Friday, November 12, 2004

 

Woohoo! Friday!

Well, folks, as you know, I've been sick, stressed out, and kind of down this week, but upon waking this morning, after I stopped being irritated at the man-kitty for waking me before the alarm was set to go off, I am in an awesome, awesome mood. I'm feeling better, which I'm sure has a lot to do with this, but also I feel like I'm heading into the weekend in a much more settled place than I've been in all week (both physically and psychically). And, somehow, I have a ton that I feel like blogging about.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Ok, I've been addicted to watching Buffy in syndication on FX this week. Love Buffy. Anyway, they're replaying the final season, and between yesterday and today I've gotten to watch one of my favorite episodes ever (the one where we find out about Spike's mommy - love the Oedipal backstory on Spike) and two of my favorite things said in Buffy episodes. First, from Spike to Anya,


"I like my plan better. Get up. Get out. Get drunk. Repeat as needed. It's
just more elegant."
A plan for the ages, I'd say. And then, a conversation between Anya and Andrew that I saw this morning, which begins when Anya asks Andrew what he's been doing in the bathroom for the past 30 minutes:


Andrew: "Entertaining and educating."
Anya: "Why can't you just masturbate like the rest of us?"
This just made me so happy and somehow put my academic life into perspective. Yay! In such a good mood!

2. Teaching
I haven't written much about teaching lately, in part because things have been running pretty smoothly this semester. I'm getting a huge stack of essays from my Freshmen today and while it will mean a ton of work for me, I'm actually really excited to be getting them. See, this is the killer assignment of the semester for them, and it's generally the one that they are most insecure about. The reason I love grading this assignment is it also usually marks the turning point where they start "getting" what argument is and what college writing is all about. In other words, they turn the assignment in feeling completely demoralized and like they know nothing and then when I return it next week I get to show them that they actually already know what the fuck they're doing. Total confidence-builder for them, even though it's painful for them as they are writing the essay (and painful for me as I'm dealing with all of their freaking out).

You know what sucks? I really kick ass at teaching writing (really - and I'm not generally one to brag about this sort of shit so I apologize for doing so now) but I totally hate doing it. Passionately hate doing it. The only thing I get out of it really is the relationships I build with my Freshmen. And next semester I've got to teach the sophomore writing class again and I'm dreading it.

Of my other classes, I'm really pleased with how the service course is going (a nice change from how I felt about it when I taught it for the first time last fall) and the grad class is ok, though not my favorite. Part of the problem is them - though they have gotten a lot better - but part of the problem is that I'm not that into what I'm teaching them. I thought it would be a really cool class - and in some ways it is - but it's not one I ever want to teach again. That said, I had a really good insight (I think) about what we were reading yesterday that I really should turn into an article of some kind. We'll see whether I do that.

I'm super-excited for next semester - though not for my writing class. I love the service course I'm teaching (taught it for the first time last spring and can't wait to teach it again) and I'm teaching a new upper-division course (7 students already pre-registered!) that could basically be called "Books Dr. Crazy Loves." It's going to be a lot of work, the u-d course, because I've only taught one book on the syllabus previously, but since it's my only new course, and since the course is basically Dr. Crazy's Book Club, I think the prep will actually be fun for me. Another reason I'm excited about the course is that there is no other course like it offered in my large department and so I think the students will be really excited by the material. And I know that I've got a couple of students I had last year in an upper-division course which should help to get things off on the right foot.... I'm rambling. It's just I really am excited to have this semester over and to get on with other things.

3. Research
Well, research has been on the back-burner. In fact, it hasn't even been on the stove, if I'm honest. This is not good. This weekend I will need to write that conference paper I've been putting off (or at least start in that direction) and I need to start thinking about the diss again (since I haven't heard from Major Publisher and I'm beginning to lose faith that I'll get a book contract from them - need to keep working on the manuscript if I'm going to have to send it out to other places). Oh well, research is what summers are for, right? Especially when I'm teaching a 4/4 load. I can't beat myself up about not working 24 hours a day, which is what it would take were I to actually be writing right now.

4. The Job Search
Nothing really to report re: this, as now I'm in the waiting phase. The thing that's great, though, is I'm not stressed out about it at all. There are things I don't like about my current job, but I'm basically happy. Very nice not to feel like my whole life is on the line regarding this.

5. Service
Why the fuck even bother addressing this? It is an inconvenience, but whatever. The service chugs along whether I want it to or not.

6. Miscellaneous Personal Life Stuff (which might as well be called The Chronicles of Freud, except I'll try to include other stuff, too, as to be more well-rounded)
Well, last night I broke down and called that fucker. Don't know what got into me. I called him around 10 and figured he wouldn't answer his phone, which, of course, he did not. I suppose he was out. Part of the reason I suppose he was out is because he did ultimately call me back - at 12:30 AM. I did not answer the phone, but was strangely pleased at the call-back. Basically because I love a late-night (almost definitely drunken) phone-call. He did not leave a message, and thus I will not acknowledge the call-back. Oh, the games that fucked-up people play. I suppose he will call me tonight, and I suppose that I could see him this weekend, though I'm not sure I care if I do. What I won't do, however, is go running to his place, as I really need to be in my own fucking bed and able to wake up and work should the mood strike me. So. If that's a deal-breaker for him, I guess he'll have to do without the pleasure of my company.

In other news.... shit, I don't have any other personal life news. I could blab about Stella's life but really I should let her do that for herself. I could blab about my friend Jezebel's life, but it would take too long to give the backstory. Hmmm. Maybe I should email some former swains and see if I can get any correspondence drama going? Wonder how the Rocket Scientist is doing.... or my Pretend Conference Boyfriend (PCB)? Ok, off to email... mwahahaha!


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