Good morning from the corner of a great place called "Nucleus",

Over the past couple months I have been coming to a little place called Nucleus. It is a rather "earth muffin" sort of a place, but before you think I am maligning it, this is a term of endearment for me. A few of you might shudder at any thought of hanging out here for fear of some kind of liberal virus. Such is not the case, the people who work there are creative intelligent and display a sense of openness and appreciation fo the world in which we live.

Since I returned from Thanksgiving, I have been on what one of my colleagues refers to as "a grading initiative." It is an occupational hazard of teaching at any level. Grading is such a difficult thing, especially when you are grading writing. It is both subjective, but for the person receiving the grade it becomes profoundly personal. I remember taking grades very personally;  but now that I am 15 years into teaching at this level, I can say with a sense of certainty that it is not about person, it is about the product (and by extension the process).

Last night I watched a DVD titled Celtic Woman. It was outstanding and caused my sense of wanderlust to return to the forefront of my thought processes. In addition, I was speaking to a friend from graduate school who lives in the Detroit area. In fact, we actually got together at a Panera Bread at one point which was in the same area of the Gateway Country Store in which I worked "at the turn of the century" (literally). She flipped me some garbage about being in the same place for almost 6 years and said, "That is a pretty long time; isn’t it about time for you to move?" Her assessment was more accurate than I might have thought once I seriously pondered what she said. This returns me to the point of this blog, which is the title: at one point, my father’s relatives have been traced back into 16th century County Cork. I have never been to Ireland or Scotland, and I think I need to make that journey. Maybe it is that sense of melancholy that I have noted in some earlier postings. There is something hauntingly alluring to those two countries (and it is not the alcohol, though a great meal with a pint of Scottish ale would not hurt my feelings). I love the music and I have a colleague who spent the fall there and I have been extraordinarily bilious. In addition, I have a friend who is Scottish and he is a hoot (and also brilliant).

What gives us a sense of place, and what is that? It is grounding, familiarity, comfort? Is it based on knowledge, experience, history? I have decided my sense of wanderlust is the consequence of struggling to find a sense of place. Is it the because I was adopted? At this point is it because my entire immediate family has passed away? These sort of questions are a constant companion in my life’s journey. Why is it I have this need to have people around, but at the same time want my solitude?

This next week I will say goodbye to a colleague who succumbed in his long battle with cancer and by weeks end, I will have flown to Utah and back to Wisconsin. Before the end of the month I will be back in California. I think one of my strengths is that I can find joy in most any place I find. There is a great deal of natural beauty in the world, and - in spite of the horrific news from Mumbai; our gloomy global economy, or any other deplorable news - outstanding people everywhere. The music from the Celtic Woman group is so amazing and inspiring. There is a comfort in the honesty of their music and it creates a sense of wonder in me; a sense of wishing I was part of that world.

Allow for a 90 degree turn for a moment. This is such a interesting place; there are two dogs here in the coffee shop. It is kind of cool, but startled me. It reminds be of an old friend in Houghton named Jimmy whose dog followed him everywhere including the Doghouse (pun intended). So . . . back to place. What is this concept? How do you know you have a sense of place? I would be interested in your thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

Michael

Good Morning from a little spot called the "Nucleus",

Over the past few months I have found a little breakfast and coffee shop called the Nucleus. It is in Eau Claire, which is about 20 miles away from Menomonie. It is a wonderful place for two reasons. First, they have outstanding coffee and amazing breakfasts; and second, I can actually sort of hide because no one knows me and I can get my work done. I can sit here and drink organic coffee and in a few hours burn through a number of assignments and concentrate. It is on Water Street, which is the campus town of UW-EC, and in such a location, it has a multitude of different faces and "genres" of people. Can people be considered in genres like movies or music or art?

As I look out the window, the trees are bare and it is grey; there have been a couple dustings of snow, but nothing major; however, there is a chill in the air which reminds us that change is about to descend. Change . . . it is an interesting concept. What constitutes change, is it really a Kuhnian paradigmatic shift or something much more subtle? Do we miss many of the more elusive changes because we are so caught up in our daily lives or are we only impressed with the changes that create seismographic shifts in our daily reality?

Later this week is Thanksgiving; it is a time to gather together and appreciate those who give a sense of place or belonging. Fortunately, I have a beautifully intelligent and wonderfully kind niece who allows me to be part of her family. Yes, I know I technically am part of the family, but how often are we part of something without being involved in it? She allows me the blessing of being an integral part of her family. It is such a gift. It is perhaps the one time I believe to feel a sense of place. It is perhaps because in spite of the changes, there is something constant.

As the years pass, people come and go, we move from location to location, and the world in which we live never sleeps (forgive the cliche’). The only thing constant is inconsistency and for that I guess I am thankful

Thanks for reading.

Michael 

                                          Welcome back if you have not thought about this for awhile, I can admit, neither have I. Well, perhaps that is not exactly true. I have thought about writing, but have been frightened to do so because some did not appreciate my writing or perhaps what I wrote. At this point, I have decided to write again. I have not deleted anything from before, but much has changed since the last posting last spring. So . . . to catch you up in a post of 6 -9 months; it is a tall order, but I am technical writer so I am supposed to be clear and concise right??

So much has happened since January and beyond. I remember being advised to take care to demonstrate my work and what I have been doing. That admonishment was rather prophetic, and even though I thought that at the time, I was still surprised when the actuality of that event came to pass. Since that time I have learned a great deal about the reality of some of the things I read for my comprehensive exams when working on my Ph.D. I read a book titled The Transformation of Power by Thomas Wartenburg. His understanding of the third dimension of power became a reality in my everyday life and continues to be something very real.

I am reminded of how I believe our current administration has done things much more egregious than Bill Clinton ever did in terms of the constitution. The Bush/Cheney White House, at least in my opinion, has corrupted the executive branch of the government in ways I could have never imagined. It is certainly my hope that an Obama/Biden administration will be much different. I believe so or I would not have voted as I did.

Things in the personal realm are fine . . . I am quite solitary, but that is certainly safer. I very seldom go out in town at this point, but that is by necessity and has been, for all practical purposes mandated. That point will be argued by some, but I am certainly willing to take the argument on. Besides, I do not really mind; it is cheaper and keeps me safer. On the professional realm, it is somewhat connected to the personal, but that has always been normal in my life. I am merely what I am or who I am, and I do not try to be anything else. What has been interesting is to determine who or what I am. That is where some of the counseling things both past and current have been helpful. While I am not always sure what I am, I do know what I am not or how I have changed in the past year.

In my co-dependent way, I have always been concerned with what others think or how they judge me, but that is changing. It is a difficult change, but a necessary one. This is not to say I have no regard for others’ opinions, but I am no longer willing to merely stand by and let myself get runover and misjudged and mistreated. That is a difficulty for me, but on the other hand, it is something necessary for me. I must say there have been those colleagues who have been very helpful, sometimes without even knowing it.

One of the things I have been reacquainted with during the past year is my disdain for authority. Well again, that is not exactlly correct. What I am not appreciative of is the unethical use of authority, or my perception that this is the case. Perhaps I am merely misguided, but I am not sure that is entirely the case. In other terms of my professional life, I have been asked to be the keynote address for the Haas Lectures, which is a well-known thing in Eau Claire, WI. In addition, I have had a couple newspaper articles and now another speaking engagement all about my dissertation. The reason is it was published last Spring. That was an amazing development for me. I am certainly appreciative of my dissertation committee and my chair.

On a personal level, I got six thousand miles (maybe even more) on the Harley this past summer including making a trek to Sturgis again albeit a week early. I did get a lot of thinking time during the summer, in spite of teaching two classes. All in all it has been a busy, an unpredictable, and roller-coaster of a year, but I am still quite okay. I really have no complaints. I will be back writing and I thank you for reading.

Best,

Michael