Today I did . . . almost nothing.

Well, nothing super-useful. Okay, so I did e-mail a bunch of people about sending in "blurbs" for our grad student newsletter. And that was important, I think.

Semi-related thought: Why don't people want to publicize their academic accomplishments? Why, when I tell them to send me a list of what you did---like conference papers, research trips, publications, scholarships, courses taught, exams passed, etc.---do people thinks this will take too long and just don't do it? The newsletter that we produce is really professional, and gets read by professors, other grad students, and potential grad students. It's available on the web so anyone can read it. It's kinda standard academic stuff, I think. So why don't people want to contribute? I respect not wanting to, but I don't really get it. Participate, people!

Let's see. What else? Hmm. Oh, I read a bunch of academic/history blogs, and some stuff on the NYT website. That wasn't useful at all, but kinda interesting and generally educational.

Semi-related thought: I'm amazed at the bizarre bloggers universe that's out there. It's actually really awesome. Some people are anonymous and use the blogosphere (a new word for me) to vent, complain, or just to deal with stuff. Other bloggers clearly identify themselves, and their blogs are usually less personal and more about academic-related intellectual stuff. Both are fun.

Oh, I also started reading a new book. I'm now making my way through Robert Service's Lenin: A Biography (2000). It's long, but should be a relatively quick read (for a 500-page book). I really need to finish this pronto and move on the next one. And the next one....