I'm late to this one, but...

If there is someone on your blogroll who makes your world a better place just because that person exists and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence on your blog.

Three cheers for BlogHer and tus!

posted by: schoolsmelt at 07:01 | link | comments |

A thing of which I was not aware

You don't have to be accomplished to be entitled. I overheard a freshman student say to his professor, during office hours today*, likely in response to her question about why she hadn't received any replies from her emails to him about the class:

Wow. I try to take into account that students today are different from when I was an undergrad (no email back then, for one thing!), but I'm still shaking my head at hearing a student tell his professor the sole manner by which he will condescend to read her communications to him. My jaw was thunking on the floor, so I didn't hear her response, but it wasn't laughter, nor was it to throw him out of her office. I'm going to try to start up a conversation with her next week - I will report back if I do.

*Note: this professor has had back-to-back office hours for weeks - I've rarely seen the same student in her office twice, and I go in every day. I don't know her well at all, but I can't fault her work ethic.

So, am I an old fogey, or what?

posted by: schoolsmelt at 21:53 | link | comments (3) |

I (heart) academics

In the past couple of weeks, I've sent requests to two faraway faculty for papers I couldn't find online. In both cases, I was responded to almost immediately (the one today arrived within 90 minutes!) and in the affirmative. As well, they both expressed interest, and even outright enthusiasm, for my dissertation research. Excellent.

posted by: schoolsmelt at 14:33 | link | comments |

The hardest part about writing the thing is that I'm much more polyamorous than monogomous when it comes to reseach topics. I'm contemplating yet another narrowing of the topic, which isn't exactly a reset back to zero, but might be perceived as such. I have to wonder if the problem isn't that with every step down the increasingly narrow path of the diss, I have to bid farewell to otherwise enticing topics that have nothing to do with my current trajectory. This fear of commitment has thwarted me more than once, but it's not exactly an active dislike of my topic--which is another thing I'm told everybody goes through this at some point--as much as a continuation of the question generating process. It's almost as if the curiosity that draws one in to graduate study might be the very thing that prevents its completion.

I'm kicking along on modifying the proposal, and I've got a good thing going with it. It's just that every once in a while I realize how much I miss face to face interaction, talking directly to people, finding out what makes them tick, figuring out how to improve interactions and/or everyday processes. None of these have any direct relation to my current research, which involves a thematic content analysis of interactvity within an online community. Still, I know my findings will add to the body of knowledge, so it's not that it's unimportant. I just miss being able to consider other enticing research questions.

Topics that are beckoning me from off the garden path: the correlation between craigslist and offline community development (e.g. what types of cities have robust craigslist communities? is there an offline component to this?);  the effect of  transient environmental modification on sense of place (see this page for more details); the correlation between localized blogging and civic engagement. is there one? does this differ if civic officials are doing the blogging?; and plenty of others. It helps to get them down here, out of my head, so that I can go back to my primary partner, the diss.

posted by: schoolsmelt at 12:10 | link | comments |

American Girl'sValentine's Day Match Up.

Hi ugapeach,
Following is one of my favorite love poems, which is written by Miller Williams. Read it through once, then read the last word only of the final nine lines. To set the stage, visit this picture in fiat luxe's photostream on flickr.
Happy Valentine's day,
Smelt

Love in the Cathedral

“…except you ravish me.”

In the beginning I couldn’t speak to you.
Not because the words wouldn’t come;
It was because they might.
 ...

Edited on February 17: I've taken the rest of the poem offline, but am happy to send it to anyone who missed it when it was published. Send me a momail or an email and I'll get it right out to you.

posted by: schoolsmelt at 07:49 | link | comments (3) |