looking for new digs and need assistance
Feb 27th
It is time to move. The banging from neighbors above and beside me has nearly driven me to madness, and I fear that it is overwhelming me. It’s all I think about. I have submitted complaints to the management, but it has not changed. Perhaps it is me, needing peace and quiet. Since the writing stage of my dissertation is getting closer, I want to move before I embark on it.
I’m looking for a July 1 – July 15 move date. I have family coming to visit in late July/early August and would like to be moved by then.
My preferences:
- It must be in the Twin Cities area, preferably on the St. Paul side.
- It must be safe for a single woman (this means certain neighborhoods are out)
- It must have a garage.
- I prefer two bedrooms — so I can have an office in which to do my work.
- I prefer a cottage home, small home, duplex, or the like — NO apartments. I just can’t deal with the noise of apartments.
I think that’s it.
My needs aren’t great. I mostly need the quiet. I find it very hard to sleep or work with so much noise.
If you have any leads, please let me know.
beating a drum
Feb 12th
Last week, on The Daily Show, Samantha Bee did a segment on Male Inequality. I laughed. I did. I know, highly insensitive and inappropriate of me.
It reminded me of the men’s movements in the early 90s. Remember Robert Bly? Beating on drums? Heading out into the woods to get back to the basics of being a man?
Fast forward nearly twenty years. Dodge, oh Dodge. You produce a BEAUTIFUL Charger and you have to make it a machine that is indicative of a certain kind of MAN.
Samantha Bee, what would you say to these men? I’m guessing it would be quite similar to what these women say.
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Disclaimer
I don’t think ALL men are like this. I DO think that the media tries to define people of all types and we the public often follow their lead without thinking about it too seriously. Shame on us.
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Addendum
And during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Audi comes out with an “I’ve been told…” ad that addresses this.
shameless self promotion
Jan 3rd
I’ve never been really good at promoting myself. It embarasses me. I have a hard time with it because I feel like it puts me in the spotlight too much, and I’m not altogether comfortable in that space.
That being said, I’ve decided this is the year I will try to promote my photography more.
A friend introduced me to RedBubble, an international photography site aimed at creating community and promoting sales. I’ve chosen to use it over all of the others out there because I like the size of the community, the feel of the site, and the way I can promote and sell my photography.
Two final items: 1) I’ve created a calendar, The Nature of Things, for 2010 of my favorite nature photography. You can find it at RedBubble; 2) I’ve created a sales site, inchoate photos, at RedBubble that will carry my favorite photography. If you don’t see something you’d like to purchase up there, let me know and I’ll upload it. RedBubble does all sorts of different types of prints, including matted framed prints, which makes for a nice package to purchase. While I receive much less on the profits side, it does take a lot of the work off of my hands.
Go check it out. Let me know what you think. I am interested in your feedback, good and bad.
alligator
Dec 25th
Alligator: A Novel by Lisa Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I listened to this on the Between the Covers podcast. The narrator was excellent.
While this book is well-written, I had a hard time connecting to the characters, except for Frank. He was the most likable character. The rest seemed either too selfish or one-dimensional.
The story is mostly setting up the circumstances, building until they quickly crash together and end. The end of the book comes very quickly after, without much of a wrap-up of the characters, their impacts on their environments, or those they leave behind.
examining
Dec 19th
One of the problems with studying rhetorical theory is that it makes you question everything. I mean EVERYTHING. What is right and wrong? What is up and down? What is black and white? Are there any of these things or everything?
Sounds a little convoluted, doesn’t it? Then, like so many scholars in the social sciences and medicines, you start to apply it to yourself, that intern syndrome — that you have every disease you study about, or are afflicted with every type of psychological diagnosis.
Who am I? Am I virtuous? Am I good? Would Plato or Aristotle or even Quintilian approve of me? Does being a woman preclude that? Are my ideas valid? What are my ideas exactly?
Am I a good student? Should I even be an academic? Do I belong here? Am I too lazy to be a “good” academic, or even too lazy to be a “good” citizen?
Who am I?
I think. And I think. And I think some more. And sometimes I don’t like what I think, but other times I want to share what I think, because there are others doing the very same thing. They are smart, interesting people, and I want to contemplate these thoughts with them.
If Socrates wanted us to examine our lives, we are doing it. In so many ways.
status quo
Oct 5th
I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy since it first came on air. Well, that’s not true. I started watching it because my sister-in-law, a nurse, mentioned it, and, at the time, she really enjoyed it. And I did, too, at first.
My enjoyment of it was purely because of Patrick Dempsey. We had grown up together (well, not together, but at the same time). I watched him in his earlier movies when he was cute, but also a bit geeky. Now he’s McDreamy. Whoa.
My disillusionment with it has come because of inequities portrayed in the program. Out of the main couples (Meredith/Derek, Lexie/Mark, Izzie/Alex, Cristine/Owen, and Arizona/Callie), three are older, established male doctors engaging with younger female residents. There isn’t a case of an older established female doctor engaging with a younger male resident (but, to be fair, that did occur when George was married to Callie).
Ok, I know this is only a television show. But so often what I see portrayed on television is what I see occurring off-screen. There are inequities that seem to be ok in portraying and even celebrating.
This could simply be a case of the older me finding most television problematic. But I think it’s also a case of the older me recognizing that older women are not considered desirable in pop culture (and don’t even get me started on Cougartown, one of the most irritating programs I’ve wasted 23 minutes on lately).
Ok. Three minute rant over.
For now.
america’s best idea
Sep 26th
Some of my earliest memories consist of tall trees, rivers, and the sweet clean scent of a mountain pass. Some of my best memories consist of high mountain lakes, deep canyons, cliffs overlooking oceans and lakes, and the museums of Washington, D.C.
Most of my vacations are ventures into our national parks. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t go to a national park at least once every summer.
Just thinking about recent years visiting the various parks and monuments in Arizona with my niece with cameras in hand makes me wistful for those moments with her in the stunning landscapes set aside for us to ponder the wonders of life.
on rhetoric
Sep 22nd
No apologies to Aristotle. We can all write “on rhetoric,” can’t we? I mean, we could, if we wanted to. Some of us do. Those of us crazy enough to entertain a PhD in said field; crazy enough to spend an entire day reading assorted writings of Plato and Gorgias and Antiphon.
And speaking of Plato. I was actually cheering him on today. Oh, yes! He made a strong character of Protagoras. One of my all-time favorite speeches in classical Greek speeches that I’ve read so far. Seriously. Finally someone gave it to Socrates good. And Plato wrote it. BEST EVAH.
And that Antiphon. Writing imaginary judicial arguments. Seriously, the boy in the javelin argument wanted to kill himself by running IN FRONT OF A JAVELIN? There must be better ways to die. He killed himself? Oy. Made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of the argument. But it was well done. I give you that (in case you care, 2500 years in the grave).
barefoot exercise
Sep 20th
I heard about the three minute fiction contest on NPR. I started to think that this might be a great way to keep my blog up to date. I can surely take 3 minutes to blog about whatever is on my mind, right?
So, here goes (and note that I’m currently writing on a mobile device so it will probably be shorter than those done on my laptop):
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I’m not a hater of exercise. I’m really not. I can happily walk for hours if I’m amused while doing so (photography, audiobooks). What I do have trouble with is footwear.
My arches don’t fit conventional shoes correctly. Regular closed shoes bind my feet in and hurt. They always have. So I tend to exercise barefoot.
I know. Bad, right? It just works better for me. It feels right.
Today I heard about new running shoes that are made to feel like you’re barefoot. I definitely am checking them out.
disclosure
Aug 12th
Not too long ago I was commenting on how I talk to students about social media, about how much they want to share, not share, communicate, etc. because of the ramifications to education, friendships, and other relationships, not to mention future job prospects. The friend I was talking to said that I post everything, that I don’t really sensor what I post.
Today I posted on Facebook about not getting into the State Fair, then shortly after about my latest round of biopsies coming in benign. I was concerned about posting these (and I did not post them to Twitter). Was it too much? What was I expecting from the posts? Why was I posting them?
I posted the Fair topic because I knew of others who had entered. I wanted them to know I hadn’t made it in. I wasn’t sad so I wasn’t looking for condolences (although the ones that did come in were great — and the friends who enjoy my work made me smile). Maybe I was looking for camaraderie? I wanted them to get in even if I didn’t — but maybe it was that understanding that this was a big deal to enter. I don’t know. I really don’t.
I almost didn’t post anything about the biopsies. After my aunt asked about them (in the fair post), it made me think. I’m linked to a lot of family and long-time friends in Facebook. These are people who have seen me through my bouts with cancer, have been supporting me, encouraging me, and loving me as I have dealt with it. I worried that it seemed like much ado about nothing, but I also know that these are some of the people who care the most about me. I posted so they would know.
I’ve questioned myself (yes, I talk to myself) about how much I post, if I post everything, and if I post too much. When friends drop me because I “post too much,” I question my motives.
I realized, though, that I don’t post a 10th of what actually goes on in my life. Not here, not in Facebook, not in Twitter, not anywhere.
The last three weeks have been an emotional roller coaster, but I haven’t let on about most of that. I’ve kept it to myself, only discussing some of the issues with some people, and only all of the issues with one person — my therapist, because that’s what he’s there for. I really don’t find it necessary to share everything. But I do like sharing some things.
I am choosy about who I share with, and what I do share. I compartmentalize. It keeps me sane.
