Wednesday

adventures / Ireland / photo / Wednesday — Comments Off on Almost not sleepy, but definitely bleary eyed
11
Mar 26

Almost not sleepy, but definitely bleary eyed

We are in Dublin, Ireland. It rained, as it does. And then the sun came out for a while, which is still a seasonally new thing, I gather. There is a conference going on at Dublin City University, which is next door to our hotel. My lovely bride has been in and out of the conference today. (More on that tomorrow.) I have spent the entire day, I mean the entire day, in our room doing school work.

There was a lot to grade, midterms, and write, the usual, and prepare, presentations, and it took all day. All of this was part of my plan to stay ahead, or on par, but certainly not behind, over the next three weeks. It was an effective day, and it was a full day. I was fetched for dinner, at a charming little cafe right across the street. I grabbed my sunglasses on the way out the door of the room. It was something like 8 p.m. and pitch dark. I had no idea. It was a great way to waste a day in Ireland, though, which was always the plan. Get work done, drain the jet lag out of my weary eyes and limbs. Be ready to present as a human being should at the conference tomorrow.

I had the fish and chips. I think that was the only meal I had today.

So I have nothing for you here. Except these two little photo fillers.

Sunday night, before this trip began, we got a bit of ice cream. Mine was not good. I did not get this, which looks gross, but it might have been better.

Equally unimportant, but much closer to where I am right now: there’s an electrical panel on one of the walls in the DCU building where the conferences are underway. A little sticker graffiti is fun. Custom stickers are cheap and easy to make. Eventually some maintenance or facilities person will come by and peel these off. But no paint or other serious labor needed. Until then, though, have a little character on an otherwise spartan wall.

Tomorrow, I’ll join the Sport and Discrimination conference and see a lot of research done by brilliant scholars, some of which are our friends. And a few more will be by the end of the weekend. Friends, I mean. They’re already brilliant scholars. On Friday and Saturday I’ll pretend to fit in with presentations of my own.

Wednesday — Comments Off on Should I put ‘Write book about Want To Do lists’ on such a list?
4
Mar 26

Should I put ‘Write book about Want To Do lists’ on such a list?

Today I sent off a rough draft of that packet I’ve been working on. It presently stands at about 30 pages, and so I waited a half hour to check for feedback. Nothing yet. Until I hear back it is perfect. Or terrible. We should also allow for the possibility that it is perfectly terrible.

Anyway, they give you this checklist and you attend a whole bunch of meetings and there are more shared documents than you can possibly be expected to keep in your head. All of this in service to this packet, where you are required to write a narrative about your teaching, including student feedback and your response to that, and peer reviews, and your response to that. Then you write a narrative that discusses the service you’ve done in that time, so committee work and projects and things. And then you write a third narrative about your professional development — so research and presentations and every little other thing you can remember. (Take notes throughout is the lesson.) Above these things are some forms detailing classes, and on top of all of that is a fourth narrative, the executive summary, where you finally realize you’ve actually done quite a bit these last few years, and a long nap, a cup of tea and a peppermint sound pretty good right now, in any order you like.

You’re not getting those things, of course, because there are still all of the appendices to append. There’s the batch of student evals, and the peer feedback, and some other forms that have to do with your original job ad, which is hilarious, and then some paperwork that must get signed and some feedback from your previous review …

By the time I’ve spelled all of that out another 30 minutes have passed, and there’s no feedback. So it is perfect.

Anyway, I’ll think about this until March 16th, when it is due, so just two more weeks. But I can have that nap, and tea, and peppermint.

Except I can’t, because there are slide decks for tomorrow’s classes to finalize, and two presentations next week, and a host of meetings for which I must prepare. That master calendar I made last week was a good idea. So far I’ve not only scratched everything off the list, but I’ve gotten to everything scratched off on time. Score one for To Do lists.

I’ve soured on To Do lists. Sounds rebellious, because I am rebellious. There’s an issue with To Do lists, a notion of responsibility, work demanded. The satisfaction of striking things off the list does not outweigh that.

But the real problem is this: I have discovered Want To Do lists. No mystery to that. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Only no one ever tells you about them. Big List doesn’t want you to know about Want To Do lists. But before “they” track me down and bury me under another pile of administrivia, let me speak to you of the truth of this uproarious uprising, this revolutionary revolt: When you start making Want To Do lists you’re doing a powerful thing. I first wrote about this in 2023, apparently, so let’s just consider me an expert.

What you do, right after you’ve made yourself a Want To Do list, is to do one of the things on that list. Do it just for you. The feeling of scratching one of those things off one of those lists, that’s satisfying.

But you have to attend to the Want To Do list. I wonder how many of those I have floating around, still incomplete. At least two, surely.

Well, a few more months weeks, and maybe we can see about some of those thing.

Then, in a few more weeks, it’ll be “Well, in two more months.”

That’s the power of the list. If you just say it, you just say it. The idea floats in your mind and in the air but things out soon enough. But if you write it down — and go stream of consciousness here, rank ordering a Want To Do list is madness — then you can ignore the list. But … But! When you finally get around to it, you have that list in front of you, and you can recall that thing you wanted to do last November. Then you only have to remember why.

And do the thing.

But first, work stuff.

photo / Wednesday — Comments Off on Progressus, progressus
25
Feb 26

Progressus, progressus

I have printed out a monthly calendar and, today, jotted down every thing required of me. This makes … three printed and two digital calendars from which I work. On this new one, I have created the impression that every moment of the next five weeks is accounted for already. But I only have that feeling because the page that holds April on it is beneath the page that has all of March on it. The first day with nothing on the calendar is March 28th.

It’s all achievable. I wouldn’t do this to myself otherwise. I wouldn’t want to add too much more to the pile, and I don’t have a lot of time to twiddle my thumbs. But it’s all doable. And none of it is too much, especially. It just so happens to be a confluence of many events converging. A concurrence of conflux, if you will.

Usually I can think of today, and tomorrow. Maybe the day after. Now I am staring at certain dates and looming deadlines and reminding myself: progress, progress. And so it was a great afternoon to have a faculty meeting.

I’m going to go back to grading in just a moment. I have a class full of short papers to read, and then 40-some reading assignments to look at. Students were reading something about Mark Zuckerberg and … it’s eye-opening. I have to leave comments and answer questions and try to limit the typos. (Unlike this place.) It’s time consuming, is all, and the number of things to do that take time is piling up.

Before all of that, though, it is time for the weekly check on the kitties. And this week, as every week, no one relaxes as hard as Phoebe relaxes.

It’s not a contest, Poseidon. She’s a big relaxer.

I said it’s not a contest. You can’t win this one.

See what I mean? No one relaxes harder than this cat.

The kitties are doing well, as you can see. They’re very helpful with the work I am doing at my desk. One of them is always ready to jump up here and insist I take breaks. Probably for the best. Keeps one fresh and patient. Keeps the feedback useful. Maybe it keeps it on point and succinct.

Probably not the last one, but we can hope. Students hope most of all.

Also, I have to finish two slide decks for lectures tomorrow. And write on some things that need writing for work. Ten pages done last night and today! Also, I need to set up something else I’m writing tomorrow.

Progress, progress.

photo / Rowan / Wednesday — Comments Off on There’s always new material
18
Feb 26

There’s always new material

When I write these, I work on the photo or video, and then I type away for awhile. After I type type type, sometimes I proofread them. (I … know!) And after I do all of the typing, I punch in all the little categories and then, finally, I write something as a headline. This, I think, is why the headlines are usually bad, and sometimes nonsensical. By then, I just need to get on to whatever the next thing is.

So let me explain yesterday’s title.

Working with new material, and old snow

Thursday of last week and yesterday were the first two days that I didn’t have to design a class meeting from the ground up. Oh, there are always a few things to update or add. That’s to be expected, and I did that last Wednesday and Thursday and on Monday. But what I usually find myself doing on the days before a class is building lecture notes, reading material, creating slide decks and also grading and whatever else. And by usually, I mean always. And by always I mean every time.

I’ve been running classes here for three years. In that time, I have had 14 classes. That’s pretty standard. Of those, 10 have been new preps. That’s not standard. What it is is a lot. New preps are time intensive. Three of those are classes I’ve designed from the ground up — even more time intensive. There’s a lot of thought, efforts, wrong trails, reading, course corrections, reading other stuff and so on that go in each new unit of each new class you’re developing. It’s easier when the material is there, like in some of those instances when I’ve taken over someone else’s class. Then you sink your time into that. But its easiest when you’re teaching something you’ve already taught. Then, you know it. Last Thursday, and yesterday, were the first days in all of my time here (and I’m being kind, because I could stretch this back to classes I taught in the teens) where I wasn’t in a perpetual start over mode.

It wasn’t all brand new because while I spent two days talking about fan identity and the various theories involved in my Rituals and Traditions class, I have used those in another class, and I only needed to refresh my thoughts. And last Thursday in Criticism I showed a documentary, and we discussed it then and yesterday, and I only needed to pull out my notes to make sure that I got in the key points. And then the class discussed the regular two stories, which is new, but just requires a few readings. My online class, meanwhile, I’ve taught a few times before. All the lectures are prepared, and mostly I deliver messages, keep things moving, keep people on track and, as in every class, do the grading.

This is hardly a complaint, simply an observation. Everyone sees the same thing. Maybe one day we’ll get it resolved such that I am in my own lane, carving out my own niche, and so on. That was the original idea, which has not yet been fleshed out to a plan. Maybe, though, we’re getting closer to addressing that.

Interestingly (not really), all of my classes next fall will be classes I’ve taught before. Which will be good! I’m ready for a little mental break. Just a little one. Recharge the batteries, read different new things, dream up new ideas, all of that. Of course, one of the classes I’m teaching in the fall is the online class, with which I am well acquainted. But that class will be taught in person. So I have to figure that out. And my other two classes will be converted from meeting twice a week to once a week.

There’s always new material.

And there’s always the old snow. If this sticks around until the weekend this will have been on the ground for a month. But there’s good news. It’s finally warming up a little. And look what moved in overnight.

Fog equals moisture, and that’s one of the things we’ve been missing these last many weeks. That and reasonable temperatures. Moisture speeds up the melting. It’s the heat brought about by condensation. So all of that fog is a good thing. We are no longer in an arctic desert.

Today I shoveled the sidewalk. That was my work break. I shoveled the sidewalk because we left it alone after the last round of snow three-plus weeks ago. We stood in the driveway, cold and tired and I said “Are you expecting any deliveries?” My lovely bride said she was not. So I said hang it. No one is coming over and this doesn’t need to get done right now. I stand by the decision, but I didn’t realize it’d be 24 days until I did it. Oh, widened the driveway. We helped dig out a neighbor. And I helped another neighbor find her sidewalk again, but my own wasn’t a priority. And then, Monday, a delivery guy did show up, and he just hurled something from a great distance at the door.

Not that I blame him. Who knows how much ice and snow that guy has dealt with, and how many times he’s risked a sprained this or a twisted that in these last several weeks.

Fortunately, the ice is giving a way just a bit, and most of the sidewalk cleaned up easily.

The cats are doing great, and acting much more like themselves. I was pleased to enjoy a great purring cuddle last night. Back to normal. Back to hi-jinx. Back to happy.

And, now, back to class prep.

There’s always new material.

adventures / Philadelphia / photo / video / Wednesday — Comments Off on A first, two firsts, three firsts, maybe
11
Feb 26

A first, two firsts, three firsts, maybe

This snow and ice is never going to melt. Mostly because it has nowhere to go. The conditions have not been conducive to condensation, which would hurry the process along. Instead, the air has been cold, unceasingly, and relentlessly dry. Oh, you can see some rooftops now, asphalt shingles darkened by the moisture that has sat on them for almost three weeks now, but that’s just false hope. It’s nothing but this from here on in.

Those hours of sleet we had last month seemed like a lovely thing at the time. We had all the groceries we needed, no travel planned and I’d pulled out every light source and battery we own as a therapeutic just-in-case. We never lost power. You could get out and drive again on the bigger roads on the third and fourth day — if you could get to those bigger roads.

Mostly, it’s just boring. Going outside is nice. Looking out the window and seeing grass and trees and things is nice. Instead, I just stare through curtains and blinds, thinking about the things you can’t do.

It’s never about the things I should be doing, which is weird.

Today I did class prep for tomorrow’s classes.

It occurred to me when I was wrapping that up that this was a unique day of class prep. I always spend at least the day before building or finishing and polishing the next day’s classwork. Today was the first time I have ever not had to build it all out from scratch. Ever? Ever. Two classes tomorrow, and I didn’t have to start all over to get ready. I spent my time reviewing notes from previous lectures that I am going to use tomorrow. First time ever.

The first class I taught was in … what? In 2009?

The really nice thing is that next Monday/Tuesday this will happen again. Twice in a row! But then the streak ends. Still, this is nice, and the way it should be more often. One day it will be, perhaps. We’ll see. We don’t know that, but we’ll see.

I’ve never liked “we’ll see,” but it is an inescapable sentence.

We drove over the river this evening. Parked in a parking deck. Walked a few blocks to where we were going. Shivered part of the way, because I did not carry a coat, because I didn’t realize all of that. But, hey, that’s my fault and no one else’s. Anyway, it was warm where we were going. And they had a restroom and food, and also the evening’s entertainment.

We walked into this little comedy club, which was some slightly larger room behind an empty bar. Probably the joint sat 100, 120 people. Cozy little place. Unless you were sitting right at the back of the room you probably felt like you were sitting right at the stage. It felt both dusty, but clean. And a little shopworn. Three long steps would get you across the stage and the back wall was a faded old cityscape mural.

It made me think, as comedy clubs always do, about how comedians in my hometown would brag about our venue when they played there. The Stardome was one of the best in the country, they’d say. In my very limited experience, they were right! Also, that place has a real menu. This place offered three sandwiches, three pizzas and drinks. They didn’t have a drink minimum, they had an item minimum. Extortionate so-and-sos. But I choose to think that means all of the money from tickets goes to the performers, which is a nice thought.

We saw Kristen Key this evening. She got her break from one of those comedy variety reality show things, but we discovered her on Instagram a few years ago. This was the first time she was in the same city we were in at the same time, and so of course we went. (She was also at the concert last night, and now I think she’s following us.)

Her Instagram feed is full of clips of her Q&A period, but here’s a set piece from another show, which we saw this evening.

And here’s another song.

The questions she got during this show were … not good. Someone was looking for love. Someone else’s relative is a huge fan but couldn’t make it because of a medical procedure. A third person was looking for some sort of dating advice she could share. Someone asked about her favorite song from last night’s Brandi Carlile concert. And someone asked what her favorite Winter Olympic sport is and why is not curling. She said her favorite sport was curling.

She got the standing ovation in the little club at the end, and got a little teary about it. And then she was standing out front to meet people as they left, spending several minutes with anyone that asked, which was nice. She mad a video for the person who couldn’t be there because of health reasons. We talked with her for a moment, and she, of course, told us to come back the next time she’s in town, and we will, especially since I just thought I should ask her to record an outgoing voicemail message for me.

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