I'm not big on memes . . . but I'm big on blogs so I'm "starting" one. Kevin first dished the holiday love but I'm the one who memed it. I won't include Kevin on my list since he wrote the post I memed—nor should you feel obliged to include me on yours—but I demand Adam, Miriam B., Michael, Noah, Tim, Dr. B., Luke & Jonathan, Matt, Ben and OtherScott bow before my meme. These are the ten blogs I feel the urge to check most frequently. Some of them don't update regularly . . . some of them I disagree with vehemently but in productive ways . . . some of them I feel like a brother to . . . and some of them make me feel like a fellow traveller. But all of them make me think outside the cooler on a regular basis and for that I bestow upon them the garland of Holiday Love.
I should be more specific. I should say things like:
"Noah renews my faith in literature."
"Dr. B. reminds me that all feminism isn't as shrill as first year graduate student feminism."
"Tim says everything I wish I had the smarts to say . . . only better and in a timely fashion."
"Adam causes me to pause before I mouth my nonsense to the faithful or the psychoanalytically inclined."
"Michael embodies the public intellectual I aspire to be . . . and in doing so stops me from drinking myself into a stupor nightly."
"OtherScott reminds me that had Michael or Trilling been booted from academia they would not have been denied the life of the public intellectual."
"Matt gives me pause . . . gives me reason to remember what it was like to discover meaning instead of finding it."
"Miriam B. provides me the example of responsible but responsive scholarship I hope to emulate."
"Luke & Jonathan call to mind the wide eyes and enthusiam which I brought to graduate school and force me to face the mind I was."
"Ben reminds me that I'm a lonely blade a grass next to a massive fucking sequoia."
While I'm at it I also want to thank my readers, without whom this blog wouldn't be read: Rich, Jonathan, Kevin, Adam R. and (other) Adam R., (Old) Doug Johnson, Laura, Shrike, David, Justin, Steve, Tim, Shannon, (other) Laura, Meg, Walt, Stephen, (other) Stephen, (other) Scott, (other other) Scott, Steve, Mike, (other) Mike, Jenny, Jennifer, (other) Tim, Nichole, Kelly, McKenzie, Beth, Jamie (female), Jamie (male), Christian, Jim, Dan, (other) Jason (Houston), (other other) Jason (Houston), Ray, Ralph, Raymond, Vincent, Patrick, Rachel, S. and Rachel W. and Sarah C. and Sarah K. and Sarah S. and Brian F. and Brian T. and Brian Q. and . . . and anyone else who I've accidently omitted from this list. I didn't forget you . . . I just can't count that high.
The fact that I have so many people who read my work regularly gets me up before dawn and keeps me writing past sunset. Y'all have made this otherwise most miserable year bearable and for that I thank you.
Why thank you. I am so charmed that I won't even hassle you about using the word "shrill" ;)
xo, and Happy Holiday-of-your-Choice.
Posted by: bitchphd | Monday, 26 December 2005 at 12:18 PM
You flatter. Thanks.
Posted by: luke | Friday, 06 January 2006 at 03:30 PM