a rebirth

So, in the list of things that have happened over the tumultuous past year, I had another son, got a job a thousand miles away, packed up the house, put the house on the market, moved to the south, and found and bought a house. This doesn't do justice to the details or the support we got from our family, but it gives some sense of why I haven't blogged.

Conferences...

So I've attended plenty of conferences in my career as professional student, scholar, and professor, but I've never spoken or presented before. That's about to change, however, as I recently heard that I'll be presenting on the subject of rhetorical pleasure--think to teach (docere), to delight (delectare) and move (movere)--this fall. This is great news and I'm pleased as punch, but I'm also starting to get nervous. I mean, it's one of the principle elements of the profession to "profess" your beliefs about your subject, but I've been part of the audience so long that I'm concerned about my ability to present my own ideas. This is just nervousness, of course, but I still feel it acutely.

On the subject of the job hunt, I've had some interest at a few different schools, but I get the feeling some institutions might think me overqualified or disinterested. In fact, I heard directly from one school that interviewed me that one reason why they didn't hire me was because I had a PhD and they assumed I would only stay with their program until I had a better offer. As I know I'm writing for myself, I don't have to explain that this simply isn't true, but if you ever read this post B.R. you should know I would have done a lot to work at your school. Meh...I'm not going to get sour grapes, but I may start posting my rejection letters here (at least the form letters!)

Job hunting in America

So I'm still on the prowl

'cuz I work with a scowl.

It's not easy trying to find a job. It's a full-time job itself, but I have faith that at some point someone (somewhere) will think me suitable for employment. I also know that I set the bar quite high for myself. I don't want a part-time position, as I've already got three of those. I don't want just any English job either; I want to teach early modern lit. And while I have no problem teaching other courses--I rather look forward to teaching 19th century, modern, and American lit--I really feel that one of the only ways I'll be able to move forward in my field is if I can find some time to teach within it.

So, all you schools out there that may be lurking, troll-like, at the periphery...scanning blogs for out of work PhDs...here's your chance. You can have me for a song!

please? :)

Supposed to be grading

Man, teaching is the best job in the world except when you have to grade. Seriously, I have a very good idea of everyone's abilities and could just give them their grades, but no...I have to sit and grade papers until I want to pull a Gloucester...

--O, Stephen will apologize.
Dante said:
--O, if not, the eagles will come and pull out his eyes.--

Pull out his eyes,
Apologize,
Apologize,
Pull out his eyes.
Apologize,
Pull out his eyes,
Pull out his eyes,
Apologize.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man



And to that asshat who flamed my sister and brother-in-law: fuck you! I know you'll never read this (no one does, which is just fine) but you can just die fart-eater. Ugh; wish I could reach through the computer screen to him!

My Friend Mark...

So I've this friend named Mark. He's very nice if you know him and not so nice if you don't. I mean, he's not rude or anything, he's just kind of a standoffish prick if you're a slob like most people. Do I float my own boat by saying I'm proud of having him as a friend, you bet I do, but he's the type of guy from whom you hear really interesting things. Yesterday evening I got an email with the title:

Bertrand Russell quote
[the following is all that was in the email]

One of the commonest things to do with savings is to lend them to some Government. In view of the fact that the bulk of the public expenditure of most civilized Governments consists in payment for past wars or preparation for future wars, the man who lends his money to a Government is in the same position as the bad men in Shakespeare who hire murderers. The net result of the man's economical habits is to increase the armed forces of the State to which he lends his savings. Obviously it would be better if he spent the money, even if he spent it in drink or gambling.


Now, Mark didn't get points for passing along a quotation the way most people pass along bullshit forwards. Nope. Mark gets points for quoting Bertrand Russell and for being a former military man like myself. This is exactly why we need more than two parties in this nation...there's no way we should have to be simply for or against something...

A lot of the time I like to think I'm like Mark, against stupidity.

teaching

so I had a serious fuckin' drain clog yesterday...

I cleaned out tons and tons of asparagus from our garbage disposal and it was a real fuckin' bitch...

...seriously.

Anyway, that's not what I wanted to write about, I'm looking for a bit of therapy. In my fantastic, thirteen-year-long relationship with the love of my life and the mother of my child (both, luckily, the same woman!) I've never once strayed...nor will I. But into each life a little rain must fall and I've found that--on occasion--my eyes stray. I wonder if I'm alone in this sometimes, but most of the time I think I'm just like everyone else and that everyone else lives out their daydream fantasies just like I do...as fantasies. The latest?

...*edited by me!*...

I'd write it down, but I know that I'm writing for posterity and therapy, not popularity. Nothing will ever come of it anyway. Fork.