Intellectual Boredom

I think I'm suffering from intellectual boredom.  I have been unable to motivate myself to work on the dissertation really at all this month.  And I have resolved before I tackle any of the really interesting projects in American political thought that I've talked about, I'm going to finish the dissertation.  The problem:  the dissertation has reached a boring point.  I am to the point that I've formulated my thesis, I've confirmed my thesis, I've organized the project in a sensible manner -- and now it's just a matter of gathering more evidence that further proves my thesis and putting the whole thing in proper academic form, so that a committee of people who know less than I about my topic can judge my work.  This part is boring and tedious, and probably one reason that academia holds little appeal to me.  I like to make connections.  I like to organize things in a new manner.  I like drawing conclusions that are often out of the mainstream.  I've done all of that now with the dissertation.  All that's left is the mundane part.  And lately, I've just had no energy left to turn to it.  I'm trying to use more interesting things as my carrot -- if I just knock this out, I'll let myself work on those things -- but it's not working this month.  I'm not sure why.

* * * *

I have been reading a number of new online journals lately, as readers of my weblog probably have noted.  Check out these well-conceived, intelligent journals:

Emerging from the Wreckage

West of the Moon

Just a Girl, She Said

Sara Astruc's Perfect Way

I've been meaning to email these people, but just haven't gotten around to it.  Soon.

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