Academic thought is theorized direct experience. It’s people looking at the world, thinking about causes and effects of situations, looking for patterns, and saying, okay, here’s what I think is happening. Feminist thought, for example, is theorizing the direct experiences of women. — “laceyfish”
It’s important somehow. I might need it later — I’m not sure why or in what fashion, but I have it now. I might come back to it later on.
This was from an email that I wrote today (entitled “Surprise, surprise…” — but this was way off the original topic).
The email:
>From ESPN: ? The news that Arkansas State linebacker Chris
>Littleton will be allowed to play in his team’s bowl game
>despite a recent arrest for battering a police officer elicits
>only one appropriate response:
>Arkansas State is in a bowl game?
My reply:
Yes, they’re that bad.
———–
Now, I can think of a couple of A-State fans that will get on to me for this, but all I can say what I experienced while I was a student at ASU. The Powers That Be decided, for whatever reason, that ASU needed to play in a higher division than they were at the time. They switched divisions and promptly began to suck to the nth degree. I went to one ball game during my undergrad (that I remember): it was homecoming, we were playing some much smaller school from Out West somewhere, and we ALMOST won. It was the one exciting football game I remember seeing there, because the score was tied in the 4th quarter, with a field goal in overtime deciding the game.
The rest of the schools we played then we had no business playing. I don’t know if that is still the case, but unless there has been some major improvement, I would suspect that what I observed back in the day is still status quo. In fact, Littleton’s inclusion in the game tells me that he’s valuable enough to the head coach (read: he’s pretty much carrying the team, or is one of a few key players who are) that a mere battery charge is not enough to stop him from playing. [This is also not unprecedented. A basketball player in the late 90's (whose name escapes me at the moment -- my mother taught him in high school too) was also allowed to play, despite pending drug charges.]
In any case, ASU in a bowl game is a surprising thing to me. ASU Athletics ignoring legal proceedings to keep a player in the game? Not so much.
[x-posted to the LJ]
Last paper due: Dec. 14.
Worth reading: ‘hate mail’ sent to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Some of these lovely letters are from people who include their profession or academic status in their letters. Many missives display particularly good examples of verbal irony.
It still makes me sad.
I rock. No, really.
I got my midterm back from Dr. Taleghani today, the take-home one that I dreaded for a few days, then got over and finally, wrote.
I’m sitting here with a mad grin, just ’cause I done good.
Needless to say, the general academic outlook is on the upswing, so of course I’m thinking of the post-semester pleasures that await:
That should do it. For now. I could go on and on (really) but unfortunately, there’s a lot left to be accomplished before I get started on that particular to-do list. Hopefully this will serve as a motivator, instead of a procrastinator.
*at least one of these will be Terry Pratchett. Who else?
So I’m learning PHP in order to make good templates for comics on Nightgig…
I finally finished the nasty take-home final for Dr. Gärtner… definitely a relief. So now I’ve thrown myself into PHP, at least while my sister naps. I needed a break from regular academic work.
It hasn’t broken my head yet, but still, it’s taking brainpower… that’s good for you, right?
Anyway, there will be much fun and rejoicing in Munich this weekend, and at the co-birthday party Friday night for my sister and Lyndsey.
Life is good when homework is done.
The paperwork is done. I am still not satisfied.
I am about to enjoy an entire week at home — free from the stress of deadlines and class schedules, chock full of quality time with some of my dearest. Why, then, am I wasting my energy haranguing myself about paperwork not done properly? I allowed it to be so; why continue this self-inflicted brow-beating, when there is nothing more to be done about it?
In the dwindling hours before my departure on a so-called vacation, I am nearly consumed by the feeling that I simply want to give up and go home. Permanently. No more graduate school, no more classes, student loans, writing assignments — no more bowing to other people’s expectations of what I should or should not do.
Except…
…except that I am not being reasonable. I feel depressed and self-defeating, and there is no reason that I should not finish this degree, save my own cowardice.
… and for some reason, this internal mental abuse is supposed to help.
There has to be another way. Be the world as it may — there is always another option. Look for the open window.
ubiquitous honor
Well, guess what. For those of you who don’t follow sports (like me), you’ve probably never heard of ESPN’s Bottom Ten. When I saw Kit’s cameo in LCD last week (and this week), I thought that it was made-up. Nope, ESPN actually has a Bottom Ten list for college football, at least. Apparently it takes quite a bit of, well, misfortune to end up there, and even more to oust one of the worst teams in college football.
And they charge us $12.50 a person to watch this? Please.
