Hello all,
It is not late enough for me to be as exhausted as I am... having done as little as I did today... I blame the rain. And I'm not in Ireland... it just follows me... yay.
Here's a tiny baby update, sort of:
So last month, I met with a man who works with the sustainability department of the University about getting a film brought to Columbia, and last week, he phoned me to ask if I was interested in a graduate assistantship with him next semester! of course, I said "yes." It's basically doing what I did for Dan: managing a billion projects and organizing a small administration. Because of this assistantship, I now qualify for in-state tuition, which is approximately $6000 less per term than out-of-state. WHEW! It's 10hrs/week and I will get a small stipend for those hours, although I don't know how much yet. This position is strictly for one semester for two reasons: his wife will be having a baby and he needs someone to cover the office mid-semester, and...
in the fall, I plan to be in Mulhouse, France, woot! Which brings me to another mini-update. Here are the basics:
Mulhouse is in the northeast corner of France, on the German border & 20km from the Swiss border. It is 1.5hr from Zurich and 3hrs from both Paris and Brussels, by train. And approx 4hrs by car to Milan. craaazy!
I will be teaching English at the university "de haute-alsace" and receiving a paid stipend as well. The position is called a "lectrice" or "lectrice d'anglais" position and runs from october thru may.
I plan to return to the Carolinas over Christmas (the French break is mid-december to 1 february) so that I can take my phd qualifying exams in the first week of January. Otherwise, I will have to postpone my phd an extra year.
I won't be taking phd classes while in France, so I am already postponing one year, but it's worth it because: 1) I get teaching experience at the uni level, 2) I get paid and don't go further into debt, and 3) I plan to be fluent in French by the time I'm done... which brings me to step 3 in this crazy little thing I call "my plan":
I have pretty much been guaranteed a teaching assistantship to teach in the French dept of U of SC (if there is space in the budget) when I return from France, if I do attain the appropriate level of fluency (and I will). Which will give me teaching experience at the uni level in two languages, WOOT!
in other news: my GPA at the end of term 1 is a 4.0! (that's straight As, for you non-GPA minded, haha)... the first time I've made straight As since grade 7.
It seems like I only ever get on here to brag lately... but my life is not always roses, I promise... I just want to take every chance I can to thank the Lord for His guidance and for showing me clearly the path He wants me to follow... Proverbs 16:9.
Now if you'll excuse me, I will return to my regularly scheduled program of "Plato's Symposium"... it took me 21 minutes to write this post. I really do hope to post more often so that you guys aren't limited to my random updates on here!
PS
This break, I will be attempting to create two work-related blogs, so maybe if I get into the habit of actually posting for those, I can add something personal on a regular basis too... idealism, I know, I know... and fyi, the topics of my other 2 blogs will be: environmentalism made easy and a biblio of utopian publications (obviously not the titles of the blogs, haha!)
18 December 2009
08 November 2009
Beaches, France and Feminism
Hi all,
So a few updates that I should probably have spread out into multiple posts, but since I have such a tough time remembering to get on here, I'm just gonna say it all at once:
FIRST:
I went to a conference at Wrightsville Beach last weekend and HAD A BLAST! I rented a car and left Columbia @ 4am, got lost, and was a tiny bit late for the first session, but I got to spend 6hrs just me & Jason Mraz, so it was a fantastic trip :) I got to the hotel and checked in to my canal view room, only to find out that they'd given me an oceanview room instead for the same price! ($50 difference) The conference was great - I learned ton(ne)s, met some great people with whom I am staying in contact, got Fredric Jameson to sign my copy of "Political Unconscious", and signed up to create a semi-annual bibliography for Utopus Discovered (a society newsletter) that will tell people what is currently being published in the Utopian Studies world.
In other news: I also took a lovely walk on the Carolina coast for the first time since 2004, collected a seashell and a really great stone, watched some surfers and got a $40 meal for $5.50 + tip... and on the return trip, I took a "Sunday drive" with Jason Mraz and stopped at fruit stands and tourist shops at regular intervals, after spending the morning driving up & down the Myrtle Beach strand and shopping at the outlet mall.
So overall, no complaints re the conference trip!
SECOND:
While I was at the conference, I had a fantastic visit with my aunt, who lives 15mins from the hotel*! We ate supper at a cute local grille with a fantastic server, then spent the evening getting my aunt signed onto Twitter and watching TV before we both crashed at 10pm. sad. haha. ANYWAY: while Vicki and I were in my room talking, I checked my email and found out that...
THIRD:
I got an email from my advisor (who had cc'd another prof) to tell me about an opportunity for a fellowship in France next school year... my advisor told me the bare details: it's teaching English at a university in Mulhouse [moo-looz], France, paid position (20K euro), for one year. I would get university-level teaching experience, french practice, and not have to go further into debt all in one fell swoop. Is that how you spell "fell swoop"? Anyone know the etymology there? hmm... back to the topic! I hadn't checked my email all day, so the other prof had replied as well, to inform me that NO ONE has expressed interest so far. So I have talked it over with the Fam and I intend to apply**. They have to send an email out and I reply with a letter of interest in writing. I have prayed about it and have come to the decision that - if I am offered the position - I will be moving to France next summer! And if not, then I will more than likely be spending the summer working on French somewhere (maybe Vermont?). Proverbs 16:9, people!
FOURTH:
Compared to that fun-filled weekend, the remainder of my week has been pretty blah. I got my H1N1 vaccine and I think it made me a little sick, but I was over it by late Friday night. AND I have literally spent 15hrs this weekend reading journal articles for 2 essays due at the beginning of December.
Off topic, but still pertinent: I am inclined to make it my mission to become a female theorist who isn't determined to put a feminist spin of EVERYTHING I WRITE. It really is annoying that that is all I read from women theorists. At least that's what it feels like. Can't I be a part of a world that isn't splintered into factions? I may change my mind, but I won't be happy about it.
Love to everyone - will keep you informed!
* she has cats. there was no way I could visit her, so she came to my hotel for a slumber party!
** I have since found out that one other person has expressed interest, and that he went last year, so I don't know what my chances are right now.
So a few updates that I should probably have spread out into multiple posts, but since I have such a tough time remembering to get on here, I'm just gonna say it all at once:
FIRST:
I went to a conference at Wrightsville Beach last weekend and HAD A BLAST! I rented a car and left Columbia @ 4am, got lost, and was a tiny bit late for the first session, but I got to spend 6hrs just me & Jason Mraz, so it was a fantastic trip :) I got to the hotel and checked in to my canal view room, only to find out that they'd given me an oceanview room instead for the same price! ($50 difference) The conference was great - I learned ton(ne)s, met some great people with whom I am staying in contact, got Fredric Jameson to sign my copy of "Political Unconscious", and signed up to create a semi-annual bibliography for Utopus Discovered (a society newsletter) that will tell people what is currently being published in the Utopian Studies world.
In other news: I also took a lovely walk on the Carolina coast for the first time since 2004, collected a seashell and a really great stone, watched some surfers and got a $40 meal for $5.50 + tip... and on the return trip, I took a "Sunday drive" with Jason Mraz and stopped at fruit stands and tourist shops at regular intervals, after spending the morning driving up & down the Myrtle Beach strand and shopping at the outlet mall.
So overall, no complaints re the conference trip!
SECOND:
While I was at the conference, I had a fantastic visit with my aunt, who lives 15mins from the hotel*! We ate supper at a cute local grille with a fantastic server, then spent the evening getting my aunt signed onto Twitter and watching TV before we both crashed at 10pm. sad. haha. ANYWAY: while Vicki and I were in my room talking, I checked my email and found out that...
THIRD:
I got an email from my advisor (who had cc'd another prof) to tell me about an opportunity for a fellowship in France next school year... my advisor told me the bare details: it's teaching English at a university in Mulhouse [moo-looz], France, paid position (20K euro), for one year. I would get university-level teaching experience, french practice, and not have to go further into debt all in one fell swoop. Is that how you spell "fell swoop"? Anyone know the etymology there? hmm... back to the topic! I hadn't checked my email all day, so the other prof had replied as well, to inform me that NO ONE has expressed interest so far. So I have talked it over with the Fam and I intend to apply**. They have to send an email out and I reply with a letter of interest in writing. I have prayed about it and have come to the decision that - if I am offered the position - I will be moving to France next summer! And if not, then I will more than likely be spending the summer working on French somewhere (maybe Vermont?). Proverbs 16:9, people!
FOURTH:
Compared to that fun-filled weekend, the remainder of my week has been pretty blah. I got my H1N1 vaccine and I think it made me a little sick, but I was over it by late Friday night. AND I have literally spent 15hrs this weekend reading journal articles for 2 essays due at the beginning of December.
Off topic, but still pertinent: I am inclined to make it my mission to become a female theorist who isn't determined to put a feminist spin of EVERYTHING I WRITE. It really is annoying that that is all I read from women theorists. At least that's what it feels like. Can't I be a part of a world that isn't splintered into factions? I may change my mind, but I won't be happy about it.
Love to everyone - will keep you informed!
* she has cats. there was no way I could visit her, so she came to my hotel for a slumber party!
** I have since found out that one other person has expressed interest, and that he went last year, so I don't know what my chances are right now.
27 October 2009
New Crush - minipost.
Now, this is not an MG crush, mind you, but I thought I would share a video posted on Superforest.org today. I think I love Jackson. I mean, I even love his dog - it made me giggle! That's some serious crushing. haha.
The end.
The end.
The Plan, part 1
So this past week has been a roller coaster. Actually, more like the past 7 weeks, so I'll start there:
7 weeks ago, I started developing insomnia for the first time in my life. I have never been a great sleeper, but I have always felt rested after I got awake. Until mid-September. For 6 weeks, I averaged 3hrs/night of sleep - and I was getting increasingly irritable. I know... I'm always so sunshiny! Anyway: after 6 weeks of insomnia, I broke down & asked for prescription meds to help. BAD IDEA. Within 15 mins of taking the pills, I was in a full-blown 3-day-long allergic reaction. But I am in the States and didn't trust my health insurance to cover an ER visit, so I rode it out for the night*. I got 1 hour of sleep that night. YAY.
What I realized after (or maybe during?) was that my insomnia did have a trigger: I have also been having panic attacks/mini-breakdowns over the foreign language component of my PhD since mid-September.
I have been seeing a counselor for about a month to help with the PhD anxiety, and in last week's session, I mentioned that I was considering transferring to a PhD in English and we discussed. I decided to at least talk to the English dept - see if it was possible... and not only is it possible, it is WAY easy: one form and $15. So I met with some profs, asked some questions, realized that it would save me at least 6mos on my PhD... and was about 90% decided that I would transfer this week by the time I went in to my night class on Thursday.
Thursday night's classes are always unpredictable. We are never on schedule and the lecturer has had to remove at least 40% of the syllabus because our conversations are always so in-depth. That, and there are 27 graduate students in the class. So I did not expect a 3-hr session on the field of Comparative Lit when I walked into that classroom...
It was amazing. Life-changing. Reaffirming. I walked out of that class knowing that I am supposed to be in Comp Lit. And I have to get over my anxiety and do what it takes to get this degree.
Monday morning I woke up realizing that I have not set foot in the school's language lab yet. So I decided to take that first step, and found out that U of SC is registered with Rosetta Stone - so I spent 3+hrs there and am now on lesson 4 of unit 1 in French, haha! Back to the basics, for serious.
On Monday afternoon, I met with my Comp Lit advisor and told her the above story. By the time I told her that I was staying in the program, she let out a huge sigh and was like, "I was totally prepared for you to say you are leaving!" Then she told me about a summer immersion program in Vermont that she would like for me to check out. It took her a minute to remember the name of the school and all I could think of was "Middlebury" because that is where a cultural theorist/media studies prof named Jason Mittell works - I follow him on twitter and subscribe to his blog. And all of a sudden, my advisor is like, "Middlebury College! That's the name of the school." WHAT? I thought, well, how convenient!
This morning I pulled up the Middlebury College language school website to find out how much the program costs and if it accepts financial aid. As soon as I pulled up the financial aid page, the interoffice mailman came in & my job is to disperse the mail. So I left the page up for when I returned and started delivery.
And the last envelope I encounter is addressed to the Department Chair... from Middlebury College - WHAT???? I told the story to Catherine, the Chair's assistant and lady I desk-sit for over lunch hours. Catherine was like, "well, that's serendipity. This envelope should actually be yours." She opened it and handed me the papers.
I got to my office and started to read the pages. It was an announcement for a fellowship that pays for 100% of the language school summer programs... can I just say now that GOD IS GOOD.??
Now I don't have the fellowship, but WOW.
And if nothing else, I would say that I have confirmation that I am, in fact, supposed to be in Comp Lit!
And that is part one of my PhD plan blog posts.
* I did go to the health center the following day and got help.
7 weeks ago, I started developing insomnia for the first time in my life. I have never been a great sleeper, but I have always felt rested after I got awake. Until mid-September. For 6 weeks, I averaged 3hrs/night of sleep - and I was getting increasingly irritable. I know... I'm always so sunshiny! Anyway: after 6 weeks of insomnia, I broke down & asked for prescription meds to help. BAD IDEA. Within 15 mins of taking the pills, I was in a full-blown 3-day-long allergic reaction. But I am in the States and didn't trust my health insurance to cover an ER visit, so I rode it out for the night*. I got 1 hour of sleep that night. YAY.
What I realized after (or maybe during?) was that my insomnia did have a trigger: I have also been having panic attacks/mini-breakdowns over the foreign language component of my PhD since mid-September.
I have been seeing a counselor for about a month to help with the PhD anxiety, and in last week's session, I mentioned that I was considering transferring to a PhD in English and we discussed. I decided to at least talk to the English dept - see if it was possible... and not only is it possible, it is WAY easy: one form and $15. So I met with some profs, asked some questions, realized that it would save me at least 6mos on my PhD... and was about 90% decided that I would transfer this week by the time I went in to my night class on Thursday.
Thursday night's classes are always unpredictable. We are never on schedule and the lecturer has had to remove at least 40% of the syllabus because our conversations are always so in-depth. That, and there are 27 graduate students in the class. So I did not expect a 3-hr session on the field of Comparative Lit when I walked into that classroom...
It was amazing. Life-changing. Reaffirming. I walked out of that class knowing that I am supposed to be in Comp Lit. And I have to get over my anxiety and do what it takes to get this degree.
Monday morning I woke up realizing that I have not set foot in the school's language lab yet. So I decided to take that first step, and found out that U of SC is registered with Rosetta Stone - so I spent 3+hrs there and am now on lesson 4 of unit 1 in French, haha! Back to the basics, for serious.
On Monday afternoon, I met with my Comp Lit advisor and told her the above story. By the time I told her that I was staying in the program, she let out a huge sigh and was like, "I was totally prepared for you to say you are leaving!" Then she told me about a summer immersion program in Vermont that she would like for me to check out. It took her a minute to remember the name of the school and all I could think of was "Middlebury" because that is where a cultural theorist/media studies prof named Jason Mittell works - I follow him on twitter and subscribe to his blog. And all of a sudden, my advisor is like, "Middlebury College! That's the name of the school." WHAT? I thought, well, how convenient!
This morning I pulled up the Middlebury College language school website to find out how much the program costs and if it accepts financial aid. As soon as I pulled up the financial aid page, the interoffice mailman came in & my job is to disperse the mail. So I left the page up for when I returned and started delivery.
And the last envelope I encounter is addressed to the Department Chair... from Middlebury College - WHAT???? I told the story to Catherine, the Chair's assistant and lady I desk-sit for over lunch hours. Catherine was like, "well, that's serendipity. This envelope should actually be yours." She opened it and handed me the papers.
I got to my office and started to read the pages. It was an announcement for a fellowship that pays for 100% of the language school summer programs... can I just say now that GOD IS GOOD.??
Now I don't have the fellowship, but WOW.
And if nothing else, I would say that I have confirmation that I am, in fact, supposed to be in Comp Lit!
And that is part one of my PhD plan blog posts.
* I did go to the health center the following day and got help.
19 October 2009
Judge a Book...
Hi all -
This will be short, but I was sitting here trying to come up with research ideas and I looked up at the shelf above my desk and thought: "If someone were to randomly see all of these books, they'd probably think I have split-personality disorder!" So I thought I would share the list...(L-R):
Plato's Republic
Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia & Other Science Fictions
Ordinary Enchantments
Literary Topics: Magic Realism
A Companion to Magical Realism
The Spaces of Latin American Literature
Dark Horizons: Science Fiction and the Dystopian Imagination
The Immanent Utopia
Literature, Culture & Society
The end of Irish History?
Strands of Utopia
Demand the Impossible: Science Fiction and the Utopian Imagination
Captain Rock,Night Errant:The Threatening Letters of Pre-Famine Ireland, 1801-45
Jorge Luis Borges
The Image of the Future
Latin American Science Fiction Writers
And there you go! Books representing the various research ideas I have had in the past month. hah. Way to go INDECISION! :)
Love you all and miss you ton(nes) - and I do apologize that this does not include a crush-of-the-week bearded edition... but if it did, you KNOW there'd be a pic of MRAZ!
take care ~
SS
This will be short, but I was sitting here trying to come up with research ideas and I looked up at the shelf above my desk and thought: "If someone were to randomly see all of these books, they'd probably think I have split-personality disorder!" So I thought I would share the list...(L-R):
Plato's Republic
Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia & Other Science Fictions
Ordinary Enchantments
Literary Topics: Magic Realism
A Companion to Magical Realism
The Spaces of Latin American Literature
Dark Horizons: Science Fiction and the Dystopian Imagination
The Immanent Utopia
Literature, Culture & Society
The end of Irish History?
Strands of Utopia
Demand the Impossible: Science Fiction and the Utopian Imagination
Captain Rock,Night Errant:The Threatening Letters of Pre-Famine Ireland, 1801-45
Jorge Luis Borges
The Image of the Future
Latin American Science Fiction Writers
And there you go! Books representing the various research ideas I have had in the past month. hah. Way to go INDECISION! :)
Love you all and miss you ton(nes) - and I do apologize that this does not include a crush-of-the-week bearded edition... but if it did, you KNOW there'd be a pic of MRAZ!
take care ~
SS
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