Hello, world!  Greg Berg’s blog is back! Obviously the world has kept right on spinning without it- and I can count on one hand the number of people who seem to have even noticed its absence, at least enough to say anything to me – which is a bit humbling.   But the truth is that I’ve missed it, even if hardly anyone else has-  and it feels great to be able to do this again.

The hiatus since late January was due to “technical difficulties beyond our control” – although “beyond my comprehension” might be more like it.  The issue has something to do with the iWeb program with which I launched the site back in 2007 and studiously maintained thereafter.   About two and a half years ago,  it started to become increasingly difficult to publish new blog entries,  new photos, or any additions to the site; it would take two, three or even four attempts to make it happen.  (I have no idea what was at the heart of those troubles.)   Then came the announcement from Apple that they were no longer going to support iWeb- which sent most people with iWeb sites scrambling to find replacement programs with which to keep their sites going.  I, of course, demonstrated my membership in the “Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks” Club by tenaciously hanging on to iWeb until the day this past January when it suddenly became impossible to post anything at all.

It was only this summer that I finally had the time to do something about it- and I’m very glad that I enlisted the help of a friend and former WGTD colleague named Mark Czerniec,  who works with both individuals and companies on creating and maintaining their websites.  He’s a whiz- and also a very patient and effective teacher/tutor- and Mark has done a masterful job of guiding me through the process of getting Messy Professor relaunched and learning how to do this again.   By the way,  I highly recommend him to anyone who has need of this kind of assistance.  Visit his website for more information:  http://markcz.com/web.

In the meantime, it feels mighty nice to be in the Blogging Business again.  Blogging is one way for me to make sense of the crazy, three-ring-circus life that I live.  It helps me pause and reflect – something I otherwise wouldn’t do so much – and also helps me untie certain knots when life gets especially complicated or challenging.   And the last six months, during my blogging hiatus,  I have been hammered by some harsh losses.   One was the tragic death of a former voice student of mine, Nicolas Sluss-Rodionov, who was killed in a car accident; he was in his early thirties.  I also experienced the abrupt and unexpected death of a friend and Carthage colleague, Coach Tim Rucks.  There was also the acute sense of loss I felt at this year’s graduation when SIX of my voice students graduated- the most I have ever lost at one time …. and I had grown especially close to this group of guys,  so it was tough.  Some really great things happened during this hiatus as well.  I got to solo in the world premiere of a fascinating new work based on a text from Moby Dick;  I was Captain Ahab!  It’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,  which in turn made it an especially satisfying experience.  I co-directed the Carthage Opera Workshop through our most ambitious production ever, and could not have been more thrilled with the results.  I co-directed a highly successful Racine Theater Guild production of “Spamalot” (what a riot) and also played piano for an ambitious production of “Into the Woods” down in Kenosha.  Kathy and I embarked on a 3800-mile trip through the West, visiting Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Devil’s Tower, Mount Rushmore, and my first hometown- Colton, SD.  Kicking off the whole trip was a wedding up in Northern Minnesota which included an all too rare reunion with my Northern Cousins.  Kathy and I – along with Polly and Mark – helped her dad move into a new apartment.  And last but certainly not least,  this hiatus has also seen me lose about 55 pounds, thanks to some alarming sugar numbers which my doctor brought to my attention in late January – numbers which left me just a hair shy of being full-blown Diabetic.    Thankfully, those numbers are now back to normal and I am feeling great.   All of these aforementioned experiences have prompted at least the passing thought that “I should be Blogging about this” – but maybe it’s just as well that all I could is live these experiences right then and there and leave it at that, and leave the thoughtful reflection to sometime down the road.

Anyway,  it’s beginning to look like that hiatus is finally over and that I’m going to be able to begin adding to the 1,337 blog entries which I have posted since 2007.  I realize that I am one of millions of people doing this- I’m even more aware of that now that I’m part of the WordPress universe, where most blogs reside.  Once you start getting a sense of the size of the so-called Blogosphere,  it’s easy to think that you’re own blog is just adding to the clutter.  And in a way, it is.  But then again,  this is my own unique story- and for a few of you out there,  you might find something helpful or interesting or entertaining or even inspiring in what I write …. at least from time to time.  I hope so, anyway.

But I guess there’s no way to know that until we launch a few more balloons into the air …. starting here, starting now.