Mgwumph.
If my mother taught me anything (and she did, but I'll spare you the lectures here), it was that it's rude to speak with your mouth full. But who am I to be polite? The semester has officially ended, grades have been submitted, and I'm now enmeshed in my summer class, the pesky leavings of my administrative work, and preparing to go to a two-week workshop in the Midwest in 10 days or so. Holy hell, have I bitten off more than I can chew.
One of the many things that I need to learn to do is to remember that tasks accrete; saying yes to one early on does not mean that something else equally good, or exciting, or financially viable, won't be offered later. I'm pretty sure that that's how I got myself into this mess. In December, the extra money from a short summer class sounded pretty good. And then applying to this workshop just seemed like the natural extension of the kinds of work I've been doing. And the administrative stuff---well, that was just idiotic. It's one of those "this is a really good thing for the community" kinds of projects, but it includes the work that I most abhor and totally, totally suck at: talking to various people at a variety of off-campus institutions, securing money, collecting artifacts. It's a crap job for sure, and I just want it to be done. But it sounded so good and lofty at the time!! Yes! I don't want to be one of those ivory tower folk! I want to be engaged in the community!! That's the root of this program, after all, and I should be following out that mission! Screw that. To mine own self I should have been true; I just want to read books and maybe write an article or two.
Oh yes! That! Writing! Isn't this my summer to get a few publications together before I go up for tenure? Why yes! Yes it is! Thanks for asking! Now why is it that writing isn't on my immediate radar? [Hint: see above.]
For now, you'll have to excuse the sarcasm dripping from this post. It's the best I can manage right now. I'll feel better after a cheap, meaningless evening of bad t.v., I'm sure. Suggestions, anyone, before I fall back into the warm embrace of slash fiction? :)
One of the many things that I need to learn to do is to remember that tasks accrete; saying yes to one early on does not mean that something else equally good, or exciting, or financially viable, won't be offered later. I'm pretty sure that that's how I got myself into this mess. In December, the extra money from a short summer class sounded pretty good. And then applying to this workshop just seemed like the natural extension of the kinds of work I've been doing. And the administrative stuff---well, that was just idiotic. It's one of those "this is a really good thing for the community" kinds of projects, but it includes the work that I most abhor and totally, totally suck at: talking to various people at a variety of off-campus institutions, securing money, collecting artifacts. It's a crap job for sure, and I just want it to be done. But it sounded so good and lofty at the time!! Yes! I don't want to be one of those ivory tower folk! I want to be engaged in the community!! That's the root of this program, after all, and I should be following out that mission! Screw that. To mine own self I should have been true; I just want to read books and maybe write an article or two.
Oh yes! That! Writing! Isn't this my summer to get a few publications together before I go up for tenure? Why yes! Yes it is! Thanks for asking! Now why is it that writing isn't on my immediate radar? [Hint: see above.]
For now, you'll have to excuse the sarcasm dripping from this post. It's the best I can manage right now. I'll feel better after a cheap, meaningless evening of bad t.v., I'm sure. Suggestions, anyone, before I fall back into the warm embrace of slash fiction? :)
Labels: academentia, pit of despair, solipsism
posted by kfluff at 6:36 PM
3 Comments:
Yeah, I too thought that teaching a brief summer course sounded like a great way to make some money. And of course I'd be able to get a lot of writing done, too. Because I wasn't going to be, oh, moving across the country or anything! :-P Anyway, I have said bad tv on at this very moment...
Eh, there's always Dancing With the Stars. But now that Steve Sanders is off, is it eve worth it?
Midwest=Grand Rapids, MI, yes? Yes? No? Sigh.
Your extra load sounds like mine ... but I don't get a summer break.
*sigh*
I really need a good sugar daddy.
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