Happy birthday, Buffy!

She's 30, which as everyone knows, is the new 20.

Funny because it's true...

For my fellow academic friends.

Confession time

All of these are true statements:

• I am an over-educated person who is supposed to have refined aesthetic tastes (ha!).
• As a rule, I don't like watching people falling down, getting hurt, or humiliating themselves.
• I pride myself on watching "quality" TV.
• I can't stand reality TV.

And yet, and yet, and yet...

Lord help me, I love Wipeout. Love it, love it, love it. I don't understand why*, but it's 60 minutes of TV bliss for me. It makes me happier than it has any right to.

Don't judge.

*I actually believe it has a lot to do with the writers--the jokes are HI-larious. And here, in tiny type, is probably a good place to also confess my love for "Minute to Win It."

Day One: done.

Spring 2011 semester: So far, so good.

"Riches"

I first came across this poem back in November when it was on the "Poem of the Day" podcast. I've thought a lot about it since then, so here it is.

(You can listen to the audio here and find out more about the poet here.)

"Riches"
Amit Majmudar

My mother when she feared that we might starve
would give us candy taking up her violin
and playing each of us a bar
My mother when we danced the winter from
our boots and kicked the walls of circumstance
would write the needed letters over newsprint
and crinkle crackling fire till our hands
came back to us attracted to her gift
My mother painted us a still life and we peeled
and ate the fruit for lunch my mother sculpted
my sister earrings out of pebbles sculpted me
out of abandonment and earth my mother said
you are not poor until you’re at a loss
for worlds you are not rich until like Alexander
you’ve conquered foreign languages
somewhere a rich man pokes his fireplace
reminding it to give him heat she said
somewhere a rich man’s hand lunges in search
of sweetness down his horn of plenty
but there is not a fruit his fingers recognize

Holiday Catch-up Posts: Christmas

Christmas really flew by this year. I was only in NY for a couple of days. I actually left on Christmas Day, anxious about driving through the bad weather the next day. But I do have some decent pictures to share. (Again, I wish I had gotten at least one shot of everyone.)

 Hanging out with Aidan on Christmas Eve. This is right before he helped me make the mashed potatoes.

Erin and Kelsie on Christmas Eve.

Colin on Christmas Eve. At this point, I had given the camera to Kelsie, asking her to take pictures while Erin and I finished dinner. This led to some pretty silly pictures, but this one is kind of cute.

Olivia--and Aidan peering in from behind.

Erin and I cooking dinner.

 Jeff and Eric. I like this one quite a bit.

Olivia and I. I look like I'm about to fling her...

Tara and Olivia. Cute stuff!

Holiday Catch-up Posts: Thanksgiving

Just a few pictures...I didn't get everyone this year.

 Colin and Ava.

 Olivia and I.

 My mom and dad.

 The cheesecake! It came out really good this year in terms of aesthetics. No cracks!

Eric and Erin.

Ryan.

Here we go again...

Classes start on Monday, but meetings and stuff start this week. I actually have an 8:15 meeting on Tuesday, which seems mean to me. I've been in my office almost every day I've been in town these past couple of weeks, but being compelled to be here before 8:30 on one of our last days of "break" is a bit much. Oh well.

The good news is that I've got 3 of 4 syllabi ready to go. I am still working on my ENGL 372: Advanced Composition syllabus--and probably will be until Sunday. (Maybe I'll post more about that class later...)

For now, though, how about some good old-fashioned linking-posting as a way of taking a 20 minute break from syllabizing?

1) Just because the kid is so very very cute, I must link the "Baby in Tub Assures You that, No, He Does Not Like Anything You Suggest." I love that the kid is saying pretty awful things, but you can't help but smile--and that you kind of want to ask him/her more questions.

2) Lots of folks are talking about last night's How I Met Your Mother and its big surprise ending. I'll admit that it made me tear up. It's a pretty bold move for this kind of comedy to make, but I don't agree with people saying that it doesn't work because it came out of nowhere. Isn't that precisely the point? I also didn't really get the countdown thing happening, although as soon I heard people talking about it, I remembered certain numbers standing out.

3) This is one of the silliest columns I've ever read at Insidehighered.com. I don't have vast amount of experiences on hiring committees (I've been involved in 6, on the committees for 5, and chaired 3), but I can say that we really and truly never talked about what folks wore. I don't even think it was a "back of my mind"/subconscious consideration for us. Sigh. Fortunately, people are tearing the piece down in the comments. 

4) Women laughing alone with salad. Love it, love it, love it. And, as Homer and Bart remind us, you don't win friends with salad.



5) Well played, James Van Der Beek. And the website is real.

6) Finally, this one, because yeah, it's not exactly new, but it really makes me laugh.

Done!

Just submitted my final set of grades. It was a bit of a struggle getting motivated enough to finish the last few portfolios for my ENGL 377 class--I even took a snow-shoveling break--but I made it.

And yeah, we got about 2 inches of snow today. That's my kind of snowfall.

Now it's onto some other tasks including: 1) a short piece I need to write on Rebecca Harding Davis's "Life in the Iron Mills," 2) contacting and scheduling our campus visits for the search we're running, 3) writing new syllabi (already!).

Then there's that whole Christmas thing...cards to write, presents to buy. And so it goes.

Facebook as personal narrative

I read this piece (through a link from the Daily Dish) last night and it gave me chills. We put so much of ourselves online these days--and I don't think that's inherently bad. One unintended consequence--Facebook creates a narrative of one woman's life and very sad death.

Good music always helps...

We are having some unexpected snow here this morning. It shouldn't amount to much, but the very fact that A) no one saw it coming and B) it is sticking is enough to get people excited, nervous, or both. I don't like it, as you can imagine. But here's one (small) comfort--I am not the only one with some minor PTSD from last year's historic snowfalls. Of the four students I've talked to so far, three are also not happy campers. This isn't normal--college students LOVE snow, especially during finals. Thanks to the Snowpocalypse, we are a damaged population here.

But, as I mentioned in my subject heading, music helps. I've got a Christmas mix going on my iPod which includes my current favorite holiday (non-religious) tune, which you can find here. Other favorites include this one and this one. I am going to stop myself here, though, as no one like a big old list of links...

Anyway, back to work I go. Happy grading to my academia-living friends!

Two quick thoughts...

1) I know I should probably think this product is a bad idea, but all I can think is that it would be lovely to have some for my hot cocoa. Especially if we have another winter like last one. (Seriously--I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder from last winter...)

2) At the risk of being political in this space, I can't stop myself here. Remember when John McCain seemed to have integrity? What happened to this guy? This is as good an excuse as any to link to one of the most brilliant things the Daily Show has done lately: the "It's Gets Worse" video they made for McCain. 

"We need more vampire slayers--just not more Buffy"

You must give this article a read. The comments, too. It's pretty great.

I am surprised that the author (and the comment-leavers) haven't mentioned Veronica Mars, which was, I thought, a great heir to the Buffy tradition.

Yeah, I still miss Veronica Mars. Bad.

"Perhaps the World Ends Here"

Seems like a good post-Thanksgiving poem...(complete with some lovely post-colonial/Native-American goodness.)

"Perhaps the World Ends Here"

by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

Two quick TV notes...

1) Entire Walking Dead Writing Staff Fired. I really like this show, but yeah, lots of times, the writing (in terms of dialogue especially) is awful. It's just strange that there might be no writing staff next season. Yikes.

2) I really need someone to be watching Dexter this season so we can talk about it at length. This last episode has completely gotten under my skin.

That is all...back to work I go!