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Monday, June 22nd, 2009
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2:06 pm - I feel good
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Things have been going well in terms of the plan. Thanks to the comments I received to a previous post, I decided to give the Girl Scouts one more try. They were way more responsive this time. I'm just waiting for them to complete the background check and then I'll be attending a training session. And then, hopefully, there will be a troop waiting for me. Ha! How awesome is that!
I also started writing an article today. If I have any hope of getting out of the crappy job I'm in, I need some publications. Right now I only have a pedagogical publication to my name. (I'm co-author on a world history reader.) But I need something in the arena of original research. Hence the article.
On the first day of writing, I play such silly game with myself. I tell myself, I only need to complete one paragraph. Then, I complete two so that I can feel good about myself. I know that I'm going to do this, and yet it works every time. I feel good about myself for my 'extra' paragraph.
And to top everything off, I got to see Guster on Saturday. Yes, it was hot. And, yes, it was crowded. (So hot and crowded that Greg actually gave up before Guster even got to the stage--which was probably for the best. I would have spent the entire show worrying about how miserable he was. Instead, I just got to indulge my apparently boundless love of the Guster boys guilt-free.)
I took some picture from my cellphone, which, as you can see, is an awesome piece of technology.
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| Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
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8:02 pm - Voila!
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Today I had lunch with Brandy. Yay!
I also had a good French day. I finished up a book in French that I have been reading for about a week and a half. I shouldn't have spent so much time on it. But it's been so long since I've read French, I found the whole process exhausting. I ended up taking breaks about every five pages. But the good news is that my reading comprehension skills didn't abandon me after all that time of neglect. Even though it's been months since I've read much French, I was able to jump right in. That's very encouraging.
Finishing the book was certainly a good feeling, but I also had another great French moment today. I receive this email newsletter FYI France, which is mainly for academics. It typically discusses new technologies in the Francophone world and how they are affecting research. In today's issue, the author, J. Kessler, was complaining about the advent of social networking sites in France. He listed a bunch of them, ending with "even (groan!) Twitter... what is it, 'je tweet, nous tweetons, vous tweetez'?"
I don't why I find the conjugation of tweet so damn funny. But I laughed and laughed. Best laugh I've had in a long time.
And it turns out I needed a good laugh. I got an email later today from my department chair. They're moving me to a new office. The only good thing about my job was my awesome office! Now they are taking that from me. I'm sad. (And glad that I never moved any of my books into my work office.)
See why I need my Improve My Life Plan? They took my office!
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| Monday, June 15th, 2009
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8:39 pm - I never liked Thin Mints
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As part of my Improving My Life Plan, I wanted to do some volunteer work. Back in the day, I used to volunteer as an adult literacy tutor. It was a good experience. This time around, I thought I had picked the perfect organization--the Girl Scouts.
(Hey, stop laughing. Girl Scouts aren't just about camping. They're also about cookies. I can do cookies!)
It's a little known fact that I was a Girl Scout for twelve years. And I enjoyed it. But looking back on the experience, I feel like it was missing something: more diverse role models. Every adult woman I came in contact with as a Girl Scout was a stay-at-home mom. (I feel obliged to mention that there was one gay woman who volunteered when I was a Girl Scout, though I didn't figure the gay part out for quite some time.)
Still, I think it would have been better if there had been a bit more diversity in my scouting experience. Where were the single women? What about married women without children? Young girls should see the full range of possible life choices. That's one of the big reasons I want to volunteer. I just want to show the girls a different life path.
So in April, I contacted the Atlanta Girl Scouts. They immediately emailed me back, asking me which public school I was closest to. I promptly emailed them back, and have since heard nothing from them.
I'm not sure if I should be more persistent or move on to a different organization. What do you think? Email/call them again? Keep waiting? Find somewhere else to volunteer?
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| Saturday, June 13th, 2009
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5:31 pm - The moon and stars are ganging up on the sun
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Today's subject line is from a Guster song. Guster is my favorite band. They are playing a free show next Saturday two blocks from my house. I'm not kidding. Free! Two blocks! Talk about improving my life.
They are playing at the Midsummer Music Festival at Candler Park. Greg and I will be heading over around 8:00 PM next Saturday. And if anyone wants to join us for some free music and hangin' out, let me know. Again, it's free to attend (and only $5 to get a wristband for beer). Here's the website with all the info: http://www.midsummermusicfestival.com/
In other news, Greg and I continue to prepare for our trip to Wales. We hired a travel agent, because I didn't want to have to spend all my time planning. I figured after planning the wedding, I was due a break. But as of right now, I'm not convinced it was worth the money to hire the agent. I'm still having to do an awful lot of work. It's stressing me out!
Anyway, our itinerary is three nights in Cardiff, three nights in Bangor, and two nights in Pembroke. We head back to Cardiff for the final night, because we have a 6:00 AM flight the next morning. (For the record, I ended up coming up with the itinerary. Our travel agent was supposed to do it, but she kept trying to do stupid things. So I eventually just told her what to do. I did mention the stress, right?)
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| Thursday, June 4th, 2009
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10:34 am - A well conceived plan
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So the Improving My Life Plan is starting to bear fruit. Last Sunday, I went to the Botanical Gardens with some friends to see the Henry Moore exhibit (photos below). Greg and I have tickets to see the play "End Days" at the Horizon Theatre on Friday.
But the best news is that the honeymoon is back on! Yes, the swine flu is still spreading. But most people live to tell the tale. So we decided to throw caution to the wind and head to Wales. We already have our plane tickets.
And talk about a plan coming together, the first night we're there, there's a production of Twelfth Night at the castle in Cardiff. How awesome will that be? Seeing Shakespeare at a Welsh castle! Sure, we'll be jet lagged. But I think it's worth the pain. (And I eventually I convinced Greg as well.)
In general, I've noticed that my mood is improving. So the plan is working. But I don't just think it's because of a bunch of plays. I've also been spending the past couple of weeks reading in my field and revisiting my research. I'm really enjoying feeling connected to my work again. I think I underestimated how important research is to me. I've always thought of myself as a teacher first and a researcher second. That's probably true, but that doesn't mean that the research doesn't matter. There's a lot of excitement in research, and it gives me a sense of how capable I can be in my discipline. Doing my work wasn't part of the plan, but I now know that it should be!
Ok, enjoy the pics!
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| Monday, May 25th, 2009
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7:23 pm - Computing on a small scale
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As part of the plan, I briefly considered getting a Kindle. I figured it would improve my life by letting me keep up with my fandoms and my discipline. But after doing some research, I realized that it wouldn't be helpful for either. To keep up with the fandoms, it needed to handle html, which it doesn't do well. For the discipline, I needed pdfs. Like html, Kindle doesn't handle pdfs well. I also needed history books in Kindle format. I checked a number of books that I wanted to read, and none of them had Kindle versions. Apparently, Kindle doesn't really do nonfiction.
So, I decided not to waste my money.
Then, I saw a commercial for the new mini computers. They're pretty awesome. Tiny laptops that weigh less than three pounds. Not quite as convenient as a Kindle, admittedly. They are bigger, and the battery life is only three hours. But a laptop can handle html and pdfs. And although I still can't read history books on one, I can do history research on it.
In other words, this weekend, I bought an HP Mini.
And here's a picture comparing the size of the Mini (which I've named Troy) to my regular laptop (aka Liltinghouse):
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| Thursday, May 21st, 2009
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3:18 pm - Moore cultural events
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As part of my plan, as I've already mentioned, I wanted to start going to the theater again. But I've decided that I need to enlarge the plan a bit to include cultural events more generally.
To that end, next weekend (May 30 or 31) Greg and I are going to see the collection of Henry Moore sculptures at the Atlanta Botanical gardens: http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/events/ListEvents.do#424.
Anyone interested in going us? Tickets are $15 (free for kids under 3). And if you happen to get the SavvyShopper in the mail, there's a discount coupon for $2 inside. I've never actually been to the Botanical Gardens, so I'm kinda curious.
More plays coming up, as well. Greg and I have decided to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Julius Caesar, both part of the Georgia Shakespeare festival. I also want to see MacHomer, which is apparently a one-person reinvention of MacBeth wherein all the characters are from The Simpsons. Greg has positively said no to this production, but it sounds fun to me. Any interest out there? It's August 26-30, and tickets are from $15 to $45.
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| Sunday, May 17th, 2009
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10:27 am - An error in judgment
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There's one noticeable flaw with my plan: reading. My plan involves a lot of reading. There's the history of Canada that I'm slowly working through. On top of that, I've decided to commit myself to science fiction. As part of the plan, I subscribed to Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and I'm trying to identify authors that I want to read. (I've already IDed Cory Doctorow. I read a collection of his short stories last year and really enjoyed it. Yesterday I started his novel Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. I swear that the fact that he's Canadian had nothing to do with my sudden interest in his writing.)
Point is, see what I'm saying? That's a lot of reading. And it's a little known fact that I don't actually enjoy reading all that much. Seriously.
When I was a kid, I never read. My sister Carrie was the reader. I didn't really discover the joys of reading until--and I'm not exaggerating here--my senior year of high school. That's when I discovered Joseph Conrad, and my world suddenly shifted. I couldn't get enough Conrad. I still feel that way. Conrad novels and collections of short stories dominate my personal library.
But then I made a significant error in judgment. After high school, I made my new hobby of reading essential to my success in life. I double majored in history and English, and eventually became a historian. It's a very reading intensive discipline, and that fact has really affected how I perceive reading.
To me, reading is not an escape from reality; it is my reality. Reading is my job. So I don't really think of reading as a leisurely activity like other people.
Which is why I don't really enjoy reading all that much. So why I've crammed so much reading into my plan is a bit of a mystery to me. If only I could just get all the science fiction and fun facts about Canada hard-wired into my brain. That'd make my plan perfect.
In other plan news, I finished the first DVD of Twitch City, a Canadian TV show from the late 90s. It started out slow, but picked up after the second episode. It's about a guy who (mysteriously) owns a house in Toronto. He spends all day watching TV and simply rents out the rooms of the house to cover expenses. One room is actually just a large closet. When I saw it, it made me laugh hysterically. It reminded me so much of The Hole that I lived in while in Geneva.
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| Friday, May 15th, 2009
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1:13 pm - Cause to celebrate?
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Well, it's official. I have my crappy job for another year. No word on salary yet. But rumors around campus is that it's going to be cut for budget reasons. What I was making last year was exploitative. A cut might just be criminal.
*sigh*
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| Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
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6:26 pm - Provide analyses that are simultaneously sophisticated and accessible
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So today I began working on my first application for a non-academic job. It's not too far off the mark, as the opening is for a historian. But it's not at a university; it's at a private company that does contract government work.
I don't expect to necessarily get this job or even an interview. I'm just following through on my plan. I don't like my current job, and I wanted to do something positive to rectify the situation.
Still, I found myself today feeling very ambivalent about this whole process. What if I did get an interview? Or (*gasp*) an offer? Could I really stop teaching? I honestly don't know. For longer than I can remember, it's the only vision of my future that I've had. And despite all the bitching and my currently sucky situation, I genuinely enjoy teaching. Plus, I'm good at it.
It's all so confusing. Still, I'm committed to following this through and seeing where it leads. To that end, I hope to have the application ready and submitted by the end of the week.
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| Monday, May 11th, 2009
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9:13 pm - Why I need this plan.
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Today was graduation day. Yes, technically, I've been Dr. White for months. But Emory only has a ceremony once a year. So it was only today that I finally got hooded.
And it wasn't as happy of an occasion as it should have been. I can't quite shake the disappointment over my current situation. I'm in an exploitative job that I can barely stand with not immediate prospects of improvement.
So, yea, it's a little hard to rejoice or even feel proud. But I know others feel it for me--like my parents and Greg (pictured below). So hopefully their joy and pride will carry me through until I can start to feel it for myself.
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| Thursday, May 7th, 2009
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8:13 pm - This is not part of the plan.
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So there are certain things that I will be doing during this summer that aren't part of the Improving My Life plan, such as joining Facebook. I don't think it'll improve my life at all. But every once in a while, a person has to play the part of lemming. I just didn't want to play lemming until the semester was over. You know, it takes time to be a lemming. So I waited until my schedule freed up. But that doesn't mean it was part of the plan.
In terms of the Improving My Life plan, there have been some set backs. Well, really just one big set back. Greg and I decided to postpone the honeymoon until the world has a handle on the whole swine flu thing. Maybe we're being overly cautious. But, as Greg pointed out, do we really want to spend the whole honeymoon worrying that our jet lag is really the beginning of the swine flu? And trust me, worrying is my super power. So if anyone could confuse jet lag with swine flu, it'd be me.
So, yea, not feeling too good about things lately. But I am enjoying my history of Canada. Doesn't quite make up for a honeymoon trip to Wales, but it helps a little.
In other news, congrats to Sara on her new job! I'll admit to being envious whenever someone gets a job that will bring personal fulfillment. But envy does not preclude me from being happy for others.
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| Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
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11:52 am - They used to call such things synergy.
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So my Plan for Improving My Life is coming together in strange ways. The other day I was re-watching one of my favorite Canadian TV shows, Due South. In the episode, Constable Benton Fraser (who first came to Chicago on the trail of his father's killers) gave Detective Ray Vecchio (the REAL Ray Vecchio) a copy of Remembrance of Things Past to read. Fraser told Ray that several pages were missing from the book. But it didn't really matter because the whole book was basically one long run-on sentence.
Word, Constable Fraser. Word.
Here's an actual example of a sentence from Remembrance of Things Past. It's quite the run-on (and quite indicative of the entire book):
And I would go and sit down beside the pump and its trough, ornamented here and there, like a Gothic font, with a salamander, which impressed on the rough stone the mobile relief of its tapering allegorical body, on the bench without a back, in the shade of a lilac-tree, in that little corner of the garden which opened, through a service door, on to the Rue de Saint-Esprit, and from whose neglected soil there rose, in two stages, jutting out from the house itself, and as it were a separate building, my aunt's back kitchen.
I can't help but think that a book like this would never get published today.
In other news, I discovered this awesome website: http://www.tv-eh.com/
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| Sunday, April 26th, 2009
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9:15 pm - Eh, sore-y and a-boot
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People who know me know that I've been going through a Canadian phase. People who have known me for a long time will be shocked to hear it. Mainly because I have, in the past, been an unrepentant Canada hater.
You see, back when I lived in Rochester, NY, there were Canadians EVERYWHERE. And most of them were unpleasant people. I remember this one guy who would go on long tirades any time a car commercial came on TV. There were too many of them, they were too loud, they weren't so annoying in Canada, etc. The same damn tirade every single time a car commercial came on. And, as he himself pointed out, that was pretty often. Oh, how I began to hate Canada just for producing such a jackass.
Flash forward thirteen years, and, somehow, I've become obsessed with Canadian television. It started with Due South, which led to Slings and Arrows. And now there's Being Erica with The Newsroom and Twitch City sitting in my Netflix queue. (Incidentally, if anyone has any other Canadian TV recommendations, lay 'em on me.)
You should know that, as an unrepentant Canada hater, I have been deeply ashamed of my latest TV obsession. But as part of my Improving My Life Plan, I've decided it's time to accept what's happened.
No, not just accept this new obsession. I need to indulge it.
To that end, I've had a paper accepted for an academic conference in Ottawa in November. (That's the capital, don't cha know.) I also just purchased a book on the history of Canada. (Because, as a historian, I tend to think you can't know a place without knowing its history.)
So bring on the maple leaves and syrup. I'm Canada-ing up!
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| Sunday, April 19th, 2009
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9:22 pm - For a long time I used to go to bed early.
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The subject heading is the first line from Remembrance of Things Past. I ended up buying volume 1 at the bookstore. They didn't have volume 2. But since I may never actually finish this volume, I'm not sweating it at the moment.
Starting Remembrance is one of the few things I'm doing right now with regards to my Improve My Life plan. Most of what I want to do needs to wait for the end of the semester, which is only two weeks and whenever-I-get-the-finals-graded away.
First up will be to start looking for a job outside academia. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect that job search to go any better. And, in truth, I'm loathe to leave teaching. But I can't stand the feeling of exploitation any longer. And it's not just about the money. It's about not feeling appreciated for my contributions. I mean, yes, some of my students seem appreciative. But I need to be acknowledged by my peers as well. And that's just not happening.
So I need to take positive action. Even if I don't find work elsewhere, I need to try. I need to try to get out of a situation where what I do (and do well, I might add) isn't appreciated or recognized.
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| Saturday, April 11th, 2009
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3:18 pm - The play's the thing.
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(Ok, an obvious subject line, I'll admit.)
So Greg and I saw Hamlet last night. The nasty storms rolled in about half way through the play, and they made quite the racket. The poor actors really HAD TO PROJECT to perform over the noise. But, overall, I thought it was a good production. The Hamlet was pretty good, and I also liked the Claudius. (Greg did not. He thought Claudius was a little too understated in his performance. But that's precisely what I liked about it.)
Next up at the Tavern is The Tempest. That's not one of my favorites, and I've already seen it live, so I'll think I'll be skipping that one. Maybe something a bit more contemporary for my next play. Incidentally, if any of you in Atlanta have an interest in the theater, let me know. Greg's not the only one who is welcome to accompany me.
I tried today to continue my Improve My Life plan. A while back, I decided I wanted to read some Proust. Because I never have, and shouldn't a person read some Proust?
And if you're going to read Proust, shouldn't it be Remembrance of Things Past? Sure, it's like a billion pages long, but that's all part of the fun, right?
Anyway, I was at the campus library today. And, I assure you, I was not happy about it. I was there to get some books for a make up assignment that I'm putting together. You see, I accept late papers. If students do not turn in their papers when they are due--which is also when we discuss the material in class--I tell them that they have to leave the class. They cannot hear the discussion if they haven't written their papers. It gives them an unfair advantage over their fellow students.
Well, one of my students was having computer problems. She wrote her paper, but wasn't able to print it out because her computer was only operating in safe mode. I'm sure you can figure out what happened next. She lost the paper completely AND she stayed for class discussion (thinking she wouldn't lose the paper). She pleaded with me to give her a make up. She was worried that she wouldn't pass the class with a zero on the assignment (not an entirely unjustified concern in her case). I stupidly agreed to put together the make up--which is HOURS of work on my part.
As you can imagine, I was not happy about today's trip to the library. And as I was slowly seething as I roamed through the stacks, I remembered that I wanted to read some Proust. So I decided why not check out Remembrance of Things Past? You know, exchange the bad experience of the student who has royally pissed me off with the good experience of doing something for myself.
As it turns out, the library only had one copy of the book. And the the first volume is listed as permanently lost. Really? Only one copy of Remembrance of Things Past? And when it's lost, you don't replace it?
Grrr!
I suppose I could buy the book. But I'm not sure I want to invest in it considering I may never finish it. Because, like I said, it's like a billion pages long. This is one of those rare cases when I'm content to TRY to read it, not necessarily to finish it.
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| Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
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4:33 pm - Here's the story.
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A couple of weeks ago, I got a campus visit for a college in Louisiana. Campus visits are the last stage before a job offer. Before getting the campus visit, I phone interviewed twice with the school. They also called my adviser. Honestly, two interviews and a call to the adviser is a bit much. Usually, there's just the one interview. So I kinda knew something was up.
Eventually, after they offered me the visit, the school fessed up that they only had the budget to bring one candidate to campus (usually schools invite about three candidates). Learning that, I realized why they were being so cautious. They only had one shot at filling the position.
Given the situation, I decided that I needed to tell them about Greg. His ability to find a job in the area would affect my decision. To their credit, they took the information in stride and actively worked to find some leads for Greg. But the news wasn't good. So, ultimately, I had to tell them not to bother flying me out. I wouldn't take the job without Greg.
I'll never know for sure without the campus visit, but based on what I did know about the school, this was my dream job. So the decision I had to make was extremely painful for me. Not difficult, mind you. I got married for a reason. Greg's that important to me. But it was painful.
So at the moment, my career options are not great. I'm reapplying for the job I currently have. As jobs go, it's deeply unsatisfying. It's not terribly challenging (just annoying). Plus, it's exploitative.
With my career in the dumps, I've decided to refocus my energies. If I can improve other aspects of my life, maybe the job stuff won't hurt so much. So welcome to my Improving My Life blog.
First up, live theater. Back when I was living in Richmond, I regularly went to the theater. It's about time I rediscovered my love of the theater here in the ATL. On Friday, Greg and I are going to see Hamlet at the Shakespeare Tavern.
That'll be nice. Not dream job nice. But nice nonetheless.
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| Friday, March 27th, 2009
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8:16 am - Post-Wedding 2.0
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Yesterday, I got in the mail a disk with all of the pictures that Bev took at the wedding. Thanks Bev!
Some of you may have already seen these pics on Bev's Facebook. But I thought I'd post them here as well. These are the favorites of Greg and me. They are both from the completely staged rice toss.
The pictures from the photographer are suppose to arrive any day now.
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| Monday, March 16th, 2009
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9:05 am - Post-Wedding 1.0
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Pictures have slowly started to trickle in. My friend Bev sent me a link to the pics she took, which are up on her Facebook. Bev really has a good eye.
My sister Candace sent me the below image, which captures the moment right after the first dance. She thinks Greg has a smug look on his face, but I think it's just relief.
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| Sunday, March 8th, 2009
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10:13 pm - The Wedding 40.0
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I figured that I better blog the wedding soon before I forget everything. There’s really too much to say, so I’ve decided to just focus on the things that I was most interested in. Since this will be a long entry, somewhat unusually, I give you lj-cuts.
( The Hiccups )
( The Flowers )
( The Music )
( The Ceremony )
( The Dance )
( The Geeks )
Once I get pictures, I’ll probably post some here. But for now, my journal goes dark again until I think of something worth blogging about. Thanks for reading along! All you advice and support during these long months of planning have meant a lot to me.
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