Working with wood

Well, I see February was a blog post-free month for me. I had this nagging suspicion I should update infocloud, but figured my reader had probably stopped visiting anyway.

Part of my reluctance to post is not really knowing what my guiding theme should be. I tend to alienate some people when I write about politics, and don’t think I have much original to say anyway.

So I’ll just riff a little as I get back in the blogging saddle.

Travel is foremost for us now. On Thursday my wife is leaving for Cuba. I’m jealous and excited for her. She doesn’t speak much if any Spanish, but a combination of her curiosity, Spring Break, and her desire to do a documentary have motivated her to use our university’s license for professors to visit.

Me, I’m only going to Austin next week for SxSW Interactive. It’s an annual ritual for me, a chance to hang out with some of the smartest people in the world—my authors, and people I hope to make into authors.

The woodworking class I’m taking with my son (who turns 22 today) is a lot of fun. I love it most because it’s a complete break from the way I spend my time at work: onscreen and on the phone. Just walking into the shop on Tuesday and Thursday evenings brings me into a different state of mind. I take a deep breath of the sawdust and the tension drops from my shoulders. I go into a slower pace, and find a new kind of creativity.

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