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eeeeeee(euw)!
Friday, 11 March 2011 03:43 pmThe first part of my subject line is the high-pitched squeal of gratified and singularly unacademic fangirly glee. As those of you who watch me fuffle erratically around on Twitter will already know, My Book, TM, got namechecked. By the top critic in my field, in the first chapter of his new book. He called the work "significant", before quoting a chunk of it in support of his argument. On mature reflection, seeing it out of context like that, I am forced to admit that it's a fairly well-written chunk that makes a good point. In the annals of my ongoing academic self-loathing, this is a relatively momentous revelation. Also, eeeeeeee!
I have also, in semi-related news, been invited to come and give a keynote paper at a Harry Potter conference in Scotland next year. Clearly there is a terrible, magnetic attraction between Scotland and my academic life, one with which I have to say I am completely OK. This one's at St. Andrews. Score.
All of the above has rather rescued the week, particularly today, which has otherwise given rise to the postmodern parenthetical part of my subject line. With breaks for wide-eyed horror at the Japan tsunami footage (dear gods, it's scary) today has been horribly characterised by making curriculum advice compromises in the service of academic politics, something which leaves me feeling enraged and dirty. I have spent such portions of the day as were not devoted to arguing with students and management in clearing out the office my OLs used during orientation, which was unbelievably filled with junk and leftover bits of thing. The top trophy: 9 paintbrushes jammed into the top of a plastic bottle, said bottle being filled with poster-paint-infused water and, I regret to say, mould after four weeks of neglect. I had to disassemble the whole wretched thing with my Swiss army knife to actually get them out, while simultaneously marvelling at the apparently 8-year-old moments of an otherwise highly competent group of students. It feels like a very far cry from swooning academic successes to the grubbier kinds of administration in both the real and abstract sense.
I also finished my course of antibiotics on Wednesday, as a result of which the sinus and glandular symptoms have merrily resurged. Am narked. But tonight we hit Jewel Tavern for random Chinese, so it's all OK. Crispy duck with pancakes soothes both body and soul.
I have also, in semi-related news, been invited to come and give a keynote paper at a Harry Potter conference in Scotland next year. Clearly there is a terrible, magnetic attraction between Scotland and my academic life, one with which I have to say I am completely OK. This one's at St. Andrews. Score.
All of the above has rather rescued the week, particularly today, which has otherwise given rise to the postmodern parenthetical part of my subject line. With breaks for wide-eyed horror at the Japan tsunami footage (dear gods, it's scary) today has been horribly characterised by making curriculum advice compromises in the service of academic politics, something which leaves me feeling enraged and dirty. I have spent such portions of the day as were not devoted to arguing with students and management in clearing out the office my OLs used during orientation, which was unbelievably filled with junk and leftover bits of thing. The top trophy: 9 paintbrushes jammed into the top of a plastic bottle, said bottle being filled with poster-paint-infused water and, I regret to say, mould after four weeks of neglect. I had to disassemble the whole wretched thing with my Swiss army knife to actually get them out, while simultaneously marvelling at the apparently 8-year-old moments of an otherwise highly competent group of students. It feels like a very far cry from swooning academic successes to the grubbier kinds of administration in both the real and abstract sense.
I also finished my course of antibiotics on Wednesday, as a result of which the sinus and glandular symptoms have merrily resurged. Am narked. But tonight we hit Jewel Tavern for random Chinese, so it's all OK. Crispy duck with pancakes soothes both body and soul.
