Today's "Accomplishments"

• Set a move date. It looks like June 1st is the day!
• Reserved a trailer from U-Haul.
• Packed two boxes of books I don't need to use for my dissertation.
• Took a nap.
• Spent way too much time online reading blogs.
• Considered the state of my kitchen cabinets. Some decisions must be made.
• Realized that if I put together and fill too many boxes now, I will be surrounded by cardboard for a month.
• Called my father to verify the boat options at the lake (the fun boat had an accident and drowned last year). Fortunately, the peddle boat is still alive - I might be able to use it as a fun form of exercise. That is, if I don't take items like beer along for the ride.
• That's about it. This was not a very productive day.

Copyright and Academic Writing

Today I discovered the online location of the Journal Consent-to-Publish forms for NCTE journals. I have to say, I'm disappointed. There doesn't appear to be room in the agreements for open access. I've discussed this issue before. In the comments to that post, Dorothea mentioned the SPARC Addendum and adding it to the agreement. I need to look into this and see if journals in comp-rhet will allow for this. As it stands, here is the statement on Copyright Assignment from the consent-to-publish form:

COPYRIGHT ASSIGNMENT: Whereas NCTE undertakes to publish the Contribution as above, and whereas you desire to have the contribution so published, now, therefore, you grant and assign to NCTE for its exclusive use the entire copyright for the Contribution. The copyright consists of any and all rights of whatever kind or nature now or hereafter protected by the copyright laws of the United States and of all foreign countries in all forms of communication, and NCTE shall be the sole owner thereof. NCTE, in turn, grants you the right to republish the Contribution in any scholarly work consisting solely of your own writing, subject only to notifying NCTE of your intent to do so and to the granting of proper credit in the work to the original publication of the Contribution by NCTE. In such case NCTE shall waive its customary permission fee.

See, I don't like that one bit. I have serious problems with the idea of losing control of my work in this way, even if it is to an organization I'm fond of like NCTE. I want to be able to make pre-prints or other formats as accessible as possible. But, it isn't as if I can forgo publication in the major journals if I want to have an academic career.

So, does anyone know of anyone who has successfully retained their rights to their work in any of these journals using the SPARC Addendum or other means?

And, why don't we ever discuss these issues in graduate school? How the hell are ignorant grad students suppose to navigate these issues without explicit mentoring from our professors? It seems as if our failure to discuss these issues leads to replication of the status quo.

Progression or Regression?

I think this is progress, even though it doesn't always feel that way.

I've been super-stressed out lately with the whole job search situation and struggling to get my dissertation finished by August. I took a few days off to get some rest and think things through. No work, just time to rest and think.

I've decided to call off the job search for this season and concentrate on doing the things I need to do to finish the dissertation and position myself well for the upcoming job season - including preparing some materials to submit for publication. Otherwise I would be looking at situations (mostly low-paying lectureships and visiting positions) with very heavy teaching loads at locations I'd rather not be long-term. I think it would be extremely difficult to write my way out of these situations because of the work conditions. Although I should note that some of the places were lovely and there are good people there.

So, waiting until the next cycle seems like the most sane thing to do at this point. And, it really isn't that far away! Since the funding situation is so indefinite and I'd rather not be fretting about money during all of this, I'm heading back to Indiana. I'm probably holing up in the family's lake cottage for most of this summer and fall. Nobody is ever there during the week and there are very few distractions (no tv, quiet neighbors, etc.), so it should be a very good work environment. I'll also be doing some part-time office work to pay for health insurance and the basics. This is where the regression comes in - I feel like I am leaching off of my parents, but they did offer me rent-free housing. I decided to check my ego (because, as an adult, I should be able to be completely independent) and take the offer.

I've made a weekly writing/work schedule that includes definite deadlines. My dissertation director thinks the plan looks good, so that makes me happy. I included job search activities in the schedule. That was a whole lot easier to plan for now that I know how much time it takes.

So, that's what I decided. I feel like I can breathe now. The extension of the job search into April has been completely oppressive. The way I see it, I know I can get interviews and did get at least one offer (long story, less than good work conditions). I should be able to improve that record during the next cycle if I stick to my work schedule. And, I will stick to my schedule.

I feel so much better now! Now if I could just find a way to list this on my cv as some sort of fellowship....

I'm Such A Worker Bee

[sarcasm]

My accomplishments today:

• I dropped off some clothes at Goodwill, mostly gift clothing that I barely wore (if I wore it at all). It felt good to get that stuff out of my closet and drawers. Just remember, Gift means poison in German!
• I went to Target and only bought items that were on my list! This really is an accomplishment worth noting.
• I read the first 2 pages of an academic book I need to read. Yeah, that's all I read.
• I considered doing laundry. Then I decided I didn't feel like it.
  
• I "shopped" for kitties online and found one that could be my now-deceased cat's twin. Now, if only I lived somewhere where I could have a pet. That the site is a rescue site for Siamese cats makes me want the cat all the more. And others. I would be happy to rescue multiple kitties. Kitties!!!
  

And...ummmmm...that's about it. Must be more productive tomorrow.

Bleh!

Allergy season is in full force. For those of us with year-round allergies, this can mean a journey into the deeper circles of hell.

I am armed. I have claritin. I went through the trouble to get sudafed. I have prescription strength cortisone cream. I have a good-sized supply of tissues. I am avoiding the otherwise beautiful weather.

Why do I still feel like I've been run over by an 18-wheeler.

Language In Society

Several of my students didn't know the origins of the phrase "Don't drink the kool-aid."

They had never heard of Jonestown.

I officially feel old.

25 Lessons Learned From The Job Search

1. It just keeps going on and on and on and on.
2. I've met some great people.
3. I've met some not-so-great people.
4. It can make conferences much more stressful than they need to be.
5. There are many exploitive jobs advertised.
   
6. I believe that I am worth more than what those jobs would have me be (and I'm not talking about the money).
7. Multiple interviews means repeating the same lines over and over.
   
8. It can be easy to forget when and where I've said what - and who I've said certain things to.
   
9. As I've mentioned before, the job search is expensive.
   
10. While travel costs for on-campus interviews are reimbursed, the credit card bill is still frightening.
    
11. I should say, "are suppose to be reimbursed." I am still annoyed by the fact that the institutions I drove to did not pay for my mileage. Gasoline is expensive!
12. The job search doesn't just cost money - it costs time. A lot of time.
13. A lot of that time could have been spent finishing my dissertation in a timely manner.
14. Of course, this hasn't stopped me from reading the occasional book.
    
15. It can be humiliating.
16. It can be validating.
17. I am still amazed by the number of people who clearly didn't read my cv and cover letter very well. Mistakes were made (and not by me). Must remain gracious at all times.
    
18. I am still trying to forget the gentleman who asked me if there are really any women rhetors worth studying or teaching. Oh yes, that did happen. And yes, I was gracious.
    
19. The search is mentally exhausting.
20. The search can lead people to obsessively check their email and voice mail, not to mention The Wiki of Doom!
    
21. I am not alone...even when I feel alone.
22. People are curious about my area of study, but aren't sure if I am more comp-rhet or lis. Comp-rhet is the answer, but apparently on paper I come off as having dual loyalties. I think this is hilarious considering how interdisciplinary comp-rhet is.
    
23. That doesn't mean that I will change for the sake of others' perceptions of what it means to "do" comp-rhet.
    
24. My work is not trendy. And, I don't care. It is my work and I am protective of it.
    
25. Does that make me a rebel? A fool? An idiot? Ahead of my time? Behind the times? Myself? I haven't quite figured this out.
    

Recently Read - The Airplane Edition

Lately, I've spent more time on airplanes than I care to. While a good amount of that flight time was spent looking at student papers and doing some dissertation work, I also managed to read a few novels.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff - 21st century war in England and most of the rest of the world, kids/teenagers in the English countryside, an enemy that has lured most of the British forces to skirmishes across the globe in order to occupy the land, horror, love, desperation. Read it!

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester - sometimes I do read the classics.

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett - I don't know if I have a coherent way to talk about this book yet. It is brilliant and terrifying. I am emotionally drained. It is wonderful, dark, and frightening.

A New Low

Search term/phrase that led someone to my blog: detroit prostitute "where to find"

This is what happens when I blog about this book.

35

That's how old I'll be at 11:11 pm tonight. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.

Foiled Again

I was soooo good when I went grocery shopping after my trip back home. I loaded up with fruits and veggies and other healthy food. I had good intentions.

Today a package arrived from UPS. A gift. The gift of chocolate. Not just any chocolate - chocolate from DeBrand's. If you recall, I've rhapsodized about this chocolate before.

I just tried the Gourmet PBJ for the first time. Wow!

One pound of chocolates. That's all it takes to derail my salad days.

Home Again, Home Again

I am finally home and well-rested. My flight didn't leave for O'Hare until around 10:30 last night and it lasted longer than the original flight because we had to fly north into Canada to get around the stormline. As I mentioned in the last post, my plane to Chicago was the plane scheduled to continue on to Madison, so I got very lucky. Very Lucky! I could have been stranded at O'Hare overnight.

I finally arrived home at approximately 2:50 am last night. I quickly went online to cancel a 10:00 a.m. appointment and then went to bed. I didn't set my alarm (figured I still get up at a decent time since I napped on the plane) and didn't wake up until almost noon. This is not going to be my most productive day. My major accomplishments have been going to the grocery store for fruits and veggies (too expensive), filling my car's gas tank (obscenely expensive), and writing this post. I really don't feel like working, but I should probably put in a few hours tonight.

Where's k8?

Stuck in an unnamed location/airport in the South.

Let's just say I never imagine a person could be ma'amed so many times in 36 hours.

Traffic into O'Hare has been delayed - my 6:15 flight is now scheduled to leave at 8:39. Thankfully, the plane I'm on is the plane continuing on to Madison, so I shouldn't get stuck in Chicago.

Check It Out!

There's a new blog called The Economical Academic. Here's the blurb from the site:

The Stipend Stretcher

Welcome to a forum for academics to discuss their financial struggles and triumphs. Share tips and traps for budgeting a tiny income and take control of your money in the process. Whether it's costly travel to cope with a long distance relationship, unreliable grad assistantships, intermittent adjuncting, or recovering from years of student-level pay, we all have our money woes. Hang out here to learn from others or vent about your financial worries in a nonjudgmental environment.

Want to contribute? Email stressfultimes at gmail.com or ecogeofemme at gmail.com.

Conference Pictures

Apparently the only pictures I took while in New Orleans were of food. Here's the background story (which some have heard already). A few weeks ago I visited my family during spring break. After a discussion with one person (who will not be named) who talked about all of things I should do while in New Orleans (which basically involved spending an obscene amount of money and going out all night every night) , I was more than just annoyed. This same individual suggested that when I leave my current abode and move to where ever it is that I find a job, I should just get rid of all of my stuff (since it's not that great) and buy all new things. Yeah, great understanding of grad student economics.

Later that evening I was griping about it so my dad asked me how much this little conference trip was going to cost me.* Dad knows how much I make a year (information I haven't shared with the person mentioned in the previous paragraph) and he knows how much my rent is. So, he's pretty aware of my financial situation as a grad student - I think it worries him quite a bit, actually. Anyway, as I was getting ready to leave at the end of spring break, he slipped me a 100 dollar bill and told me to have a "good meal" while I was in New Orleans. I guess he didn't like my plan of living off granola bars, peanut butter, pretzels, craisins, and whatever free food I could scavenge.

Now, I seriously considered going to McDonald's and taking a picture of The Bill next to something from the dollar menu. (I don't frequent that establishment, it was just an idea). But, my diss director and prominent faculty member of an other university put together a dinner for people in both of our programs so I went. Actually, I wasn't originally going to go because they filled their reservation number before I inquired about attending, but another enterprising person reserved another table and asked for it to be placed next to the other group.

Here are the pics:

First, the partial remains of one of a couple of appetizer gifts to our table from my diss director. Sadly, I couldn't sample this crab cheesecake because I am allergic to shellfish.**

Next come the picture I took to prove to my father that I was ordering and eating a real meal. First comes the menu (inside and out) with an appearance from The Bill.



Then the spinach salad with bacon dressing. Technically, it comes with chopped hard boiled egg, but I'm not all that fond of that particular item so I asked for it to be left off. I can't even begin to tell you how good the bacon was.

And then there's a friend's strawberry and chevre salad.

Ah, the main course. Rotisserie chicken with blackened tomatoes and carmelized shallots. Prosciutto was involved. Those tomatoes had quite a spicy kick, too.

And then dessert. Real pecan pie with praline ice cream. Definitely contained bourbon. Definitely was spectacular!


I think I did my duty. After that, it was back to the provisions I packed and free, scavenged food. While it was definitely more expensive than anything I usually get, it could have been a lot more expensive considering the high quality of the food. Of course, I didn't have any wine or drinks other than water which is why I let myself purchase the yummy dessert.

I still feel like I unnecessarily indulged. I know how much I could buy at the grocery store with the cost of that meal. I should note that I didn't spend all of the money on that one meal. I used some of it (which I could have saved) to take a taxi to the conference site each day. The humidity was ridiculous and it was a $5 trip. I also tipped very very well when I had the occasion to tip anyone. Does that count as "stimulating the economy?" I don't know. Pre-grad school poverty, when I could afford to tip better, I did (not that I ever under-tip). Of course, I rarely go out or eat out, so I guess this will be my big splurge. And I still have some of it left, even after paying a ridiculous price for some fresh fruit at the airport this morning. But, aside from the fact that I didn't break The Bill until this dinner, it technically payed for everything I bought while at the conference.*** Thanks dad!!!

*When I first started going to conferences I mentioned something about the costs in front of my parents. They were both shocked to hear that we aren't fully reimbursed for these things and that sometimes we get nothing from the university. In the areas of employment they were familiar with, people are reimbursed for that kind of job expense. Needless to say, they are appalled.

**Not a good thing in New Orleans. The city's restaurant menus are loaded with shellfish. It's everywhere and in almost everything. It was even more difficult for the vegan at the table.

***Obviously I'm not counting items paid for before the trip such as the transportation, lodging, and airport shuttle.

Why Not?

I should go to bed, but I saw this meme over at Anastasia's and decided to give it a try.

The rules: 1. Go to http://www.photobucket.com/
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box.
3. Use only the first page.
4. Insert the picture into your Blog.

1. What is your relationship status?












2. What is your current mood?











3. What is your favorite band/artist?











4. What is your favorite movie?














5. What kind of pet do you have?














6. Where do you live?

















7. Where do you work?










8. What do you look like?











9. What do you drive?












10. What did you do last night?











11. What is your Favorite TV Show?









12. Describe yourself.











13. What are you doing today?










14. What is your name?











15. What is your favorite candy?











16. What is your favorite drink?

Curls and Waves

That describes my hair while at 4Cs. I normally only get the slightest bit of wave to my hair when it is about 2 inches longer than it is right now, but thanks to the humidity in New Orleans that's changed. I haven't seen it look like this for a long time. Really. I haven't curled my hair in over a decade. Part of it is laziness, the other part is that my hair doesn't hold curls. To maintain curl I have to shellac my hair with product and that sometimes irritates my scalp so I abstain. Way back when, during that time when I was a freshman in college, some of my dorm-mates didn't believe me when I told them why I don't curl my hair. They thought I should curl my hair and offered to curl my hair one evening to prove that it wasn't as bad as I said. They tried, but each time they made it about half way through the process, the curls started to fall and straighten. After trying this a few times they got frustrated and never again told me that I should curl my hair. Who knew that all I needed was unbearable humidity.