New Vision for the Blog

While I've always thought of eclectic/eccentric as a multi-layered blog, it has primarily functioned as a book blog. Most posts were focused on reviewing books, summarizing and evaluating without spoiling plot and with the ultimate goal of encouraging people to read or not read the book. I loved this, and for over 8 years, that was the focus. I would post thoughts or family updates from time to time, participate in memes (mainly bookish ones), and participate in book tours and book blog events.

The blog changed drastically after the birth of my first child, Madison, four years ago. I went from reading 150 books a year and having quite a bit of free time to reading 50 books a year with almost no free time. The blog became more sporadic. Then, three years after Madison, came Carter, and reading took another dive. While I have read many, many posts about how reading is still possible after children - and I agree for the most part - I would have to make some pretty questionable decisions to maintain my pre-children level of reading and blogging.

Part of my loss of time has to do with other life decisions. I am a full-time college professor serving on multiple committees and presenting at various conferences. Then there's the fact that I also went back to school. In the time right before Carter, I began work towards a second Masters degree, in Literature of course. I actually finished and submitted a 22 page literary analysis while in the hospital after giving birth. Yeah, that happened.

This year I also started coursework towards earning a Master Online Teacher certificate. Taking all of these courses means that the limited reading time I have left is devoted to course readings and homework. Oh and children's books. I read at least four books a day...they're just not exactly War and Peace.  More like Hello, Bugs and more Bubble Guppies books than should rightly exist.

Fingers crossed that my hard work buying and reading children's books will pay off. So far, so good as both of my kids like playing with books. Madison likes to read before bed (well, have books read to her) and Carter will sit still for I Kissed the Baby, but that's the only book that he will listen to for some reason.

eclectic/eccentric will still have the occasional book review, but the focus will shift a bit more towards discussion and analysis than review, and I plan on incorporating a lot more posts on education and instructional technology and more on the family as well. I suppose this makes eclectic/eccentric more of a life blog; it's just that quite a bit of my life is dedicated to books.

So, for the foreseeable future, I will post about literature on Tuesdays and education/online learning on Fridays. Sundays will be for updates and family, and any book reviews will be posted randomly. I'm considering changing the blog name to be more reflective of what will be included in posts, but so for no luck on a creative title...at least not one that's already taken. :)

To those who read this blog in years past, I don't know if any of you are still around. The numerous false starts this blog has had in the last four years is ridiculous, and who knows if this is the start of a new heyday of Trisha blogging or if it is yet another failed attempt to bring blogging back into my life. I know a few of the people I considered friends here in the book blogging world are no longer book bloggers or no longer bloggers at all. Any of you who are still around, I hope to get back in touch. For new readers, welcome! I can't wait to see what's been happening in the blogosphere.