First Post and a Name

I spent some time thinking about naming this blog. My first attempts used some portion of my name (thompson) or my profession (professor). It seems odd to focus on myself since I intend to write and think about things broader than just me and my mind works differently than my profession. I also thought about the word interdisciplinary (the location of my teaching appointment), but that would be still about my work and we have learned recently that not everyone uses the word the same way. But interdisciplinary pointed me in a good direction.

Names matter and since I did not get a chance to have a say with my given name, I thought I should spend some time thinking about the most appropriate name for the blog. Eclectic is a slightly overused word but its emphasis ("selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles") says something about me. I enjoy being with my family and I enjoy being alone. I watch American football and futbol. I have doubts and attend church weekly. I listen to country music and heavy metal. I study the American South and religion and do not adhere to the parochial nature of either. I love simple people and long for intellectual discussions. I am eclectic, using"individual elements from variety" to see a world more complicated and simple at the exact same moment.