as a job seeker, which is entirely OK, and I am quite glad for it. It’s just another shift in an ongoing career climate change, to be weathered with patience and careful contemplation. And yoga. And many deep, cleansing breaths. And subsequent butt-kicking action.
My internet brain lying somewhat fallow then slowly re-emerging is probably the best thing that can happen right before ALA. Midwinter was quite the whirlwind, but I’m guessing it pales in comparison to the maelstrom of an annual conference. My tech mojo, writing skills, and librarian kung fu are all still sharp, just redirected into my meatspace work, which isn’t entirely online and bloggy. Work is reshaping how I think about blogging, the way I blog, and what I blog about, but not changing my committment to my little volcano island on the web.
So yeah, basically, it’s all good. I’m sure these little gaps will continue to happen, and you should consider them normal, while I shall resolve not to stress out about them anymore as some sort of sign that I’m “losing my edge”. I won’t be disappearing anytime soon, just popping up in new and interesting places from time to time, and returning with interesting stories to tell.
Tags: etc., librarianship, technology
