(Eleventh in a series)
1. What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?
*Became Director of Undergraduate Studies
*Lived in D.C. for a month
*Started studying German
*Finished two articles
*Added all my elected representatives to speed-dial
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. One friend had a greatly longed for, but complicated and high-risk birth (the baby is still in the NICU, but doing well)
3. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
4. What countries did you visit?
None--but I spent some quality time in Our Nation's Capital!
5. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
Some direction in my nonacademic writing life. Whether the blog survives remains to be seen, but I'm still figuring out the other stuff.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't know if it's an "achievement," but hot damn, do I love being DUS. I really like fixing things, and advising students--especially transfers and returning students--is consistently rewarding.
(I also like the systems building/efficiency stuff, like revising our curriculum.)
7. What was your biggest failure?
At this particular moment, I feel pretty good about my work life. But as always, I feel keenly my failures of charity and compassion, and the ways I give into envy. And there were at least as many of those this year as any.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A bit, which is unusual for me. I spent a couple of months last spring working with a physical therapist for a back/leg thing; I had some kind of strange eye issue in the fall (extreme dryness and irritation); and I had a couple of very brief but pretty nasty stomach bugs. Welcome to middle age, I guess?
9. What was the best thing you bought?
I'm very happy with my new glasses--the first pair I've had that I've been pleased to wear in public, at least occasionally.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm inspired by the number of people I know who have committed themselves to charity work, political action, and community engagement this year.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
That list is very long. But worse than our president would be his craven enablers and apologists.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Books, clothes, meals, events. The usual.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Tough call. It's been a grim year in a lot of ways, but it's also been full of family and friends and that's improved my overall happiness level.
b) I think slightly fatter. But as long as my clothes fit, I'm content.
c) Slightly richer.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Written on this-here blog. Or otherwise in a non-academic vein.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Spiraled in and out of writing hysteria. It's actually been a very good and productive writing year, but that's only made me more aware of the emotional patterns I cycle through as I write, and they're. . . not super-functional.
16. What was the best book you read?
At the start: Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer. At the end, Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts.
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Honestly? Wonder Woman.
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Oh, crap. Did I even, consciously, hear a new album this year?
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: Straight White Men (Steppenwolf)
Best revival: Uncle Vanya (Goodman)
(It was a pretty great weekend in Chicago!)
20. What kept you sane?
As usual, all the people in my life.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017.
Be with those you love, whenever and however you can. Tempus fugit.
Showing posts with label Memelicious Nonsense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memelicious Nonsense. Show all posts
Monday, January 01, 2018
Sunday, January 01, 2017
New Year's Meme
New Year's Meme
(Tenth [!] in a series)
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
*Watched a family member die
*Participated in a semester-long research seminar at the Folger
*Bought a second house (sequentially, not concurrently)
*Resolved (maybe) to do some substantive nonacademic writing
*Fell off the blogging horse as I've never fallen before
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. My oldest friend had her first (but births are slowing down now that I've hit 40).
3. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. My mother-in-law.
4. What countries did you visit?
England.
5. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
More time at home. In 2016 one or both of us was out of town for 30 weekends out of 52.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Very little of what I did in 2016 feels like "an achievement," but moving/painting/setting up the house took a lot of effort. So did flying back and forth to D.C. for a semester. So did grieving and supporting the bereaved.
7. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing the Essay of Doom on time. That itself isn't the biggest deal in the world, but this has been a really tough writing slump psychologically. As my inability to write anything of substance here for two months indicates.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I think I had exactly one full-blown cold. Which is remarkable, given the upheaval of this past year.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
This house.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
On the national level, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Especially post-election.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Donald J. Trump.
12. Where did most of your money go?
On a household level: buying a 100-year-old house and the inevitable repairs, improvements, and new furnishings.
On a personal level: I sure wish I knew!
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Sadder. I'm feeling grim about the election, and the past 18 months have involved too many deaths.
b) A bit thinner, but not so's anyone would notice.
c) Poorer in terms of bank balance. About the same in terms of income.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Entertained. We hosted Thanksgiving for our families and a department potluck, both of which were terrific--but I'd like to do much more of that.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Grieved. Felt helpless.
16. What was the best book you read?
Helen McDonald's H Is for Hawk
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Moonlight
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Prince, 1999 (I will be listening to Prince until the day I die)
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: Hamilton (Broadway)
Best revival: Love's Labor's Lost (Great Lakes)
20. What kept you sane?
Our house. I'm thrilled to be out of an apartment, for one--but holy shit do I love this house.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
We broke it, we bought it, and now it's up to us to fix it.
(Tenth [!] in a series)
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
*Watched a family member die
*Participated in a semester-long research seminar at the Folger
*Bought a second house (sequentially, not concurrently)
*Resolved (maybe) to do some substantive nonacademic writing
*Fell off the blogging horse as I've never fallen before
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. My oldest friend had her first (but births are slowing down now that I've hit 40).
3. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. My mother-in-law.
4. What countries did you visit?
England.
5. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
More time at home. In 2016 one or both of us was out of town for 30 weekends out of 52.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Very little of what I did in 2016 feels like "an achievement," but moving/painting/setting up the house took a lot of effort. So did flying back and forth to D.C. for a semester. So did grieving and supporting the bereaved.
7. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing the Essay of Doom on time. That itself isn't the biggest deal in the world, but this has been a really tough writing slump psychologically. As my inability to write anything of substance here for two months indicates.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I think I had exactly one full-blown cold. Which is remarkable, given the upheaval of this past year.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
This house.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
On the national level, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Especially post-election.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Donald J. Trump.
12. Where did most of your money go?
On a household level: buying a 100-year-old house and the inevitable repairs, improvements, and new furnishings.
On a personal level: I sure wish I knew!
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Sadder. I'm feeling grim about the election, and the past 18 months have involved too many deaths.
b) A bit thinner, but not so's anyone would notice.
c) Poorer in terms of bank balance. About the same in terms of income.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Entertained. We hosted Thanksgiving for our families and a department potluck, both of which were terrific--but I'd like to do much more of that.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Grieved. Felt helpless.
16. What was the best book you read?
Helen McDonald's H Is for Hawk
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Moonlight
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Prince, 1999 (I will be listening to Prince until the day I die)
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: Hamilton (Broadway)
Best revival: Love's Labor's Lost (Great Lakes)
20. What kept you sane?
Our house. I'm thrilled to be out of an apartment, for one--but holy shit do I love this house.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
We broke it, we bought it, and now it's up to us to fix it.
Monday, August 08, 2016
First jobs meme
Folks around the academic social media circuit have been doing the #firstsevenjobs meme, with interesting results. I've been reluctant to participate, since my list initially struck me as pretty boring, and I'm sensitive to the class-based critique that Kirsty Rolf and Sarah Werner have made: for so many academics, their early jobs look. . . well, a lot like what they do now.
But although all of my jobs qualify as white- or pink-collar, and several have some connection to what I do now, as I started toting them up in my head I realized that I was well past seven before I got to my teaching gigs. And they're all relatively substantive: things I did either full-time, or for multiple years, or both.
So herewith my list, with some annotations:
Looking at this list, a few things stand out. First, I've never worked in retail, in a restaurant, or really anything that might be considered service-industry. And with the possible exception of babysitting, I've never worked a job that was physical in any meaningful way (eight hours of data entry might be exhausting, but it's not mowing lawns, loading trucks, or working at a canning factory). But although I would never claim financial hardship--or working-class credentials--I worked for pay throughout college and grad school even while I was also TA-ing or teaching my own classes. I needed the money and I needed these jobs. I was also relatively adept at finding new ones.
And although libraries and publishing companies seem like obvious jobs for a bookish individual, they weren't really preparation for what I do now--or no more so than any other job (arguably, service-industry jobs are just as good a preparation for teaching, dealing with administrators, and the rest). The rare books library was a terrific environment. . . but most of what I did just required organizational skills and a high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Ditto for two of my three publishing jobs.
What having so many clerical jobs really did is prepare me for the significant chunk of a tenure-track job that grad school doesn't, which is to say the endless paperwork, bureaucracy, and administrivia. I do not miss deadlines, I run a good meeting, my paperwork is always in order, and I'm on top of all the details. I also know how to work with others and (especially!) how to value support staff: at my law firm jobs, I learned quickly that nothing got done without the secretaries and the folks in Word Processing and Duplication. Because I built good relationships with them, when I had an impossible rush job, it got done. This was not the case for the arrogant, the high-handed, or the yellers.
So I feel okay about my jobs. My work experience isn't that wide-ranging, and it doesn't look good on Twitter or lend itself to particularly colorful stories. But it gave me a sense of competence and mastery that eluded me for a long time in my studies. Even today, most of my self-worth comes from the tangible, practical parts of my job--meeting deadlines, designing a helpful rubric, knowing my colleagues consider me reliable--and those are things that, in one way or another, I learned or perfected through my nonacademic jobs.
But although all of my jobs qualify as white- or pink-collar, and several have some connection to what I do now, as I started toting them up in my head I realized that I was well past seven before I got to my teaching gigs. And they're all relatively substantive: things I did either full-time, or for multiple years, or both.
So herewith my list, with some annotations:
1. Babysitting - off and on for maybe four years (middle school and high school)
2. Page, local public library - part time for two years (high school)
3. Receptionist - full time for one summer (high school)
4. Page, rare books library - part time for two years (college work-study job)
5. Mail-room clerk, insurance company - full-time for one summer (college)
6. Acquisitions department intern, university press - full time for one summer; part time for two years (college work-study job)
7. Data entry, HMO - full time for one summer (college)
8. Legal assistant, two corporate law firms - full time for two years (post-college)
9. Editorial department intern, university press - part time for three years (grad school)
10. Legal temp, a third law firm - full time for one summer (grad school)
11. Editorial assistant, non-university academic press - part time for two years (grad school)
Looking at this list, a few things stand out. First, I've never worked in retail, in a restaurant, or really anything that might be considered service-industry. And with the possible exception of babysitting, I've never worked a job that was physical in any meaningful way (eight hours of data entry might be exhausting, but it's not mowing lawns, loading trucks, or working at a canning factory). But although I would never claim financial hardship--or working-class credentials--I worked for pay throughout college and grad school even while I was also TA-ing or teaching my own classes. I needed the money and I needed these jobs. I was also relatively adept at finding new ones.
And although libraries and publishing companies seem like obvious jobs for a bookish individual, they weren't really preparation for what I do now--or no more so than any other job (arguably, service-industry jobs are just as good a preparation for teaching, dealing with administrators, and the rest). The rare books library was a terrific environment. . . but most of what I did just required organizational skills and a high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Ditto for two of my three publishing jobs.
What having so many clerical jobs really did is prepare me for the significant chunk of a tenure-track job that grad school doesn't, which is to say the endless paperwork, bureaucracy, and administrivia. I do not miss deadlines, I run a good meeting, my paperwork is always in order, and I'm on top of all the details. I also know how to work with others and (especially!) how to value support staff: at my law firm jobs, I learned quickly that nothing got done without the secretaries and the folks in Word Processing and Duplication. Because I built good relationships with them, when I had an impossible rush job, it got done. This was not the case for the arrogant, the high-handed, or the yellers.
So I feel okay about my jobs. My work experience isn't that wide-ranging, and it doesn't look good on Twitter or lend itself to particularly colorful stories. But it gave me a sense of competence and mastery that eluded me for a long time in my studies. Even today, most of my self-worth comes from the tangible, practical parts of my job--meeting deadlines, designing a helpful rubric, knowing my colleagues consider me reliable--and those are things that, in one way or another, I learned or perfected through my nonacademic jobs.
Friday, January 01, 2016
New Year's Meme
(Ninth in a series)
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
*Got a tattoo
*Sold a house
*Left a job I loved
*Watched a family member enter a final illness
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: one friend had her first and another her second.
3. Did anyone close to you die?
This was a year for facing mortality. A grad school friend and a grad school professor both died, and (like last year) another friend lost an infant daughter. And the early months of 2016 will bring another death.
4. What countries did you visit?
Only Canada (a couple of times).
5. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
More leisure travel. Less death.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
In terms of effort, selling our house and getting all our possessions in the same state, if not under the same roof (much of it is still in storage).
In terms of satisfaction, throwing ourselves into a new city and a new social scene. I'm surprised how many people I already know, and how optimistic I'm feeling about this place.
7. What was your biggest failure?
I could have been more patient and generous with various people whom I knew to be under stress. Actually, I could just be more patient and generous, full stop.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
My mink coat. (Yes, I bought a mink coat. It's vintage, it's full-length, and it's ridiculous. And I'm wearing it evvvvvverywhere.)
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All of Cosimo's extended family.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I think this blog is too public for me to specify!
12. Where did most of your money go?
Getting the house ready to sell and then moving drained our bank account. But most of my moving expenses were eventually reimbursed, and we made money on the sale, so all's well that ends well.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) About the same
b) All my clothes fit, so who's counting?
c) Richer: my new job came with a nice raise, and (for the moment) we don't have a mortgage
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Blogged, for one.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Contemplated mortality.
16. What was the best book you read?
Either Richard Price's Lush Life or Giuseppe di Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo (in English, alas. Someday in Italian!)
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Birdman
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Adele, 25
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: King Charles III (Broadway)
Best revival: Pericles (Stratford Festival)
20. What kept you sane?
Living with my spouse full time. Making progress on the book. Getting out & about in the city.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
I don't know about "lessons." But I know that I am not resigned.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
*Got a tattoo
*Sold a house
*Left a job I loved
*Watched a family member enter a final illness
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: one friend had her first and another her second.
3. Did anyone close to you die?
This was a year for facing mortality. A grad school friend and a grad school professor both died, and (like last year) another friend lost an infant daughter. And the early months of 2016 will bring another death.
4. What countries did you visit?
Only Canada (a couple of times).
5. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
More leisure travel. Less death.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
In terms of effort, selling our house and getting all our possessions in the same state, if not under the same roof (much of it is still in storage).
In terms of satisfaction, throwing ourselves into a new city and a new social scene. I'm surprised how many people I already know, and how optimistic I'm feeling about this place.
7. What was your biggest failure?
I could have been more patient and generous with various people whom I knew to be under stress. Actually, I could just be more patient and generous, full stop.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
My mink coat. (Yes, I bought a mink coat. It's vintage, it's full-length, and it's ridiculous. And I'm wearing it evvvvvverywhere.)
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All of Cosimo's extended family.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I think this blog is too public for me to specify!
12. Where did most of your money go?
Getting the house ready to sell and then moving drained our bank account. But most of my moving expenses were eventually reimbursed, and we made money on the sale, so all's well that ends well.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) About the same
b) All my clothes fit, so who's counting?
c) Richer: my new job came with a nice raise, and (for the moment) we don't have a mortgage
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Blogged, for one.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Contemplated mortality.
16. What was the best book you read?
Either Richard Price's Lush Life or Giuseppe di Lampedusa's Il Gattopardo (in English, alas. Someday in Italian!)
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Birdman
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Adele, 25
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: King Charles III (Broadway)
Best revival: Pericles (Stratford Festival)
20. What kept you sane?
Living with my spouse full time. Making progress on the book. Getting out & about in the city.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
I don't know about "lessons." But I know that I am not resigned.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
New Year's Meme
(Eighth in a series.)
1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
*Had a book published
*Received my second tenure-track job offer
*Solved the two-body problem
*Got an EU passport
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: two good friends had their first, one her second, another her third--and one lucky lady had her first and her second (twins).
3. Did anyone close to you die?
One of the children mentioned above did not survive.
4. What countries did you visit?
England
5. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
I'd like to have more of a sense of excitement and adventure, both of which seemed in shorter supply than usual.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
This was a big year for achievements. But the one that feels the most like an achievement was finally placing the Article of Eternal Return.
If we're talking about achievements in a less end-driven or goal-oriented way, though, I'm most happy with how I spent my leisure time this year. I probably read more novels in a 12-month period than I have since my twenties; pursued a more aggressive gym routine; kept studying Italian; and managed to meet friends for drinks every week.
7. What was your biggest failure?
Lots of little failures. No big ones.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
I've been gradually replacing items in my wardrobe, and I really love the shape it's taking. There's not one particular item I'd single out, but I bought several dresses that make me very happy.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm not sure "celebration" is appropriate for anything anyone did this year--though I'm certainly grateful for many people's kindnesses and gestures of support.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
This was a grim fucking year, nationally and internationally. So the list is long.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Clothes and books. But I've been spending money almost nonstop since October, after a year of deferred purchases during my sabbatical.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Tough call. A lot of good things happened this year, but there's also been a lot of upheaval
b) Thinner. I returned from sabbatical heavier than I've ever been, but since August have lost it all (and then some)
c) Probably a wash.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Is my answer to this question always a wish to have written more, done more research, made more progress? Probably. And it remains true.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sat around paralyzed with anxiety, frustration, and dread.
16. What was the best book you read?
Best re-read: James Baldwin, Another Country.
Best new read: either Marilynn Robinson's Home (which I liked better than Lila) or Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend.
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
So many good movies this year! But I'd say Ida.
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
I'm not sure I bought an album that came out this year. But I like what I've heard of Taylor Swift's 1989 and D'Angelo's Black Messiah.
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Almeida)
Best revival (if that's the word I want): Tamburlaine (TFANA)
20. What kept you sane?
Being back in our house.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
Shit's never going to work out exactly the way you want, on exactly the terms you want. Get over it. Only then can you recognize your abundant good fortune, your own hard work, and the generosity of others.
Wishing everyone a good 2015--may it bring you all you deserve or desire!
1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
*Had a book published
*Received my second tenure-track job offer
*Solved the two-body problem
*Got an EU passport
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: two good friends had their first, one her second, another her third--and one lucky lady had her first and her second (twins).
3. Did anyone close to you die?
One of the children mentioned above did not survive.
4. What countries did you visit?
England
5. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
I'd like to have more of a sense of excitement and adventure, both of which seemed in shorter supply than usual.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
This was a big year for achievements. But the one that feels the most like an achievement was finally placing the Article of Eternal Return.
If we're talking about achievements in a less end-driven or goal-oriented way, though, I'm most happy with how I spent my leisure time this year. I probably read more novels in a 12-month period than I have since my twenties; pursued a more aggressive gym routine; kept studying Italian; and managed to meet friends for drinks every week.
7. What was your biggest failure?
Lots of little failures. No big ones.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
I've been gradually replacing items in my wardrobe, and I really love the shape it's taking. There's not one particular item I'd single out, but I bought several dresses that make me very happy.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I'm not sure "celebration" is appropriate for anything anyone did this year--though I'm certainly grateful for many people's kindnesses and gestures of support.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
This was a grim fucking year, nationally and internationally. So the list is long.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Clothes and books. But I've been spending money almost nonstop since October, after a year of deferred purchases during my sabbatical.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Tough call. A lot of good things happened this year, but there's also been a lot of upheaval
b) Thinner. I returned from sabbatical heavier than I've ever been, but since August have lost it all (and then some)
c) Probably a wash.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Is my answer to this question always a wish to have written more, done more research, made more progress? Probably. And it remains true.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sat around paralyzed with anxiety, frustration, and dread.
16. What was the best book you read?
Best re-read: James Baldwin, Another Country.
Best new read: either Marilynn Robinson's Home (which I liked better than Lila) or Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend.
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
So many good movies this year! But I'd say Ida.
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
I'm not sure I bought an album that came out this year. But I like what I've heard of Taylor Swift's 1989 and D'Angelo's Black Messiah.
19. What was the best play you saw?
Best new play: Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Almeida)
Best revival (if that's the word I want): Tamburlaine (TFANA)
20. What kept you sane?
Being back in our house.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
Shit's never going to work out exactly the way you want, on exactly the terms you want. Get over it. Only then can you recognize your abundant good fortune, your own hard work, and the generosity of others.
Wishing everyone a good 2015--may it bring you all you deserve or desire!
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
New Year's Meme
(Seventh in a series. See also New Year's Day 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.)
1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
*Got a book contract (and completely finished everything to do with Book One)
*Rented out our house
*Started a year of Italian classes
*Set myself a blogging schedule and kept it
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: one college friend had her first, another her second, and a post-college friend also had her first. (Can you tell 40 is on the horizon?)
3. Did anyone close to you die?
Our realtor, whom I felt close to despite the brevity of our relationship. She'd worked with us for months finding our house and was just finishing up the credit checks and paperwork for our renters when she died quite suddenly, only a few weeks after her father died.
4. What countries did you visit?
England and Canada
5. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
I would really like to spend it living with my spouse, full-time and for the long-term, in our house. But barring that, I'd like for the Article of Eternal Return to STOP RETURNING.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting Book One out of my life (and into everyone else's! Mwahaha!)
7. What was your biggest failure?
I had some disappointments this year, but they were all comparatively minor.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A couple of colds, a couple of migraines, and a minor infection that required too many different courses of antibiotics to knock out completely.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
Uh, a new coffee table? Nothing big or notable is coming to mind.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Pope Francis
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Oh so many people on the internet.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Between repairs/upgrades to the house, renting a bigger apartment for my sabbatical, and two separate moves, housing expenses ate up a ton of cash.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier
b) Maybe a touch heavier, but who's to say? I LIVE in my yoga pants these days.
c) Poorer (but only because I'm on sabbatical and at half-pay)
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reached out to old friends. I'm in touch with a lot of people, but there are some friendships I haven't been as active in keeping going as I wish I'd been.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Fretted about the future
16. What was the best new book you read?
I read a number of books I expected to love and didn't (Telegraph Avenue, Bring Up the Bodies, White Teeth). But Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness, which I'd never read, made up for all of them.
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Either Frances Ha or Enough Said
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
19. What was the best play you saw?
The Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? was probably the best, but I'm glad we made the trek to Brighton to see the Globe's Henry VI (all three plays in one day).
20. What kept you sane?
Uh, being on sabbatical? That rules.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
Which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life span?
Wishing everyone a marvelous 2014--may it bring you all you deserve or desire!
1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
*Got a book contract (and completely finished everything to do with Book One)
*Rented out our house
*Started a year of Italian classes
*Set myself a blogging schedule and kept it
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: one college friend had her first, another her second, and a post-college friend also had her first. (Can you tell 40 is on the horizon?)
3. Did anyone close to you die?
Our realtor, whom I felt close to despite the brevity of our relationship. She'd worked with us for months finding our house and was just finishing up the credit checks and paperwork for our renters when she died quite suddenly, only a few weeks after her father died.
4. What countries did you visit?
England and Canada
5. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
I would really like to spend it living with my spouse, full-time and for the long-term, in our house. But barring that, I'd like for the Article of Eternal Return to STOP RETURNING.
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting Book One out of my life (and into everyone else's! Mwahaha!)
7. What was your biggest failure?
I had some disappointments this year, but they were all comparatively minor.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A couple of colds, a couple of migraines, and a minor infection that required too many different courses of antibiotics to knock out completely.
9. What was the best thing you bought?
Uh, a new coffee table? Nothing big or notable is coming to mind.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Pope Francis
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Oh so many people on the internet.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Between repairs/upgrades to the house, renting a bigger apartment for my sabbatical, and two separate moves, housing expenses ate up a ton of cash.
13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier
b) Maybe a touch heavier, but who's to say? I LIVE in my yoga pants these days.
c) Poorer (but only because I'm on sabbatical and at half-pay)
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reached out to old friends. I'm in touch with a lot of people, but there are some friendships I haven't been as active in keeping going as I wish I'd been.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Fretted about the future
16. What was the best new book you read?
I read a number of books I expected to love and didn't (Telegraph Avenue, Bring Up the Bodies, White Teeth). But Ursula Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness, which I'd never read, made up for all of them.
17. What was your favorite film of the year?
Either Frances Ha or Enough Said
18. What was your favorite album of the year?
Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
19. What was the best play you saw?
The Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? was probably the best, but I'm glad we made the trek to Brighton to see the Globe's Henry VI (all three plays in one day).
20. What kept you sane?
Uh, being on sabbatical? That rules.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
Which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life span?
Wishing everyone a marvelous 2014--may it bring you all you deserve or desire!
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
New Year's Meme
(Sixth [!] in a series. See also New Year's Day 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.)
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
*Got tenure
*Spent more than a month living abroad independently (i.e., not with a host family)
*Gave up on even the pretense of pseudonymity
*Got a second positive reader's report on my book MS
2. Did you keep your 2012 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
This meme is apparently what I now do instead of making resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: a college friend had her third (!), and two of my colleagues each had their first.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My spouse's beloved aunt, whom I wish I'd had a chance to know better.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy, The Netherlands, and Canada
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
I'd like finally to be done with this book. I'd also like to live full-time with my spouse (at least for the second half of the year).
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The obvious one to cite would be getting tenure--though the process wasn't especially fraught or difficult. Instead, I think that starting to come to terms with really being an adult--an established professional, a bourgeois, and approaching middle-age--is the year's greatest achievement, albeit one that's still very much in process.
8. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a book contract with the press I'd been working with for two years. That's not my failure, exactly, but at the time it felt that way.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, though the migraines I mentioned last year are making slightly more frequent appearances, much to my displeasure.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
Our five weeks in Rome
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My spouse's. He's now in his second year of commuting back and forth to our home every weekend. It's not my place to talk about how hard that is on him, but it's hard.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Dude, 2012 was an election year. Pretty much everyone in public life--elected officials, would-be elected officials, pundits, random bloggers--pissed me off at one point or another.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Books, clothes, travel, theater, booze
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier (tenure will do that to a girl!)
b) Maybe three pounds heavier (enough to notice in some clothes, not enough to do anything about)
c) Slightly richer (now that my car is finally paid off and I got a modest raise with tenure).
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Worked on my Shakespeare article; made headway on my edition
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Fucked around on the internet
17. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Every day
18. What was the best new book you read?
In 2012 I started to get my leisure-reading mojo back, and I read several good ones. But the best was Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Early: The Artist
Late: The Master.
20. What kept you sane?
My spouse, my cats, my colleagues, my students
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Life's hard on everyone, and usually more than outsiders know. So be kind.
Happy 2013, all!
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
*Got tenure
*Spent more than a month living abroad independently (i.e., not with a host family)
*Gave up on even the pretense of pseudonymity
*Got a second positive reader's report on my book MS
2. Did you keep your 2012 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
This meme is apparently what I now do instead of making resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: a college friend had her third (!), and two of my colleagues each had their first.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My spouse's beloved aunt, whom I wish I'd had a chance to know better.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy, The Netherlands, and Canada
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
I'd like finally to be done with this book. I'd also like to live full-time with my spouse (at least for the second half of the year).
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The obvious one to cite would be getting tenure--though the process wasn't especially fraught or difficult. Instead, I think that starting to come to terms with really being an adult--an established professional, a bourgeois, and approaching middle-age--is the year's greatest achievement, albeit one that's still very much in process.
8. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a book contract with the press I'd been working with for two years. That's not my failure, exactly, but at the time it felt that way.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, though the migraines I mentioned last year are making slightly more frequent appearances, much to my displeasure.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
Our five weeks in Rome
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My spouse's. He's now in his second year of commuting back and forth to our home every weekend. It's not my place to talk about how hard that is on him, but it's hard.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Dude, 2012 was an election year. Pretty much everyone in public life--elected officials, would-be elected officials, pundits, random bloggers--pissed me off at one point or another.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Books, clothes, travel, theater, booze
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier (tenure will do that to a girl!)
b) Maybe three pounds heavier (enough to notice in some clothes, not enough to do anything about)
c) Slightly richer (now that my car is finally paid off and I got a modest raise with tenure).
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Worked on my Shakespeare article; made headway on my edition
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Fucked around on the internet
17. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Every day
18. What was the best new book you read?
In 2012 I started to get my leisure-reading mojo back, and I read several good ones. But the best was Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Early: The Artist
Late: The Master.
20. What kept you sane?
My spouse, my cats, my colleagues, my students
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Life's hard on everyone, and usually more than outsiders know. So be kind.
Happy 2013, all!
Sunday, January 01, 2012
New Year's Meme
(Fifth in a series. See also New Year's Day 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.)
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
*Took a research leave
*Directed an M.A. thesis and an honors thesis
*Bought a house
*Got married
*Went up for tenure
2. Did you keep your 2011 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I didn't make any last year, but I have some modest ones for this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, Evey (formerly my best friend in Cha-Cha City and now my most-missed friend from same)
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No
5. What countries did you visit?
Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A book contract--or more to the point, a totally completed book manuscript that I never have to do anything to ever again. Or to put it more positively: I want to be substantially engaged by a new research project.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Dude, I checked off half the boxes on the adulthood checklist this year; who can choose just one? But I will say that buying a house + getting married means suddenly and radically coming to terms with one's place in the bourgeoisie.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I had any big failures this year; my leave-semester resolution to meditate daily didn't even come close to happening--I may have meditated six times in four months--but I consider that less significant than my usual daily failures of kindness, patience, and charity.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, though I seem now to be in danger of monthly migraines (after the one I had a few months ago, which lasted 12 hours, many of them spent puking, I learned some avoidance techniques).
10. What was the best thing you bought?
Our house
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The members of my and Cosimo's families, who were supportive of our having a smaller wedding and who contributed help to exactly the degree (and of exactly the kind) that was useful. From what I hear about weddings, t'ain't necessarily so.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one I know personally. But I'm constantly appalled by things like this.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Jesus, we spent a fortune this year, not just buying a house but furnishing/outfitting it; getting married; going to Europe. So the better question is where didn't my money go?
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier; same weight; maybe slightly richer, insofar as my spouse and I actually have a little money in a savings account and now own a major piece of property. (But then again, maybe we're actually poorer, since a home loan means we're more in debt? Math is hard.)
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Slept. Read more (and better) contemporary fiction. Been more patient, generous, etc.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasted time on the goddamn internet.
17. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Continually
18. What was the best new book you read?
None of the new books I read this year (apart from a few in my field) are good enough to merit mentioning.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
I saw a lot of good films this year, but nothing stands out as AMAZING. Margin Call and Young Adult were two of the smartest and most satisfying, though.
20. What kept you sane?
My semester of research leave
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Last year I wrote that I'd learned how good it is to be a grown-up. I stand by that. Fuck the cult of youth and its eternal anxious questing after hipness.
My 2011 was pretty spectacular. May 2012 be equally good to all of you!
1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
*Took a research leave
*Directed an M.A. thesis and an honors thesis
*Bought a house
*Got married
*Went up for tenure
2. Did you keep your 2011 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I didn't make any last year, but I have some modest ones for this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, Evey (formerly my best friend in Cha-Cha City and now my most-missed friend from same)
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No
5. What countries did you visit?
Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A book contract--or more to the point, a totally completed book manuscript that I never have to do anything to ever again. Or to put it more positively: I want to be substantially engaged by a new research project.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Dude, I checked off half the boxes on the adulthood checklist this year; who can choose just one? But I will say that buying a house + getting married means suddenly and radically coming to terms with one's place in the bourgeoisie.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I had any big failures this year; my leave-semester resolution to meditate daily didn't even come close to happening--I may have meditated six times in four months--but I consider that less significant than my usual daily failures of kindness, patience, and charity.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, though I seem now to be in danger of monthly migraines (after the one I had a few months ago, which lasted 12 hours, many of them spent puking, I learned some avoidance techniques).
10. What was the best thing you bought?
Our house
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The members of my and Cosimo's families, who were supportive of our having a smaller wedding and who contributed help to exactly the degree (and of exactly the kind) that was useful. From what I hear about weddings, t'ain't necessarily so.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one I know personally. But I'm constantly appalled by things like this.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Jesus, we spent a fortune this year, not just buying a house but furnishing/outfitting it; getting married; going to Europe. So the better question is where didn't my money go?
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier; same weight; maybe slightly richer, insofar as my spouse and I actually have a little money in a savings account and now own a major piece of property. (But then again, maybe we're actually poorer, since a home loan means we're more in debt? Math is hard.)
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Slept. Read more (and better) contemporary fiction. Been more patient, generous, etc.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasted time on the goddamn internet.
17. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Continually
18. What was the best new book you read?
None of the new books I read this year (apart from a few in my field) are good enough to merit mentioning.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
I saw a lot of good films this year, but nothing stands out as AMAZING. Margin Call and Young Adult were two of the smartest and most satisfying, though.
20. What kept you sane?
My semester of research leave
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Last year I wrote that I'd learned how good it is to be a grown-up. I stand by that. Fuck the cult of youth and its eternal anxious questing after hipness.
My 2011 was pretty spectacular. May 2012 be equally good to all of you!
Saturday, January 01, 2011
New Year's Meme
(Latest in a series. See also New Year's 2008, 2009, and 2010.)
1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
*Sent my book manuscript to a publisher
*Taught M.A. students
*Got engaged
2. Did you keep your 2010 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I don't think I made any. I'm a great resolver, but not a great new years resolver.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Duh. I'm in my mid-30s, so these are the birthing years. But most significant are my elder cousin, who had her first, and two college friends, who each just had their second.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Canada, twice.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A home to share with my partner. A book contract. (And more trivially, I need some new damn clothes!)
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I achieved a lot this year, but what feels like the biggest achievement is being able to look ahead to a personal and professional future that I'm happy with.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I feel that I was exhausted all the time, especially this past semester. I'm not sure that's a "failure," exactly, but it means I often had a pretty short fuse. I'm looking to be more centered in 2011.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. Though I'm getting creaky in the joints, already, at age 35.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
I didn't make any big or significant purchases last year. But I suppose the money that went to several short vacations with Cosimo (Maine, Portland OR, the Stratford Festival, and twice to NYC) was especially well spent.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have several friends who have been coping with ill, injured, or depressed family members, and whose behavior has been more inspiring than they'd ever believe.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The problem student to end all problem students. I'll say no more--but anything you can imagine a student doing that doesn't involve physical menace, this student did.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Where it always goes: to rent, to my student loans, to car payments (& insurance & upkeep). The rest just disappears.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Probably happier (though I was happy last year). I weigh a few pounds more, but am in better shape. On the other hand, I make more money, but am no richer.
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Visited/called/written my many long-distance friends.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I don't know. Complained? But complaining is who Flavia is.
17. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Already there.
18. What was the best new book you read?
I didn't read much new fiction. But the best non-fiction I read outside of my own field was Robert Alter's Art of Biblical Narrative.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Winter's Bone
20. What kept you sane?
I'll go with last year's answer: all the people in my life.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
It's so good to be a grown-up.
Happy 2011 to you and yours~~
1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
*Sent my book manuscript to a publisher
*Taught M.A. students
*Got engaged
2. Did you keep your 2010 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I don't think I made any. I'm a great resolver, but not a great new years resolver.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Duh. I'm in my mid-30s, so these are the birthing years. But most significant are my elder cousin, who had her first, and two college friends, who each just had their second.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Canada, twice.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A home to share with my partner. A book contract. (And more trivially, I need some new damn clothes!)
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I achieved a lot this year, but what feels like the biggest achievement is being able to look ahead to a personal and professional future that I'm happy with.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I feel that I was exhausted all the time, especially this past semester. I'm not sure that's a "failure," exactly, but it means I often had a pretty short fuse. I'm looking to be more centered in 2011.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. Though I'm getting creaky in the joints, already, at age 35.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
I didn't make any big or significant purchases last year. But I suppose the money that went to several short vacations with Cosimo (Maine, Portland OR, the Stratford Festival, and twice to NYC) was especially well spent.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have several friends who have been coping with ill, injured, or depressed family members, and whose behavior has been more inspiring than they'd ever believe.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The problem student to end all problem students. I'll say no more--but anything you can imagine a student doing that doesn't involve physical menace, this student did.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Where it always goes: to rent, to my student loans, to car payments (& insurance & upkeep). The rest just disappears.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Probably happier (though I was happy last year). I weigh a few pounds more, but am in better shape. On the other hand, I make more money, but am no richer.
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Visited/called/written my many long-distance friends.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I don't know. Complained? But complaining is who Flavia is.
17. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Already there.
18. What was the best new book you read?
I didn't read much new fiction. But the best non-fiction I read outside of my own field was Robert Alter's Art of Biblical Narrative.
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Winter's Bone
20. What kept you sane?
I'll go with last year's answer: all the people in my life.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
It's so good to be a grown-up.
Happy 2011 to you and yours~~
Monday, May 10, 2010
Amazon meme
It's hard for me to remember a time when I didn't place an order with Amazon every month (and that's just for books and media: I'm not someone who orders her toilet paper and her cat food from Amazon, or at least not yet). But the meme that's been going around ye internets has forced me to recall that there must once have been a day when Young Flavia and Amazon first met.
Unaided, I'd have had no idea when that day was, or what I purchased (by contrast, I could regale you for hours with stories of my early scores on eBay). But according to Amazon's records, it was November 27, 1999, and I bought Jayne E. Marek's Women Editing Modernism: "Little" Magazines and Literary History. My second purchase, in January of 2000, was Sacvan Bercovitch's The Office of the Scarlet Letter.
In case you can't tell? It was my first year of graduate school.
Apart from those two initial purchases, I bought virtually no books for myself from Amazon in the years 1999-2006. I spent those years first in a college town and then in a big city--both of which had an ample supply of new bookstores--and my used and out-of-print needs were well-served by ABE. Instead, I appear to have used Amazon for two purposes: 1) birthday gifts for family and friends, 2) additions to my music and video library.
From 2000-2002 I bought myself the following:
Make of all that what you will, but I'm sure you wouldn't be wrong.
Unaided, I'd have had no idea when that day was, or what I purchased (by contrast, I could regale you for hours with stories of my early scores on eBay). But according to Amazon's records, it was November 27, 1999, and I bought Jayne E. Marek's Women Editing Modernism: "Little" Magazines and Literary History. My second purchase, in January of 2000, was Sacvan Bercovitch's The Office of the Scarlet Letter.
In case you can't tell? It was my first year of graduate school.
Apart from those two initial purchases, I bought virtually no books for myself from Amazon in the years 1999-2006. I spent those years first in a college town and then in a big city--both of which had an ample supply of new bookstores--and my used and out-of-print needs were well-served by ABE. Instead, I appear to have used Amazon for two purposes: 1) birthday gifts for family and friends, 2) additions to my music and video library.
From 2000-2002 I bought myself the following:
The Exciting Sounds of Martin Denny: Exotica 1 and Exotica 2
A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
A bossa nova compilation, Nova Bossa
Louis Armstrong, Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Paris Combo, Living Room
Chris Isaak, Forever Blue
An "electro-jazz" compilation, Saint-Germain Café
Sex and the City, Season One
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Make of all that what you will, but I'm sure you wouldn't be wrong.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Archive meme
Various of my bloggy friends who do archival work have been sharing representative images of the texts they work on. Here's a snippet of one of mine (click to embiggen):
It's a pretty legible hand, all things considered--but since it's a damn long work and since most of my knowledge of Early Modern paleography has been learned on the fly, it's still presented me with plenty of challenges.
On the other hand, even the gnarliest of student blue-book exams no longer makes me break a sweat.
It's a pretty legible hand, all things considered--but since it's a damn long work and since most of my knowledge of Early Modern paleography has been learned on the fly, it's still presented me with plenty of challenges.
On the other hand, even the gnarliest of student blue-book exams no longer makes me break a sweat.
Friday, January 01, 2010
New Year's Meme
(Those from 2008 and 2009 are here and here.)
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
*Joined a gym
*Got a book contract (for a scholarly edition, but still)
*Attended a funeral
2. Did you keep your 2009 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I completely forgot that I made resolutions last year, although I think I did. Since I fail to remember them, it's a good bet that I also failed to keep them.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I'm a 34-year-old woman. In any given year, probably 20% of my friends are either pregnant or just gave birth (but in 2009, none of my closest friends actually did).
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes: my maternal grandmother and last surviving grandparent.
5. What countries did you visit?
None--not even Canada or Mexico.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I feel quite confident that this year I will have a completed book manuscript. So let's shoot for a contract?
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Professionally: reconceiving my book project and making some real headway on its revision. Personally: repairing or resuming friendships with a number of people I care about: exes, grad school colleagues, and others.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I feel that I was a pretty crap teacher this past semester. I doubt that my evaluations will reflect this--two of my three classes were a ton of fun, and I loved my students--but I felt that I was half-assing everything even more than usual.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Despite my crazy hypochondria, just bad allergies in the spring and a lingering cold in the fall.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
My gym membership. I'm using and enjoying it more than I'd ever have imagined.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mom's, who was my grandmother's primary caregiver for her last nine months.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm easily, and always vocally, appalled. But I'm working on not reading the behaviors that make me appalled as MORAL FAILINGS on the part of others.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Food, booze, cat-care, and conference travel. But I did pay off a couple-few thousand in credit card debt.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier and slightly richer (which is only to say: slightly less in debt). I weigh almost exactly the same.
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
The same damn things: saved more money/gotten out of debt. Finished my book.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sat around on my ass/left things to the last minute.
17. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes.
18. What was the best new book you read?
Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Probably Duplicity.
20. What kept you sane?
All the people in my life.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
It's really not that hard, none of it: work, love, life. Just get off your ass, take a chance, and try to follow through.
Happy 2010 to you and yours~~
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
*Joined a gym
*Got a book contract (for a scholarly edition, but still)
*Attended a funeral
2. Did you keep your 2009 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
I completely forgot that I made resolutions last year, although I think I did. Since I fail to remember them, it's a good bet that I also failed to keep them.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I'm a 34-year-old woman. In any given year, probably 20% of my friends are either pregnant or just gave birth (but in 2009, none of my closest friends actually did).
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes: my maternal grandmother and last surviving grandparent.
5. What countries did you visit?
None--not even Canada or Mexico.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I feel quite confident that this year I will have a completed book manuscript. So let's shoot for a contract?
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Professionally: reconceiving my book project and making some real headway on its revision. Personally: repairing or resuming friendships with a number of people I care about: exes, grad school colleagues, and others.
8. What was your biggest failure?
I feel that I was a pretty crap teacher this past semester. I doubt that my evaluations will reflect this--two of my three classes were a ton of fun, and I loved my students--but I felt that I was half-assing everything even more than usual.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Despite my crazy hypochondria, just bad allergies in the spring and a lingering cold in the fall.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
My gym membership. I'm using and enjoying it more than I'd ever have imagined.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mom's, who was my grandmother's primary caregiver for her last nine months.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm easily, and always vocally, appalled. But I'm working on not reading the behaviors that make me appalled as MORAL FAILINGS on the part of others.
13. Where did most of your money go?
Food, booze, cat-care, and conference travel. But I did pay off a couple-few thousand in credit card debt.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier and slightly richer (which is only to say: slightly less in debt). I weigh almost exactly the same.
15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
The same damn things: saved more money/gotten out of debt. Finished my book.
16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sat around on my ass/left things to the last minute.
17. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes.
18. What was the best new book you read?
Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Probably Duplicity.
20. What kept you sane?
All the people in my life.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
It's really not that hard, none of it: work, love, life. Just get off your ass, take a chance, and try to follow through.
Happy 2010 to you and yours~~
Thursday, January 01, 2009
New Year's Meme
(I enjoyed doing this meme last year, and like the idea of making it a tradition.)
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I did an adequate job with last year's resolutions. I hope to do the same with this year's.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: four actual friends and a whole slew of "friends" on Facebook.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy and England.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Let's get crazy here and say a completed book manuscript.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I suppose I've had some professional achievements, but if we're keeping this in the realm of the personal, I'd say the thing I'm happiest about is having forgiven two or three people the wrongs they've done me. Said people probably neither know nor care about my forgiveness, but they're not the point.
8. What was your biggest failure?
Not falling in love with the person who fell in love with me.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. As several friends have remarked, I don't seem especially hale or hearty--but I guess I am: my only ailment in 2008 was a single, slight cold.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
My trip to Italy.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
As in 2007: my friends'. For reasons unknown, they put up with my shit and my self-absorption and my tedious, repetitive dilemmas and they make me a better person.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Not depressed and probably not appalled, but I'm significantly displeased with those people who read my blog, realize who I am--and then thrill to the belief that they're in possession of a juicy secret (a "secret" which they must then tell all our mutual acquaintances about). Note to those people: if I wished my identity to be harder to figure out, it would be.
13. Where did most of your money go?
To bills of various kinds. Whatever was left over went to books, booze, and travel.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Definitely happier, though not without a few regrets. My weight and finances remain almost exactly the same.
15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
As in 2007: saved more money/gotten out of debt. Worked on my book.
16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Whinged.
17. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No. But it's nevertheless been a romantically happy and satisfying year.
18. What was the best new book you read?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Of the films that came out this year, probably There Will Be Blood. Of the films I saw this year, Hiroshima, Mon Amour.
20. What kept you sane?
Work. Friends. Travel. Books. My cat.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Nothing's permanent and nothing's unfixable.
Happy 2009, everyone~~
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
*Went to Italy2. Did you keep your 2008 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
*Initiated a breakup
*Found two fantastic sublets through Craigslist, sight-unseen
*Learned how to discuss difficult subjects with a romantic partner
*Travelled great distances avec cat
*[One thing I'm disinclined to relate, but of which I'd like this reminder.]
I did an adequate job with last year's resolutions. I hope to do the same with this year's.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes: four actual friends and a whole slew of "friends" on Facebook.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Italy and England.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Let's get crazy here and say a completed book manuscript.
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I suppose I've had some professional achievements, but if we're keeping this in the realm of the personal, I'd say the thing I'm happiest about is having forgiven two or three people the wrongs they've done me. Said people probably neither know nor care about my forgiveness, but they're not the point.
8. What was your biggest failure?
Not falling in love with the person who fell in love with me.
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. As several friends have remarked, I don't seem especially hale or hearty--but I guess I am: my only ailment in 2008 was a single, slight cold.
10. What was the best thing you bought?
My trip to Italy.
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
As in 2007: my friends'. For reasons unknown, they put up with my shit and my self-absorption and my tedious, repetitive dilemmas and they make me a better person.
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Not depressed and probably not appalled, but I'm significantly displeased with those people who read my blog, realize who I am--and then thrill to the belief that they're in possession of a juicy secret (a "secret" which they must then tell all our mutual acquaintances about). Note to those people: if I wished my identity to be harder to figure out, it would be.
13. Where did most of your money go?
To bills of various kinds. Whatever was left over went to books, booze, and travel.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Definitely happier, though not without a few regrets. My weight and finances remain almost exactly the same.
15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
As in 2007: saved more money/gotten out of debt. Worked on my book.
16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Whinged.
17. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No. But it's nevertheless been a romantically happy and satisfying year.
18. What was the best new book you read?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
19. What was your favorite film of the year?
Of the films that came out this year, probably There Will Be Blood. Of the films I saw this year, Hiroshima, Mon Amour.
20. What kept you sane?
Work. Friends. Travel. Books. My cat.
21. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Nothing's permanent and nothing's unfixable.
Happy 2009, everyone~~
Sunday, March 30, 2008
My life, in six words
Adjunct Whore tagged me for this one, which at first struck me as futile (what is this blog, if not autobiography? And if I could condense that autobiography into six words, why the hell would I be blogging?)--but after several conversations with friends this past week, I think I actually can tell you everything you need to know about me in six words:
By which I primarily mean, better than everyone else. Evey and I have concluded that this is at least partly a big-sisterly trait: the conviction that you know how to do a thing properly--and are, moreover, obligated to explain that method to everyone else.
I can understand that some people might find this irritating, but I have a hard time seeing it as a character flaw. I mean, I give a lot of thought to the best, clearest, most efficient, and (where relevant) kindest ways of getting things done--so why wouldn't I want to share that information with others? And why wouldn't they want to learn those best practices from me?
The sentence, though, also applies to myself: whenever I do something dumb, I'm always sure that I do or did know better. I tend to believe that I understand my own motives and feelings nearly perfectly--or that I can, with just a bit of reflection. When I err or misread a situation, then, I'm angry with myself for not being smarter or paying closer attention.
Maybe what I'm really saying is that I believe there are right ways to do things--and that though one may err, one also can learn from advice and experience.
Or at least, as long as I'm around to help out.
I'm always sure I know better.
By which I primarily mean, better than everyone else. Evey and I have concluded that this is at least partly a big-sisterly trait: the conviction that you know how to do a thing properly--and are, moreover, obligated to explain that method to everyone else.
I can understand that some people might find this irritating, but I have a hard time seeing it as a character flaw. I mean, I give a lot of thought to the best, clearest, most efficient, and (where relevant) kindest ways of getting things done--so why wouldn't I want to share that information with others? And why wouldn't they want to learn those best practices from me?
The sentence, though, also applies to myself: whenever I do something dumb, I'm always sure that I do or did know better. I tend to believe that I understand my own motives and feelings nearly perfectly--or that I can, with just a bit of reflection. When I err or misread a situation, then, I'm angry with myself for not being smarter or paying closer attention.
Maybe what I'm really saying is that I believe there are right ways to do things--and that though one may err, one also can learn from advice and experience.
Or at least, as long as I'm around to help out.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Seven things meme: special gender edition!
Adjunct Whore tapped me for this meme, which seems essentially indistinguishable from the "eight things" meme that was going around this summer--so for kicks I've decided to limit my seven bits of personal trivia to matters of gender (if anyone wishes to declare this a new meme, and run with it, be my guest).
1. When I was a child, I believed that all cats were female and all dogs were male. I consider this a revealing autobiographical detail.
2. I spent most of high school and college strongly disliking/being uncomfortable with being female. I wasn't a tomboy, and the majority of my friends have always been women, but I didn't feel that I really knew how to "do" female (and to the extent that I did, I resented it). All my artistic and intellectual heroes were men.
3. My freshman year I shared a suite with five other women, and I think it was then that I consciously began to socialize myself as female. I paid a lot of attention to the way my suitemates spoke and acted and moved through the world--everything from how they dressed and talked about their bodies to how they teased, comforted, and traded confidences with their friends.
4. I was a successful student of such matters. But although I now read as pretty femme--heels and makeup and all that--I consider this an elaborate and rather hilarious ruse. At the same time, the fact that other people don't get the joke makes me wonder who was mastering (or being mastered by) what.
5. Whenever I'm trying to remember where I heard something or whom I told a particular story to (you know: who was it I was talking to about. . . ?) the one detail I'm instantly sure of is my conversation partner's gender. I may have no idea how recently a conversation took place, or where, or any other details, but I always know whether the person I was talking with was male or female.
6. In college I had this bit that I did whenever someone told me a story about his or her romantic trials. "Oh, man," I'd say. "That's totally going in my book. You know, the book I'm writing? Women Are Mean, Men Are Stupid? Yeah. You'll be Chapter Six."
7. I relate to my freshman women who dislike the term "feminist"; who refuse to believe that their opportunities aren't absolutely equal to those of their male peers; who think that suggesting there are structural inequities--or even just problems importantly unique to women--amounts to playing victim or asking for special favors (if they're struggling, it must be because they aren't smart enough or tough enough or good enough). I felt that way for a long time. Sometimes I wish I still did.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Wonderments, or: why can't everybody be more like me?
Squadratomagico created a new meme based on the "eight random facts" model, and in tagging me she commented that she knows I don't like memes. This isn't strictly true, but they do inspire some anxiety; as much as I enjoy reading others' responses, I'm always convinced that my own are totally boring and self-indulgent. And yet memes seem fun, and I'm flattered to be tagged. But there's so much pressure! And so, as often as not, I don't follow through. And then I feel like a bad member of the blogosphere. So, really, everyone should remember this: I'm more socially awkward than I seem (either on-blog or in real life), so you should always assume that anything that might seem like a slight isn't, and that I've probably already overworried and overthought it anyway.
*AHEM.* All that is a way of saying that although I think this is an excellent meme, I apparently don't wonder about very many things very much, because as I started compiling a list of things that I wonder about, I realized that the subtext of almost all of my wonderments is, "why doesn't the rest of the world behave the way I do?"
(In the interests of neither pressuring anyone nor excluding anyone, I tag them that wants to be tagged, whoever and wherever they may be.)
*AHEM.* All that is a way of saying that although I think this is an excellent meme, I apparently don't wonder about very many things very much, because as I started compiling a list of things that I wonder about, I realized that the subtext of almost all of my wonderments is, "why doesn't the rest of the world behave the way I do?"
1. Why do people seem to believe that those who get up early are more virtuous and more efficient than those who get up late?
2. What exactly is it that I'm supposed to find interesting about science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism? Because I don't. Find them interesting.
3. What do most Christians find appealing about Jesus? I find it relatively easy to believe in a monotheistic deity, but Jesus has never really struck a chord with me. I mean, I get the appeal of the wise man who teaches people to lead a better life, but plenty of non-divine individuals (prophets, saints, Ralph Nader) have already got that ground covered. Even my best attempts to understand the point of Jesus and to see him as a meaningful part of the godhead are intellectual rather than affective, and probably heretical.
4. Why are some people so clueless about how they come across? How can anyone be unaware that others generally find him/her to be abrasive, self-important, unfunny, and so on?
5. Relatedly: am I abrasive, self-important, and unfunny?
6. Flip-flops. What makes people claim that they're comfortable? Sneakers are comfortable. Flats are comfortable. But lemme tell you: I can walk faster and more comfortably in three-inch heels than I can in flip-flops.
7. Relatedly: why do people insist that anything that isn't "natural" or "comfortable" is somehow false, oppressive, and objectionable (e.g., high heels, not emoting all over the place, any level of discipline in the home or classroom)?
8. Are there broad generalizations that we can make about the temperaments or personalities of people who work in certain fields or on certain subjects (e.g., Medievalists, Romanticists, Victorianists)? I certainly have my own theories and prejudices on this score, but I wonder whether they have a broader basis in fact or are just the result of my limited experiences and acquaintances.
(In the interests of neither pressuring anyone nor excluding anyone, I tag them that wants to be tagged, whoever and wherever they may be.)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Eight random things meme
If it's summer, it must be time for more memeage. I got tagged for this one by The Combat Philosopher, and although I had some anxiety that everything remotely interesting about me has already been put on display here, I think at least some of these are new (whether they're interesting is another story).
1. I had a longer and more serious unicorn phase than most girls (lasting into junior high school)--despite the fact that I was never a particularly girly girl.
2. I virtually do not watch t.v. (I only just got a tiny one last year), but that's not a principled position, and I enjoy many shows when I see them; watching t.v. just isn't something that it occurs to me to do when I'm alone. On the other hand, I have NPR on all the time and will happily listen to repeat broadcasts even of programs I've just heard.
3. Among my friends, I have a reputation for knowing all the words to every remotely familiar song. This is an exaggeration. However, I am a little obsessive about knowing what's being said so that I can sing along. (The real problem here is that I can't carry a tune.)
4. I own some totally random luxury goods: a beaver-skin top hat from the turn of the previous century; a cigarette holder made out of amber and tipped with gold; a mink coat and a fox-fur stole; hotel silver from the Waldorf-Astoria. I also own 16 champagne flutes, two pewter flasks, a cut-glass punchbowl, more than 20 handbags, and an Underwood typewriter from the 1920s. It never occurs to me to wonder why I have these things.
5. If I didn't spend at least five minutes, every single day, tweezing my eyebrows, they would be noticeably out of control within 48 hours. Within two weeks, they would have nearly tripled in size.
6. According to people who know me, I have a wide range of highly individualized noises that I make to express frustration, displeasure, distress, and so on. They're the equivalent of "gah," "arrgh," and "meh," but less recognizable as human sounds--they've been compared to bird calls, crying baby animals, etc. I don't believe I would have noticed this if it hadn't been pointed out to me, and I'm somewhat self-conscious about it.
7. I'm pretty sure that I require fewer calories a day than the average person. If I'm not paying attention, I might only eat a granola bar before dinner, then make a sandwich, and call it good. I enjoy very good food (as well as yummy crappy food), but most of the eating I do is strictly to sustain life.
8. I was registered as a Republican for about two years, circa 1997-98, although I'm pretty sure I've never actually voted for one. (Oh, wait--except for Mike Bloomberg.) I just thought it would be funny, and maybe interesting to try on that identity.
1. I had a longer and more serious unicorn phase than most girls (lasting into junior high school)--despite the fact that I was never a particularly girly girl.
2. I virtually do not watch t.v. (I only just got a tiny one last year), but that's not a principled position, and I enjoy many shows when I see them; watching t.v. just isn't something that it occurs to me to do when I'm alone. On the other hand, I have NPR on all the time and will happily listen to repeat broadcasts even of programs I've just heard.
3. Among my friends, I have a reputation for knowing all the words to every remotely familiar song. This is an exaggeration. However, I am a little obsessive about knowing what's being said so that I can sing along. (The real problem here is that I can't carry a tune.)
4. I own some totally random luxury goods: a beaver-skin top hat from the turn of the previous century; a cigarette holder made out of amber and tipped with gold; a mink coat and a fox-fur stole; hotel silver from the Waldorf-Astoria. I also own 16 champagne flutes, two pewter flasks, a cut-glass punchbowl, more than 20 handbags, and an Underwood typewriter from the 1920s. It never occurs to me to wonder why I have these things.
5. If I didn't spend at least five minutes, every single day, tweezing my eyebrows, they would be noticeably out of control within 48 hours. Within two weeks, they would have nearly tripled in size.
6. According to people who know me, I have a wide range of highly individualized noises that I make to express frustration, displeasure, distress, and so on. They're the equivalent of "gah," "arrgh," and "meh," but less recognizable as human sounds--they've been compared to bird calls, crying baby animals, etc. I don't believe I would have noticed this if it hadn't been pointed out to me, and I'm somewhat self-conscious about it.
7. I'm pretty sure that I require fewer calories a day than the average person. If I'm not paying attention, I might only eat a granola bar before dinner, then make a sandwich, and call it good. I enjoy very good food (as well as yummy crappy food), but most of the eating I do is strictly to sustain life.
8. I was registered as a Republican for about two years, circa 1997-98, although I'm pretty sure I've never actually voted for one. (Oh, wait--except for Mike Bloomberg.) I just thought it would be funny, and maybe interesting to try on that identity.
Monday, July 02, 2007
I always knew I was a crackpot
I've taken the Myers-Briggs personality test innumerable times, first in high school, and I've always been a clear INTJ--but back then I was very strongly each one of those components, and now they're more moderated. Still, I enjoyed this assessment:
Your Score: Crackpot - INTJ
30% Extraversion, 65% Intuition, 60% Thinking, 73% Judging
Your Score: Crackpot - INTJ
30% Extraversion, 65% Intuition, 60% Thinking, 73% Judging
People hate you.
Paris Hilton hates Nicole Richie. Lex Luther hates Superman. Garfield hates Mondays.
But none these even rates against the insurmountable hate people have for you.
I mean, you're pretty damn clever and you know it. You love to flaunt your potential. Heard the word "arrogant" lately? How about "jerk?" Or perhaps they only say that behind your back.
That's right. I know I can say this cause you're not going to cry. You're not exactly the most emotional person. You'd rather spend time with your theoretical questions and abstract theories than with other people.
Ever been kissed? Ever even been on a date? Trust me, your inflated ego is a complete turnoff with the opposite sex and I am telling you, you're not that great with relationships as it is. You're never going to be a dude or chick magnet, purely because you're more concerned with yourself than others. Meh. They all hate you already anyway.
How about this- "stubborn?" Hrm? Heard that lately? All those facts which don't fit your theories must just be wrong, right? I mean, really, the vast amounts of time you spend with your head in the clouds...you're just plain strange.
*****************
If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.
Take The Brutally Honest Personality Test, from OkCupid
Thursday, April 12, 2007
"Success" meme
Okay, so dhawhee tagged me for this one: the task is to identify the five things that I do every day that contribute to my "success"--a word that I feel compelled to place in quotes, as I'm not sure that I'm exactly a frequent flyer on the success express.
But for my purposes I'll define success as whatever it is that got me a done dissertation and a pretty good job, and whatever it is that keeps me writing and submitting and publishing and presenting.
But for my purposes I'll define success as whatever it is that got me a done dissertation and a pretty good job, and whatever it is that keeps me writing and submitting and publishing and presenting.
1. Like dhawhee, I'm a list-maker, and I make one nearly every day. This isn't to say that I get everything on that list done every day--far from it--but it calms me down and helps me focus.So, uh. . . check back in two or three years, why dontcha, and let's see if those habits have actually gotten me somewhere.
2. I pile up projects. That doesn't sound like a recipe for success, but I've found that I get more done when I have more stuff to do. Take my reading group, for example: who has the time to read four scholarly books unrelated to her research in the course of a semester teaching a 3-3 load and going to three conferences? Totally not me. But because I have that obligation, I've met it. What would I have done with that time otherwise? Frittered it away on the internet or course prep.
3. Relatedly, I put off course prep until the last minute. I get my grading done promptly and I'm pretty good about getting handouts and assignments made up in plenty of time--but planning what I'm actually going to do in front of the class the next day? Best to do that at 10 p.m. the night before. Or 11 p.m. Otherwise, what need take only 30 or 60 minutes could well suck up three hours.
4. I goof off a lot. Seriously. On days when I'm working at home--and especially if I don't have plans in the evening--I get up at 10 or so, spend a couple of hours on the internet, take a shower & put myself together. . . and then putter around the apartment until 3 or 4 or even past dinnertime. I've come to the conclusion that I really need that time to be totally by myself, just doing mindless, pleasurable things, in order to free up mental space and relax.
5. In between that goofing off, though--and tending to teaching and administrative tasks--I try to get some scholarship done every day. This I always schedule in manageable chunks: two hours here, an hour there. I can work very intensely for short bursts, and if it's an especially good day, I may have two or three such bursts. What's much harder is to make myself work for 6 or 8 hours at a go. . . and in the long run I figure that an hour or two of work, nearly every day, is much better (and much more likely to happen!) than setting aside one or even two days a week that are theoretically totally devoted to writing and research.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Reading for Pleasure Wednesday: A Meme!
Ph.D. Me tagged me for this one ages ago--which isn't to say that my answers are any more interesting now than they would have been then--but until I finish the two novels I'm currently reading and have some new fun books to write about, this is all I've got for you.
The Book Meme
1. One book that changed your life?
I'm not sure that any single book actually has changed my life--or maybe it's that a lot of books have changed my life, but only in tiny and incremental ways. But if I had to pick one author who had a serious impact on my life as a reader, it would be T. S. Eliot. Now, I actually kind of hate Eliot (for his politics, his prejudices, and for what that little punk-ass had to say about Milton), but he was my first exposure to "difficult" literature. Although we read virtually no poetry in my high school, we did read "Prufrock," and I totally loved it; I remember being particularly proud of myself for getting the references to Hamlet and John the Baptist.
Right after reading "Prufrock" in class, I went out and bought a copy of Eliot's complete poems and tried to read The Waste Land. Oh, I tried. I even checked out a copy of the Twayne's guide to the poem. I didn't succeed in really understanding very much of it, but I worked at it, and I got some inkling of what it was that literary professionals DO, and of the rewards that close analysis can bring.
2. One book you have read more than once?
Aside from the ones that I re-read for professional reasons? My favorite may be Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, which I've read at least six times.
3. One book you would want on a desert island?
There are a lot of books that I'd be perfectly happy to read over and over again, but I'd want something relatively lengthy, something that I enjoyed reading and reciting aloud--hell, let's just say Paradise Lost.
4. One book that made you laugh?
Just about every book I like makes me laugh, even those that are decidely unfunny (you may take this as evidence of my callousness or my fine sense of the absurd, as you wish). But I'm almost incapacitated with laughter every time I read Evelyn Waugh, especially Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies, and Handful of Dust. I reread each of those regularly.
5. One book that made you cry?
As above. Many books make me cry, even those that aren't particularly sad. I remember absolutely bawling at the epilogue to Middlemarch.
6. One book you wish had been written?
Uh, maybe my own? (Anyone want to finish it for me?)
7. One book you wish had never been written?
I've already been beaten to the punch with the Da Vinci Code, Mein Kampf, and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion--can I get all metaphorical here and say that I wish no one had ever written the book of George W. Bush? Or at least that it had been hastily erased?
8. One book you are currently reading?
I'm re-reading Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood, after seeing the John Huston film adaptation. (Expect a RfP post in the near future.)
9. One book you have been meaning to read?
The book I'm most embarrassed not to have read--and that I really want to read!--is Moby Dick. I've started it three times, but I have this enormous copy, see, that's difficult to lug around. . .
10. Now tag 5 people.
I'm bad at keeping track of who's done memes and who hasn't (and this one is aging rapidly), so if you want to do this one, consider yourself tagged!
The Book Meme
1. One book that changed your life?
I'm not sure that any single book actually has changed my life--or maybe it's that a lot of books have changed my life, but only in tiny and incremental ways. But if I had to pick one author who had a serious impact on my life as a reader, it would be T. S. Eliot. Now, I actually kind of hate Eliot (for his politics, his prejudices, and for what that little punk-ass had to say about Milton), but he was my first exposure to "difficult" literature. Although we read virtually no poetry in my high school, we did read "Prufrock," and I totally loved it; I remember being particularly proud of myself for getting the references to Hamlet and John the Baptist.
Right after reading "Prufrock" in class, I went out and bought a copy of Eliot's complete poems and tried to read The Waste Land. Oh, I tried. I even checked out a copy of the Twayne's guide to the poem. I didn't succeed in really understanding very much of it, but I worked at it, and I got some inkling of what it was that literary professionals DO, and of the rewards that close analysis can bring.
2. One book you have read more than once?
Aside from the ones that I re-read for professional reasons? My favorite may be Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, which I've read at least six times.
3. One book you would want on a desert island?
There are a lot of books that I'd be perfectly happy to read over and over again, but I'd want something relatively lengthy, something that I enjoyed reading and reciting aloud--hell, let's just say Paradise Lost.
4. One book that made you laugh?
Just about every book I like makes me laugh, even those that are decidely unfunny (you may take this as evidence of my callousness or my fine sense of the absurd, as you wish). But I'm almost incapacitated with laughter every time I read Evelyn Waugh, especially Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies, and Handful of Dust. I reread each of those regularly.
5. One book that made you cry?
As above. Many books make me cry, even those that aren't particularly sad. I remember absolutely bawling at the epilogue to Middlemarch.
6. One book you wish had been written?
Uh, maybe my own? (Anyone want to finish it for me?)
7. One book you wish had never been written?
I've already been beaten to the punch with the Da Vinci Code, Mein Kampf, and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion--can I get all metaphorical here and say that I wish no one had ever written the book of George W. Bush? Or at least that it had been hastily erased?
8. One book you are currently reading?
I'm re-reading Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood, after seeing the John Huston film adaptation. (Expect a RfP post in the near future.)
9. One book you have been meaning to read?
The book I'm most embarrassed not to have read--and that I really want to read!--is Moby Dick. I've started it three times, but I have this enormous copy, see, that's difficult to lug around. . .
10. Now tag 5 people.
I'm bad at keeping track of who's done memes and who hasn't (and this one is aging rapidly), so if you want to do this one, consider yourself tagged!
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