Category Archives: Academia

String Theory

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“The hardest knot is but a meandering string; tough to the finger nails, but really a matter of lazy and graceful loopings. The eye undoes it, while clumsy fingers bleed. He (the dying man) was that knot, and he would be untied at once, if he could manage to see and follow the thread. And not only himself, everything would be unravelled, — everything that he might imagine in our childish terms of space and time, both being riddles invented by man as riddles, and thus coming back at us: the boomerangs of nonsense… Now he had caught something real, which had nothing to do with any of the thoughts or feelings, or experiences he might have had in the kindergarten of life….”

– Vladimir Nabokov, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight


“It is as if the space between [them] were time: an irrevocable quality. It is as though time, no longer running straight before [them] in a diminishing line, now runs parallel between [them] like a looping string, the distance being the doubling accretion of the thread and not the interval between.”

– William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying


“If you could just ravel out into time. That would be nice. It would be nice if you could just ravel out into time.”

– William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying


“The spiral is a spiritualized circle. In the spiral form, the circle, uncoiled, unwound, has ceased to be vicious; it has been set free. I thought this up when I was a schoolboy, and I also discovered that Hegel’s triadic series (so popular in old Russia) expressed merely the essential spirality of all things in their relation to time. Twirl follows twirl, and every synthesis is the thesis of the next series. If we consider the simple spiral, three stages may be distinguished in it, corresponding to those of the triad: We can call ‘thetic’ the small curve or arc that initiates the convolution centrally; ‘antithetic’ the larger arc that faces the first in the process of continuing it; and ‘synthetic’ the still ampler arc that continues the second while following the first along the outer side. And so on.”

– Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory


 

[133/365] Finishing Up
Done

 

From the Oxford English Dictionary:

thread, n. 7. A thread in various mythological or legendary tales (esp. that of Theseus in the Cretan Labyrinth) is mentioned as the means of finding the way through a labyrinth or maze: hence in many figurative applications: That which guides through a maze, perplexity, difficulty, or intricate investigation. See clew, n.

thread, n. 8. That which connects the successive points in anything, esp. a narrative, train of thought, or the like; the sequence of events or ideas continuing through the whole course of anything; train. Esp. in phr. to pick (or take) up the thread(s) (of) , to continue (with) after an interruption or separation; spec. to resume an interrupted friendship; to lose the thread , to cease to follow the sense of what is being said.

clew, n. 7.b. With the literal sense obscured: An indication to follow, a slight direction, a ‘key’. See clue n., the prevalent spelling.

clue, n. 2.b. With the literal sense obscured: That which points the way, indicates a solution, or puts one on the track of a discovery; a key. Esp. a piece of evidence useful in the detection of a crime.

clue, n. 3. Any figurative ‘thread’: 3.a. the thread of a discourse, of thought, of history, tendency, etc.

denouement, n. A Romanic formation: Latin dis- + nodāre to knot, nodus knot. Unravelling; spec. the final unravelling of the complications of a plot in a drama, novel, etc.; the catastrophe; transf. the final solution or issue of a complication, difficulty, or mystery.

 

Like a Looping String

I Shall Call My New Shorts “The Fascinators”

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It has been a long week here, friends. It was our last week of regular classes at school (next week: final exams), and I spent my time anxiously awaiting some work-related news. I actually got TWO really great pieces of news at work that I’ll tell you all about once all my I’s are crossed and my T’s are dotted. Or whatever. At any rate, I am excited about my plans for the summer and next year.

Easter came and went and with it the end of my shopping hiatus. In fact, the end of said Lenten hiatus was the only way in which I actually celebrated Easter — as a single, childless, non-religious person living far away from family, I just don’t do Easter. Not that I am opposed to candy, spring, and such. On the contrary. But I like to think that I celebrate those things often. Whenever I like, in fact.

More importantly, I’m sure you are dying to ask: how did I celebrate my great return to shopping? With the purchase of The Pale King, The Deathly Hallows Part I on DVD, and a pair of plaid Bermuda shorts. It’s exciting times here, I tell you.

Oh, you would like to know more about the Bermuda shorts? Well, you probably wouldn’t, but I am going to tell you nevertheless. I have been wanting a pair of patchwork madras plaid Bermuda shorts for two years or so and never found any that I liked. I have been wanting such shorts even in spite of being mocked by my friends, each of whom has had something snarky to say about plaid shorts. Was I returning to the 90s? Going on a golf cruise for seniors? Joining a fraternity? Oh no, friends. I simply recognize the bright and breezy summer utility of a great pair of plaid shorts. Sadly, most of the shorts I have found are super-duper short, maybe a one-inch inseam. This is not a good look for me no matter how liberating running may be for my thigh-related self esteem. However! My friend Becky had the brilliant idea of checking the men’s section at Old Navy when we were there and I realized they make tons of such shorts for men! I got this pair, which is perfect.

I also wound up buying a maxi dress, having bravely entered the fashion world of 2009. Between the senior-citizen golf-cruise-wear and the dated maxi dress, I know I am probably intimidating all of you with how cutting edge I am, stylewise. Well wait until I show you this:

And Thematic Shirt

That’s right, it’s me with my hair au naturel and a silly feather head adornment and a Union Jack t-shirt, attending a royal wedding viewing party. Feel free to mock me if you must, but I will have you know that there are not enough opportunities in life to sit around in your pajamas at 4:00 AM drinking champagne and eating delicious baked goods. At least not socially sanctioned opportunities. So of course I had to participate.

[118/365] Vegan Pumpkin Scones

I made these vegan pumpkin spice scones (recipe here) and they turned out amazingly well. I realize pumpkin is not exactly in season, but as I haven’t made scones before at all (let alone vegan ones) I figured a recipe with a strong, fibrous binder like pumpkin would be foolproof. And it was.

[319/365] Fascinator

B. sported a super fancy fascinator* and made some cucumber sandwiches (I LOVE cucumber sandwiches). Between this and the vegan terrine and the aforementioned bubbly, it really did not matter if I had to watch a wedding or not. That said, we obviously did watch the wedding. My thoughts:

  • Enforced group singing is the worst thing ever. Everyone looked completely miserable while having to sing those hymns.
  • Kate Middleton has badass eyebrows, just like me, and we have the same first and middle names. I dig her.
  • *The Fascinator is the very best fashion term ever. Seriously, ever. I had never heard of one until this week! I don’t think the term should be restricted to hats, however. Many stylish items may fascinate.

That’s it, I guess. Did you watch it? What do you think about the whole big spectacle?

I Sat Down and I Typed Some Things

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Unlike Tuesday of this week, I managed to get a whole boatload of work done today. I am feeling mostly better and (not going to lie) a massive amount of coffee and Diet Coke got me rolling with good momentum today. This week entails not only normal teaching/grading/prep but also writing group meetings and gathering paperwork for my annual review, so believe me when I tell you that the extra caffeine was not optional.

I’ll have another long workday tomorrow but after it a big reward: hosting friends for another night of watching Twin Peaks! I just love David Lynch, and that show was what got me hooked on his creepy, surreal, noir sensibilities at the tender age of thirteen. When my mother caught me watching an episode one night, though, she declared it to be inappropriate material for my viewing (the phrase “of the devil” was invoked, so there’s that for amusement) and Twin Peaks became verboten and I never got to watch the second season. Now that I have finally bought the boxed set of DVDs I can complete the mission I started twenty years ago.

HOLY SHIT TWENTY YEARS.

Okay. I’m all right now. Just having a minor, age-related, sands-of-time kind of freak-out for a second. Gathering myself now. But seriously, folks: did you know that people born in 1990 can now buy beer? And liquor? LIQUOR?

Moving on. Isn’t Agent Cooper just dreamy?

"This is some DAMN fine coffee. And HOT."



I have a feeling Twin Peaks night is going to be the one and only fun night of my weekend: I left myself with a lot of grading to do and I’ll likely be gluing my rear to a wobbly coffee shop chair and hunching over a stack of essays for all of Saturday and Sunday so I can get things ready for the coming week. Something feels a little bit wrong about planning ahead for Monday when it’s only Thursday night, as if I have already erased the weekend before it has even happened. Hopefully I’ll find time to squeeze in a yoga class, a swim, or at least a nap or something.

Oh yeah: I’m not running this week because the hip whose flexors I strained last fall is acting up again. Lucky me! I am taking some time off until the twinging is totally gone (as opposed to just lightening up my runs, which I already tried and which did not turn out to work after all and which in fact just kept the twinging at a slow simmer until it finally erupted into a full-on rolling boil Monday night, which was delightful I assure you).

Well! This has been a largely rambling and pointless entry, hasn’t it? Work! Twin Peaks! Work! (Not) running! What can I say; this is my life lately. It marches relentlessly onward. At any rate, I should hopefully have my new computing machine in my hot little hands come Monday, which should make blogging more interesting. For me, anyway. Maybe not for you. Sorry, suckas!

Kentucky, Bourbon, and Cinema

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I am back from my second conference trip of the school year, which went very well. Because the vast majority of the time I am focused on teaching, it’s always nice to work on the research and writing sides of life. Of course, conferences are a great chance to present one’s academic work and receive feedback from one’s peers, but let’s face it: it’s also really fun! Once again I was able to use the conference as a way to travel with and/or meet up with some far-away friends and we had a wonderful time of it.

One of my favorite places to visit in Louisville is the Seelbach Hotel, which is very glamorous indeed. It has this lovely old bar, which is — according to legend — the very bar where one F. Scott Fitzgerald met the man who inspired him to create Jay Gatsby. The bar has great character and a list of bourbons a mile long. It’s always on my list of places to go when in town for the conference and so far I’ve had at least one drink there every year.

[55/365] Basil-Hayden

Around the Table

Friends

I'm in This One


I know it sounds like this was a drinking conference and not a literary conference, but for one thing I don’t like to blog about work, and for another thing, listen! Kentucky is where bourbon comes from! And bourbon is my favorite! So you will not be shocked when I tell you that B. and D. and I also managed to squeeze in a distillery tour. On Friday, E. had to teach classes, none of us had an conference sessions to attend, so the timing seemed perfect to escape to Lawrenceburg, where Four Roses Distillery is located. Our tour guide, Terry, showed us all of the operations and led us through a tasting afterward.

No. 2 Yeast Tub

Beer Still

Doubler

I Forgot

Tasting

[56/365] At the Four Roses Distillery


I was excited to learn that their Small Batch Bourbon is made specifically with the K and the O strains of yeast — my initials! — and it was also my favorite of the samples we tried, so of course I had to buy a bottle. I haven’t opened it yet — saving for a special occasion.

I am thankful that I’ve had a couple of days to wind down from the trip and the absolutely insane two work-weeks that preceded it. If I hadn’t worked my butt off all last week, I’d have found myself with stacks of essays to grade upon coming home. As it was, I was able to attend a friend’s fabulous Oscar party last night, where we all dressed up in costumes inspired by the ten best picture nominees. I went Black Swan style (as did a few others), and The Fighter, 127 Hours, The King’s Speech, and Toy Story 3 were also represented.

Oscars Collage 1

Oscars Collage 2


If you are thinking that my costume was merely an excuse to buy myself a pair of legwarmers, you are only half right: I also got to attend a party in what were basically pajamas. Totally fun. Sadly the broadcast itself was a bit underwhelming, but I did enjoy the following elements: Helen Mirren looking like a total fox and speaking French, Trent Reznor looking also foxy but charmingly normal and articulate, and James Franco’s bit about all the film titles that sounded dirty. Heh. Winter’s Bone. Heh.

So how have you been? I’ve been rushing around so much and so behind on the internet that I need an update on YOU! What’s up?

Stolen Moments

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The past two weeks have been the busiest of the semester by far. As midterm approaches, I am always so busy I’m on fire, but this semester it’s worse than usual. I’ve planned things rather poorly and (it’s way too boring to get into) I seem to have found myself in an endless string of ten- or twelve-hour days, writing, grading, and doing regular classwork. Even typing that short version of life lately was exhausting, you know.

Let me take a deep breath.

Moving on!

I’m stealing a moment or two right now to write this blog post, and I’ve managed a few other stolen moments here and there, too: a night out to celebrate a friend’s birthday, an hour here or there to catch up on my hulu TV (Parks and Recreation, I am telling you, is the best comedy on right now), and a morning spent running a 10K race with a few friends.

There’s been a little of this:

[50/365] Gonzo Lit Crit


A LOT of this:

[45/365] Taking it Home


A few tiny glimpses of this:

[43/365] Laughing Friends


And more still of this:

[52/365] Working Late


That last photograph is me, reflected in the darkened window of my office, long after almost everyone else has gone home for the night. Usually, I don’t like to stay too late at work and I never like to take work home with me. I am usually pretty successful at keeping most of my work to within my normal hours (7:00-4:00 or so), but lately it’s been either stay late, or take work home, or both. Usually both.

Being in the office so late can feel a bit creepy: the halls echo; the elevator groans; footsteps sound sinister. It’s also a bit nostalgic, though. It reminds me of those long hours working late at night in graduate school, when I stayed in my campus office with the door locked until as late as two or three in the morning, studying for exams or writing my dissertation; the only sounds in the building were my typing fingers and the occasional ka-pshhh of my cracking open a can of Red Bull. Oh, youth.

On Wednesday, I leave town with three good friends to drive up to Kentucky for our annual conference trip. I’ll be gone all weekend, and my goal is not to have to take any work with me. I plan to spend my time looking at the beautiful countryside, visiting with my friends, and sippin’ on Bourbon. And oh yeah, I suppose I have to present my paper and whatnot. Right. Public speaking. Well then.

I’ve stolen my moment for the day. If I am going to make this (semi-) leisurely trip a reality, I still have to write the conclusion to my paper and grade a massive pile of student essays. Back to the books, then!

I hope life finds you in fine fettle today, friends.