Blindness or Unobservant

It took a friend of mine, Jolls, to point out a strange gap in the middle of a building on campus today. It's weird. I would think the buildings had been separate at one time, but the gap only goes halfway down between them. There's what appears to be a walkway near the top connecting the two, and at the halfway point, the buildings are seamlessly one building as though it was one building all along. Jolls said she didn't notice the gap until today herself. Both of us walk past that building, and the gap, on a regular basis. Neither of us has noticed it before. From either side of the building. And it's not like the gap only shows on one side or is concealed by anything. Yes, on the one side, there is a tree, but it's not that tall of a tree. Plus, as you look into the gap, you can see daylight at the top and other end of the tunnel/gap/thing as well as recognize treetops on the other side of the building that you could see on that part of campus.

So, the reality is, I have been walking past this strange building gap for over a year. I don't think I'd have noticed it without Jolls, who has been walking past it for 5 years. Which begs the question, are we both blind or just that unobservant? Personally, I'm of the opinion that the gap is similar to Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter series - it only shows up at certain times and to certain people. Apparently Jolls and I are among the special few to whom the building has chosen to display it's oddity. That has to be it. I mean, I can't truly speak for Jolls, but I certainly cannot be that unobservant and I'm fairly convinced I'm not blind. Now, where'd I put my glasses?

Back In the Saddle Again

So I see it's been, oh, a few years since I was on here. I have no excuse or reason. Just ran out of steam or something. Anyhow, I'm back. Yup. As Jim Carrey said in Liar Liar, "Here she comes to wreck the day!" Nah. I'll try not to. Even if it may seem to my Ph.D. classmates that I am.

Honestly, I'm not trying to drive people away, but I don't understand what happened. There are a few basic things I think some of my classmates have forgotten, seeing as how they are Ph.D. students and the rest of us are merely lowly M.A. students. Such as literary writing doesn't necessarily mean inaccessible writing. I'm sorry to inform you, but there's a reason people who write like Hemingway and Faulkner aren't being published much any more. Or at least being widely read any more except by academics. If you want to publish something for your enjoyment, that's one thing. If you're wanting to publish for reader enjoyment, that's a whole new arena. Maybe I'm wrong, but the academic writing just doesn't seem to pay as much or get as widely read and appreciated. My other hobby horse on this topic is separating speaker from author. It's not that hard of a concept, even for creative nonfiction. You don't have to write about yourself for it to be nonfiction. People do it all the time.

Okay. I'm done now. Gosh it feels great to be back.