A beloved and influential teacher of mine died last week--I only just found out as I've been away from the Internet since Thursday. Mr. Gebauer taught a number of social studies and humanities classes at McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, including (as far as I was concerned) world geography, world history, "free enterprise," and philosophy. He was a fun and inspiring man with whom I had the occasional clash of personality that made learning a lot more fraught and interesting than it might have been had he--okay, either of us--been less combative or boisterous. My concept of history and the world bears little resemblance these days to what I--or he, I'm guessing--used to think, but I seriously doubt I'd have arrived at my conclusions or been able to question them when needed without his example or teaching. I kept in fitful touch over the years, but hadn't talked to him in a long time. He will be greatly missed, by myself and, if the funeral guest book is any indication, by all the rest of his students.

Being away from the Internet feels quite liberating, incidentally. I honestly haven't gotten a lot done, but it somehow feels like it. I'll have to reconcile the ideal with the reality in a more satisfying way, but for now I'll just like what I'm doing with it all. That'll probably make sense once I think about it enough.