1. Do you think it is inevitable to fear death in the abstract (not just fight against it as an organism)? 2. Do you think it is natural to be upset that we are not immortal, to feel robbed somehow? 3. Do you think it is normal for a 20th century person to be traumatized … More Five questions related to Vallejo and Arguedas
I think every maladaptation I have is an attempt at managing anxiety. It is why I seem so calm — I was raised in the power of people who were delusionally anxious and it was important at all times to discern the actual state of things and remain calm, while also attempting to calm others. … More How Reeducation destroyed research and more
For some reason we are not allowed to count as part of our workload, which is otherwise defined very broadly, etters of recommendation and general advising for graduate school admissions as part of teaching, or of advising, or of service to the profession. Translations done pro bono for Halliburton would be community service, so I … More I woke up this morning and did odd jobs, sought ways to combat anxiety, and read a brilliant comment on rhetoric and race, hallelu hallelujah.
Today was Orthodox Christmas, and the Carnaval season has begun! This film has many stirring songs and is better than Les Misérables. Axé.
Here is Jonathan Simon’s law blog and it is worth reading. He does work related to what I would do in law, although mine would be comparative, having an Americas wide scope. W.H. Auden’s scorn for social science is amusing as a riposte here but pitiably parochial from my perspective. Axé.
I wish everybody who teaches a very productive, enjoyable, and intellectually enriching semester. Remember, we went into this career to read books, generate ideas, and share knowledge. Everything else is just noise. …or, as my old colleague said, we got into this to have fun, and we must remember this and act in that sense. … More Nouvel an
My student observes that the more you know about Vallejo’s biography, the more it seems to lend itself to mythologizing since there are so many eccentric anecdotes. That is of course why a deeply contextualized intellectual and cultural biography would be interesting. It would not solve the problem, though, if it repeated the gesture of … More Postscript on César Vallejo
Alice has reminded me of some advice to new faculty I gave her. I had forgotten it and seeing it again now, I realize it really is good advice and it is not covered in most advice books, which as I keep saying are largely about time and task management. I will repeat it here, … More Underground advice to new faculty
Note to self: I must find and set up in Scrivener all my most recently abandoned essays. The two I have been working on are the oldest and are the origins of my present project, and there are many in the middle. But before I go to those or compose any new material I should … More Rusia en 1928
I. 40 HOUR SCHEDULE I am allowed to work more, but not to displace any of the research or exercise time set out here. My book, whose focus has been wavering between race and the state and which is about the intertwining of these of course, but does not want to look at literature just … More Twelfth Night
coldhearted scientist وداد 