Sunday, July 31, 2005

Profile of a biblioblogger

On Euangelion Michael Bird profiles "the average NT biblio-blogger" and I think I'll have to stop blogging because I don't fit the bill:
Let me guess, early to mid thirties,
Well, not too far off, as it happens.
introverted,
I don't think so, but perhaps I'm wrong.
erratic personality disorder created by trying to solve the synoptic problme [sic],
No, though I used to worry about how I would persuade people that Farrer, Goulder and Sanders were right. Gosh, do some people really get that bothered about the Synoptic Problem? I suppose I ought to be encouraged -- there's help at hand for them.
liable to mood swings when favourite sporting team is loosing,
Now I'm beginning to think that Michael is describing someone in particular. Incidentally, the "loosing" perhaps should be added to Michael's 10 Ways to determine if you're an NT buff, the inadvertent, mistaken use of idionyncratic New Testament vocabulary like "binding" and "loosing" in every day contexts
and centrist-right convictions on the political spectrum.
Definitely not.
Maybe we'll find out at the BNTC in early September.
Alas, I don't think I can make it this year, and it will be my first one missed since 1997, so I won't get to meet Michael and others. But let me add that if it's anything like previous years, the best conversations will take place over a beer (or two) in the bar and not at some Maccy-Ds, thank goodness.

5 comments:

  1. I'm relieved! That profile was pretty scary, especially the 'centrist-right' bit.

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  2. I'd say that 1/3 to 1/2 could apply to any academic though....except the centrist-right bit.

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  3. Mark said, "the best conversations will take place over a beer (or two) in the bar..."

    Perhaps then, this should be part of the criteria for you "castle" hunt in the U.S. - i.e., travel distance to the local pubs.

    I'd like to add one idea to the profile - "The inability to leave your blog alone - even when on a blogging break." ;-)

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  4. Maybe this will help.
    http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=pubs&near=Durham,+NC&sa=X&oi=localr

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  5. Mark, when I saw Michael's description I naturally thought of you as a "NT biblioblogger," and thought this was not quite right for you. I wouldn't consider you to be introverted for sure. The "erratic personality disorder etc." I took to be a bit of hyperbole, thus meaning something like "obsessed with such NT issues as the Synoptic Problem," but I don't really know that you are "obsessed" with such things. And I also generalized the other descriptions in similar ways, taking the whole thing with a bit of a grain of salt and somewhat tongue in cheek. But perhaps Michael meant it more literally than I thought...?

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