Today marks day 70 of my 90 day project, and I never could have predicted the influence this blog and writing would have on my life in just the last couple of months. I got behind while I was in Indianapolis for my big conference, but I backdated some posts and realized that today marks 20 days until I turn 40. I’ve always been a “pay it forward” kind of person, but I had no idea of the real reach of the blog until my professional conferences, ATTW and CCCCs, last week. Because so many of my professional connections are also deeply personal, and because I link to the blog from facebook and twitter where I have many connections with people from numerous times in my life, last week was really shocking in the number of people following and reading my blog.

I am most grateful that taking the time for this blog and writing has also primed my research writing in ways I never could have predicted given my last 6 years directing the undergraduate and graduate programs in my dept. It also has me reflecting on the work I do as a teacher, researcher, administrator, and colleague in my field. The blog allows me to become vulnerable in ways that are incredibly empowering. And as I tell stories that weave my own embodied experiences with what research and scholars in the field are saying or what I’m reading, I become increasingly excited about the new research projects I am working on. (Thanks to a super smart scholar who brought up vulnerability as a professional, teacher, and researcher at the table I was facilitating during the women in tc luncheon last week.) It’s a real take-away for me and time to do some of this important, hard work.

Last week was amazing and exhausting, inspiring and re-energizing, but I spent lots of time thinking really hard, discussing complex ideas, meeting new people, making introductions, and laughing. I helped plan and then facilitated a table at our 2nd annual women in tech comm luncheon. During this time, we had the opportunity to enact mentoring networks, meet new people, and plan active solutions to issues. I presented on a panel with some fabulous and smart colleagues where we had some engaging questions; I responded to a panel by 3 incredibly smart, insightful colleagues conducting research related to bodies, risk, and data in tech communication. Asking questions and responding to their work really helped me understand what they were doing and what continues to need to be done. I chaired a panel where 3 pedagogical models for teaching technical comm were presented. All three helped model for us what we should be striving for in the classroom. It is an intense experience, and yet one I would never trade in.  While from a far and through photos, it looks like all we do s have fun, I can assure you the learning and thinking is work, but it’s incredibly rewarding and empowering work. For those in our field and also attending the conferences, I am sure my experiences are not unique. And while I really need sleep at my age, I went without it on a number of evenings to have more time to talk with folks I get to see once, maybe twice, a year.

I’ve also decided that working and learning from new faculty and graduate students as well as other colleagues is the secret to a long and rewarding career. Also, making productive trouble but that’s for another blog entry. And so now that I’m back, I’m surprisingly re-energized even as I’m exhausted, but I will take it!