Moments of Claireity: Friday, February 10, 2006

Friday, February 10, 2006

Day Off
Current mood: industrious

I had vowed to give myself a day off today, not to worry about anything and just go out and enjoy myself. I've never really had a problem doing this, but it seems like today, I'm just in work mode, and I can't switch off.
I suppose that's because I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I have to build a website for an upcoming conference held in Nashville. I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing besides having a very basic knowledge of Frontpage. I don't even like Frontpage, but I have to use it because that's what the MTSU server uses, or at least that's how it was explained to me. It seems like most Microsoft applications, very counter-intuitive. I have pages and pages of instructions and all the information I need, so I guess I'm ready to get started. Wish me luck!
Also, I just have to say that being in graduate school rocks. For the first time in my life I feel like I'm going somewhere. I'm beginning to feel educated and that my opinions have some merit. It's definitely a confidence booster. I must also gush about the wealth of opportunity given to we English grad. students. Next week, I am presenting a paper at a conference in North Carolina. I have never done anything like that in my life, and prior to last semester, could never envision myself doing such a thing. Right now, I am already investigating upcoming conferences for possibilities to present papers. Wow! I am completely overwhelmed with a sense of purpose and with gratitude for constantly being encouraged and given professional opportunities. My professors are incredible. I have nothing but respect for them - they continually open up new worlds of possibility for me.
I think if someone had told me two years ago that this is where I would be in my life now, I would have scoffed at them and told them not to be ridiculous. I kind of applied to graduate school on a whim, because I couldn't think of anything better to do, and it has turned out to be the best last-minute decision I have ever made. I think when I graduate, I will be truly prepared to get a job and totally qualified to do it. I know this will partly be due to hard work on my part, but it really is mostly due to the professors at MTSU, the secretaries, everyone I work with at the writing center, and even the students I tutor.
I know we often get caught up in the complaining and the negative of life, so I just wanted to take a minute and focus on the positive and list some of the things I'm grateful for.

10:11 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Sunday, February 05, 2006

The Joy of Doing Nothing
Current mood: cold

This weekend, I have done absolutely nothing. I had plans to go out on Friday night. I had plans to go out on Saturday night. But, I did nothing. It was fabulous. I went over to my parents' house, went out to eat, and drank wine. That's it. Oh, and I went shopping and slept a lot. My heating went out this weekend, so it's not really like I could have stayed at home anyway, so I enjoyed my little vacation in Brentwood. I really needed a rest. Those of you who were around me last week may have noticed the narcaleptic tendencies I displayed. I fell asleep in my Spanish class, for crying out loud. I'm not supposed to be falling asleep in class in graduate school. I think my body was considering coming down with some sort of cold or flu or something, but couldn't be bothered to actually get around to it. So, it's probably a good thing that I took it easy this weekend.
Tonight, I have persuaded my mother to go to Jasmine, a Thai restaurant in Cool Springs next to Publix. I haven't been there in a couple of years, but if you've never been, I highly recommend it. It knocks the little cotton socks off Royal Thai, Salathai, and Siam Cafe, combined. It's usually difficult to drag my mother to eat anything ethnic, so I'm surprised to have acquired an agreement to try it. The seafood curry is the best, and they also have this incredible salad with red cabbage and peanuts. Yummy! Oh, and those fabulous spring rolls with cucumber wrapped in cellophane noodle sheets. I could go on, but I'll spare you until after I've been tonight.

Currently reading :
Eat This Book: Cooking with Global Fresh Flavors
By Tyler Florence
Release date: 12 April, 2005

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Charred Mammal Flesh
Current mood: working

I can never get it together enough by the beginning of the year to implement New Year's resolutions. I'm usually recovering from a hangover and still eating leftovers for at least a week following January 1st. A few years ago, I came up with a solution to this problem, a very Catholic solution - Lent.
For lent, people are supposed to make a sacrifice of some kind. Contrary to common knowledge, this does not necessarily just mean giving something up you like; it can also involve the kind of sacrifice involved in doing something extra. For the past four years or so, I've given up something for lent. The last two years, I've given up alcohol, the year before, I gave up meat.
This time, I have decided to go fully vegetarian. This decision is based partially on information I received this morning. The last time I gave up meat, I had just read Fast Food Nation and Fatland - giving up meat after reading those two books was not exactly so much a sacrifice as a result of repulsion. This semester, I am involved in a program which mentors senior undergraduates who intend to become graduate students. For this program, I was supposed to read Life of Pi, but apparently the program has dropped that book and now they want me to join the Fast Food Nation group instead.
I had been thinking about giving up meat anyway - I want to explore some new recipes and ways of cooking - and if I read Fast Food Nation, I know I won't want to eat meat. This time, I won't eat fish either, just to really introduce the element of sacrifice. That news this morning really clenched my decision. I will probably have to begin my temporary vegetarianism early because my revulsion will be so great.

3:35 PM - 4 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Country Music (but not the music).

Today, I registered for the Country Music marathon. Actually, I'm only doing the half this time. However, I want to run as much of it as possible. I know it's a lofty goal, but I have to do this partly because I have to fit into a bridesmaid's dress by the end of May. The dress is tight, but it's doable. I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to food, especially since I stopped smoking. I think I used to keep the food thing in check when I could still smoke. So, the only other option I have is exercise. I think walking and training for the marathon in Phoenix helped keep the weight off, but if I actually want to lose it without too much sacrifice of food intake, I have to start running.
I started running on Monday night. I thought it would be horrifically difficult, so I planned to run half a mile. I took it very slowly and managed, much to my surprise to run about a mile and a half - a whole mile over my goal! I barely even broke a sweat and I could have kept going, but I didn't want to injure myself or do anything stupid. I think that walking the marathon has made me fitter than I thought. I didn't think that would transfer to running, but it did. I have found it difficult to find the time the past couple of days, but I plan to run again tomorrow morning before school.
There are a couple of other people who have expressed interest in running the half marathon with me. At least I am not crazy all by myself. My dad has been threatening to take up running for five years at least, ever since he quit smoking. I have kind of called his bluff on this by asking him to enter for the event with me and raise money for breast cancer research. He started training this week and I know it will be an unspoken competition for both of us. However, in the long run, I think the motivation will serve both of us well. We are both too stubburn not to go through with it.

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Sunday, January 22, 2006

Validating my Myspace Addiction
Current mood: inspired

I am taking a class this semester called "Practicum in Composition Methodology." The class had to decide on an overarching theme and create its own syllabus. We decided to use pop culture as our theme. Our professor, Allison Smith, is currently compiling a textbook on using pop culture in the comp classroom. We are required to do a project and paper for the class on using some aspect of pop culture.
Also, this semester, I am sitting in on Laurel's Freshman Comp 1010 class as part of a mentoring program designed to prepare us as teachers for next semester. Many professors and instructors at MTSU use WebCT as part of their class requirement. They require or suggest students e-mail each other and post discussion topics. If you've ever used WebCT, you know that it is very academic-looking (it's very text based), not user friendly and does not have the personality of Myspace. Laurel, both this semester and last semester, uses Myspace instead. She requires students to activate a Myspace account. She encourages them to blog and to post comments on each other's blogs and homepages. She also creates a group for her class and encourages group discussions.
For years, I have tried to keep a diary, journal (whatever you want to call it). However, I always found this endevour most unrewarding. What's the point if I'm the only one who's going to read it? All that writing goes to waste. It encourages, in my opinion, self-piteous and ego-centric writing. When you blog, you have to make sure your writing has some relevance to someone else other than yourself. Blogs also are interactive. Other people can comment, good or bad. They are an excellent way to introduce students (and people in general) to the idea of feedback. They also can reinforce the idea that writing is powerful and if they write something worth reading, people might actually read it.
The project for my Composition class and my mentoring program with Laurel happily collided in a lightbulb moment in class the other day. Next to nothing, it seems, has yet been written in the academic world on blogging and its significance in the teaching and practice of writing. This amazes me because, to me, the connection seems obvious. Blogging has given me a reason to practice writing - an interactive, enjoyable, feedback driven reason. Dr. Smith's book proposal contains a couple of essays on online teaching and discussion, but nothing on blogging and using networking sites like Myspace. I would love to write something worthy of publishing in a textbook on pop culture.
I believe sites like Myspace are currently relevant and I also believe (although this belief has been hotly contended) that education must move with the times. "The medium is the message," (to quote good old Marshall) we are constantly told. This is a relatively new medium, worthy, I believe, of some examination for possible education uses. Obviously, this semester, I will have the opportunity to see how students react to the use of Myspace in the classroom. I plan to centre my research paper and project around this topic.
I knew that one day, my Myspace addiction would bear fruit! I haven't put in all these grueling Myspace hours for nothing.