I started back–officially–to work on Wednesday this week. However, I’ve been plugging away at a moderate pace for much of the time since my guests left. I’m not very good at keeping strict boundaries, but basically, I know it is going to be a busy 10 weeks, followed by a lighter 10. So, I want to be prepared for a good start, and I can balance out a bit in November and December. The good news is that it is meaningful work, and I get to learn quite a bit along the way.
The other main parts of life have been:
- Swedish language learning, with conversation partners in addition to my personal language study;
- Hitting the gym (though I’m also reading for new course preparation on the exercise bike);
- One more round of editing my manuscript. I have the layout with final (probably) pagination, so I can go through and fill in the “see page XXX” with “see page 134” and it will point the two readers (who are crazy enough to read the book) to the right page. I hired Anya to help with some indexing tasks too.
I don’t expect many readers to slog through the book. However, the book is in a series, Bible and Theology in Africa, which means that some libraries may purchase it. A few researchers may find parts interesting, such as when I read parts of others’ dissertations for my research, and on a few occasions the entire book. For most people, reading the executive summary and perhaps part of the final chapter will be sufficient. I have told my Maasai informants that I’m going to dedicate all of my royalties to education for Maasai students. I feel this is a great way to honor their contribution. The royalties won’t be much, but I’ll continue to support Maasai students regardless.
I used to think it was strange to put in so much effort for such little probable readership, but then someone explained it to me as being not the destination but the journey. The dissertation is primarily for my development–which definitely happened. The publishing for me is icing on the cake.
On Friday, it was a perfect day, warm in the mid-70’s with a breeze. There were few clouds. In the afternoon, I had some textbook reading time in the hammock, but I also opened my windows next to my computer desk while I reviewed the manuscript edits. The two glass panes are quite large. When they are both open, there is a space about 5.5 feet wide by 4 feet high of nothingness right next to my desk. The breeze was idyllic, for sitting there in a short-sleeved shirt, with a row of trees just a bit beyond the window.
With blessings,
Beth