All right - it looks like a lot of folks will be there, which is great. We're going to do 8AM on Friday before Heu Mihi and Dame Eleanor and I have to toddle off to give our papers. There seems to be some question about Mug Shots being open that early, etc. - how about the Gatehouse Cafe in Valley III? They open at 8am and if we get there when they open we could get a table easily.
Please let me know your thoughts on this - I'm glad the time proved pretty easy to agree on!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I have a new gray hair...
Three of them, actually. They live right next to each other at my left temple. Together, they comprise a gray "streak," I've decided (which sounds sorta cool).
Because these newcomers are many, are a collective, are legion, I've decided to name them...oh, say...Chaucer.
One is named "Graduate Chaucer," one is named "Undergraduate Chaucer," and one is named "the Grading of Chaucer." Paper Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear. These hairs are a perfect microcosmic representation of my life this semester. Highly intense! I'm loving my classes so much, but they are all-consuming; they give so much but they take even more. It sounds like I'm on the Therapy Channel...
I teach my grad course on Wednesday nights and when I get home I'm too wired and "on" to crawl into bed and fall into the coma I deserve and yet I'm too exhausted to do any real work. This is why I'm blogging my gray hairs. And trying not to notice the look of disgust on my Blog Dashboard's face...
The only thing left to do with this evening (other than close this rambling blogpost) is to retire to the couch with a Bud Lite and watch Kung-Fu Panda.
Because these newcomers are many, are a collective, are legion, I've decided to name them...oh, say...Chaucer.
One is named "Graduate Chaucer," one is named "Undergraduate Chaucer," and one is named "the Grading of Chaucer." Paper Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear. These hairs are a perfect microcosmic representation of my life this semester. Highly intense! I'm loving my classes so much, but they are all-consuming; they give so much but they take even more. It sounds like I'm on the Therapy Channel...
I teach my grad course on Wednesday nights and when I get home I'm too wired and "on" to crawl into bed and fall into the coma I deserve and yet I'm too exhausted to do any real work. This is why I'm blogging my gray hairs. And trying not to notice the look of disgust on my Blog Dashboard's face...
"You don't blog for 11 days and you're blogging...this? Wtf??!! I feel so cheap..."When I returned tonight and dragged my ass in out of the rain, I found new gifties from the cats (nice weather = shedding = increased furball-age) and began cussing a blue streak while still standing in the front doorway (which garnered a scornful accusing glare from Furball #2 - "ungrateful bitch! It was a gift!!"). And then noticed that my highly religious conservative neighbors were having a late dinner party next door with the window open. Sweet. Bible-thumping eyes bugged out. Bible-thumping noses pressed up against the window screen in disgust.
The only thing left to do with this evening (other than close this rambling blogpost) is to retire to the couch with a Bud Lite and watch Kung-Fu Panda.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Kalamazoo Blogger Meet-up
Is it too early??
It's never too early - if we don't plan it now, all our schedules will get filled up! S'okay - I will take point on this (unless someone else has/wants to) so Dr. Virago won't have to do it for the 5th year in a row! ;)
This is just the feeler post:
Who will be there?
Who wants to meet up?
When and where? Suggestions?
Bring it on!
Updated to add:
It's looking like Friday morning, early breakfast/coffee is best - I present at 10am, so maybe 8am? Is this too early/late? People can come and go at will...what is that coffee shop on campus?
It's never too early - if we don't plan it now, all our schedules will get filled up! S'okay - I will take point on this (unless someone else has/wants to) so Dr. Virago won't have to do it for the 5th year in a row! ;)
This is just the feeler post:
Who will be there?
Who wants to meet up?
When and where? Suggestions?
Bring it on!
Updated to add:
It's looking like Friday morning, early breakfast/coffee is best - I present at 10am, so maybe 8am? Is this too early/late? People can come and go at will...what is that coffee shop on campus?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Notes from Captivity: Day 5
I feel like an indoor cat.
Yesterday I left the house for the first time in 2 days. I made TD take me out to dinner and to Home Depot.
Why have I not left the house? Because here in Dutchmanlandia it is crazy-cold, nasty, precipitating in bad ways, and I am without a car when TD goes up to campus (he is not on Spring Break). Also, there's nothing to do here; nowhere to go; no one to see but TD (do I sound like a whiny 8 year old yet?).
I have always had a vexed relationship with Dutchmanlandia and, more specifically, the city in which he resides and the university where he teaches. There's never really been a place for me here except in this apartment. So, coming here for a week is great because I get to see TD, but there's not much more going on and that's a little...stultifying. It's not like when we're at Medieval Woman HQ we're clubbing into the wee hours of the morning or anything (except the Job Market Gnomes have now hung a disco ball in the kitchen and, when I left, they were beginning construction on their tiki-bar). But there always seems to be stuff to do, people to see, friends to hang out with. And TD will be able to get his own campus office when he comes for extended stays. It's home, and here is a weigh station. So, I read and took notes on 5 articles yesterday and made some serious headway. The day before I caught up on my HGTV (deelightful).
When TD came home last night, I had my face pressed against the window, eyes bulging, manic look on my face. He said, "you look like Furball #1 when he wants the window open." Yes! I want to gulp in the free air! You can take me to McDonald's! Wendy's! I don't care! We need to get something at Home Depot?? No sweat! I'm you're gal!!!! And as we walked up and down those vast aisles, I beamed at everyone who walked by, chatted up the key-making dude, etc. It was a proper outing.
We have also been to see the much awaited movie, Watchmen. And I thought it sucked canal water. Leave aside the fact that it was sexist, unnecessarily gratuitously violent (this coming from someone whose favorite movie is Predator), the costumes were lame, it was chronologically confusing, not very action-y, and it was an hour too long. The worst part?
Blue schlong.
Not to put too fine a point on it. Dr. Manhattan's blue schlong was all over this movie and it was like it had a frickin' tractor beam! I couldn't look away and not in a good way. Why do we need to see that? And I understand that it's a big thing that they're finally showing male genitalia in movies when they've been showing nude women forever, and this one is pretty main stream, so it's a statement and whatever. But it was big. And blue. Oh, and he had butt implants. Big blue butt implants. Ghastly.
I'm sure that there's just something I'm not getting about how good the movie is - it's been getting great reviews and for those fankids in the know it's supposedly a good representation of the comic, etc. But TD and I looked at each other and went, "Huh?" at the end of the movie. But there were sour gummy peaches and Coke Zero on tap at this theatre, so the night was, overall, a success.
Yesterday I left the house for the first time in 2 days. I made TD take me out to dinner and to Home Depot.
Why have I not left the house? Because here in Dutchmanlandia it is crazy-cold, nasty, precipitating in bad ways, and I am without a car when TD goes up to campus (he is not on Spring Break). Also, there's nothing to do here; nowhere to go; no one to see but TD (do I sound like a whiny 8 year old yet?).
I have always had a vexed relationship with Dutchmanlandia and, more specifically, the city in which he resides and the university where he teaches. There's never really been a place for me here except in this apartment. So, coming here for a week is great because I get to see TD, but there's not much more going on and that's a little...stultifying. It's not like when we're at Medieval Woman HQ we're clubbing into the wee hours of the morning or anything (except the Job Market Gnomes have now hung a disco ball in the kitchen and, when I left, they were beginning construction on their tiki-bar). But there always seems to be stuff to do, people to see, friends to hang out with. And TD will be able to get his own campus office when he comes for extended stays. It's home, and here is a weigh station. So, I read and took notes on 5 articles yesterday and made some serious headway. The day before I caught up on my HGTV (deelightful).
When TD came home last night, I had my face pressed against the window, eyes bulging, manic look on my face. He said, "you look like Furball #1 when he wants the window open." Yes! I want to gulp in the free air! You can take me to McDonald's! Wendy's! I don't care! We need to get something at Home Depot?? No sweat! I'm you're gal!!!! And as we walked up and down those vast aisles, I beamed at everyone who walked by, chatted up the key-making dude, etc. It was a proper outing.
We have also been to see the much awaited movie, Watchmen. And I thought it sucked canal water. Leave aside the fact that it was sexist, unnecessarily gratuitously violent (this coming from someone whose favorite movie is Predator), the costumes were lame, it was chronologically confusing, not very action-y, and it was an hour too long. The worst part?
Blue schlong.
Not to put too fine a point on it. Dr. Manhattan's blue schlong was all over this movie and it was like it had a frickin' tractor beam! I couldn't look away and not in a good way. Why do we need to see that? And I understand that it's a big thing that they're finally showing male genitalia in movies when they've been showing nude women forever, and this one is pretty main stream, so it's a statement and whatever. But it was big. And blue. Oh, and he had butt implants. Big blue butt implants. Ghastly.
I'm sure that there's just something I'm not getting about how good the movie is - it's been getting great reviews and for those fankids in the know it's supposedly a good representation of the comic, etc. But TD and I looked at each other and went, "Huh?" at the end of the movie. But there were sour gummy peaches and Coke Zero on tap at this theatre, so the night was, overall, a success.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dirty Looks, Snow Days, and Other Bits of Fluff
Oh my god, I've never gotten such dirty looks from my students after an exam! Several of them were seen to either glare at me and roll their eyes or even mumble in response to my "have a good weekend!", "Um, I'll...try..."
But this is what I've come to expect from the new breed of students who blame their professors for the fact that they haven't done the reading or taken notes during the lectures. Quick hint, little dudes: when I talk about the genre of a certain CT and write "romance" on the board and then define it? That's not just to work out my left hand. It's not just so I can feel the intense tactile pleasure of chalk on skin. I'm not Prof. Dickens - I do not get paid by the numbers of words I write!
I have a new word for these students: baby-slackers. They slack, but they're infantile about it. If you're gonna slack, then do it. Own it. Accept that it was your decision to slack and not something forced on you by...me, for instance. Of course, there's the usual cadre of students who ace the exam because they studied and they rock and they're smart (or at least thorough) and they're the reason I still love to teach.
In other news, we had a snow day yesterday (as did so much of the Eastern seaboard - I could be anywhere! Mwahahahahaha!) - but, even better than the fact that I now only have to teach once this week before jetting off to sunny, tropical Dutchmanlandia for Spring Break on Friday: TD was trapped here for an extra day this weekend! So, yesterday we went to the diner for breakfast, went to some friends' house to hang for a little while, graded, ate leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and went to see a movie. Joy.
I've accepted the fact that my life is largely boring at the moment and highly unblogable. "Pulling at the plow" is not a fun topic for a blogpost, but that's what I'm doing. Oh, I had an article rejected, but in a very nice way, so I'm sending it out again with no muss, no fuss. I'm convinced that this was because the day before I had not recommended another article for publication for another journal - bad karma! Oh well, that's wackademia...
But this is what I've come to expect from the new breed of students who blame their professors for the fact that they haven't done the reading or taken notes during the lectures. Quick hint, little dudes: when I talk about the genre of a certain CT and write "romance" on the board and then define it? That's not just to work out my left hand. It's not just so I can feel the intense tactile pleasure of chalk on skin. I'm not Prof. Dickens - I do not get paid by the numbers of words I write!
I have a new word for these students: baby-slackers. They slack, but they're infantile about it. If you're gonna slack, then do it. Own it. Accept that it was your decision to slack and not something forced on you by...me, for instance. Of course, there's the usual cadre of students who ace the exam because they studied and they rock and they're smart (or at least thorough) and they're the reason I still love to teach.
In other news, we had a snow day yesterday (as did so much of the Eastern seaboard - I could be anywhere! Mwahahahahaha!) - but, even better than the fact that I now only have to teach once this week before jetting off to sunny, tropical Dutchmanlandia for Spring Break on Friday: TD was trapped here for an extra day this weekend! So, yesterday we went to the diner for breakfast, went to some friends' house to hang for a little while, graded, ate leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and went to see a movie. Joy.
I've accepted the fact that my life is largely boring at the moment and highly unblogable. "Pulling at the plow" is not a fun topic for a blogpost, but that's what I'm doing. Oh, I had an article rejected, but in a very nice way, so I'm sending it out again with no muss, no fuss. I'm convinced that this was because the day before I had not recommended another article for publication for another journal - bad karma! Oh well, that's wackademia...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Lazy Saturday
Hm, it looks like I'm doing the once a week blog thing - I am reading all of yours, though, I promise! On Thursday of this past week I had a migraine so bad that I was sick as a dog all day - couldn't keep anything down and felt absolutely like death warmed over. But, I've rallied from that (I only get one like that a year or so and it was stress induced - I had locked my jaw while asleep) and now I'm up at the office getting stuff DONE! I have my club sandwich and diet coke nearby. My music's on, I'm ready to go.
Other tidbits:
1) I have recently discovered a new gadget: the sweater shaver. This is awesome! I shaved two of my sweaters that looked like they needed to be forcibly shoved into rehab they had so many pills. Now, they're clean and sober.
2) Furball #1 had his last thyroid check yesterday (to test the success of his nuclear experience) and he has a perfectly clean bill of health - he's gained almost a pound and his thyroid level is even a bit low (but not into hypothyroid levels), so it looks like the procedure was a success! And his early heart condition has even cleared up b/c his thyroid is no longer wonky.
3) It must be almost spring because Miss P, the blind lady next door, has begun to surreptitiously feel my lawn again. Apparently the wild chives in our yard have sprung up recently b/c I hear these little trimming noises once in a while (*clip! clip! clip!*) - it's like being forced to live in a grooming salon.
I got nothin' else...
Other tidbits:
1) I have recently discovered a new gadget: the sweater shaver. This is awesome! I shaved two of my sweaters that looked like they needed to be forcibly shoved into rehab they had so many pills. Now, they're clean and sober.
2) Furball #1 had his last thyroid check yesterday (to test the success of his nuclear experience) and he has a perfectly clean bill of health - he's gained almost a pound and his thyroid level is even a bit low (but not into hypothyroid levels), so it looks like the procedure was a success! And his early heart condition has even cleared up b/c his thyroid is no longer wonky.
3) It must be almost spring because Miss P, the blind lady next door, has begun to surreptitiously feel my lawn again. Apparently the wild chives in our yard have sprung up recently b/c I hear these little trimming noises once in a while (*clip! clip! clip!*) - it's like being forced to live in a grooming salon.
I got nothin' else...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Heart Day and Other Bits of Fluff
The stress level at Medieval Woman HQ has been off the charts. So much so that my blood pressure has spiked into "Immediate Stroke" territory. My doctor actually peered at me to see if I was still breathing and asked: "Are you a little jumpy lately?"
"Yes," I replied with eyes bulging.
So, I'm on a host of new meds to help reduce anxiety and bring the blood pressure down into life-sustaining levels. One thing about me - I wear all my emotions on my sleeve. Literally. My body can't hide anything. I would be the worst spy on earth - the first one discovered and dispatched by the enemy. TD was his usual wonderful self and got me a block of 5 massages so I'm going every week for over a month to have her work out the knots in my neck and shoulders (where my legion of stress fiends reside). And I'm eating better.
Why so stressed, you ask?
Because we've now heard that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING IS WORKING OUT FOR US AGAIN THIS YEAR!!!!!!
The other university that had offered TD the job and was pushing us to make a decision in 20 minutes renegged. Not for funding reasons but because they suck and they got their panties in a wad when we wouldn't capitulate to their ridiculous timeline. (My ninjas have put them in their "black book" of universities who will receive weapons-grade anthrax in their Arbor Day cards this year). We put them off because we were honestly thinking something would work out at the Dream Academy. It was a calculated risk and it backfired, but them's the breaks. I don't regret making that choice and I'm not unhappy about our decision to put them off. However, this does mean that my husband continues to work at a place that will never employ me and that we have to do all of this again next year.
Hence the stress. Put off plans to live together, save money together, have baby together, etc. for god knows how long.
This week has also been the week from hell and it's finally over - woo-hoo! Job candidates have been through and it's now over. I had some extra university work to do this week and it's now over. So, last night I languished at home, cleaned, made chicken burritos, and generally felt great. Today is lunch with friend and then dinner with more friends. Tomorrow is work. Monday is massage morning and margarita night.
I'm looking forward to the summer (who isn't?) because it's going to be very chill. TD will be here for 4 months and I've just had to drop out of a summer conference abroad because I can't afford it - travel funding here is very wonky because of budget issues and I can't afford to pay anything out of pocket this year (not with $3300 in taxes to pay). But, this means that we will:
1) Work lots - I'll finish my book manuscript
2) Go camping frequently
3) Grill many burgers
4) Perhaps go to the beach with J&A
No big trips, no big conferences, no big shakes. Just work and relax.
Ahhhhh....I can feel my blood pressure going down already....
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