Things have been busy. I waited until the 11th hour on my paper for yale and, of course, while I was trying to pull an all-nighter to finish, my youngest child decided I should pull an all-nighter to keep her safe and warm. Tonight, I am exhausted but beyond working on the paper, she has, thus far, decided to let me go about my business.
Job market is still a non-starter. I'm sending out a fellowship app this week but that is the end of the road for this year. The whole thing is puzzling and curious and depressing. If I wasn't so content with the rest of my life I would really be struggling.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
things...
A few recurring notions swirling around amidst dissertation chapter 3, a draft which is fantastically behind schedule. I suspect there is some relationship between these thoughts but I have neither the time nor the inclination to figure it out much less attempt to express it.
1. As I was cleaning her up after dinner, my two-year-old daughter looked at me with a smile and yelled, "Charge!" Somewhat taken aback by the noise ( I was, after all, wiping her hands at the time of her pronouncement) I took a step back. "Charge?" I asked tentatively. "Charge." She answered resolutely. "They say it at the Brewer's game." She did attend some games this past summer but it's been months. Amazing!
2. Our babysitter came for a bit this morning she took aforementioned daughter to the library. When they came back, she asked me about the library. The conversation went something like this:
"Did you have fun at the library? I know it's a pretty ugly building but they have a good children's section."
"We had a lot of fun. I was impressed by all the books. They had movies too."
"Yeah, they have a good selection. You can request movies through the library catalogue and go and pick them up when they're ready. We use it instead of netflix."
"I think I want to get a library membership. The person in line in front of us was paying $3. Is that how much it costs to join?"
"No. It's free. You just need to bring a bill or something with your Milwaukee address."
"Oh... so then do you pay a monthly fee or do they charge you per item?"
"It's the public library. It's absolutely free. Most of their programs have no cost whatsoever. It's paid for by tax money, grants, donations and things like that. Had you ever been to a public library before today?"
"Never. I don't know anything about them."
3. Yesterday the kids took phenomenal afternoon naps. Since I had gotten some good work done while they were sleeping, it had been a while since I left the neighborhood and it felt too cold for a really long walk outside, I suggested to my partner that we get everyone in the car and take a field trip to the mall and cap it off with dinner in the food court. First my partner asked if I was feeling OK. Then he suggested that I hand over the baby and return his spouse. However, I suggested a trip to the mall was a cultural experience for our children and it would be fun. Since we make it to the mall about 4 times a year and eat in the food court half as often, it's actually something different when we do go. Granted, if I HAD to go to the mall to make a purchase or for a social engagement I would be extremely disgruntled. In my mind it's kind of like the difference between camping out because it's fun every once in a while and living under an overpass because you've been dealt a shoddy hand. We are fortunate people who can afford to live in a neighborhood that is safe to walk around and has a variety of places to walk to. For many people, the mall is where you go - mall stores are the arbiter of consumer taste and mall eateries the arbiter of taste. My partner grew up in that world. I did not. There is no mall on my island home, no chain restaurants of any kind. Our visits to those places were rare, at least as rare as they are in my life today. ANYWAY, we drove to the mall and did an upstairs loop, stopped in one shop to buy some hair clips for E. and then headed downstairs where we spent 15 minutes in the little mall playground. After that we walked to the food court for a junk food dinner. It was awful and greasy and it hit the spot. We had the vegetarian sub (with mayo!!), fries and lemonade from STEAK ESCAPE, mozzarella sticks & the Martha's Vineyard salad from Arby's (or was it Wendy's?), and E. finished the meal with a baby sized vanilla "ice cream" from McDonald's - her first-ever McDonald's fare. It was a lovely evening.
1. As I was cleaning her up after dinner, my two-year-old daughter looked at me with a smile and yelled, "Charge!" Somewhat taken aback by the noise ( I was, after all, wiping her hands at the time of her pronouncement) I took a step back. "Charge?" I asked tentatively. "Charge." She answered resolutely. "They say it at the Brewer's game." She did attend some games this past summer but it's been months. Amazing!
2. Our babysitter came for a bit this morning she took aforementioned daughter to the library. When they came back, she asked me about the library. The conversation went something like this:
"Did you have fun at the library? I know it's a pretty ugly building but they have a good children's section."
"We had a lot of fun. I was impressed by all the books. They had movies too."
"Yeah, they have a good selection. You can request movies through the library catalogue and go and pick them up when they're ready. We use it instead of netflix."
"I think I want to get a library membership. The person in line in front of us was paying $3. Is that how much it costs to join?"
"No. It's free. You just need to bring a bill or something with your Milwaukee address."
"Oh... so then do you pay a monthly fee or do they charge you per item?"
"It's the public library. It's absolutely free. Most of their programs have no cost whatsoever. It's paid for by tax money, grants, donations and things like that. Had you ever been to a public library before today?"
"Never. I don't know anything about them."
3. Yesterday the kids took phenomenal afternoon naps. Since I had gotten some good work done while they were sleeping, it had been a while since I left the neighborhood and it felt too cold for a really long walk outside, I suggested to my partner that we get everyone in the car and take a field trip to the mall and cap it off with dinner in the food court. First my partner asked if I was feeling OK. Then he suggested that I hand over the baby and return his spouse. However, I suggested a trip to the mall was a cultural experience for our children and it would be fun. Since we make it to the mall about 4 times a year and eat in the food court half as often, it's actually something different when we do go. Granted, if I HAD to go to the mall to make a purchase or for a social engagement I would be extremely disgruntled. In my mind it's kind of like the difference between camping out because it's fun every once in a while and living under an overpass because you've been dealt a shoddy hand. We are fortunate people who can afford to live in a neighborhood that is safe to walk around and has a variety of places to walk to. For many people, the mall is where you go - mall stores are the arbiter of consumer taste and mall eateries the arbiter of taste. My partner grew up in that world. I did not. There is no mall on my island home, no chain restaurants of any kind. Our visits to those places were rare, at least as rare as they are in my life today. ANYWAY, we drove to the mall and did an upstairs loop, stopped in one shop to buy some hair clips for E. and then headed downstairs where we spent 15 minutes in the little mall playground. After that we walked to the food court for a junk food dinner. It was awful and greasy and it hit the spot. We had the vegetarian sub (with mayo!!), fries and lemonade from STEAK ESCAPE, mozzarella sticks & the Martha's Vineyard salad from Arby's (or was it Wendy's?), and E. finished the meal with a baby sized vanilla "ice cream" from McDonald's - her first-ever McDonald's fare. It was a lovely evening.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
a day in the life
I'm parenting on my own this weekend as my infinitely more prolific and successful partner enjoys back-to-back job interviews. Really, it isn't too different to be here on my own except that the poor dogs get the shaft when it comes to walks. Although the erstwhile hour and two-hour walks they enjoyed prior to E's arrival are a distant memory, they are accustomed to at least getting around the block. Instead, we walk up and down in front of the house - as far as we can get until the baby monitor notifies me that it has lost the signal. And of course, bedtime is a bit easier with 2 sets of hands.
However, it has gone smoothly today despite the fact that I didn't get more than 1 hour of uninterrupted sleep all night last night on account of H's current excessive nightwaking (I assume teething and general glitches on the road to having a well-wired brain) and the time change messing with our nap schedule.
Incidentally, in the middle of the night (I believe it was the 2:46 waking) I resolved that I am going to clean up my diet and, as soon as this Yale paper and one lingering application are squared away, take up some kind of exercise - beside lugging about 50 pounds of infant/toddler around much of the day. Perhaps I will work those poor dogs into my plans but, more likely, I will join the 24 hr fitness center that just went in down the street. No point in giving up a health for this academic trajectory!
However, it has gone smoothly today despite the fact that I didn't get more than 1 hour of uninterrupted sleep all night last night on account of H's current excessive nightwaking (I assume teething and general glitches on the road to having a well-wired brain) and the time change messing with our nap schedule.
Incidentally, in the middle of the night (I believe it was the 2:46 waking) I resolved that I am going to clean up my diet and, as soon as this Yale paper and one lingering application are squared away, take up some kind of exercise - beside lugging about 50 pounds of infant/toddler around much of the day. Perhaps I will work those poor dogs into my plans but, more likely, I will join the 24 hr fitness center that just went in down the street. No point in giving up a health for this academic trajectory!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
the sacred and the mundane
Today I am reading Social Performances, Alexander et al.'s new text on cultural pragmatics and performativity (incidentally, not the same performativity as ascendent in Europe among folks doing media, etc).
The text is supposed to provide a theoretical link between structural theories of culture (meaning of action is cultural/extra-situational) and pragmatic theories of action (meaning of action is situational and contingent). Given my line of research, a successful theory that did this would be wonderful. I'd love one from Alexander since I am a current subscriber to the strong program when it comes to the analysis of cultural meaning systems. However, I am not really "feeling" this text. I could discuss lots of little problems but instead will just state the glaring, apparently insurmountable issue that is going to doom this text to a footnote in my dissertation in which I state that they got it all wrong.
The theory of cultural pragmatics starts from the idea of ritual in understanding routine behavior. Further, most of the chapters examine highly "significant" moments (e.g. mass protests, national political crises). HELLO??!! The so-called "pragmatic" theories of action cultural pragmatics are supposed to improve upon are concerned with unremarkable, everyday action - those actions to which we pay so little attention (both personally and sociologically speaking) as long as we are fish in water but, yet, are the building blocks of both the social world and individual life trajectories. A more successful theoretical endeavor would have left Durkheim's rituals aside in favor of James' (or was it Peirce, I'm not willing to look it up) habits.
As I read it, and I will keep reading in case I'm wrong, the theory of cultural pragmatics does not extend logically or neatly to unremarkable everyday action.
The text is supposed to provide a theoretical link between structural theories of culture (meaning of action is cultural/extra-situational) and pragmatic theories of action (meaning of action is situational and contingent). Given my line of research, a successful theory that did this would be wonderful. I'd love one from Alexander since I am a current subscriber to the strong program when it comes to the analysis of cultural meaning systems. However, I am not really "feeling" this text. I could discuss lots of little problems but instead will just state the glaring, apparently insurmountable issue that is going to doom this text to a footnote in my dissertation in which I state that they got it all wrong.
The theory of cultural pragmatics starts from the idea of ritual in understanding routine behavior. Further, most of the chapters examine highly "significant" moments (e.g. mass protests, national political crises). HELLO??!! The so-called "pragmatic" theories of action cultural pragmatics are supposed to improve upon are concerned with unremarkable, everyday action - those actions to which we pay so little attention (both personally and sociologically speaking) as long as we are fish in water but, yet, are the building blocks of both the social world and individual life trajectories. A more successful theoretical endeavor would have left Durkheim's rituals aside in favor of James' (or was it Peirce, I'm not willing to look it up) habits.
As I read it, and I will keep reading in case I'm wrong, the theory of cultural pragmatics does not extend logically or neatly to unremarkable everyday action.
Friday, November 02, 2007
success!!
I have an interview!
Good location, not so good department but, on account of good location, a pretty nice faculty. It's amazing what this process does to you. While I applied to the position assuring myself that, surely, I could do better, now I am grateful that these folks even want to speak with me.
I stretched my area of specialization a bit for this one so we'll see how it goes.
Of course, the possibility of a job offer is eons away but still I find myself struggling a bit, even if at the same time I am SO GLAD that SOMEONE decided I might be worth considering. The downside: my partner has prospects in 2 UNBEATABLE locations even if, professionally speaking, they aren't the best. Granted, I don't have any nibbles in those places. However, the idea of a life lived in location A & B make the idea of accepting a job in location C disappointing.
Good location, not so good department but, on account of good location, a pretty nice faculty. It's amazing what this process does to you. While I applied to the position assuring myself that, surely, I could do better, now I am grateful that these folks even want to speak with me.
I stretched my area of specialization a bit for this one so we'll see how it goes.
Of course, the possibility of a job offer is eons away but still I find myself struggling a bit, even if at the same time I am SO GLAD that SOMEONE decided I might be worth considering. The downside: my partner has prospects in 2 UNBEATABLE locations even if, professionally speaking, they aren't the best. Granted, I don't have any nibbles in those places. However, the idea of a life lived in location A & B make the idea of accepting a job in location C disappointing.
historicity
Why must sociological theorizing make sweeping historical claims? If we are, after all, sociologists, can we not be content to talk about how it is instead of laying claim to particular insight into how it used to be and, by extension, where it is going. I have the sinking suspicion that, in many ways, the way it is is the way it was is the way it will be.
If one member of my toddler's playgroup picks up an unused toy and, glaring at her compatriots, announces, "Mine!" that is sufficient to insight conflict as other toddlers attempt to wrest previously unremarkable object from her grasp. I could say that, with the rise of post-fordism and the increased subjectivity of worth due to globalism, objects increasingly derive value, not from their utility or material properties, but instead from the esteem placed upon them by others.
Even if not silly, not particularly necessary or accurate.
If one member of my toddler's playgroup picks up an unused toy and, glaring at her compatriots, announces, "Mine!" that is sufficient to insight conflict as other toddlers attempt to wrest previously unremarkable object from her grasp. I could say that, with the rise of post-fordism and the increased subjectivity of worth due to globalism, objects increasingly derive value, not from their utility or material properties, but instead from the esteem placed upon them by others.
Even if not silly, not particularly necessary or accurate.
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