News

"No news is good news."

A cliche tells you very little, almost nothing on the literal level. But from my choice of cliche, you might infer that I am suffering writer's block on this blog post, either from lack of interest or lack of content, and yet I am rather content.

This is not untrue.

I'm going through a phase where blogging and social chit-chat do not seem particularly easy for me. My opinions and experiences have not seemed worth writing much about, certainly not expending much eloquence over. It's been a quiet beginning of the year. While I am writing and expending eloquence, it is not here.

This is a good thing. For one thing, while I am resisting the pressure to be interesting (not unique to academics, although my understanding is that in academia the pressure is much more forceful), I am accomplishing many things off-internet.

I've met both my monthly goals for this first month of 2014--completing a short story, and meeting my goals for editing work. There's also been some welcome attention towards my Fiverr gigs, and my account only needs a handful more before leveling up and being able to offer Gig Extras and other perks.

This week I've signed on with a temping agency in Washington, D.C., providing a welcome infusion of optimism into my job search. When I do start a position, both my writing and my editing may scale down, but we'll see. I might do as other writers I know have done and start working during my commute (rather than reading, as I do now. Of course, reading is exercise for a writer, too).

On that note, one thing I can do on this blog, and should be doing a bit more, frankly, is book reviews. I have a minor backlog of LibraryThing and Goodreads giveaway prizes to complete and compose my thoughts on.

Lastly, as always, just because I'm not blogging here doesn't mean I'm not blogging. Some Fridays at Amani I write in-depth examinations of Fair Trade principles and the future of the movement. One such will be coming up soon, after a refreshing discussion with the new intern about distinctions among Fair Trade and other sustainable approaches.

Other days, DC is going through a cold phase and I just want to talk about all your options with regards to Fair Trade hot chocolate.