I had heard about this but have been too busy to look for it online. Then I taped Letterman last night so I could see Katie Holmes gush just like "her man, Tom" did on Oprah. Nothing against new love, but I just feel that there is something not quite right about these two. Tried finding clips of Tom, and came across this montage/spoof. Fun stuff!   

Lots of traveling the past few weeks, but I'll add pics to the photo album on this blog later tonight.  Til then, check us out! 

OK this is my less than 13 minutes til Law and Order blog update.  Started my new job as an Editor for an Insurance company on May 9 and since then my night owl self has morphed into a 8-5 gal who only wants to eat dinner, take a hot bath and be in bed by 11pm.  Even though I like the job and think I'll have grown used to it by the time the Fall semester starts, I'm already stressing over how worn out I may be when working, taking graduate courses and teaching online all converge.  Ugh! 

I still have some scholarly pursuits for this summer but will have to update this space later to talk about those.  Really want to read more this summer, for fun and without the pressure to annotate. We'll see if that happens!

I should enjoy things for what they are now; I guess I'm so tired I'm regressing into that academic/Catholic mindset.  But I am happy.  I like the new job a lot; it's a challenge everyday to see how clean and quickly I can get those reports done before my trainer checks them.  I'm spending the next 3 weekends with dear friends and hopefully completing the "new life package" with a new apt. by July. 

Gotta go to bed. More later, I swear! 

Seems like I am reading more and more about the need to distance ourselves from information overload.  I just blogged the other day about this “Imagine: A day without technology” project, and now just read The Chronicle's “Knowing When to Log Off.”  

Because it's the end of the semester and I'm assigning more reflective assignments as a means to have students review the interfaces learned, AND I'm reading about service learning pedagogy, these passages jumped out at me: 

We're losing touch with the contemplative roots of scholarship, the reflective dimension

...colleges should encourage students to get involved in community projects where they see what life is like outside of their high-tech campus bubble.

I'm trying to meet with some of the people over at The Center for 21st Century Teaching Excellence to talk about revisions to the current online course I teach.  I know I'm assigning a great deal of writing and their blog ring and discussion forums serve to offer some sense of a writing community, but I'm still curious as to why some students sign up for the course then disappear.  Do they think that it should be easier?  Can a process-driven pedagogy even work online?  I know I waited until the last 2 projects to put my students in groups because I didn't want them to be left hanging when it came to peer reviews, but then I wonder if that community was established too late in the game?  This group of students has been so quiet too; I don't even know if they want more feedback from me!  Oh well. 

What I won't do, like some others already have, is call this project a failure.  I'm proud of the assignment sequence I created and eager to learn more about how to make it even more successful. 

Following jill/txt's lead, I went to the South Park Studio and created this...

I think she's pretty close to how I see myself on the Florida beaches...heehee.  I added the tiara at the last moment to make AC laugh and because we all know I deserve one!

After venting about being a bad blogger, I received lovely and supportive feedback, then disappeared from the blogosphere again!  Haven't been swamped with work, but sense that I am about to be. 

The major news is that I've also interviewed for and been offered a position as Editor for a business in St. Pete.  I am to start May 9, which means no return to NOLA for a break.  But that's ok.  The main adjustment for me in the new job will be the hours and then trying to finish up coursework in the Fall.  Have never had to juggle both school and a non-academic 8-5 job before, but I am the type of person who needs to have a dozen things going on in order to do them all well. 

Another one of the reasons I haven't been blogging as much is because I've been out and about socializing and taking more time for myself.  Also been trying to clean up an article for publication, prepare my '06 C's proposal, and finish up a research proposal for my Composition Research Methods course.  Have had the opportunity to present quite often in this class and every time I work with Joyce I get re-energized about computers and composition. 

As I write this, I realize there is a ton of stuff that needs to be accomplished before May 4, but since tonight is Friday, I'm gonna read Chris Rice's novel and then play with my new I-Pod instead of stressing out! 

Other than the I-Pod, my move away from blogging the past month reminds me of this eschoolnews.com article I just read, “Imagine: A day without technology.”  I'm 2 days late to participate, but the concept of “imagining for one full day what life would be like without access to current technologies such as computers, cell phones, handheld devices, DVDs, the internet, data systems, or eMail” is a challenging but intriguing one.  On Tuesday, when I was at the beach, I came close to fulfilling this, except for the cellphone.  But if I didn't have my phone that day, I wouldn't have gotten the call about my new job!  So there!  :)

Haven't been writing much.  Or reading.  This is rare.  Don't know if it is an end of the semester thing, or being in Florida, or what, but in the past week, I've traded in library time for beach time on 3 occasions.  Having fun and living life at the Don Cesar.  Not that there is anything wrong with that!

More soon!   

I've been focused more on my Composition Research Methods course than Habermasian pursuits, but came across this blog, appropriately called Reflexivity, and had to archive its links to categories on

• Dean
• Democracy, Rhetoric and Performance

Ok I'm sure everyone has seen this already, but I just saw it on a talkshow the other night.  I was so excited because (a) the video is hilarious and reminds me of something me and my fellow PSB fan Joe would do and (b) we used this song in Step class about a month ago and had no idea what the title was to try and find it on ITunes.

Well thanks to my lil bro Charley, I now have all of the details! 

• Dragostea Din Tei -- The Wikipedia entry
• The webcam video
• The O-Zone video
• The CD-single on Amazon

Gotta tell ya that with allergies bothering me all day and feeling shaky about my writing in the Nonfiction seminar, this has totally made my night!

This article on "keeping bloggers safe from pink slips" is pretty similar to those written in the past, with a fun paragraph on anonymity reading:

Disguise your name and keep quiet on any details that might allow people to guess your identity--for instance, the location of your city, how many employees there are in your company, or the color of a boss' cat.

Most interesting to me, though, is the Electronic Frontier Foundation's newly created guide for blogging in the workplace.  Most of us maintaining a blog for academic professional development would never want to adhere to the 4 pointers listed, especially the last two!

1. Use a Pseudonym and Don't Give Away Any Identifying Details

2. Use Anonymizing Technologies

3. Limit Your Audience

4. Don't Be Googleable

While the “guide” closes by saying to “Blog without Fear,” I think all it has done is instill fear instead of promote writing.  Having just re-read the Lore “Digressions” issue on blogs, I find Clancy's piece, “Between Work and Play: Blogging and Community Knowledge-Making,” much more realistic and encouraging.  She writes of the opportunites blogging has offered her and how it has advanced her professional identity, and although we're not in the corporate world, I think good writers can always find ways to strike a balance of personal and professional voice.  If we were seriously looking to “preserve some privacy,” I doubt we'd turn to the web to broadcast our opinions.  

Of course, BitchPhD is quite the exception! 

I've been refreshing CBSNews' Face the Nation page for the past 24 hours waiting for them to add the latest "Take" by Bob Schieffer.  I'd wanted to post something about the effect of the Pope upon my life as a Catholic schoolgirl, but didn't know exactly what to say.  Schieffer's contrast between the Pope's and Prince Charles's natures and conclusion that he's proud to be an American says it all.  Here's the full text: 

You did not have to be Catholic to be moved by the events of these past days. You didn't even have to be religious. Just seeing the millions gathered in Rome and realizing it was the largest spontaneous gathering of human beings in the whole history of the world was enough to take your breath away. To me, the most moving scenes of all were seeing the old pope so near death insisting that he be brought to the window to bless the crowds one more time.

It was not just his love but his sense of duty to those he led that impressed me. I kept thinking about that as the week unfolded as we saw another spectacle, preparations for the wedding of Prince Charles, a man who gets paid for doing nothing, yet seems to feel put upon because he has to do it. Nothing that is. We read of his exasperation that the wedding had to be put off a day in deference to the pope's funeral and we watched him sneer at photographers who asked him to pose for some pre-wedding pictures with his sons. My heavens, what imposition will he next have to endure, a photo with his mom?

This was a week for prayer and I must admit one of mine was to give thanks that I was born in a country whose founders were among the first to recognize the silliness of the whole idea of royalty and who made sure we would never have to fool with it.

See also his "Take" on "An Instruction On How To Die."

Don't think Woody Allen has made a stellar film since Bullets over Broadway, but I was compelled to see his latest, Melinda and Melinda.  Bo-ring.  The dialogue was trite although Chloe Sevigny and Will Farrell had some good moments.  Main reason to see it though is Daniel Sunjata. 

When are the days of having 37 items on my “to do” list going to end?  More importantly, why is it no one in my department seems to be doing as much as I am?  I'm sure they are in their own ways, but having just found out I didn't receive a service/scholarship award, I'm kind of down.  I didn't apply to this program for the recognition or awards, but I honestly cannot think of anyone else who has been to 6 conferences in one year, created an online course, served on committees and the grad student association, and revamped the FYC program?  I think if they were as busy as I am that I would have seen them in the office daily.  Oh well.  My time will come.  I might not have become Miss Festival in 2003, but I swear I will make a name for myself here, and maybe even get a crown! 

This one is for Preston, who wrote something quite similar the same week!

Tasseled loafers.  This is what I always notice first.  Then my eyes move up the khaki-clad leg to see a middle-aged man toting no luggage, only a boarding pass.  While I travel every few months for academic conferences, these corporate types travel Monday through Friday for daylong business meetings with other power tie-wearing executives.  So far removed from their waxing pedantic at the water cooler culture, I’d completely forgotten tasseled loafers, or penny loafers for that matter, were still manufactured.  But the sight of them invariably makes me chuckle.  A certain pair of frayed tassels also kept me from crying the morning I flew home for my godmother’s funeral. 

I now have something in common with that merry band of traveling consultants:  the laptop.  For those who dare to carry more than their boarding pass and photo ID, the company commissioned IBM Think Pad makes for the most masculine accessory.  Call it the new black.  Call it also the #1 cause of hold-ups in the security checkpoint line.  Here we wait, the businessmen and me, exposing the various gadgets that mark our technological prowess.  With the lavender sticker reading “Well-behaved women rarely make history” on its cover, my Mac PowerBook stands out among the rest. 

***

What on earth makes the scent of Cinnabon so potent?  Literally the second I step off any plane, anywhere in the U.S., I have no choice but to take a whiff of the overglazed, sticky pastry famous to food courts.  Its sugary aroma wafts through the air, following me through the zigzagged lanes, up to the X-ray machine, onto the chair where I sit to put my New Balance tennis shoes back on, then into the ladies room, and onto the plane.  Only after belting up can I take a deep breath and allow the more familiar (yet lethal to some) smells of honey roasted peanuts take over. 

***

In another life, I was a semi-professional folk dancer for twelve years, so I’ve also seen my share of international airports.  When my company went on tour, we were instructed to pack Mardi Gras beads by the gross, Indian headdresses, petticoats and pantaloons, and, before 9/11, machetes.  On top of that, the ladies had to pack more pairs of shoes than Carrie Bradshaw’s and Imelda Marcos’s collections combined, although I bet those two wouldn’t be caught dead in a jazz Dansneaker. 

Our haphazard maneuvering of trolleys piled with such bulky luggage through the circular design of Charles deGaulle Airport repeatedly worked on the nerves of other travelers, particularly impatient Americans.  But with our own group of Klezmer and gypsy jazz musicians to serenade us, we saw no harm in pushing the trolleys aside, opening up the instrument cases, and breaking into a Bulgarian line dance to pass the time. 

Perhaps it is because I am lazy.  Or “over it,” which is the nonchalant and Gen X way of saying “lazy.”  Really, though, I think it’s because I am a Virgo, which implies being a perfectionist, so when I fall short of that, I just don’t even try.  This is one of my reasons for coining the phrase, “I don’t play games.” 

Collectively, these are all of my reasons for not blogging in over a week.  Believe me, I have plenty to say and have been emailing myself links since before my conference trip to San Francisco, but I just haven’t had the time!  With my sassy new laptop [although Andy just got one too and I can already tell his is newer and shinier!], I am always typing and working, but not blogging.  What’s the deal? 

Here are a few stabs at answering that question:

1. Before 4Cs, I was preoccupied with writing that conference paper, which came out pretty well considering how much I fit in the allotted time I had to speak and considering my long-time fear of theory.  Even with Habermas, who is relatively straightforward, I was hesitant to apply too much of his work because I was scared that the audience would pounce upon any misinterpretation I made.  Of course, I should have known better that my fellow bloggers would not do that, but being a Scholar for the Dream [see , p. 4 of this PDF for a definition], I felt a bit more pressure to live up to what my abstract said I would do rather than rely on my extemporaneous nature to save the day.  I also still have horrible memories of June 4, 1999, when I was attacked, and I’m not exaggerating, by my department at an award’s ceremony.  I had won the Writing Prize and certain faculty used all of the winners’ presentations as a way to grandstand their own interests and negatively refer to my paper a demonstration of “theory hope.”  Don’t get me started on how much I hate that “Well, you have to prove yourself worthy of entering ‘the’ conversation” shit.  Anyway, 2 weeks and 2 nightmares later, I can safely say my first time presenting at Cs was fine and in addition to the feedback I received on the spot, many have blogged about our panel.  More on that later. 

2. After 4Cs, I felt that the entire trip was anti-climatic.  Yes, I attended some great sessions, which I will blog about, got to see a lot of great San Fran sites, and dine with dear friends, but I felt trapped in academic mode the whole time.  The conference fell on USF’s spring break, which was wonderful for my teaching and coursework not to fall behind schedule, but once I returned, I felt like I had been cheated out of a desperately needed vacation.  Other than the blog SIG, I never felt like I was in true dialogue with people in the field, nor did I have the energy to network in the traditional sense.  But would I even know what it felt like to grasp the essence of being a young academic?  How much attention was I expecting?  Who knows.  All I know is that I find myself in between worlds again and not really wanting to be 100% in either of them.  I know that 90% of me is all for scholarly pursuits, but the other 10% is homesick, tired, and feeling drastically unprepared.

Hence, the insecurity.  And lack of blog posts.  Ever since Mike, Dennis, and Clancy posted their notes from Cs, I have started comparing my more casual, yet charming [heehee], blog voice to theirs and have felt like any notes I do post will be insignificant.  I know that is not the case at all, and that everyone writes in their own way and in due time—hell, that’s what I try to instill in my students—but I guess I am realizing and resisting the fact that I do need to take things a little more seriously as I approach the end of my PhD coursework.  Otherwise, I will be screwed when it comes to the job search and all I want to do is make sarcastic remarks.  Ahh, growing up.  It sucks.  But here I go…

Note:  None of this is to say I am unhappy with the work and people I surround myself with, nor is it to elicit sympathy.  I think all of us in academe go through the “I’m not smart enough” or “When are they going to figure out I’m not as smart as they think?” phases; I’m just stuck in one right now.  By writing this I already know I’m almost out of it, and my recent weekend in Orlando certainly helped me get my mind off of things enough to then put them in perspective! 

From now on, I will attempt living up to my newly coined mantra:  Don’t ask.  Don’t tell.  Just blog. 

Well here I am in San Fran and I've got tons of notes to share. Not liking that my Mac doesn't give me dot text's formatting pallete but I'll have to edit later. In fact, Apple's Safari keeps quitting on me anytime I log in to my writingblog. Hmph!

So here goes: Monday, arrived and met up with my dear friend Joe, former Victor Victoria dance partner. We walked all over Union Sq and Fisherman's Wharf. Split a sundae in Ghiradelli Sq then went for beers at an Irish pub. :)

Tuesday, Joe and I took his car out and drove to Twin Peaks, Legion of Honor and then Golden Gate Bridge. I have plenty of pics to share.

Wednesday, I focused on the conference paper that I delivered later that night then went out for dinner and drinks with Matt and Dennis. Dennis is already blogging like crazy about the sessions, as per usual. :)

Thursday, I received my Scholar for the Dream award and met some great folks. Attended many sessions and closed the day with Larry Lessig's talk. Lots to share about that!

Highlight of Thursday night was going to Chris Rice's booksigning in the Castro. Haven't seen "My Rissoto" in a few years and I'm so proud of him. His third novel just came out so at dinner after the event we commiserated on the demands of writing!

Friday, walked around Chinatown, shopped and now getting ready for the Blog SIG. I'm looking forward to it mainly because I'm feeling a little conferenced-out. I prefer open discussions like BloggerCon than sitting at panels/lectures. Learning a ton, but desperate for more interactivity. Off to bond with my fellow bloggers. More later!

Here is Nightline's Closing Thought by Chris Bury

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2005 — To their credit, the bloggers have given us in the traditional news business a swift kick in the pants.

Knowing that a vibrant electronic community can galvanize at the drop of a dangling modifier forces all of us to be more careful, accurate and thorough. It's also true that the collective effort — and expertise — of the blogging community is invaluable for bringing new information to light on almost any subject.

That said, the blinding speed of the blogging world — and a tendency of some bloggers to shoot first and ask questions later — should raise a yellow flag.

Good journalism is tedious; it requires legwork, research and editing. Even that does not preclude big mistakes — as the bloggers themselves have so clearly exposed.

But, over time, such tedious work is the price of credibility.

And the new media kids on the block will have to earn that.

One blogger at a time.

As for the show [UPDATE: transcript available here on blogforamerica], I thought it was a great review of everything the blogosphere has done, especially for those who are unfamiliar with those stories.  I did think that the host's tone with the Berkman bloggers was a bit smarmy though.  It kind of seemed that he was laughing at them for being so up-to-the-minute.  To prove himself later, the show closed with quotes from bloggers who were blogging about the program as it was on the air.  That proved his point about speed, or what Blogger calls "push-button publishing," and the power this medium has, but I still feel there is a righteous tone to the closing thought above. 

It's stating that bloggers still need to prove themselves worthy of the journalist title.  But are we even seeking that title?  And I bet his Nightline staff never worked so hard in their lives than in that half hour when searching for blogs to quote.  The expertise of filtering and aggregating is power that mainstream media doesn't truly have yet.  If there is anything the past few months has proven, they're the ones that need to earn our trust.