Grad school: the purgatory of academia, burning out any sins of inner weakness

A few things:
First, tracks 7-10 of Hootenanny Volume 2 are now available on the myspace page. We started there because the previous 6 have all at some point been available. We'll cycle 'em through as needed.

Second, a word to those of you that have just started grad school, or who will at some point. I hated it at first. My department was bizarrely unorganized. They assigned me to teach when I had a class (that was actually being taught by the person who made the assignments). One of my professors made us do tai chi in class. I was teaching film, when I don't really even like watching movies.

A year into it, I like it a lot more. I think that this shift has more to do with other circumstances than school. As much as I thought I hated my department (and it's still got its quirks, gaping holes in thought and design, what have you), I look much more kindly on it now. I think the reason I'm a lot more contented in my place in life is because I have friends (in Tallahassee), a good church, we've got better funding, and Tallahassee feels way more like home than it used to.

So in our case, all of the distaste we had for what we thought was grad school, I think was more for our loneliness and such. I hope that's some solace. In the end, though we are the proletariat of the academic system, devoid of healthcare, living wages, and other such antiquated ideas of what people need, our essential purpose is still to learn and to facilitate learning. Not so bad.

Fall

Fall has arrived in Annapolis. I pulled my LL Bean field coat out last night, and I couldn't be happier. I love coat weather. I finally have pockets for small books.

I got a new pair of boots a few weeks ago, and I have been wearing them constantly. They are made by Frye, which is one of the oldest companies in the US. They actually supplied the same boot to the North and the South during the War. Thinking of Dr. Elliott, I teach in mine. Also, I have begun going on tangents. Some the kids enjoy it, most of them don't understand. They did get interested, however, when I brought in "Jabberwocky."

Last weekend, some our friends at 121 Market hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party. I gave mine a labotomy with an open, blank stare and a drooling mouth. The operation was only a moderate success. When we lit them all up together, he looked rather silly. We also watched the Charlie Brown special about The Great Pumpkin. Our friend Dave found it on DVD the day of the party. With the success of Charlie Brown, he also proposed a fall movie festival starting with Rushmore and The Dead Poet's Society. Any other suggestions?

In literary news, Thomas Pynchon has a new novel. It is not yet available, but you can see an advance copy at the Literary Saloon. I usually pay at least some attention to these guys, but I won't be picking it up any time soon. Gravity's Rainbow was enough for me.

that sinking feeling

I turned in the first chapter of my M.A. thesis to my major professor today. Actually, it's the second chapter, but the first to be written. I've been researching this material for about a year now, so it has been a long time coming. There will be 5 more chapters, one every three weeks from now until March. I think I've been a little hard to live with during the last two weekends, writing and pacing and sighing and rubbing my face with my fingertips, and having head/neckaches all the time. Jeremy has taken good care of me, though. He doesn't bother me when I need to work, and he does bother me when I need to stop working. Usually during those latter times, we step out the back gate and walk the trails, across the lake, and into the woods on the far side. There is a tree there that is probably 300 years old. When we walk, sometimes we are silent, but most of the time we talk. I get my thesis frustrations out by the time we reach the lake, and we've usually moved on to church, the fire, Jeremy's new electric, or how we want to talk to our kids about God by the time we've reached The Tree.

I know I promised a post on feminism and feminist history and related topics, but I think it needs to ruminate for a few days more. Suffice it to say, for now, that I do not approve of CoC women's classes that involve exchanging teacups with one's favorite inspirational saying inside. Neither do I approve of the women in Jeremy's department whom he refers to collectively as "the power girls."