So I am still mystified. It seems the main thing people did not learn how to do in graduate school was to write, and that they suffer while writing.What I did not learn in graduate school was how to teach K-12, and I suffer while teaching. There are people who do not suffer while teaching. … More Et encore, encore
…because of the hopelessness in this enterprise as it has been constructed. Axé.
When I was younger than I am now, people were always very concerned I might fail. I did not understand why since I had never failed and did well easily, but I did know I was to be especially careful and follow certain really safe paths. “You can’t, you mustn’t, you shouldn’t,” are still a … More The burdens
To new faculty: The reason I am not out drinking with you and being a “fun” colleague is that I am in a meeting to ensure continued funding for your position. I am not telling you this because there is no reason to raise your stress levels this week. I may point out, though, that … More Secrets
People talk about “protecting time” a lot and about practicing discipline but they do not talk as much, it does not seem to me, about protecting the person who writes and that, I discern, is the far greater problem for me. I spend a lot of time in some sort of dissociated state because of … More Protecting the person who writes
I am an elitist, I just figured it out. My student says the reason the other TAs snipe at each other and lord it over their students is that they were not part of the cool kids earlier on in school and they are taking their revenge now. He was cool in school, says my … More Elitist
My companions on that expedition with William Walker: Achilles Kewen, the aristocrat, who fell fighting at Rivas; Chris Lilly, the boxer, his throat cut while drunk one night beside a shining lagoon; William Stoker (Bill), with his pirate’s face — and a good man — who got married there afterwards and lived by Lake Managua … More With Walker in Nicaragua, continued
When we were first hired here, we would wonder why it was so difficult to teach three courses, come through adequately on service, and if we were not writing articles, at least write our conference papers. We could not understand it since 3 courses + minor service + conference papers, our goals that academic year, … More Obedezco pero no cumplo: tenure requirements
The 21st century is finally starting, I think. Here is another set of pictures from Tahrir Square. Axé.
This comes to mind thinking of Oakland and the Day of the Dead and the eight months of my black cat’s disappeared status. Here is In These Times on the 1946 Oakland strike and more; Robert Reich on the Occupy movement; Amy Goodman on Veterans for the 99%; and a good talk by Chomsky. Axé.
