Created by Oatmeal
(Velociraptor quiz as seen at The Seacoast of Bohemia)
Created by Oatmeal
Clearly I haven't been to enough concerts.
Showing posts with label Memelicious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memelicious. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Wonder
Cross-posted from TerraFirma Creative
Here's the prompt for Day 4 of Reverb10:
When I consider wonder, I think primarily of two things:
I think these two poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins artfully capture my own sense of wonder. Go ahead--read them aloud to get their full effect.
Do you know what makes those poems different, other than their lovely imagery? Their sound, their diction. Hopkins tried not to use words derived from Latin, and the result are poems rich with Anglo-Saxon sounds and rhythms, sounds from a time and place that's foreign to me.
And so: wonder.
Sometimes I fail. And that really underscores the wonder of a thing--when I can't adequately capture a moment in words.
Wonder for me comes when reality exceeds my expectations, at the seam of the urban and rural or natural worlds. Boise has been full of these moments: a badger in the yard. The first snowflakes I've seen in a decade. A river behind my office; a giraffe beyond that, peeking over the zoo's fence.
That's what John Keats called that state "when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." For me, wonder engenders negative capability—it happens when I've transcended that left-brain moment of "how does that work?" and shifted into the right brain's "rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" It's the moment beyond questioning, a moment of beholding. A moment of contentment.
Even though I'm reflective by nature, it can be hard for me to just sit silently with things. But sometimes what I'm building—be it a lesson plan, an article, a business, a happy childhood for my son, a personal theology—needs that moment of reflection, needs that space where I can observe in wonder at the thing-in-itself, the untouched thing before I've tried to fix or alter it. It's a space where I don't need to worry about reaching after fact and reason, where I'm fine with uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts.
Photo by William Warby, and used under a Creative Commons license.
Here's the prompt for Day 4 of Reverb10:
Wonder.
How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
(Author: Jeffrey Davis)
When I consider wonder, I think primarily of two things:
- being in awe of, or delighted with, something in the world.
- being intensely curious.
I think these two poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins artfully capture my own sense of wonder. Go ahead--read them aloud to get their full effect.
God's Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
The Windhover
To Christ our Lord
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird -- the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.
Do you know what makes those poems different, other than their lovely imagery? Their sound, their diction. Hopkins tried not to use words derived from Latin, and the result are poems rich with Anglo-Saxon sounds and rhythms, sounds from a time and place that's foreign to me.
And so: wonder.
Words
Words are how I cultivate a sense of wonder in my life. I notice things, and I try to put them into words: November, the last orange leaves still snagged on twigs, coated by a heavy dusting of snow. Mountains rising suddenly beyond the city, glowing that western-dry-grass gold in the last sun. Iowa, and its threat of sky. Tracks of unfamiliar mammals in the backyard snow.Sometimes I fail. And that really underscores the wonder of a thing--when I can't adequately capture a moment in words.
Wonder for me comes when reality exceeds my expectations, at the seam of the urban and rural or natural worlds. Boise has been full of these moments: a badger in the yard. The first snowflakes I've seen in a decade. A river behind my office; a giraffe beyond that, peeking over the zoo's fence.
Negative capability
That's what John Keats called that state "when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." For me, wonder engenders negative capability—it happens when I've transcended that left-brain moment of "how does that work?" and shifted into the right brain's "rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" It's the moment beyond questioning, a moment of beholding. A moment of contentment.
Even though I'm reflective by nature, it can be hard for me to just sit silently with things. But sometimes what I'm building—be it a lesson plan, an article, a business, a happy childhood for my son, a personal theology—needs that moment of reflection, needs that space where I can observe in wonder at the thing-in-itself, the untouched thing before I've tried to fix or alter it. It's a space where I don't need to worry about reaching after fact and reason, where I'm fine with uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts.
And you?
Where do you find wonder?Photo by William Warby, and used under a Creative Commons license.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
For Lucas's inevitable family oral history projects...
As seen at New Kid's:
Where I was when....
1.) Challenger space shuttle exploded (1986): At my grandmother's house, waiting for her to drive me to school that morning. Unlike many young kids, my fifth-grade class hadn't been following the Challenger mission, so I don't think I quite understood the gravity of what had happened. I remember being the first in the classroom that day and telling my teacher, who was writing on the board, that the space shuttle had exploded. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" she asked me, her eyes wide and face contorted.
2.) Berlin Wall falls down (1989): Saw it on my parents' TV set in their bedroom. (It was the only TV we had.) Again, I was maybe 14 years old, so I didn't really grasp the significance of it all.
3.) Oklahoma City federal building bombing (1995): In a British Lit II survey course. At the end of class, the professor said, "It sounds like something bad just happened in Oklahoma City. If you have family there, you should call them."
4.) OJ Verdict (1995): Walking down the loggia along the north campus dorms at my college. The dorm lounges, which were on the first floor and whose windows opened to the loggia, were packed with students. I remember hearing the howls of protest and disbelief when he was acquitted.
5.) Princess Diana dies (1997): I had graduated from college earlier than year, and I was living with my parents. We had just finished watching a movie on their TV set, and when we turned off the movie, there was a reporter talking about a horrible crash involving Princess Diana. Of all the events mentioned so far, this one felt the most surreal to me.
6.) Columbine massacre (1999): In the newsroom at the newspaper company where Mr. Trillwing and I met. (It was his birthday, and crazy shit always happens on his birthday or the day before, since both April 19 and April 20 have special significance to crazy people--and no, I'm not talking about potheads ("4/20, Dude!").
7.) JFK Jr. Plane crash (1999): Mr. Trillwing and I were on our first date--though I don't think he recognized it as such. I was moving to Iowa about a week later, so I was anxious to figure out whether whatever it was between us was going to work out and be longer term. But Mr. Trillwing would not. shut. up. about JFK Jr. As of that evening, I don't think they had yet found the plane, or they were hoping he might still be alive or something like that.
8.) Bush/Gore crazy election (2000): Working at the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, surreptitiously checking the recount stats by refreshing my web browser every few minutes. Surreptitiously, that is, until the executive director asked me if I knew about the recount, and I showed him my screen. He then checked in with me a bit too regularly during the day. :)
9.) September 11 (2001): Mr. Trillwing and I had just moved to our current location two days earlier, and we didn't yet have cable or Internet hooked up. So Mr. T, who is a total cable news addict, had to do with fuzzy reception from rabbit ears and dialing into the Earthlink modem pool to get his news. He was going batshit crazy. And he said, the moment the first tower fell, "This country is about to take a sharp turn to the right." Truer words were never spoken.
10.) Space ship Columbia disintegrates (2003): I don't remember where I was, unfortunately, but I will say that you definitely should check out Edward Tufte's Cognitive Style of PowerPoint to see why (a) a PowerPoint presentation contributed to the death of the astronauts and (b) why you should never, ever teach with PowerPoint.
11.) Hurricane Katrina hits (2005): I was a few days from delivering Lucas, and indeed began labor in the immediate aftermath of the storm. I remember watching the news in the days immediately after Lucas's birth and just bawling. I was sad, and I would normally have been angry, too, but the raging hormones made sure I only did sadness that week.
Where I was when....
1.) Challenger space shuttle exploded (1986): At my grandmother's house, waiting for her to drive me to school that morning. Unlike many young kids, my fifth-grade class hadn't been following the Challenger mission, so I don't think I quite understood the gravity of what had happened. I remember being the first in the classroom that day and telling my teacher, who was writing on the board, that the space shuttle had exploded. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" she asked me, her eyes wide and face contorted.
2.) Berlin Wall falls down (1989): Saw it on my parents' TV set in their bedroom. (It was the only TV we had.) Again, I was maybe 14 years old, so I didn't really grasp the significance of it all.
3.) Oklahoma City federal building bombing (1995): In a British Lit II survey course. At the end of class, the professor said, "It sounds like something bad just happened in Oklahoma City. If you have family there, you should call them."
4.) OJ Verdict (1995): Walking down the loggia along the north campus dorms at my college. The dorm lounges, which were on the first floor and whose windows opened to the loggia, were packed with students. I remember hearing the howls of protest and disbelief when he was acquitted.
5.) Princess Diana dies (1997): I had graduated from college earlier than year, and I was living with my parents. We had just finished watching a movie on their TV set, and when we turned off the movie, there was a reporter talking about a horrible crash involving Princess Diana. Of all the events mentioned so far, this one felt the most surreal to me.
6.) Columbine massacre (1999): In the newsroom at the newspaper company where Mr. Trillwing and I met. (It was his birthday, and crazy shit always happens on his birthday or the day before, since both April 19 and April 20 have special significance to crazy people--and no, I'm not talking about potheads ("4/20, Dude!").
7.) JFK Jr. Plane crash (1999): Mr. Trillwing and I were on our first date--though I don't think he recognized it as such. I was moving to Iowa about a week later, so I was anxious to figure out whether whatever it was between us was going to work out and be longer term. But Mr. Trillwing would not. shut. up. about JFK Jr. As of that evening, I don't think they had yet found the plane, or they were hoping he might still be alive or something like that.
8.) Bush/Gore crazy election (2000): Working at the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, surreptitiously checking the recount stats by refreshing my web browser every few minutes. Surreptitiously, that is, until the executive director asked me if I knew about the recount, and I showed him my screen. He then checked in with me a bit too regularly during the day. :)
9.) September 11 (2001): Mr. Trillwing and I had just moved to our current location two days earlier, and we didn't yet have cable or Internet hooked up. So Mr. T, who is a total cable news addict, had to do with fuzzy reception from rabbit ears and dialing into the Earthlink modem pool to get his news. He was going batshit crazy. And he said, the moment the first tower fell, "This country is about to take a sharp turn to the right." Truer words were never spoken.
10.) Space ship Columbia disintegrates (2003): I don't remember where I was, unfortunately, but I will say that you definitely should check out Edward Tufte's Cognitive Style of PowerPoint to see why (a) a PowerPoint presentation contributed to the death of the astronauts and (b) why you should never, ever teach with PowerPoint.
11.) Hurricane Katrina hits (2005): I was a few days from delivering Lucas, and indeed began labor in the immediate aftermath of the storm. I remember watching the news in the days immediately after Lucas's birth and just bawling. I was sad, and I would normally have been angry, too, but the raging hormones made sure I only did sadness that week.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Memery: Survivance
The old "page 123" meme is going around again. Here are the instructions:
But I'm going to do this meme with a twist (and I invite you to join me): Pick out a photo using Flickr's Advanced Search--check the Creative Commons box to find photos you can use and modify--and place your quote on it. Use one of your quote's words as the search term. (I used "dominant.")
Once you have your sentences, place them onto your selected image. (My sentences were long, so I only included two.)
Click on the image to enlarge it.
The source of the text is Antonio López's essay "Circling the Cross: Bridging Native America, Education, and Digital Media" in Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media, edited by Anna Everett and published by the MacArthur Foundation and MIT Press in 2008.
The background image is a photo by Charles Roffey and is used under a Creative Commons license.
Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
But I'm going to do this meme with a twist (and I invite you to join me): Pick out a photo using Flickr's Advanced Search--check the Creative Commons box to find photos you can use and modify--and place your quote on it. Use one of your quote's words as the search term. (I used "dominant.")
Once you have your sentences, place them onto your selected image. (My sentences were long, so I only included two.)
Click on the image to enlarge it.
The source of the text is Antonio López's essay "Circling the Cross: Bridging Native America, Education, and Digital Media" in Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media, edited by Anna Everett and published by the MacArthur Foundation and MIT Press in 2008.
The background image is a photo by Charles Roffey and is used under a Creative Commons license.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Another shuffled music meme
As seen just about everywhere, but most recently at The Doctor Isn't:
First, the rules:
Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike through when someone gets them right
Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING.
If you don't normally do very well at this game, you might take a gander at #16. Guessing the artist is pretty damn easy.
BTW, if you're a 20th-century Americanist, and you don't know the singer/songwriter in #12 and #20 (same dude), I'm going to have to revoke your folklore credentials. Seriously--the lyric contents just give it away.
My favorite first line from this group is #5 because hey, who doesn't love little baby ducks?
Mr. Trillwing is NOT allowed to play here, though I do tag him for this meme.
One final note: I only brought one of the following artists into my marriage. The elves load up my iPod in the middle of the night, and their tastes are alarmingly similar to Mr. Trillwing's. The iPod elves have (largely) converted me to their tastes.
(I'm bolding the ones that have been correctly identified because I'm not big on the strikethrough thing.)
1. Take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, just like they say in the Bible.
2. I saw the harbor lights; they only told me we were parting.
3. How did I ever find you? I've been waitin' so long.
4. Oh my fair North star, I have held to you dearly.
5. I love little baby ducks, old pick-up trucks, slow-movin' trains, and rain. (Tom T. Hall, "I Love")
6. Come along and ride this train. (Johnny Cash, "Ride This Train")
7. You wake up in the morning, drink a beer and take a valium. (Tom T. Hall, "Everything From Jesus to Jack Daniels")
8. Every time you touch her sets your hands on fire.
9. I saw you this morning / you were moving so fast.
10. If this isn't love, the whole world is crazy. If this isn't love, I'm daft as a daisy.
11. Love is blindness, I don't want to see / won't you wrap the night around me? (U2, "Love is Blindness")
12. Go to sleep, you weary hobo. (Woody Guthrie, "Hobo's Lullaby")
13. Do the mornings still come early / Are the nights not long enough?
14. I took the Polaroid down in my room / I'm pretty sure you have a new girlfriend.
15. I'll be clickin' by your house about 2:45 / Sidewalk sundae strawberry surprise
16. "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." (Johnny Cash, Opening Medley, Johnny Cash Show)
17. Don'tcha take it too bad, if you're feeling unlovin'.
18. On the floor of the limo, there's a bottle of whiskey, a white Stetson hat with a fine feathered band.
19. Feelings are strange, especially when they come true
[skipping over a Spirit Nation song in Lakota, since I have no chance of transcribing it correctly]
20. It was early springtime, and the strike was on / it drove us miners out of doors / out from the houses that the company owned. (Woody Guthrie, "Ludlow Massacre")
21. In the rattle of the paddle came a whisper soft and low / from a soldier who had been wounded in the fray. (Johnny Cash, "When the Roses Bloom")
22. Darling, I'm in love with you, and I'll be one with you one day.
23. I want to walk into the light / Day has turned cold; hold back the night.
24. All the snow has turned to water, Christmas days have come and gone.
25. Take my hand and run with me, out of the past called yesterday.
First, the rules:
Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike through when someone gets them right
Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING.
If you don't normally do very well at this game, you might take a gander at #16. Guessing the artist is pretty damn easy.
BTW, if you're a 20th-century Americanist, and you don't know the singer/songwriter in #12 and #20 (same dude), I'm going to have to revoke your folklore credentials. Seriously--the lyric contents just give it away.
My favorite first line from this group is #5 because hey, who doesn't love little baby ducks?
Mr. Trillwing is NOT allowed to play here, though I do tag him for this meme.
One final note: I only brought one of the following artists into my marriage. The elves load up my iPod in the middle of the night, and their tastes are alarmingly similar to Mr. Trillwing's. The iPod elves have (largely) converted me to their tastes.
(I'm bolding the ones that have been correctly identified because I'm not big on the strikethrough thing.)
1. Take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, just like they say in the Bible.
2. I saw the harbor lights; they only told me we were parting.
3. How did I ever find you? I've been waitin' so long.
4. Oh my fair North star, I have held to you dearly.
5. I love little baby ducks, old pick-up trucks, slow-movin' trains, and rain. (Tom T. Hall, "I Love")
6. Come along and ride this train. (Johnny Cash, "Ride This Train")
7. You wake up in the morning, drink a beer and take a valium. (Tom T. Hall, "Everything From Jesus to Jack Daniels")
8. Every time you touch her sets your hands on fire.
9. I saw you this morning / you were moving so fast.
10. If this isn't love, the whole world is crazy. If this isn't love, I'm daft as a daisy.
11. Love is blindness, I don't want to see / won't you wrap the night around me? (U2, "Love is Blindness")
12. Go to sleep, you weary hobo. (Woody Guthrie, "Hobo's Lullaby")
13. Do the mornings still come early / Are the nights not long enough?
14. I took the Polaroid down in my room / I'm pretty sure you have a new girlfriend.
15. I'll be clickin' by your house about 2:45 / Sidewalk sundae strawberry surprise
16. "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." (Johnny Cash, Opening Medley, Johnny Cash Show)
17. Don'tcha take it too bad, if you're feeling unlovin'.
18. On the floor of the limo, there's a bottle of whiskey, a white Stetson hat with a fine feathered band.
19. Feelings are strange, especially when they come true
[skipping over a Spirit Nation song in Lakota, since I have no chance of transcribing it correctly]
20. It was early springtime, and the strike was on / it drove us miners out of doors / out from the houses that the company owned. (Woody Guthrie, "Ludlow Massacre")
21. In the rattle of the paddle came a whisper soft and low / from a soldier who had been wounded in the fray. (Johnny Cash, "When the Roses Bloom")
22. Darling, I'm in love with you, and I'll be one with you one day.
23. I want to walk into the light / Day has turned cold; hold back the night.
24. All the snow has turned to water, Christmas days have come and gone.
25. Take my hand and run with me, out of the past called yesterday.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
5-minute poem
The following quick-write poem is brought to you by the latest prompt posted on (In)Decisive Moments.
The instructions:
1. Write a question.
2. Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the following:
Day of the week
Time of day
Painter
Color
Fruit
Body part
Room
Means of transportation
Shape
Article of clothing
Plant
Country
Song lyrics
Street name
Emotion
Animal
Children’s toy
Historical event
Rock group
City
Saying
Landmark
Element
Metal
Smell
Thing you find in a hardware store
Musical instrument
3. Another question.
In five minutes, write a poem opening with the first question, closing with the second question and including as many of the responses to the words as possible. Think about how to get from the first question to the second.
Remember: no more than five minutes!
Tinder box
What time is it in Long Beach?
He is no Rembrandt, this child
no fan of light and dark, he is
like Mondays at noon--neither here nor there.
Ask him to draw a pear and he draws an arm.
From the bus he sees red octagons.
From his window he sees red octagons
all along Broadway,
beyond the living room’s ferns.
He wants a place to hang his shirt--
Country roads, take me home. . .
past grief, to horses.
To Andersen, to dogs with eyes as large
as the round towers of Copenhagen.
He is a metal lighthouse, steel and glass,
striking and, in the storm, struck.
The red tides bring brine into the street.
He does not know whether
to pick up hammer or horn.
And where am I going next?
The instructions:
1. Write a question.
2. Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the following:
Day of the week
Time of day
Painter
Color
Fruit
Body part
Room
Means of transportation
Shape
Article of clothing
Plant
Country
Song lyrics
Street name
Emotion
Animal
Children’s toy
Historical event
Rock group
City
Saying
Landmark
Element
Metal
Smell
Thing you find in a hardware store
Musical instrument
3. Another question.
In five minutes, write a poem opening with the first question, closing with the second question and including as many of the responses to the words as possible. Think about how to get from the first question to the second.
Remember: no more than five minutes!
Tinder box
What time is it in Long Beach?
He is no Rembrandt, this child
no fan of light and dark, he is
like Mondays at noon--neither here nor there.
Ask him to draw a pear and he draws an arm.
From the bus he sees red octagons.
From his window he sees red octagons
all along Broadway,
beyond the living room’s ferns.
He wants a place to hang his shirt--
Country roads, take me home. . .
past grief, to horses.
To Andersen, to dogs with eyes as large
as the round towers of Copenhagen.
He is a metal lighthouse, steel and glass,
striking and, in the storm, struck.
The red tides bring brine into the street.
He does not know whether
to pick up hammer or horn.
And where am I going next?
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Album cover meme
Make Your Own Album Cover: (as seen everywhere)
1. Click on this link. The title of the page is the name of your band.
2. Click on this link. The last four words of the final quotation on the page are the title of your album.
3. Click on this link. The third picture is your album cover.
4. Add your band name and title to the picture.
1. Click on this link. The title of the page is the name of your band.
2. Click on this link. The last four words of the final quotation on the page are the title of your album.
3. Click on this link. The third picture is your album cover.
4. Add your band name and title to the picture.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Class meme: privilege ahoy!
As seen at Anastasia:
Bold the statements that are true.
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college (and M.A.)
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college (and M.A.)
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. (not sure on this one--we may have been close)
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (with loans)
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp (only day camp)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels (only motels and camping, with an occasional exception)
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them ($500, from my grandmother)
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child (print series--does that count?)
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home (by which I mean, they paid their mortgage. They owned it outright shortly after I graduated from college, thanks to money they inherited from one of my grandparents.)
25. You had your own room as a child
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (We had one TV, on principle.)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (I went to the 1976 Olympics at age 1, and flew to Hawaii at age 13)
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
18/34
Bold the statements that are true.
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college (and M.A.)
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college (and M.A.)
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. (not sure on this one--we may have been close)
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (with loans)
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp (only day camp)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels (only motels and camping, with an occasional exception)
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them ($500, from my grandmother)
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child (print series--does that count?)
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home (by which I mean, they paid their mortgage. They owned it outright shortly after I graduated from college, thanks to money they inherited from one of my grandparents.)
25. You had your own room as a child
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (We had one TV, on principle.)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (I went to the 1976 Olympics at age 1, and flew to Hawaii at age 13)
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
18/34
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 Year-in-Review Meme
2007, like 2006, is already a blur to me, but I'm going to do my darndest to answer these thoughtfully.
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Learned to negotiate, not always successfully, with a two-year-old.
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Learned to negotiate, not always successfully, with a two-year-old.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Allow me to quote New Kid: "I probably made some half-assed ones, and did nothing to keep them." For 2008, see my post 101 things in 1001 days.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A couple of students in my grad program did, yes--both of them from the same cohort of six people. And the same fertile cohort has another one on the way in 2008. Must be something about being ABD in the humanities. . . (Actually, now that I think of it, two of them had/have AAUW fellowships. Maybe that's the ticket.)
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just this one. I'm recovering financially from grad school.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
More quality time with Mr. Trillwing.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
None in particular--just a vague sequence of Lucas's developmental milestones.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my current job. I really enjoy it.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting fit. In fact, getting less fit.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Oh god, yes. I have a child in daycare. On Christmas night, Mr. Trillwing had to clamp himself to me under the covers because I had a fever that was so bad I couldn't stop trembling--I could barely breathe. Thanks, daycare!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Not sure. Probably something to keep Lucas entertained--art supplies. The most significant thing we acquired is my parents' old Toyota Avalon.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mr. Trillwing, who deserves a medal for parenting.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I was disappointed by the behavior of the backstabber mentioned in this post. Also, just about the entire U.S. Congress and the Bush administration. And this week, the more I read about the SF Zoo's current director, the less thrilled I am with him. (I'm following the tiger story closely. Check out this article for more astonishing who-knew-what-when news.)
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, daycare, food, credit cards.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going back to visit Grinnell for alumni volunteer weekend. Also: watching Mr. Trillwing become an even more awesome father.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Once again I return you to "The Highwayman." I really like the theme of rebirth, especially (as I'm interpreting it at this moment) of professional rebirth.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier, the same, slightly wealthier. I've also had more sleep.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading, writing, exercise, hanging out with Mr. Trillwing.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating, facilitated by my RSS feed addiction.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it with my extended family in Long Beach. It's very, very stressful for Mr. Trillwing, so unless one of us has a terminally ill family member, we're very likely to spend next Christmas day here. Luke and I will fly down to see my family just after Christmas so that they don't feel deprived.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Again and again, with Mr. Trillwing and Lucas.
22. How many one-night stands?
I do not know this "one-night stand" you speak of. And hello? I'm happily married.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Lost, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords, Studio 60, Weeds (on DVD).
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't think I can hate anyone. But see #13 for resentments.
25. What was the best book you read?
Probably a tie between Water for Elephants and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Usually I'm not so impressed with books on the bestseller lists, but these were terrific.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Not sure. Lucas's, however, was definitely Johnny Cash. I guess I rediscovered The Highwaymen.
27. What did you want and get?
A job at the teaching resources center.
28. What did you want and not get?
A job at the humanities institute. But that's OK. I'm happy where I am.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think I saw all of two films in the theater this year: Dan in Real Life and Superbad. I think Dan wins out.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I can't remember what we did. But I turned 32.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Moving sooner into my current job.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Pushing the edges of business casual into frumpiness.
33. What kept you sane?
Not sure. Maybe motherhood, out of necessity.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Not sure.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Climate change. Though why it should be a political issue is beyond me. The earth is fucked up. Could we please take steps to remediate it, already?
36. Who did you miss?
My grandfathers. I wish they could watch Lucas navigate the full flower of his toddlerhood.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Coworkers.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Professionally, to be proactive (office settings can render folks passive, you know?). Personally, I didn't know I had so much love in me--but Lucas keeps bringing it out.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Seriously? Is this, like, seventh grade? Should I be dedicating a Tiffany song to someone?
101 Things in 1001 days
I've decided to participate in the 101 things in 1001 days meme.
I'm leaving the list a bit open-ended right now, so that I can add things as I wish. As of January 1, 2008, this list has 77 items. My end date is September 28, 2010.
Academic (7)
Blogging (4)
Bureaucracy (6)
Business and Professional (3)
Creative (16)
Family (8)
Fashion (2)
Finances (7)
Friends (4)
Gratitude (3)
Home and Garden (6)
Wellness (11)
I'm leaving the list a bit open-ended right now, so that I can add things as I wish. As of January 1, 2008, this list has 77 items. My end date is September 28, 2010.
Academic (7)
- Renew IRB approval for dissertation research
- Revise dissertation into book [in progress]
- Submit final draft of article to journal [done!]
- Secure IRB approval for project on collectors and collecting
- Make 30 key contacts for project on collectors and collecting
- Write “scrambled eggs” paper on chicken eggs and fertility anxieties
- Begin tentative research for that other women scientists fertility project
Blogging (4)
- Write at least 2x week at Clutter Museum [getting closer to this]
- Write 2x month for MuseumBlogging
- Write 2x month for Multicultural Toybox
- Update blogroll quarterly
Bureaucracy (6)
- Clear my desk completely on the first and fifteenth of each month. [I'm revising this to once per month -- and keeping up with it]
- Finally type up and notarize our wills.
- Create spreadsheet to better track debt repayment, retirement savings, investments.
- Get important papers in order.
- Buy a fireproof lockbox and use it to store important papers.
- Get passports for Mr. Trillwing, Lucas, and me. (I know, I know. . .) [Applied for my own]
Business and Professional (3)
- Follow up on one idea related to project on collectors and collecting.
- With Mr. Trillwing, think through his work hours/options. [always in progress]
- Update my personal website with professional content.
Creative (16)
- Learn digital illustration: sketch and color, as in the Sunday comics. [getting there, thanks to my new Wacom tablet]
- Complete three moderate-sized paintings.
- Complete one themed series of 15-25 photos using newish digital camera.
- Create some artwork and list it on Etsy any see if anyone bites.
- Paint model horse resins that have been sitting around for a few years. [in progress]
- Self-publish book of poetry, probably through Lulu.com.
- Collaborate with Mr. Trillwing on a big writing project.
- Write one chapter per quarter of novel that’s been brewing for years.
- Sew a skirt.
- Make a collage. [making a vision board]
- Draft text of children’s book.
- Shop around children’s book, or illustrate and self-publish on Lulu.
- Finish one scrapbook.
- Take a class at a craft center.
- Attend one poetry or fiction reading quarterly.
- Start or join a fiction writing group.
Family (8)
- Take Lucas for walks in regional nature preserves at least 4x year.
- Take Lucas to Yosemite. [done!]
- Plan Hawaii trip with Mr. Trillwing.
- Establish regular family meals. [we eat breakfast together, but not yet dinner]
- Fly a kite with Lucas.
- Potty train Lucas. [almost there!]
- Get guitar lessons and make practice time for Mr. Trillwing. [done!]
- Write, or record with multimedia, at least quarterly letters to Lucas.
Fashion (2)
- Dress more professionally, especially during non-summer months. [so far so good]
- Buy one spring/summer dress in which I really look terrific.
Finances (7)
- Pay down all credit card debt. [chipping away at it. . .]
- Save up three months of emergency savings. [now a 2009 resolution]
- Restart mutual fund and stock investments—including an IRA for Mr. Trillwing. [investments restarted, except for Mr. T's IRA. Update: I withdrew funds right before the big stock market crash. Crafty I am, except that I needed the money to spend. *sigh*]
- Make significant progress on student loan debt. [making regular payments, sometimes above the minimum]
- Identify “top 5” nonprofits for annual giving (categories: environment, education, women, peace and social justice, health) [semi-finalists thus far: Nature Conservancy, my alma mater, American Friends Service Committee or Friends Committee on National Legislation, Children's Organ Transplant Association, American Cancer Society]
- Set up account for Hawaii trip w/Mr. Trillwing.
Friends (4)
- Stay in better touch with good friends from high school and college.
- Host two big-ish events for my friends each year.
- Meet in person three bloggers I read. [done!]
- Have Dr. Wonderful's and Fantastic Mentor’s families over for BBQ once weather warms up.
Gratitude (3)
- Send 20 thank-you notes. [Sent thus far: 3]
- Surprise Mr. Trillwing with 20 handmade gifts. [Thus far: 5]
- Spend more quality time with the dog. [done--and since Woody is no longer with us, I'm busy trying to transfer my affections to Obi]
Home and Garden (6)
- Grow one. damn. tomato. [done! Grew many!]
- Improve composting process—get a bin. [improved process, but still binless]
- Expand backyard garden. [done! Built two raised beds, with plans for more]
- Have carpets professionally cleaned each January or February (and in July or August if the budget allows).
- Organize garage. [in progress]
- Complete one major decluttering/purging project at least every other month. [in progress]
Wellness (11)
- Bicycle to work at least 3x week when weather permits (between 35 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and not in heavy rain) and I'm not sick.
- Walk at least 30 minutes 4x week for three consecutive months.
- Pilates or yoga by video 3x week for three months, then decide whether or not to continue or to try something else. [began this and lost interest, though I know it would be helpful]
- By September 28, 2010, be able to run 30 minutes without being too winded.
- Get new more stylish glasses. [done--but I'm already getting tired of them!]
- Get more comfortable contact lenses. [done!]
- Take another stab at attending unprogrammed Friends meetings.
- Do a weekend fruit and juice fast.
- Find a place to take dressage lessons, and start horseback riding again.
- Get a new mattress. [done!]
- Prepare at least one new main dish every other month. (I’m interested in cooking, but I don’t love it.)
Friday, December 21, 2007
Paying it Forward with handmade goodness
Today Susan at posted a meme I've been wanting to participate in but felt too busy to commit to. Now that the quarter is over, I'm feeling saner, and so I took Susan up on her offer, and I'm offering goodies to three of readers of this blog.
If you participate as a receiver, you have to make the same offer on your blog, too. Here's the scoop:
If you participate as a receiver, you have to make the same offer on your blog, too. Here's the scoop:
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.Any takers?
What do you have to do?
1. Respond here and give your email address so that I can contact you for your address.
2. Place this on your own blog and also send the first 3 people that respond something.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
International acaDemic Writing Month
What are you doing for International acaDemic Writing Month (InaDWriMo)? Come on--you know you have a project or grant to draft or finish up!
I'll be revising like crazy--one article, one dissertation-to-book--and keeping track of my page count.
Head on over to Dr. Brazen Hussy's place to sign up.
I'll be revising like crazy--one article, one dissertation-to-book--and keeping track of my page count.
Head on over to Dr. Brazen Hussy's place to sign up.
The Pharyngula Mutating Genre Meme
I was tagged by Field Notes from an Evolutionary Psychologist for a meme. It was started by PZ Myers at Pharyngula as a means of demonstrating evolution in cyberspace.
First, the rules:
There are a set of questions below that are all of the form, "The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is...".
Copy the questions, and before answering them, you may modify them in a limited way, carrying out no more than two of these operations:
* You can leave them exactly as is.
* You can delete any one question.
* You can mutate either the genre, medium, or subgenre of any one question.
For instance, you could change "The best time travel novel in SF/Fantasy is..." to "The best time travel novel in Westerns is...", or "The best time travel movie in SF/Fantasy is...", or "The best romance novel in SF/Fantasy is...".
* You can add a completely new question of your choice to the end of the list, as long as it is still in the form "The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is...".
* You must have at least one question in your set, or you've gone extinct, and you must be able to answer it yourself, or you're not viable.
Then answer your possibly mutant set of questions. Please do include a link back to the blog you got them from, to simplify tracing the ancestry, and include these instructions. Finally, pass it along to any number of your fellow bloggers. Remember, though, your success as a Darwinian replicator is going to be measured by the propagation of your variants, which is going to be a function of both the interest your well-honed questions generate and the number of successful attempts at reproducing them.
So, without further ado:
My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is Pharyngula.
My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is Metamagician and the Hellfire Club.
My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is Flying Trilobite.
My great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is A Blog Around the Clock.
My great-great-great-great-great-grandparent is Primate Diaries.
My great-great-great-great-grandparent is Thus Spake Zuska.
My great-great-great-grandparent is a k8, a cat, a mission.
My great-great-grandparent is Monkeygirl.
My great-grandparent is DancingFish.
My grandparent is "No One".
My parent is Field Notes.
The best children's novel in SF/Fantasy is: Bunnicula
The best recent movie in comedy is: SuperBad
The best uplifting song in country music is: Johnny Cash's "Man in Black"
The best cult novel in classic fiction is: Pride and Prejudice
The best high-fat food in Mexican cooking is: Quesadillas
The best dissertation-related words I ever received from a scholar are: "Just write the damn thing."
I am propagating this meme on to anyone else who cares to replicate, and these bloggers:
JustMe
Breena Ronan
Julie
B*
Thursday, July 12, 2007
I rock. Dr. Brazen Hussy says so.
Dr. Brazen Hussy has bestowed upon me a Rockin' Girl Blogger award. This is what she had to say about moi:
She's got blogging dedication that I can't even begin to understand. Hell, she even got a job offer because of one of her blogs! And she often writes long, well-thought out posts on interesting topics that I admire very much.
Thank you, Dr. Hussy!
And now I shall return the favor by picking out five bloghers whom I feel rock. Now, since I am a contributing editor over at BlogHer, you might know that I follow the feeds of
1. Phantom Scribbler: Phantom rocks for so many reasons. Her generosity, her candor, her writing that's hilarious and thought-provoking by turns--and sometimes both at the same time.
2. Liz Losh of virtualpolitik: However many readers virtualpolitik has, it's too few. Liz brings the sexy back to rhetoric. I don't know how she finds the time to write so many meaningful posts on visual and textual cultures.
3. Geeky Mom, Ph.D.: Laura always writes thoughtfully and articulately--yet with passion--about issues I care about. As a bonus, she writes at a second blog as well: ETC @ BMC.
4. Queen of West Procrastination: Because Maryanne is funny. Very funny. And since she's still a grad student, she helps me remember what it was all about. And for that I am grateful.
5. Nina Simon of Museum 2.0: Nina is a relative newcomer to the blogosphere, but I love her posts about how museums can use web 2.0 concepts online and in exhibition halls, on the screen and off.
Keep up the good work, everyone. You all (all my readers) rock!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
No carrion for me, please
Odd result for a vegetarian, n'est-ce pas?
(As seen at Dr. Brazen Hussy's.)
| Your Power Bird is a Vulture |
 You are always changing your life and the lives of those around you. You aren't afraid to move on from what holds you back. Energetic and powerful, you have a nearly unlimited capacity for success. You know how to "go with the flow" and take advantage of what is given to you. |
(As seen at Dr. Brazen Hussy's.)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Answers to last month's quiz
Answers to the very difficult quiz I posted last month, along with some comments:
Question #1
Where did I graduate from college?
University of California, Irvine
Grinnell College (highly recommended for oddball gifted children!)
California State University, Long Beach
Swarthmore
Question #2
For which of the following cities does Mr. Trillwing produce newspapers?
Compton
Riverside
San Diego
All of the above
Question #3
If I weren't on meds, what would be my endocrine status?
Hyperthyroid, naturally
Hypothyroid, naturally
Hypothyroid, induced by radiation (hyperthyroidism sucks, so in 1992 I opted for the radioactive cocktail)
Hyperthyroid, induced by mono
Question #4
Which of these bloggers do I know in real life? (Wish I knew them all!)
Breena Ronan
Phantom Scribbler
Dr. Brazen Hussy
ScienceWoman
Question #5
Where did I grow up?
Iowa City, Iowa
Long Beach, California (and with it I have a love/hate relationship as I do for no other place in the world)
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
Question #6
What do I collect, albeit quite passively these days?
guppies
superhero figurines
model horses (there's a book in there somewhere)
other people's angst
Question #7
Am I on Facebook? And why or why not?
Yes. It's my new secret addiction.
Yes, but it's related to work. Really. (I'm designing a faculty workshop on how we can use students' social networking practices for sound pedagogical ends. The trick will be applying that sound pedagogy to Sakai, my occasional arch-nemesis.*)
No. I have too much else to do.
No. I'm waaaaay too old.
Question #8
My Ph.D. is in. . .
American Studies
History
Women's Studies
Cultural Studies (but I wish it were in American studies or history or, hey, just about anything else. Nematology, anyone?)
Question #9
About which of these political issues am I most passionate?
Abortion rights
Gender equity
Global warming
No Child Left Behind
Question #10
On what holiday was Lucas born?
Labor Day (U.S.) (he's got a sense of humor, that one)
Christmas
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.)
Halloween
* Today when I compared our implementation of Sakai to the Whac-a-Mole, game, my boss, our campus's Sakai program manager, declared the metaphor to be particularly apt. Bugalicious! Whump!
Question #1
Where did I graduate from college?
University of California, Irvine
Grinnell College (highly recommended for oddball gifted children!)
California State University, Long Beach
Swarthmore
Question #2
For which of the following cities does Mr. Trillwing produce newspapers?
Compton
Riverside
San Diego
All of the above
Question #3
If I weren't on meds, what would be my endocrine status?
Hyperthyroid, naturally
Hypothyroid, naturally
Hypothyroid, induced by radiation (hyperthyroidism sucks, so in 1992 I opted for the radioactive cocktail)
Hyperthyroid, induced by mono
Question #4
Which of these bloggers do I know in real life? (Wish I knew them all!)
Breena Ronan
Phantom Scribbler
Dr. Brazen Hussy
ScienceWoman
Question #5
Where did I grow up?
Iowa City, Iowa
Long Beach, California (and with it I have a love/hate relationship as I do for no other place in the world)
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
Question #6
What do I collect, albeit quite passively these days?
guppies
superhero figurines
model horses (there's a book in there somewhere)
other people's angst
Question #7
Am I on Facebook? And why or why not?
Yes. It's my new secret addiction.
Yes, but it's related to work. Really. (I'm designing a faculty workshop on how we can use students' social networking practices for sound pedagogical ends. The trick will be applying that sound pedagogy to Sakai, my occasional arch-nemesis.*)
No. I have too much else to do.
No. I'm waaaaay too old.
Question #8
My Ph.D. is in. . .
American Studies
History
Women's Studies
Cultural Studies (but I wish it were in American studies or history or, hey, just about anything else. Nematology, anyone?)
Question #9
About which of these political issues am I most passionate?
Abortion rights
Gender equity
Global warming
No Child Left Behind
Question #10
On what holiday was Lucas born?
Labor Day (U.S.) (he's got a sense of humor, that one)
Christmas
Thanksgiving Day (U.S.)
Halloween
* Today when I compared our implementation of Sakai to the Whac-a-Mole, game, my boss, our campus's Sakai program manager, declared the metaphor to be particularly apt. Bugalicious! Whump!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Pop quiz!
As seen at Dr. Brazen Hussy's
Create your own Friend Quiz here
UPDATE: Wow, you guys are doing really well. This is a tough quiz!
Create your own Friend Quiz here
UPDATE: Wow, you guys are doing really well. This is a tough quiz!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Five Questions
I'm coming late to the five questions interview meme, but better late than never, eh? Dr. Brazen Hussy was kind enough to provide the interview questions.
Look out, I'm feeling long-winded. . .
1. What made you decide to leave the traditional academic path?
Oh, so many things. In no particular order: grading papers, salary, impatience with the whole academic hiring process, pessimism about the job market.
I love teaching, I really do. When I'm in the classroom or working with a student in office hours, I feel I'm in exactly the right place. I'm good at that stuff (with the exception of the last quarter I taught--that didn't go so well), especially with smaller classes (25-30 students).
However, I knew that the academic job market is currently très sucky in the humanities, so I decided to conduct a dual-track job search. I applied for academic jobs in the fall, and I anticipated applying for nonacademic jobs in the spring if the academic job market didn't pan out for me.
When I saw what is now my current position advertised, I realized I could stay in this terrific town and still think a lot about teaching. I'd get to interact with faculty from across the disciplines, and I'd get paid like an assistant professor--and the salary scale appproximates the academic one. So when I was offered the job, I felt a little heartache over giving up classroom teaching, but it was kind of a no-brainer.
I may go back into teaching at some point. I've decided to try to get a book contract out of my dissertation and to continue to submit articles to academic journals. That way, if I do decide I want to have a teaching job, I'll have the publications and research part taken care of. At that point I can pick up another couple courses as a lecturer to update the teaching portion of my CV--a section that is already quite extensive, as I was fortunate to be able to teach many of my own classes--in literature, writing, and American Studies--many of them right from the beginning of my Ph.D. work.
2. How did you meet your husband?
Hoo boy. As I was finishing my thesis for my M.A. in creative writing, I moved back to Long Beach to be closer to my family and to find work as a writer or editor. My first job--as an assistant editor at an educational publishing company that specialized in social studies and language acquisition for elementary and middle-school students with limited English proficiency--was pretty damn boring and required a 90-minute commute each way (that's 30 SoCal miles). I'd leave before dawn and get back after dusk, and I worked in a light industrial office park, so there wasn't even any place to take a walk at lunch. Bleah.
But I digress.
I was desperate for another job, any job, so I scanned the ads in the local paper, a charming free publication I'd been reading since I was a child, The Grunion Gazette. (Yes, in the words of Heather, who worked there long before my time, it's a newspaper named after smelt.) In the classified section there was an ad for a staff writer at the Grunion. The pay sucked in a huge way ($22,000/year, and this was in 1999), but the commute was four minutes, I could go home for lunch, and the office was in an upscale-ish but kind of funky shopping and dining district.
On my first day, I was introduced to everyone. One of the last people I met was Mr. Trillwing, who was the art director/production manager for the paper. He was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and an old flannel shirt. I was nervous about what I was wearing--a blue cotton blouse and navy pants--because what the hell is a cub reporter supposed to wear, anyway? And Mr. T looks me up and down and, waving his flannel shirt in one hand, says, "See you got the dress code." Which I totally didn't understand. I said to myself, "Stay away from that guy." Because there are few things I hate more than feeling like I don't get what someone is saying and it's because they're making fun of me.
I quickly learned, however, that Mr. T is one smart cookie. And funny. And kinda cute. And tall, very tall, which is oddly important to me. I'd get to work early so we could chat, since Mr. T was typically the first one at the office each day. My favorite times of the week became the major production days for the company's two newspapers because I got to play paste-up monkey and hang out in the production area.
Meanwhile, I applied to a Ph.D. program because I felt if the best I could do in my hometown was $22,000/year, I needed more schooling. I was accepted.
When I announced in mid-July that I was moving (back) to Iowa, Mr. Trillwing wrote me a fabulous e-mail wishing me well. He concluded it with "in an alternate universe, we made a terrific couple!" And I thought, "Wait a minute. . . I live in an alternate universe." (That's how most writers feel, yes?)
I replied to his e-mail with my own: "Damn. Damn damn damn!" We went on a couple dates the next week, and then I moved to Iowa. We did the long-distance thing for a year and then I moved back to the LBC. And the rest is history. . .
3. If you were a scientist, what kind of scientist would you be?
When I was in elementary school, I was in a gifted education program, and the parents and teachers were very assiduous about exposing us to all kinds of studies and career possibilities. So when the (woman) chemist came to do a demonstration, I wanted to be a chemist. And when the (woman) ornithologist came and captured birds in a net and measured, weighed, and banded them, I wanted to be a professional bird nerd.
But my big love, from age 3 and on, was paleontology. I took geology in high school and really enjoyed it, and I imagine if I hadn't completely burned out in math and physics, I might have pursued a major in the geological sciences.
If today I could magically be transformed into any kind of scientist, I'd probably go for marine biologist, although I have a fear of many kinds of sea creatures. :)
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
I have a confession: I'm pretty damn provincial. Growing up, my family never had much money for travel, and so most of my travel took place in the U.S., mostly in the West. I've been to Canada a couple of times (1976 and in the early 90s) and to Hawaii once (late 80s), but otherwise, I'm kind of a homebody. So I'm drawing on limited experience with the world.
That said, I think I'd like to live on the central California coast, maybe around Big Sur. I also find Telegraph Hill in San Francisco to be absolutely delightful, even though I'm not much of a big-city person. Who wouldn't want to live in a lovely neighborhood on a hillside covered with flowers and trees, with a view of the San Francisco Bay, and with a flock of parrots? (The parrots are especially endearing because a similar flock lives in my old neighborhood in Long Beach.)
5. What book has most influenced you?
This is a hard one. I can't think of a particular book that has influenced me tremendously in a philosophical or intellectual way. But I can think of dozens of books that have inspired me as a writer. Among them are Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats, and Sarah Lindsay's book of poetry Primate Behavior. I'm not saying these are the best authors I've ever read, but they do inspire me.
If anyone has any earth=-shattering tomes to recommend, I'd love to hear about them.
Thanks again, Dr. Hussy!
If you'd like to be interviewed by moi, please leave a comment or e-mail me: trillwing at gmail dot com.
Look out, I'm feeling long-winded. . .
1. What made you decide to leave the traditional academic path?
Oh, so many things. In no particular order: grading papers, salary, impatience with the whole academic hiring process, pessimism about the job market.
I love teaching, I really do. When I'm in the classroom or working with a student in office hours, I feel I'm in exactly the right place. I'm good at that stuff (with the exception of the last quarter I taught--that didn't go so well), especially with smaller classes (25-30 students).
However, I knew that the academic job market is currently très sucky in the humanities, so I decided to conduct a dual-track job search. I applied for academic jobs in the fall, and I anticipated applying for nonacademic jobs in the spring if the academic job market didn't pan out for me.
When I saw what is now my current position advertised, I realized I could stay in this terrific town and still think a lot about teaching. I'd get to interact with faculty from across the disciplines, and I'd get paid like an assistant professor--and the salary scale appproximates the academic one. So when I was offered the job, I felt a little heartache over giving up classroom teaching, but it was kind of a no-brainer.
I may go back into teaching at some point. I've decided to try to get a book contract out of my dissertation and to continue to submit articles to academic journals. That way, if I do decide I want to have a teaching job, I'll have the publications and research part taken care of. At that point I can pick up another couple courses as a lecturer to update the teaching portion of my CV--a section that is already quite extensive, as I was fortunate to be able to teach many of my own classes--in literature, writing, and American Studies--many of them right from the beginning of my Ph.D. work.
2. How did you meet your husband?
Hoo boy. As I was finishing my thesis for my M.A. in creative writing, I moved back to Long Beach to be closer to my family and to find work as a writer or editor. My first job--as an assistant editor at an educational publishing company that specialized in social studies and language acquisition for elementary and middle-school students with limited English proficiency--was pretty damn boring and required a 90-minute commute each way (that's 30 SoCal miles). I'd leave before dawn and get back after dusk, and I worked in a light industrial office park, so there wasn't even any place to take a walk at lunch. Bleah.
But I digress.
I was desperate for another job, any job, so I scanned the ads in the local paper, a charming free publication I'd been reading since I was a child, The Grunion Gazette. (Yes, in the words of Heather, who worked there long before my time, it's a newspaper named after smelt.) In the classified section there was an ad for a staff writer at the Grunion. The pay sucked in a huge way ($22,000/year, and this was in 1999), but the commute was four minutes, I could go home for lunch, and the office was in an upscale-ish but kind of funky shopping and dining district.
On my first day, I was introduced to everyone. One of the last people I met was Mr. Trillwing, who was the art director/production manager for the paper. He was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and an old flannel shirt. I was nervous about what I was wearing--a blue cotton blouse and navy pants--because what the hell is a cub reporter supposed to wear, anyway? And Mr. T looks me up and down and, waving his flannel shirt in one hand, says, "See you got the dress code." Which I totally didn't understand. I said to myself, "Stay away from that guy." Because there are few things I hate more than feeling like I don't get what someone is saying and it's because they're making fun of me.
I quickly learned, however, that Mr. T is one smart cookie. And funny. And kinda cute. And tall, very tall, which is oddly important to me. I'd get to work early so we could chat, since Mr. T was typically the first one at the office each day. My favorite times of the week became the major production days for the company's two newspapers because I got to play paste-up monkey and hang out in the production area.
Meanwhile, I applied to a Ph.D. program because I felt if the best I could do in my hometown was $22,000/year, I needed more schooling. I was accepted.
When I announced in mid-July that I was moving (back) to Iowa, Mr. Trillwing wrote me a fabulous e-mail wishing me well. He concluded it with "in an alternate universe, we made a terrific couple!" And I thought, "Wait a minute. . . I live in an alternate universe." (That's how most writers feel, yes?)
I replied to his e-mail with my own: "Damn. Damn damn damn!" We went on a couple dates the next week, and then I moved to Iowa. We did the long-distance thing for a year and then I moved back to the LBC. And the rest is history. . .
3. If you were a scientist, what kind of scientist would you be?
When I was in elementary school, I was in a gifted education program, and the parents and teachers were very assiduous about exposing us to all kinds of studies and career possibilities. So when the (woman) chemist came to do a demonstration, I wanted to be a chemist. And when the (woman) ornithologist came and captured birds in a net and measured, weighed, and banded them, I wanted to be a professional bird nerd.
But my big love, from age 3 and on, was paleontology. I took geology in high school and really enjoyed it, and I imagine if I hadn't completely burned out in math and physics, I might have pursued a major in the geological sciences.
If today I could magically be transformed into any kind of scientist, I'd probably go for marine biologist, although I have a fear of many kinds of sea creatures. :)
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
I have a confession: I'm pretty damn provincial. Growing up, my family never had much money for travel, and so most of my travel took place in the U.S., mostly in the West. I've been to Canada a couple of times (1976 and in the early 90s) and to Hawaii once (late 80s), but otherwise, I'm kind of a homebody. So I'm drawing on limited experience with the world.
That said, I think I'd like to live on the central California coast, maybe around Big Sur. I also find Telegraph Hill in San Francisco to be absolutely delightful, even though I'm not much of a big-city person. Who wouldn't want to live in a lovely neighborhood on a hillside covered with flowers and trees, with a view of the San Francisco Bay, and with a flock of parrots? (The parrots are especially endearing because a similar flock lives in my old neighborhood in Long Beach.)
5. What book has most influenced you?
This is a hard one. I can't think of a particular book that has influenced me tremendously in a philosophical or intellectual way. But I can think of dozens of books that have inspired me as a writer. Among them are Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats, and Sarah Lindsay's book of poetry Primate Behavior. I'm not saying these are the best authors I've ever read, but they do inspire me.
If anyone has any earth=-shattering tomes to recommend, I'd love to hear about them.
Thanks again, Dr. Hussy!
If you'd like to be interviewed by moi, please leave a comment or e-mail me: trillwing at gmail dot com.
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