I returned to Australia from my most recent field trip to Mongolia in September 2019. Due to the unfolding impact of the Coronavirus and now Omnicron, I continue to experience varying degrees of ‘lock down’ including not being permitted to travel overseas. So there has been no fieldwork for me in Mongolia either in 2020 or 2021. In its absence, I have turned my attention to becoming a better bass player (pictured here with my Kala U-Bass). I play bass for the Melbourne Ukelele Community. We Zoom twice a week, every week. Photo: C Pleteshner. 16 September 2020.

Since the beginning of 2020 the Coronavirus manifestation has unfolded adding an unexpected colophon to my otherwise well-honed 15 year fieldwork-in-Mongolia trajectory and annual international travel routine.

Whilst certain continuities and ideas about one’s socially-constructed self (i.e. ‘what I do‘ as a mind’s eye reflection of ‘who I am‘) have been unexpectedly disrupted, Omnicron’s lingering presence in Australia for now requires that we seriously reconsider travelling to other countries and instead explore innovative ways of working from home.

As the virus continues to mutate it has yet to become clear as to where the arc of Covid19-related broader social change will lead us, let alone how this may impact on my out-in-the-field ethnography and its presentation here.

However a parallel narrative has been unfolding: how during this same time there has been a welcomed development in two of my important at home continuities, the study of music and that of Buddhist philosophy and ethics Gelug-style.

In this context, having already established and developed mutually-enriching face-to-face communication with mentors and peers, the other important if not critical-to-the task enablers are the vast array of currently available information and communication technologies (ICTs) when one has worked out how to use them well and selectively for one’s own purposes.

In reviewing what I do and how I’ve been doing it, I have come to the conclusion that as an information framework for the presentation and communication strategy for my endeavours in this the digital public domain, that the inter-locking and multimedia broad fields design of this website as initially conceived and implemented back in January 2014 will continue suit my online publishing needs.

If due to ongoing travel restrictions I do decide to pivot my interests (although not mine, such a nice turn of phrase don’t you think?) in a major way,  I’ll review the design of this digital property then. Until then, it’s business as usual.

With such an array of ICTs now at our fingertips, how fortunate we are! More time to practice,  more time to explore, study and learn to do the things we consider important.

Here’s New York-based Kate Davis performing her fabulous version of All About that [Upright] Bass.

Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.

© 2013-2024. CP in Mongolia. This post Out and About 11: All About that Bass is licensed under the  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  Posted: 16 September 2020. Last updated: 20 June 2022.