I Was Lousy at Math, a Failed Historian....

So goes the very first line of what has long been my favorite country music song: "Carlene" by Phil Vassar. For many years, Phil Vassar was a successful songwriter working in Nashville when in 2000 he released his first, self-titled album. "Carlene" was the first release off of that album, and I instantly fell in love with it. At a youthful 25 years of age, I had just entered graduate school and was beginning to get my first taste of life in the brutal world of academia.

I bring this up because on Monday I posted a rather down-beat comment at Steve H. Graham's blog. Steve was talking about Kim du Toit's retirement from blogging, to which I replied:

That’s sad. I was never what you would call a regular reader of Kim du Toit, but I would drop by from time to time and read his postings.

Blogging is my lifeline to sanity these days - it’s helping me through some difficult times. At this point I couldn’t imagine giving it up.

Those who are regular readers of this blog know what I am talking about. Back on November 18 I alluded to career trouble I was having, and am still having. Going to work and having the metaphorical stuffing kicked out of you on a daily basis is not exactly conducive to one's mental health, but I am fortunate to have a community of online friends that I've compiled over the years to offer support and a much-needed distraction from such unpleasant realities.

That being said, in the coming months when I get around to announcing my next career move, many of you will probably think I've lost the plot. But I can be rather stubborn - my instinct over time has tended toward picking myself up off of the ground and going back for more.

For the first time that I can recall, I've thus far been unable to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Usually I get excited when I put up the lights outside of my house and work on the Christmas tree. Over the weekend, I put the outside lights up but then discovered that one of the strings was malfunctioning. I have yet to replace it. And the artificial tree I was going to put up was missing part of the stand, so it kept falling over. When it rains, it pours.

Anyway, I apologize for the pity party. No doubt as the remainder of this dreadful semester draws to an end and my three week-long vacation gets underway, I will be feeling more cheerful. In the meantime, here's a YouTube video of Phil Vassar performing "Carlene." What a great tune.