For all of you Obama supporters, here's a little food for thought.
Oprah is a mega-Obama supporter, yes? Consider for a minute Oprah's megalomania. O Magazine. The O Network. The resident Oprah show doctor is Dr. Oz. Is Oprah supporting Obama to create an O-ocracy?
Imagine it: the O-office instead of the Oval Office. Little o's instead of stars on the flag. Pretty soon it will be Omerica.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
do I really want a phd?
Having just read dr. write's remarks about having a 24/7 anxiety attack, I feel a little bit better about my own 24/7 state of anxiety.
I am in the middle of applying for a phd program--well, a week away from the application deadline. In some ways, I planned ahead. The letters of recommendation have been sent, the general grad school application has been submitted, the transcripts have been sent, the gre has been taken (again!--clearly I've become a total dufus in the past ten years so my old scores just won't do). All of that is good. But what hasn't been done?
uh, a letter of intent and a writing sample. The letter has a good draft, so I can finish that up tomorrow. It's fine and does what it needs to do. But the writing sample. my god. If I were an organized person, I would just submit some writing from my master's, like say my thesis. But no, I have no idea where the thing is. I had the option to do a "project" which was exactly like a thesis, but I didn't have to meet any of the graduate school's expectations or deadlines, which basically means the thesis didn't get bound. Which means is became a stack of papers. Which means it is lost somewhere in my endless stacks of papers. And since I wrote the thesis eight years ago, the digital version is either a) on a floppy disk or b) on a zip drive.
Also, since my job is all about teaching, I have not done any substantial academic writing in the last eight years. So, I am trying to expand a conference presentation I did on plagiarism. It's an interesting topic and the draft is sort of working, but I seriously don't know how to do this kind of writing any more. What happened to my complex sentences, my ability to build an argument, my ease with integrating sources. Even the mystery novel I'm currently reading (The Somnambulist) uses more complex language than I seem to be capable of.
I am usually a procrastinator, but this I have not been procrastinating. I'm just way too busy and way to out of practice. Hopefully by the end of tonight (when will that be exactly?) I will have a not-too-crappy draft. Then I will try to edit furiously in order to get it sent off by the end of the week. Oh yes, and I will also grade like 4000 student papers.
Wish me luck. The good thing is that my paper references Vanilla Ice, Maurice Sendak, Jonathan Lethem, and DJ Spooky. It can't be bad, right?
I am in the middle of applying for a phd program--well, a week away from the application deadline. In some ways, I planned ahead. The letters of recommendation have been sent, the general grad school application has been submitted, the transcripts have been sent, the gre has been taken (again!--clearly I've become a total dufus in the past ten years so my old scores just won't do). All of that is good. But what hasn't been done?
uh, a letter of intent and a writing sample. The letter has a good draft, so I can finish that up tomorrow. It's fine and does what it needs to do. But the writing sample. my god. If I were an organized person, I would just submit some writing from my master's, like say my thesis. But no, I have no idea where the thing is. I had the option to do a "project" which was exactly like a thesis, but I didn't have to meet any of the graduate school's expectations or deadlines, which basically means the thesis didn't get bound. Which means is became a stack of papers. Which means it is lost somewhere in my endless stacks of papers. And since I wrote the thesis eight years ago, the digital version is either a) on a floppy disk or b) on a zip drive.
Also, since my job is all about teaching, I have not done any substantial academic writing in the last eight years. So, I am trying to expand a conference presentation I did on plagiarism. It's an interesting topic and the draft is sort of working, but I seriously don't know how to do this kind of writing any more. What happened to my complex sentences, my ability to build an argument, my ease with integrating sources. Even the mystery novel I'm currently reading (The Somnambulist) uses more complex language than I seem to be capable of.
I am usually a procrastinator, but this I have not been procrastinating. I'm just way too busy and way to out of practice. Hopefully by the end of tonight (when will that be exactly?) I will have a not-too-crappy draft. Then I will try to edit furiously in order to get it sent off by the end of the week. Oh yes, and I will also grade like 4000 student papers.
Wish me luck. The good thing is that my paper references Vanilla Ice, Maurice Sendak, Jonathan Lethem, and DJ Spooky. It can't be bad, right?
Friday, February 15, 2008
I just want to dance
Last weekend, I saw Step Up 2: the Streets twice, TWICE. I've been waiting for this thing since since December when I saw the preview before Sweeney Todd. I was beside myself with joy. My sister-in-law thought I was kidding. No. There's no joking about dance movies.
I'm pretty sure I've gushed about my love for the dance movie before, but this one is like the best ever. It feels like when I was a pre-teen watching Breakin' over and over all night long at a sleepover. Maybe the love is all about the "street" element of both movies. Yes, the street is always part of the dance movie, but usually the street gets citified with polished ballet moves. Whatever. In both Breakin and Step Up, the streets win baby. I was so into Breakin' that I took some breakdancing classes. Sadly, I've got no sick moves.
It's decidedly silly this love I have for dance movies, but I just can't help it. Step Up had both ridiculous ("we call it a battle but what are we fighting for") and hilarious ("hey, this ain't high school musical"). The romance was silly. The dancing was amazing. I so wish I could move like that, but I'm lucky if I can walk through a parking lot without running into a car mirror.
"For the break of your life! Push it to pop it! Rock it to lock it! Break it to make it!"
I'm pretty sure I've gushed about my love for the dance movie before, but this one is like the best ever. It feels like when I was a pre-teen watching Breakin' over and over all night long at a sleepover. Maybe the love is all about the "street" element of both movies. Yes, the street is always part of the dance movie, but usually the street gets citified with polished ballet moves. Whatever. In both Breakin and Step Up, the streets win baby. I was so into Breakin' that I took some breakdancing classes. Sadly, I've got no sick moves.
It's decidedly silly this love I have for dance movies, but I just can't help it. Step Up had both ridiculous ("we call it a battle but what are we fighting for") and hilarious ("hey, this ain't high school musical"). The romance was silly. The dancing was amazing. I so wish I could move like that, but I'm lucky if I can walk through a parking lot without running into a car mirror.
"For the break of your life! Push it to pop it! Rock it to lock it! Break it to make it!"
Sunday, February 10, 2008
why I voted for Clinton
At the beginning of this week, I wasn't entirely sure whether I would vote for Clinton or Obama. The way I look at things, anyone's better than Dubya, so let's just get on with the switch-up. Hell, at this point I would even take McCain. He may still support the war, but I'm guessing he'll handle the mess with more efficiency and intelligence. Clinton and Obama have very similar policy positions, so the choice seems less urgent than it might with two other candidates. And they're both for change right?
I didn't decide who I would vote for until I showed up at the polls. Ultimately, my decision came down to this: I wanted to vote for a woman. Clearly I wouldn't have voted for a woman if she had the political views of Huckabee or the smarminess of Mitt, but in this choice gender was a deciding factor for me.
As the week has progressed, though, I am more and more satisfied with my choice for reasons beyond gender. Here's what it's really all about:
1.Too much kumbaya. During Tuesday night's Super Tuesday coverage on ABC, Charlie Gibson referred to Obama's supporters as his "followers." And as Obama talked to the crowd, many of them seemed to be in some sort of orgasmic trance. Followers indeed. Add to this that Oprah is a mega-follower of Obama. This is a woman who believes in and promotes The Law of Attraction, which suggests that the universe is just waiting to deliver to you whatever you ask it for (including shiny stoves and houses on the beach as illustrated in one of her shows about The Secret). Further, increasingly his speeches mimic the rhetorical styles of MLK and JFK. Granted, these two were expert rhetoricians, but I worry that his derivative style may indicate that he is also lacking in original, pragmatic plans for action. Invoking MLK's style and "echoes from the hills" may be inspiring, but I need something a little more concrete. To consider this point further, read David Brooks' excellent and hilarious NY Times column.
2. What's with all the sexism? Based on the chatter surrounding the Clinton/ Obama contest thus far, I am beginning to suspect that our country may be far more sexist than racist. Yes, we are racist, but much of our racism is connected to poverty. With all things being equal in terms of education, class, and political views, I think being female is a bigger stumbling block than being black. (Another NY Times column on this point.) And strangely, much of the sexist response to Clinton has been from highly-educated, liberal women. Recently, there was a whole collection of essays published (can't remember the title) about Hillary by various high-profile feminists. Were they writing about Hillary's politics? Uh, no. They were writing about her as a woman, how she reflects on their identities as women, how her life speaks to their own insecurities. Where's the book about Obama's role as a man? Clinton tends to get far more support from older and working-class women than she does from upper-middle class women. Maybe working class women know that being a woman means both mothering and working--it's not a matter of trying to "have it all"--and they just want someone to help them out a little bit in managing that life. I'm not saying anyone should vote for Clinton because she is a woman, but they certainly shouldn't not vote for her for the same reason. She's a candidate, not the foil for your feminist insecurities.
That's all I have to say--for now. Kumbaya.
I didn't decide who I would vote for until I showed up at the polls. Ultimately, my decision came down to this: I wanted to vote for a woman. Clearly I wouldn't have voted for a woman if she had the political views of Huckabee or the smarminess of Mitt, but in this choice gender was a deciding factor for me.
As the week has progressed, though, I am more and more satisfied with my choice for reasons beyond gender. Here's what it's really all about:
1.Too much kumbaya. During Tuesday night's Super Tuesday coverage on ABC, Charlie Gibson referred to Obama's supporters as his "followers." And as Obama talked to the crowd, many of them seemed to be in some sort of orgasmic trance. Followers indeed. Add to this that Oprah is a mega-follower of Obama. This is a woman who believes in and promotes The Law of Attraction, which suggests that the universe is just waiting to deliver to you whatever you ask it for (including shiny stoves and houses on the beach as illustrated in one of her shows about The Secret). Further, increasingly his speeches mimic the rhetorical styles of MLK and JFK. Granted, these two were expert rhetoricians, but I worry that his derivative style may indicate that he is also lacking in original, pragmatic plans for action. Invoking MLK's style and "echoes from the hills" may be inspiring, but I need something a little more concrete. To consider this point further, read David Brooks' excellent and hilarious NY Times column.
2. What's with all the sexism? Based on the chatter surrounding the Clinton/ Obama contest thus far, I am beginning to suspect that our country may be far more sexist than racist. Yes, we are racist, but much of our racism is connected to poverty. With all things being equal in terms of education, class, and political views, I think being female is a bigger stumbling block than being black. (Another NY Times column on this point.) And strangely, much of the sexist response to Clinton has been from highly-educated, liberal women. Recently, there was a whole collection of essays published (can't remember the title) about Hillary by various high-profile feminists. Were they writing about Hillary's politics? Uh, no. They were writing about her as a woman, how she reflects on their identities as women, how her life speaks to their own insecurities. Where's the book about Obama's role as a man? Clinton tends to get far more support from older and working-class women than she does from upper-middle class women. Maybe working class women know that being a woman means both mothering and working--it's not a matter of trying to "have it all"--and they just want someone to help them out a little bit in managing that life. I'm not saying anyone should vote for Clinton because she is a woman, but they certainly shouldn't not vote for her for the same reason. She's a candidate, not the foil for your feminist insecurities.
That's all I have to say--for now. Kumbaya.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
help! need romantic reading suggestions
So, I'm trying to plan a wedding here and we need some readings. You know, some way to flesh out the ceremony, to make everyone weepy, to get our friends/ family involved. The problem is all the love texts I like are either a) too sexy or b) too depressing. I can't have too sexy because I don't want to remind my Mormon father that I've been "living in sin" for the past two years; I just want him to be ecstatic that it's finally legit. And obviously we can't be depressing everyone, but that's what I like!
So, I'm calling on your collective romantic and literary expertise to give me a few ideas. Not too sexy, not depressing, not too cheesy. If you can suggest something that mildly references spirituality or god but not in a heavy-handed way, that would be swell too. ok, thanks
So, I'm calling on your collective romantic and literary expertise to give me a few ideas. Not too sexy, not depressing, not too cheesy. If you can suggest something that mildly references spirituality or god but not in a heavy-handed way, that would be swell too. ok, thanks
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