Hello World!

                Well, here’s my first blog post. The first thing you should know is that I’m no good at introductions. When I write papers, I normally write the intros last in an effort to put them off to the last possible moment; although it never really has made sense to me to start writing an introduction before you’ve figured out what you’re going to say; and how do you figure out what you’re going to say until you’ve already said it?

Also, I ramble.

Which brings me back to my first point: I’m no good at introductions; so I can tend toward the abrupt.

                I should probably take a moment to tell you about myself. I don’t really have a career at present. I have and have had jobs, but my only true occupation is academics. If I could survive just by going to school, I would; no hesitation, none at all. Since I can’t, I work. Over the past decade I’ve had jobs singing, fixing cell phones, working in IT, helping to manage a homeless shelter, working retail sales, customer service and stocking groceries; but my occupation has always been that of a student.

Reading is also a major part of who I am; and, since I read a lot, much of my blogging will come out of what I read. That said, you may need to have an idea of what kinds of books I read. My home base in literature is probably fantasy, although I’ve been trying to branch out lately. My current reading list contains books like The Grapes of Wrath, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Emma and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I also read the occasional history (especially French and English history), philosophy, or religion book outside my studies. My other major hobby is hockey. I tried playing for a little while, but it’s expensive, time consuming, and I’m not very athletic; so I spectate. Go Predators!

You’ll also want to know about my personality. Myers-Briggs scores me as an INTP, with very close I-E and F-T scores; so, according to them, I’m intuitive, I don’t like planning, I’m a cross between touchy-feely and analytical, and I’m something like a social introvert. I’m very sarcastic and my sense of humor falls along the lines of Monty Python, The Princess Bride, and Douglas Adams. I’m also a night person.

So now that you know more about who I am, the next thing to know is why I’ve decided to blog, and what I’ll be blogging about. I’ll answer the second question first. My blogs won’t generally follow the events of my life, or chronicle the events in our family’s world. Instead, these blogs will be a journal of my thoughts, inspired by the things and ideas I encounter in everyday life, and the things I watch or read. Subjects will probably range from history and philosophy, to religion, politics, social theory, and the random whatever that comes from my head. I call it “Welcome to Left Field” because I’m giving vent to a lot of the crazy thoughts that most people filter out before saying; and I’m letting my theology be speculative. Please be slow to drag me to the pyre J

The reasons why I’ve decided to blog are complex. One of the biggest is simply that I have too much in my head and I need to get it all out. Blogging also requires me to process my thoughts and work through them. Hopefully, some of these thoughts will connect in some sort of coherent form, but I make no promises.

Well, that’s probably what you need to know for now. I’ll try to post at least once every friday, (due date is 11:59pm CST). Hope to see you back here next week; in the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and welcome to left field!