petulance and contrition? Is that by Dostoevsky
I have just been lacking in graciousness in a meeting about this fucking conference. And now I am thoroughly ashamed of myself.
I am ashamed for plenty of other reasons too at the moment. My frustration with this bloody conference is eating up any remaining motivation I had to finish the two book reviews and the three articles I am struggling to write and instead spend most of my time reading blogs. Despite it being my procrastination tool (TM Bitch, PH.D) of choice, I am feeling rather ambivalent towards this medium at the moment. It has become my cyber equivalent to shouting into a well. And well, to be frank, I think the bandwidth could use a break from this. I was thinking about how blogging could be both monologic and polylogic and was thinking this was going to be a wonderful new way of both expressing an identity that doesn't get much airtime in this city and build links and communities with those beyond. But it does not seem to be working out this way. By falling down the monologic well of moaning, ranting, and venting, I doubt that I have invited any fellow bloggers to share points of contact.
So I will reign in some of those tendencies to sullen-ness and petulance as displayed at the meeting.
Our school had its research seminar today, which was interesting on a number of fronts the late of which was the actual research presented; Fried and the so-called Tasmanian genocide and literature and identity during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan. The most interesting aspect was the Silver Fox's silence. He didn't roll out his question about research and publication like he did for me and Peter. Apparently someone had a word with him about the inappropriateness of his behaviour. So we got a polite perhaps contrite silence.
Well I will be walking home soon. I was going to go for a swim but by the time I get home get something from the supermarket and back it will be too late. There is marking to be done. Olympics to be watched. Cheap plonk to be drunk. Now there's an idea.
I am ashamed for plenty of other reasons too at the moment. My frustration with this bloody conference is eating up any remaining motivation I had to finish the two book reviews and the three articles I am struggling to write and instead spend most of my time reading blogs. Despite it being my procrastination tool (TM Bitch, PH.D) of choice, I am feeling rather ambivalent towards this medium at the moment. It has become my cyber equivalent to shouting into a well. And well, to be frank, I think the bandwidth could use a break from this. I was thinking about how blogging could be both monologic and polylogic and was thinking this was going to be a wonderful new way of both expressing an identity that doesn't get much airtime in this city and build links and communities with those beyond. But it does not seem to be working out this way. By falling down the monologic well of moaning, ranting, and venting, I doubt that I have invited any fellow bloggers to share points of contact.
So I will reign in some of those tendencies to sullen-ness and petulance as displayed at the meeting.
Our school had its research seminar today, which was interesting on a number of fronts the late of which was the actual research presented; Fried and the so-called Tasmanian genocide and literature and identity during the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan. The most interesting aspect was the Silver Fox's silence. He didn't roll out his question about research and publication like he did for me and Peter. Apparently someone had a word with him about the inappropriateness of his behaviour. So we got a polite perhaps contrite silence.
Well I will be walking home soon. I was going to go for a swim but by the time I get home get something from the supermarket and back it will be too late. There is marking to be done. Olympics to be watched. Cheap plonk to be drunk. Now there's an idea.
posted by Ludovic at 4:52 PM
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