Archive for January, 2009
sublime stuff in pop culture
Two things: Friday Night Lights is simply the best thing going on television right now. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of great stuff playing: Lost, Damages, Top Chef, America’s Best Dance Crew, none of those should be missed. But nothing has as much universal appeal, sublime storytelling, and relatable characters as Friday Night […]
Filed under: pop culture | Leave a Comment
should i give up?
Seeing how my adviser and I have had no communication since last spring, I tried to set up a meeting a few weeks ahead of a planned trip to my university. I mentioned the week I would be in town and suggested a date. That date didn’t work for my adviser, who then suggested a […]
Filed under: dissertation, my life | 5 Comments
in defense of ted haggard
Well, not really. I just watched Oprah’s interview with the former minister whose preaching career ended after allegations of gay sex and drugs forced him to “come out”, so to speak, about his inclinations. It’s clear that Haggard is trying his best to accept himself but his religious beliefs are understandably getting in the way […]
Filed under: observations, pop culture | 2 Comments
strange
Is it a problem that I really really like staying in a hotel so much more than living at home?? Is it also a problem that, until yesterday, there had not been any contact between me and my advisor (in either direction) in eight months?
Filed under: my life | Leave a Comment
more tidbits
Yesterday’s conversation with my dad. Keep in mind two things: I do not get along with my father although (because he’s delusional) he seems to think we have a good relationship and he’s been a great father. Thing two: virtually every morning since I’ve been at home (about two months) I’ve been woken up by […]
Filed under: my life, observations | Leave a Comment
inauguration tidbits
I watched the inauguration at the house of a high school friend. Like many of my friends from home, she’s conservative (to the point of praising Sarah Palin’s qualifications to be president and loving the job George Bush did as president) but, unlike most people from home, she voted for Obama (I’m not fully sure […]
Filed under: my life, observations, politics | 2 Comments
One of the most difficult things for a woman of color like me to do is to explain to her white friends just how difficult being a minority can make dating. Unfortunately I’ve had too many of these conversations because I’ve always been deeply unhappy about the fact that I’ve never had a boyfriend. There […]
Filed under: my life, observations | 20 Comments
some thoughts on process
Despite still being disheartened by the nonexistent advising/mentoring/support network in my professional life, I’ve managed to keep plugging away at this chapter. This chapter is a big mess, frankly, but that’s no real surprise, given how difficult I found the research. Surprisingly, though, some interesting arguments are starting to emerge. In the past, I’ve had […]
Filed under: dissertation, my life, research, writing | Leave a Comment
progress and setbacks
I don’t really know what’s happened over the past week or so but I’ve suddenly become very energized and enthused about my dissertation. Part of it came from the need I had to get to work. I spent the entire month of December sitting around my house, only glancing at work. So I started working […]
Filed under: dissertation, my life | 1 Comment
women, tenure, and after
I just wanted to link to Dr. Crazy’s post about women in academia. I can’t really do the post justice here so I recommend that everybody read it if they haven’t already. She’s particularly insightful when it comes to how women negotiate the path between associate professor and full professor, a passage even more difficult […]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
lines ever more unclear 