11 December 2009
confession
so, i'm trying to write a paper over here and this, i'm sure, is just procrastination. also, it may not be altogether prudent to post this on a blog, but i just can't keep it in: i'm awkward when it comes to talking to professors. there it is. wish i could get over it, because i actually LOVE talking to them, and kind of thrive on communication with professors, yet i'm quite lame at it. is it that i can't think of anything to say? is it that i get nervous and then say stupid stuff and then obsess about all the stupid things i said later? is it that i'm secretly worried that i don't know enough cultural references to keep up with what they're talking about? is it that it kind of feels like one can't pry and ask the same questions of a prof that one can of a peer? perhaps. probably. i don't know. i can't get enough of it, though.
08 December 2009
what i want
you know what i want? here's what i want: i want to be able to do a project that is worth doing. that's interesting and that has an argument with legs that can walk around. and i want to have the stamina and focus and the patience and the mental and psychical ability to spend the time that it takes to do that kind of project. and i want a chair who believes that i can do that and who will push me to do that. (not to say that my chair doesn't believe that). and i want to be the kind of student whose work convinces their chair to believe that.
that's what i want.
that's what i want.
04 December 2009
greats of fall 2009
approaching the end of the semester. wowzers. i felt a hankering for another list and was inspired by a friend's blog. her sibs are doing best of 2009, but, in celebration of finals week, i thought a focus on the semester might be nice:
10. some really good conversations of late with profs. yay!
9. sushi nights with grad friends--delicious food and company.
8. TLS, and the upcoming best-christmas-party-ever.
7. great roomies (sad to not live with the loverly a.m.p. now, though--that part does not go on the greats list).
6. successful moves and channeling richard bennion.
5. having sj here for thanksgiving! love, love her.
4. interesting reading groups.
3. reading enlightenment lit.
2. hilarious, adorable students and some fun film screenings.
1. compiling very cool and intimidating list for comps.
not sure why i counted backwards from 10. the excitement and suspense of it, probably :) i have more, though, so i may have to do another 10.
oh (can't wait for another list): discovering the cupcakery. that place is crazy!
10. some really good conversations of late with profs. yay!
9. sushi nights with grad friends--delicious food and company.
8. TLS, and the upcoming best-christmas-party-ever.
7. great roomies (sad to not live with the loverly a.m.p. now, though--that part does not go on the greats list).
6. successful moves and channeling richard bennion.
5. having sj here for thanksgiving! love, love her.
4. interesting reading groups.
3. reading enlightenment lit.
2. hilarious, adorable students and some fun film screenings.
1. compiling very cool and intimidating list for comps.
not sure why i counted backwards from 10. the excitement and suspense of it, probably :) i have more, though, so i may have to do another 10.
oh (can't wait for another list): discovering the cupcakery. that place is crazy!
17 November 2009
let us take a moment to marvel
at the accomplishments of this man:
A statistic I learned in Tony's class: each one of Sir Walter Scott's 27 novels sold more copies than all of the poets of the Romantic period plus Jane Austen put together. Each ONE of his novels. That includes Byron, who was the first rock star. Walter Scott is arguably the most influential novelist in the English language and certainly made the novel a legitimate literary form. Plus, he was a great guy. His stuff is totally worth a read. Hurrah for Scotland!
A statistic I learned in Tony's class: each one of Sir Walter Scott's 27 novels sold more copies than all of the poets of the Romantic period plus Jane Austen put together. Each ONE of his novels. That includes Byron, who was the first rock star. Walter Scott is arguably the most influential novelist in the English language and certainly made the novel a legitimate literary form. Plus, he was a great guy. His stuff is totally worth a read. Hurrah for Scotland!
04 November 2009
unclaimed baggage.
side note: i was at a student panel last night (and heard two GREAT papers). one of the papers talked about confession and it occurred to me that this blog is like my own personal confessional--a place where i enact a need to tell truths or get at the truth of how i feel. that seems problematic. also/or this blog is starting to feel like my own personal whine-fest--not good, perhaps. also, i seem to need to start and/or end with side notes. at some point, i should probably scrutinize these things.
at any rate, i promise to have a happy post next!
so, lonely road. i've been having issues and thinking about them and trying to figure out what is going on (she says, cryptically) and it occurs to me:
*whether or not i'm happy about grad school is way too dependent on how i think my profs feel about me and the amount of attention i feel i'm getting. this strikes me as something not good--as something i don't like about, well, me. or at least about how i'm deciding to have this experience. i think i've said this before. and it's still the case.
*last time i was in a graduate program (i was thinking about this last night) i felt claimed. i felt like a couple of my professors decided i was their student and acted accordingly. they took upon themselves the bulk of advising me and helping me through projects. they talked through ideas with me and thought about where i'd do well in grad school. they were interested in and were invested in me as a scholar. i was their student. i knew that these profs were in my corner and had my back. i feel like this time around i can't manage to get claimed. not that there aren't helpful professors around. because there are. but there's a difference, i think, between having helpful, wonderful professors around and being somebody's student. there are moments when i think profs visit my corner or might be interested in being on my team, but i don't feel like i have peeps in my corner consistently. that people are willing to help rather than people consistently wanting to. it hurts the ego a little and makes this journey a little more lonely.
i feel like i'm not describing this well. i just want to be somebody's student. i want to be claimed.
oh well. silver lining! this is helping me be less dependent on profs and others to feel good about this journey (see first *). i have to take more ownership of me and my project. being the only one in my corner forces me to be stronger and to fight more. all to the good.
at any rate, i promise to have a happy post next!
so, lonely road. i've been having issues and thinking about them and trying to figure out what is going on (she says, cryptically) and it occurs to me:
*whether or not i'm happy about grad school is way too dependent on how i think my profs feel about me and the amount of attention i feel i'm getting. this strikes me as something not good--as something i don't like about, well, me. or at least about how i'm deciding to have this experience. i think i've said this before. and it's still the case.
*last time i was in a graduate program (i was thinking about this last night) i felt claimed. i felt like a couple of my professors decided i was their student and acted accordingly. they took upon themselves the bulk of advising me and helping me through projects. they talked through ideas with me and thought about where i'd do well in grad school. they were interested in and were invested in me as a scholar. i was their student. i knew that these profs were in my corner and had my back. i feel like this time around i can't manage to get claimed. not that there aren't helpful professors around. because there are. but there's a difference, i think, between having helpful, wonderful professors around and being somebody's student. there are moments when i think profs visit my corner or might be interested in being on my team, but i don't feel like i have peeps in my corner consistently. that people are willing to help rather than people consistently wanting to. it hurts the ego a little and makes this journey a little more lonely.
i feel like i'm not describing this well. i just want to be somebody's student. i want to be claimed.
oh well. silver lining! this is helping me be less dependent on profs and others to feel good about this journey (see first *). i have to take more ownership of me and my project. being the only one in my corner forces me to be stronger and to fight more. all to the good.
28 September 2009
bloggy thoughts
{warning, i am in a mood}
1. the phd is a lonely road. i'm trying hard to not make it lonely and am failing miserably. which stinks on several levels--for one, i'm failing, and for two, it's lonely. i'm frustrated with my frustrated attempts. why does nobody else seem to crave academic companionship? why does nobody else seem to think that collegial groups that focus on scholarship a good idea? also, this is just more proof that i'm WAY too driven by and dependent on praise and connection/encouragement from peers and professors. i rely on motivation and affirmation(reaffirmation) from those channels to a ridiculous degree. if i don't have my little affirmation fix on a (really) regular basis (beyond regular, in fact. constant, more like) i get into a depressed funk and have trouble working. but then, i'm so excited by any affirmation that i have trouble working anyway.
2. speaking of dependency--the navel gazing of blogging is also quite habit forming. it's like a pensieve. i put my thoughts here and then they stop pestering my brain. i stop mulling over them and can move on to different thoughts on which to mull. it starts to feel like i can't move on to other thoughts (like, say, thoughts about whatever i'm reading) until i blog them. which makes me suspect i'm perhaps more interested in me than is perfectly healthy.
3. what if i just can't focus enough to read for my comps? and what if my reading is worthless because i suck at reading--my note taking methods are crap, i pick up on and pay attention to all the wrong things in a text? perhaps, my slacker habits and my procrastination are finally catching up with me in a bad way. maybe i've done some irreparable damage. at what point do i know it's irreparable? what constitutes irreparable? i know, i know. it's a choice. just sit down and read. but constant stress about taking notes and understanding arguments *or else* makes that easier to type than to actually do.
not really looking for solutions. just a place to vent.
1. the phd is a lonely road. i'm trying hard to not make it lonely and am failing miserably. which stinks on several levels--for one, i'm failing, and for two, it's lonely. i'm frustrated with my frustrated attempts. why does nobody else seem to crave academic companionship? why does nobody else seem to think that collegial groups that focus on scholarship a good idea? also, this is just more proof that i'm WAY too driven by and dependent on praise and connection/encouragement from peers and professors. i rely on motivation and affirmation(reaffirmation) from those channels to a ridiculous degree. if i don't have my little affirmation fix on a (really) regular basis (beyond regular, in fact. constant, more like) i get into a depressed funk and have trouble working. but then, i'm so excited by any affirmation that i have trouble working anyway.
2. speaking of dependency--the navel gazing of blogging is also quite habit forming. it's like a pensieve. i put my thoughts here and then they stop pestering my brain. i stop mulling over them and can move on to different thoughts on which to mull. it starts to feel like i can't move on to other thoughts (like, say, thoughts about whatever i'm reading) until i blog them. which makes me suspect i'm perhaps more interested in me than is perfectly healthy.
3. what if i just can't focus enough to read for my comps? and what if my reading is worthless because i suck at reading--my note taking methods are crap, i pick up on and pay attention to all the wrong things in a text? perhaps, my slacker habits and my procrastination are finally catching up with me in a bad way. maybe i've done some irreparable damage. at what point do i know it's irreparable? what constitutes irreparable? i know, i know. it's a choice. just sit down and read. but constant stress about taking notes and understanding arguments *or else* makes that easier to type than to actually do.
not really looking for solutions. just a place to vent.
14 September 2009
on my crap list
i REALLY started today on the wrong foot. monday has been of the darkside all day and has refused to switch over to the light--despite the fact that all of my classes were great today. i am still in crap mood. it all started with a cockroach in our cereal cabinet late last night. and then insomnia. and then an early morning. and no decent food in the house. and a messy desk. and being unprepared. growl.
SO:
1. cockroches. i hate them. with a burning passion of red burning fire.
2. what is the deal with USC and leaf blowing?? leave the leaves where they are and maybe try hiring people to clean the buildings. because they're DISGUSTING.
3. being behind.
4. my cluttered desk.
... i could go on. but i sense that i should stop.
SO:
1. cockroches. i hate them. with a burning passion of red burning fire.
2. what is the deal with USC and leaf blowing?? leave the leaves where they are and maybe try hiring people to clean the buildings. because they're DISGUSTING.
3. being behind.
4. my cluttered desk.
... i could go on. but i sense that i should stop.
01 September 2009
a secret history
{query: why do i always want to blog way more when i'm in the middle of homework than when i'm done?}
once upon a time there was a young girl. she went to school all the dang time. and she had nothing to say about anything. and could not make coherent sentences. it was ridiculous. so she decided to drop out because life sucks like that sometimes. she bought a guitar and started a rock band. except not. so she had to figure something else out. like maybe sell her less-vital internal organs and write screenplays on the side. the end.
once upon a time there was a young girl. she went to school all the dang time. and she had nothing to say about anything. and could not make coherent sentences. it was ridiculous. so she decided to drop out because life sucks like that sometimes. she bought a guitar and started a rock band. except not. so she had to figure something else out. like maybe sell her less-vital internal organs and write screenplays on the side. the end.
27 August 2009
wishing i could wind down list
i'm totally wound up. i can't relax. even if i try. it's kind of exhilarating, actually. i need to get up to campus and start on my work (various). but here's a list about things i wish i could do right now to wind down (in an effort to wind down a bit):
1. Go to the beach with a book. A really gripping book.
2. Lay out at the pool.
3. Go home to WA and hang out with my parents and sleep in my bed and be pampered. And go grocery shopping for my mom and make dinner.
4. Go get a massage.
5. Go to the movies. Make that two movies. In a row. With treats.
6. Go for a long drive in the mountain with the windows down and park my car somewhere.
7. Go get a smoothie, put my feet up, and read.
1. Go to the beach with a book. A really gripping book.
2. Lay out at the pool.
3. Go home to WA and hang out with my parents and sleep in my bed and be pampered. And go grocery shopping for my mom and make dinner.
4. Go get a massage.
5. Go to the movies. Make that two movies. In a row. With treats.
6. Go for a long drive in the mountain with the windows down and park my car somewhere.
7. Go get a smoothie, put my feet up, and read.
17 August 2009
things-i-wish-were/could do-but-not-really list
i just couldn't help myself! after blogging my last post, i thought of a million lists i want to write and just have to post one before i go do something related to school, like read tristram shandy (there's a list waiting to happen--reasons i do/do not like that book)
{side note: i really like my life, so this is actually a fun list, not at all a sad/pity me list}
this could probably also be titled: things-i-daydream-about list.
1) An artist--the painting/drawing kind. Wouldn't it be so great to be able to create like that? How cool would that be?! How does it happen? What does it feel like?
2) Write a novel. How great would that be? To spend ones time thinking about how to put a plot together and fleshing out characters and stuff. I think I would want to be a fun-read novelist. Like a Harry Potter writer or a really clever and funny mystery novelist, like Jasper Fforde.
3) Olympic athlete. Preferably an ice skater. Or a swimmer. Or a gymnist.
4) A professional musician--a classical one. like a pianist. or a violinist.
5) Have a beautiful singing voice.
6) Grow thick, long, curly hair.
7) Speak lots of languages--like Welsh, French, Scots, German, Spanish, Italian, and Latin. Maybe Portuguese. And definitely Arabic.
8) Write calligraphy.
9) Speak with an accent.
10) Make a film! (I want to do this so badly!) And be able to act.
ahhh, good times. back to the infamous tristram.
{side note: i really like my life, so this is actually a fun list, not at all a sad/pity me list}
this could probably also be titled: things-i-daydream-about list.
1) An artist--the painting/drawing kind. Wouldn't it be so great to be able to create like that? How cool would that be?! How does it happen? What does it feel like?
2) Write a novel. How great would that be? To spend ones time thinking about how to put a plot together and fleshing out characters and stuff. I think I would want to be a fun-read novelist. Like a Harry Potter writer or a really clever and funny mystery novelist, like Jasper Fforde.
3) Olympic athlete. Preferably an ice skater. Or a swimmer. Or a gymnist.
4) A professional musician--a classical one. like a pianist. or a violinist.
5) Have a beautiful singing voice.
6) Grow thick, long, curly hair.
7) Speak lots of languages--like Welsh, French, Scots, German, Spanish, Italian, and Latin. Maybe Portuguese. And definitely Arabic.
8) Write calligraphy.
9) Speak with an accent.
10) Make a film! (I want to do this so badly!) And be able to act.
ahhh, good times. back to the infamous tristram.
why-i-am-skeptical-about-my-blog list
i am skeptical about my blog. and i have been thinking about it lately and wondering why i am not really taking to this blogging thing so well. i have a couple of ideas:
1) because it feels like a journal, except public. which stinks, because then i don't really have the freedom and privacy to complain about things, or analyze/admit my deeper insecurities, or vent, etc. etc.
2) because i don't have any adorable children of whom i could post pictures.
3) because i stink at taking pictures of my own life, and so don't a have visual chronicle of me that i could post instead of adorable pictures of my non-existent children. and, let's be honest, my life pretty much consists of school. exciting. that is going to keep readers on the edges of their seats! it wouldn't even keep me (and i love school) at the edge of my seat. because i couldn't blog the really juicy fun stuff without using lots of code names and things like that (see #1)
{side note: on second thought, code names could be really fun. it would be like the scandalous secret histories i read in my 18C classes. that would also be very academic of me. still. secret histories had (and thus, i would think, have) a tendency to bite their authors in the bum later}
4) because a cool blog that has decided to not post pictures would require interesting posts that would, in turn, require thought and actual writing. and i am way too lazy to do writing on an extra-curricular basis. i mean, if i am actually going to sit down and write, i probably shouldn't be writing a blog.
{unless, of course, i decide to make the blog my "study for comps" blog--but then, see problem #3--that could be come very boring}
so, i'm not sure what to do with this thing. i have thought of making it a blog of lists. because i do like a good list. or maybe i will bite the bullet and actually practice writing. i know, fat chance. or maybe the blog will have to leave cyberspace. we shall see.
1) because it feels like a journal, except public. which stinks, because then i don't really have the freedom and privacy to complain about things, or analyze/admit my deeper insecurities, or vent, etc. etc.
2) because i don't have any adorable children of whom i could post pictures.
3) because i stink at taking pictures of my own life, and so don't a have visual chronicle of me that i could post instead of adorable pictures of my non-existent children. and, let's be honest, my life pretty much consists of school. exciting. that is going to keep readers on the edges of their seats! it wouldn't even keep me (and i love school) at the edge of my seat. because i couldn't blog the really juicy fun stuff without using lots of code names and things like that (see #1)
{side note: on second thought, code names could be really fun. it would be like the scandalous secret histories i read in my 18C classes. that would also be very academic of me. still. secret histories had (and thus, i would think, have) a tendency to bite their authors in the bum later}
4) because a cool blog that has decided to not post pictures would require interesting posts that would, in turn, require thought and actual writing. and i am way too lazy to do writing on an extra-curricular basis. i mean, if i am actually going to sit down and write, i probably shouldn't be writing a blog.
{unless, of course, i decide to make the blog my "study for comps" blog--but then, see problem #3--that could be come very boring}
so, i'm not sure what to do with this thing. i have thought of making it a blog of lists. because i do like a good list. or maybe i will bite the bullet and actually practice writing. i know, fat chance. or maybe the blog will have to leave cyberspace. we shall see.
07 July 2009
!
i'm going to chop my hair off. i've loved it long. the curly-thing has been fun. but i am DYING to have it short again. stay tuned for pics.
06 July 2009
hills make me vomit
apparently. so, i've been trying to work out sometimes. one thing i like to do ("like"--ha) is intervals on the treadmill--2 songs at 5.2, 1 song at 4.0, 2 songs at 5.5, 1 song at 4.0, 1 song at 6.0, 1 song at 4.0, etc. it had been a couple of days since i'd gone, so i decided to drag my bum to the gym. i started on the 5.3 and really had a rough time. went to the 4. went to the 5.7 and really thought i was going to vomit. or pass out. seriously worried about it and making puke exit strategies in my mind. and i was a little surprised. i mean, it had been a couple of days, but still. so, i go down to a 3.7, panting, heaving, wheezing. and then i notice that the treadmill has been on a 3.0 incline the whole time! i shut that bad news down real fast. and then i did my one song at 6 and felt like i was going to cry. i wasn't upset or anything--just some weird emotio-physico release or something.
so, hills make things tough.
i felt great after, though, and rocked out to my ipod on my way back to the car.
so, hills make things tough.
i felt great after, though, and rocked out to my ipod on my way back to the car.
27 May 2009
a first!
good news! check out this table of contents for a forthcoming book on adaptation and pedagogy:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Deborah Cartmell
Introduction
Dennis Cutchins, Laurence Raw and James M.Welsh
Section 1: Mapping the Field
How To Teach Film Adaptations, and Why
Thomas Leitch
Section 2: Adaptations in the Classroom
Frankenstein’s Monstrous Influences: Investigating Film Adaptations in Secondary Schools
Nathan Phillips
Adapting Composition, Arguing Adaptation: Using Adaptation in the Composition Classroom
Natalie Jones Loper
A Monster Course and a Course of Monsters
Anna Bennion
Oh My, They’ve Killed Socrates! Teaching Adaptations via South Park
Katrina Bondari
Sighting the Whale and the Rights of Man: Teaching with Film Adaptations of the Novels of Herman Melville
Robert McParland
Teaching Adaptation via Intertextuality: The Stepford Wives, Post-Feminism and Avant-Garde Cinema
Walter Metz
Life Without a Primary Text: The Hydra in Adaptation Studies
Jennifer M.Jeffers
Section 3: Adapting in the Classroom
Pedagogy in Intermedial Adaptations
Freda Chapple
Adapting Wilde for the Performance Classrom: No Small Parts
Frances Babbage
“It Must All Change Now:” Victor Hugo’s Lucretia Borgia and Adaptation
Richard J.Hand
Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: E-Adapting Blake in the Classroom
Richard Berger
Adaptation and Creative Writing: Brokeback Mountain on the London Underground
Mark O’Thomas
Towards a Pedagogy for Teaching Adaptation
Laurence Raw and Sevgi Şahin
Writing the Adaptation: Teaching an Upper Division Course for the Screenwriter
Diane Lake
Section 4: Adapting the Classroom
Why Adaptations Matter to Your Literature Students
Dennis Cutchins
Adaptability: Questioning and Teaching Fidelity
James M.Welsh
Teaching Adaptation, Adapting Teaching, and the Ghosts of Fidelity
Peter Clandfield
Whose Life Is It, Anyway? Adaptation, Collective Memory and (Auto)Biographical Processes
Suzanne Diamond
The Numbers Game: Quantifying the Audience
Alexis Weedon
Teaching Radio Drama Adaptations
Elke Huwiler
The Pleasures of ‘Theatre Film’: Stage to Film Adaptation
Milan Pribisic
my first publication!! what, what?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Deborah Cartmell
Introduction
Dennis Cutchins, Laurence Raw and James M.Welsh
Section 1: Mapping the Field
How To Teach Film Adaptations, and Why
Thomas Leitch
Section 2: Adaptations in the Classroom
Frankenstein’s Monstrous Influences: Investigating Film Adaptations in Secondary Schools
Nathan Phillips
Adapting Composition, Arguing Adaptation: Using Adaptation in the Composition Classroom
Natalie Jones Loper
A Monster Course and a Course of Monsters
Anna Bennion
Oh My, They’ve Killed Socrates! Teaching Adaptations via South Park
Katrina Bondari
Sighting the Whale and the Rights of Man: Teaching with Film Adaptations of the Novels of Herman Melville
Robert McParland
Teaching Adaptation via Intertextuality: The Stepford Wives, Post-Feminism and Avant-Garde Cinema
Walter Metz
Life Without a Primary Text: The Hydra in Adaptation Studies
Jennifer M.Jeffers
Section 3: Adapting in the Classroom
Pedagogy in Intermedial Adaptations
Freda Chapple
Adapting Wilde for the Performance Classrom: No Small Parts
Frances Babbage
“It Must All Change Now:” Victor Hugo’s Lucretia Borgia and Adaptation
Richard J.Hand
Never Seek to Tell Thy Love: E-Adapting Blake in the Classroom
Richard Berger
Adaptation and Creative Writing: Brokeback Mountain on the London Underground
Mark O’Thomas
Towards a Pedagogy for Teaching Adaptation
Laurence Raw and Sevgi Şahin
Writing the Adaptation: Teaching an Upper Division Course for the Screenwriter
Diane Lake
Section 4: Adapting the Classroom
Why Adaptations Matter to Your Literature Students
Dennis Cutchins
Adaptability: Questioning and Teaching Fidelity
James M.Welsh
Teaching Adaptation, Adapting Teaching, and the Ghosts of Fidelity
Peter Clandfield
Whose Life Is It, Anyway? Adaptation, Collective Memory and (Auto)Biographical Processes
Suzanne Diamond
The Numbers Game: Quantifying the Audience
Alexis Weedon
Teaching Radio Drama Adaptations
Elke Huwiler
The Pleasures of ‘Theatre Film’: Stage to Film Adaptation
Milan Pribisic
my first publication!! what, what?
03 May 2009
A couple more thoughts
It's fast sunday. I wish I were better at fasting. I mean, I do it. And I even believe in its power. But I don't feel like I often (maybe ever?) get the experience Isaiah describes. We're giving it another try today. Which makes me happy.
I turned in a paper. I'm a little bit tender about it. I'd really really like it if my prof liked it. But I don't feel great about it--I don't think that I made the argument in the end. I pretended like I did, but I didn't really. I'm pretty sure my prof is going to pick up on that and it will probably confirm that prof's worst fears about me. Sigh. Just when I'm recruiting teammates. Sometimes it stinks to be one's only teammate. Good thing I'm fun.
I reread part of my master's thesis because I'm returning to some of its ideas. Was pleasantly surprised by the writing.
How did I miss the "know all the cool music" boat? I am very uncool when it comes to music.
I'm not loving my blog colors I don't think.
I turned in a paper. I'm a little bit tender about it. I'd really really like it if my prof liked it. But I don't feel great about it--I don't think that I made the argument in the end. I pretended like I did, but I didn't really. I'm pretty sure my prof is going to pick up on that and it will probably confirm that prof's worst fears about me. Sigh. Just when I'm recruiting teammates. Sometimes it stinks to be one's only teammate. Good thing I'm fun.
I reread part of my master's thesis because I'm returning to some of its ideas. Was pleasantly surprised by the writing.
How did I miss the "know all the cool music" boat? I am very uncool when it comes to music.
I'm not loving my blog colors I don't think.
27 April 2009
Two Thoughts
I'm cheating right now because I'm not supposed to be on the internet. I'm supposed to be writing my papers. But these thoughts just keep bugging me and I want to stick them someplace so that I can come back to them later. Also, I suspect that the reason they are in my brain right now, begging to be thought about, is some form of sneaky procrastination. And then when I don't have papers to procrastinate they will promptly leave. This way I'll have them for later.
1. What kind of scholar am I? What kinds of questions are interesting/important to me? What is my academic constellation of ideas/stakes?
2. Writing is hard. I had something cool about this earlier today and now it's gone. Maybe it'll come back... oh well! I'm sure it'll return as I still have things to procrastinate.
1. What kind of scholar am I? What kinds of questions are interesting/important to me? What is my academic constellation of ideas/stakes?
2. Writing is hard. I had something cool about this earlier today and now it's gone. Maybe it'll come back... oh well! I'm sure it'll return as I still have things to procrastinate.
26 April 2009
PCAACA
Following our tradition, Brooke, Alexis and I went to the Pop Culture Conference (feel free to join our yearly party; next year St. Louis and a baseball game). This year it was in New Orleans and we had a great time. New Orleans is a crazy city--kind of Disney Land + prostitutes and voodoo and bourbon. We hung out with our professor and walked around the french quarter, ate some beignets (lots of powdered sugar), saw some great street performances, ate some great food, and generally enjoyed ourselves. Oh, and we presented papers and didn't even really get attacked this year during the Q&A (which was a first--it almost didn't feel right). And we attended some panels. And one of the presenters in our panel *almost* wore a Frankenstein mask while reading his paper.
We really missed Lizzy G and Sarah--next year, girls!
Here are some picture highlights:
Some pretty sweet street performers.
Me, Alexis, and Brooke at the Mississippi R.
Trying on masks
Us and Cutchins at the graveyard--they bury everybody above ground.
Cuties!
We really missed Lizzy G and Sarah--next year, girls!
Here are some picture highlights:
Some pretty sweet street performers.
Me, Alexis, and Brooke at the Mississippi R.
Trying on masks
Us and Cutchins at the graveyard--they bury everybody above ground.
Cuties!
05 April 2009
say hello to my little friend
I thought I'd get a little fresh air this evening. South Carolina is lovely in the spring. So, I opened the front door, minding my own business, and there he was. I changed my mind and went back in.
I think I've mentioned before that little green frogs chill around my front door. They freak me out. I was happy, though, to see this little guy today because I've been wanting to get photographic evidence. It took some courage to take these pics (hovering inside with the door cracked just enough to take it)--I was afraid he would jump at me. But, happily, he stayed put for the full photo shoot.
And don't even think that my fears are unfounded. One rainy day Melanie and Aimee and I were heading out to get some dinner. We were in the car when I realized that I had forgotten my wallet inside. My way back in the house was blocked by one of these guys (not this one, though, since he seems pretty tame). I opened the door really quickly, found my wallet, and was rushing back to the car when the frog JUMPED AT ME! Worst case scenerio! I screamed really loud and leaped off the porch. My roomies, watching from the car, were laughing too hard to defend me.
I think I've mentioned before that little green frogs chill around my front door. They freak me out. I was happy, though, to see this little guy today because I've been wanting to get photographic evidence. It took some courage to take these pics (hovering inside with the door cracked just enough to take it)--I was afraid he would jump at me. But, happily, he stayed put for the full photo shoot.
And don't even think that my fears are unfounded. One rainy day Melanie and Aimee and I were heading out to get some dinner. We were in the car when I realized that I had forgotten my wallet inside. My way back in the house was blocked by one of these guys (not this one, though, since he seems pretty tame). I opened the door really quickly, found my wallet, and was rushing back to the car when the frog JUMPED AT ME! Worst case scenerio! I screamed really loud and leaped off the porch. My roomies, watching from the car, were laughing too hard to defend me.
07 March 2009
Tagged
For you, Sarah, anything.
In no particular order...
8 Favorite TV Shows.
1. American Idol
2. XFiles
3. Project Runway
4. Criminal Minds
5. 24
6. Biggest Loser
7. Gilmore Girls
8. Without a Trace
8 Things I Did Yesterday. (yesterday is a bad day for this)
1. Slept
2. Watch TV
3. Got crack from Sonic (ie. Diet Coke w/ Vanilla)
4. Jogged
5. Read chapter about Orwell
6. Wrote paper about Orwell
7. Made dinner (sort of)
8. Stayed up super duper late
8 Things to Look Forward to.
1. PCAACA in New Orleans
2. Beach this summer
3. David's wedding and seeing family
4. This spring break week--getting some studying done
5. Going to UT or wherever at some point to hang with my lovely friends
6. Santa Cruz this summer
7. Figuring out how to live in the UK and executing that plan.
8. Very, very cool 18C class in the fall
8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Settebellos
2. La Fuente
3. Five Guys
4. River Cafe
5. Mac Grill and Mimis with my peeps.
6. Cheesehouse
7. PF Changs
8. Rodizio Grill
9. The Roof
10. Emilio's Pizza
11. Cafe Rio
12. Zupas
8 Things I Wish For
1. I lived closer to family.
2. I lived closer to friends.
3. I played tennis.
4. I were artistic in the painting/drawing way.
5. I had a well stocked kitchen.
6. I had a longer attention span and were a faster reader.
7. I had a job lined up for the summer.
8. I could fly.
Tag: my dears who read this thing. you know who you are xoxo
In no particular order...
8 Favorite TV Shows.
1. American Idol
2. XFiles
3. Project Runway
4. Criminal Minds
5. 24
6. Biggest Loser
7. Gilmore Girls
8. Without a Trace
8 Things I Did Yesterday. (yesterday is a bad day for this)
1. Slept
2. Watch TV
3. Got crack from Sonic (ie. Diet Coke w/ Vanilla)
4. Jogged
5. Read chapter about Orwell
6. Wrote paper about Orwell
7. Made dinner (sort of)
8. Stayed up super duper late
8 Things to Look Forward to.
1. PCAACA in New Orleans
2. Beach this summer
3. David's wedding and seeing family
4. This spring break week--getting some studying done
5. Going to UT or wherever at some point to hang with my lovely friends
6. Santa Cruz this summer
7. Figuring out how to live in the UK and executing that plan.
8. Very, very cool 18C class in the fall
8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Settebellos
2. La Fuente
3. Five Guys
4. River Cafe
5. Mac Grill and Mimis with my peeps.
6. Cheesehouse
7. PF Changs
8. Rodizio Grill
9. The Roof
10. Emilio's Pizza
11. Cafe Rio
12. Zupas
8 Things I Wish For
1. I lived closer to family.
2. I lived closer to friends.
3. I played tennis.
4. I were artistic in the painting/drawing way.
5. I had a well stocked kitchen.
6. I had a longer attention span and were a faster reader.
7. I had a job lined up for the summer.
8. I could fly.
Tag: my dears who read this thing. you know who you are xoxo
01 March 2009
Happy St. David's Day!
Or, really, Hapus Dewi Sant in Welsh.
St. David is the patron saint of Wales and today, March 1st, is St. David's day! Wear your leaks and your daffodils, Cymru am byth, and many happy returns.
To celebrate the day, this blog would like to share the Welsh national anthem (as sung in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff before a rugby game) and some Wales photos.
the anthem (which I can also sing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtIlaHIqrs
Castell Caerfilly:
Countryside:
Caernarfon:
More Caerfilly
St. David's flag:
St. David is the patron saint of Wales and today, March 1st, is St. David's day! Wear your leaks and your daffodils, Cymru am byth, and many happy returns.
To celebrate the day, this blog would like to share the Welsh national anthem (as sung in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff before a rugby game) and some Wales photos.
the anthem (which I can also sing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqtIlaHIqrs
Castell Caerfilly:
Countryside:
Caernarfon:
More Caerfilly
St. David's flag:
24 February 2009
hobbies
i feel like i need more hobbies in my life. so, i'm going to brainstorm some hobbies, sleep on the list, and make a choice.
i could...
use this blog to write film reviews so i could be like this guy some day:
and at the same time i could actually be writing things that i might have to revise before posting. how weird would that be??
i already do quite a bit of reading, but maybe i could read this religiously:
and find some cool books not in the 19C. and then i could tell you about it on this blog and corrupt young gradstudent minds like octavia dreamed the other night.
i could ride this:
and then do triathalons, because i have always wanted to. except for that i need a bike first, but whatever. details.
i could... (i'm not posting more pics, but you get the idea)
*find recipes and prepare cool food
*get a calligraphy for dummies book and give it a try (always wanted to do this one, too)
*take up welsh again. (ok, this one needs a pic)
*i could learn to quilt (something else i've always wanted to do. i LOVE quilts)
*i could learn to draw (ditto)
*i could explore all the parks in south carolina
out of creative juices. and i need to go read.
will sleep on it (eventually) and let you know.
i could...
use this blog to write film reviews so i could be like this guy some day:
and at the same time i could actually be writing things that i might have to revise before posting. how weird would that be??
i already do quite a bit of reading, but maybe i could read this religiously:
and find some cool books not in the 19C. and then i could tell you about it on this blog and corrupt young gradstudent minds like octavia dreamed the other night.
i could ride this:
and then do triathalons, because i have always wanted to. except for that i need a bike first, but whatever. details.
i could... (i'm not posting more pics, but you get the idea)
*find recipes and prepare cool food
*get a calligraphy for dummies book and give it a try (always wanted to do this one, too)
*take up welsh again. (ok, this one needs a pic)
*i could learn to quilt (something else i've always wanted to do. i LOVE quilts)*i could learn to draw (ditto)
*i could explore all the parks in south carolina
out of creative juices. and i need to go read.
will sleep on it (eventually) and let you know.
14 February 2009
a new all-time low
ok, probably not really. i think i've been lower than this before. but still. i need to go work out. but i really have no motivation to do so. or to do anything, apparently, for that matter. i almost don't have enough motivation to post this post. but i am going to do it.
and somehow, i'm going to boost my motivation. i'm tired of living in the nothing. get me out of here. so, i think in order to break through the nothing i'm going to have to start doing daring things. so watch out.
and somehow, i'm going to boost my motivation. i'm tired of living in the nothing. get me out of here. so, i think in order to break through the nothing i'm going to have to start doing daring things. so watch out.
13 January 2009
crusade against procrastination
so, today was my first day back to school. i'm sad to say that my fight against procrastination wasn't totally successful. however, i did manage to go to the grocery store on the way home from class, rather than putting it off until later like i wanted to. and i started rearranging my room--something i also wanted to put off.
and this post is helping me put off finishing cleaning my room, sleeping, and finishing my lesson plan.
and this post is helping me put off finishing cleaning my room, sleeping, and finishing my lesson plan.
07 January 2009
welcome to the new year
i notice that i follow lots of other blogs and never write on my own. pretty lazy of me. typical, really.
so, a few things on the mind:
1) secret: i really really liked the history of love. but i don't know that i loved it. well, maybe i loved it. but i don't know that i loved it as much as i thought i was going to. more on this.
2) when one says "i know something is true," what does that mean? i mean, i buy into it, for sure. i know some things are true. but what do i mean by that? what are the qualities/powers of true?
3) one goal this year: abdicate my dictatorship of procrastinators for life. i can do it. but it will probably take the entire year. this means using my time better. *sigh*
4) i probably have more goals than this one, though. that's just the big main one.
5) back to the history of love:
i guess i didn't know that i loved it until the end. i keep thinking about it, particularly about the parts that were the book the history of love. i feel like i need to read it again to really appreciate it. i thought the end was fantastic when the narratives come closer and closer together. and i thought the character of the brother and his role was great. and the style, and the different styles and how different they were, was amazing. and this is really crappy writing. i hope i can use more to be verbs and lame adjectives. one thing: i don't know how i feel about the "but." and "and yet." i also keep thinking about leo's need to be seen and watched. and the different relationships and threads and how they come together. it's pretty intense, thinking about it now. anyhow, my own writing is starting to embarrass me. so i'll stop.
so, a few things on the mind:
1) secret: i really really liked the history of love. but i don't know that i loved it. well, maybe i loved it. but i don't know that i loved it as much as i thought i was going to. more on this.
2) when one says "i know something is true," what does that mean? i mean, i buy into it, for sure. i know some things are true. but what do i mean by that? what are the qualities/powers of true?
3) one goal this year: abdicate my dictatorship of procrastinators for life. i can do it. but it will probably take the entire year. this means using my time better. *sigh*
4) i probably have more goals than this one, though. that's just the big main one.
5) back to the history of love:
i guess i didn't know that i loved it until the end. i keep thinking about it, particularly about the parts that were the book the history of love. i feel like i need to read it again to really appreciate it. i thought the end was fantastic when the narratives come closer and closer together. and i thought the character of the brother and his role was great. and the style, and the different styles and how different they were, was amazing. and this is really crappy writing. i hope i can use more to be verbs and lame adjectives. one thing: i don't know how i feel about the "but." and "and yet." i also keep thinking about leo's need to be seen and watched. and the different relationships and threads and how they come together. it's pretty intense, thinking about it now. anyhow, my own writing is starting to embarrass me. so i'll stop.
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