doctoral candidate in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication
dawn
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Posts by dawn
wish you were here: digital postcard
01 year ago
Last week I was talking to a friend about the research I’m interested in; we were discussing postcards and the Postsecret phenomenon. Then she asked me if my photography posts weren’t the equivalent of mailed postcards.
I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot lately. Both versions are “posted,” both include images and text, and both are typically written with specific audiences in mind.
Today I began a roadtrip, and I’ve been posting some of the images I’ve been taking to a google map I created. Others I took specifically to post here as digital postcards.
In other words, I wish you were here.
writing accountability
0I have been trying to find ways to make myself more attentive to my writing habits (which have been dismal to be honest). I suffer from that perennial problem of procrastination and fear — fear of writing, fear of not writing, fear of having someone read my writing, etc.
Last week I read Billie Hara’s article on ProfHacker about 750words.com. I signed up. But then I decided not to do it. I wouldn’t go to the site every day. So how could I incorporate the same idea into my workflow in a way that works best for me?
I live on Google. Ok, not the planet Google, but the great spacious cloud of Google. I use many of the tools extensively, for nearly everything. Ack! I know. But I also backup, so never fear. :-) Anyway, I am always using my calendar, docs, etc. So how could I make them work for me in the same way that 750words works for others? I created a calendar event that emails me every morning, alerting to me to my time to write for 10 minutes (I picked 10 minutes to get me started — and I typically write about 500 words in that 10 minutes). I also use Docs to write in, so I can write from anywhere.
I called my brother and let him know so I’d be accountable. He suggested that this could be a good way to create reflections on my exams and dissertation (smart man, that guy) and that those reflections could turn into something else in the future.
I’ve also made my calendar public, just to hold myself more accountable. Once I’ve written for 10 minutes (and I downloaded a timewatch app on my Droid — yes, I just had to have the Droid involved! — to time myself, to make sure I did at least 10 minutes), I update my calendar to show that I did the writing.
And there it is. 10 minutes. Every day. I’m creating a habit. And a good one at that.
toys
02 years ago
In case you haven’t heard me yell it from the rooftops, I got the Motorola Droid that runs the Android operating system. I’ve dropped my landline and am focusing my telephone life into my mobile phone.
Why? It’s simple. I got maybe 2 calls a month on my landline and they were mostly wrong calls or “approved” telemarketers. I don’t need to pay $40 a month for that. Instead, I can get a phone that does all of the things I would typically do on my mobile phone + my iPod Touch. Really, it’s as simple as that. I’m simplifying my input and output.
Now, anyone who knows me and knows my iPod behavior knows that I love my apps. First thing I do on my Droid? Oh, yeah, I’m hooking up the email accounts then adding some apps. The Android store has great apps, and I think it will only grow as more Android-based phones like the Incredible and EVO hit the market.
Best of all, I have everything in one place. And it makes me happy.
the looking glass
02 years ago
This is a presentation I’ll be giving on identity of the self in a psychology class this week.
I know, I know. I used Foucault. How could I not since he talks about mirrors? Damn him. ;-)
the collateral of words
32 years ago
On twitter and facebook I recently wrote:
Words have become my main form of collateral, and now I think I fear using them. It’s more than writer’s block. It’s about identity.
I wrote this in the midst of struggling with a paper. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since this and these are some of the issues that have arisen from it:
Because this is the first time in my life that my words and my thoughts are REALLY paying my bills, I’m much more cognizant of them than I’ve been in the past. I fear speaking out and/or writing in public now more than I have because I will be held accountable for my words, and people may challenge them. What if I can’t hold my own in the challenge? What if I just don’t have the knowledge and/or skills to do so? I have great fears of disappointing people I respect and, conversely, not being respected for who I am and what I think. This manifests itself in problems with writing. Academics can be snarky. As I’ve followed recent tweets by academics at one of the largest conferences in my field, I’ve noticed that so many of them were snarky, negative complaints about silly things. They weren’t issues with theory, but personal digs. Why do we do this to ourselves, to people who actually *get* us? Recently I was told that I talk too much in class. I like to add to discussions, but if others think I’m talking too much, I shut down. I choose seminars because there is discussion and they are interesting and engaging. I need to find that place of medium existence in which I can feel safe expressing my words and not intrude on others’ spaces. I’m not sure where that is or if it is possible.
Finally, Peter Elbow, a respected and controversial professor in my field, said this at a recent conference:
Nobody can write well unless they are able to make a fool of themselves.
In the end, maybe most of us, especially those of us who are engaged in social mediums in online spaces, are willing to make fools of ourselves. It may be the degree in which we do so that makes us better writers.
looking for new digs and need assistance
1It 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
22 years ago
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.
–
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
12 years ago
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
0
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
0
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.