Z: Did you enjoy Madison? Person from Houston: Yes, but it was really hard. Z: How so? Is it really as cutthroat as one sometimes hears? Person from Houston: No. It was that I had to learn how not to defer to men. You are not expected to do that there, and doing it does … More Another dialogue, another fact
Person: This is like being in Mexico in the 1820s. Z (laughs): Perhaps it is really about 1830 (if this is Mexico). There has been a post-Independence civil struggle. Only the winning leaders were not killed. Of the peons and civilians, I am the only one left standing, although I am wounded. All the other … More A dialogue, and one fact
I have to go, I am late, but these are the things I want to discuss: – Astrology for academic job seekers. I am not joking. Location matters a great deal, for instance, although not in the ways people claim. There is a great deal else you can learn from your chart about what to … More Being and Place
In December or January I may go here. It is a long drive but it is still a modest proposal monetarily, and a major adventure. If the weather turned terrible, I could take refuge in the eccentric towns of Terlingua and Marathon. I would hike in the daytime and write, and read or talk to … More Clear western light
I have to start participating in Thanksgiving now as opposed to fantasize about things I should not buy tomorrow but look at this person and her dress. I should stop giving companies free advertising but I did not know about KD dancewear and it appears to be good. I am having to redesign myself since … More New Look
“Go anywhere.” Not quite. Z to colleagues: Well, despite a request and funding from upper administration, I may not get my course release. It feels like discrimination, or inappropriate interference: do you think it is about me personally, or about our subfield, or something else, or am I being “overly sensitive”? Colleague 1: Our subfield. … More Bad advice #2, and good advice #1 and #2
It is the topic of this blog, really: I am trying to de-Reeducate myself which means mentor myself, and my education was good but Reeducation was, essentially, bad mentoring. There is this to talk about in my case but it is not all. And yet I am tired of talking. I think I just had … More More on mentoring
That is one of the pieces of advice which it is only safe to take at an R1 and which I wish R1 faculty would stop dispensing at people who will lose their jobs for taking it. Real advice: Learn never to say no. You were once an adult, you were once allowed to say … More Bad advice #1: “Learn to say no.”
GOOD: The Emeritus Professor, back then. In elementary school when I wrote my first research paper he explained how to plan a project. How much time do you have, weeks to deadline? How long must the paper be, and how short can it be? How much time per day do you have to devote to … More On good and bad mentors
As we know, I am in a writing group and committed to do research and ideally, writing daily. I always have a few minutes for this, no matter what, but I want to spend more time than that. I need to, if I am to get anything truly significant accomplished. I also deserve to because … More Public Opinion Poll
coldhearted scientist وداد 