Transneptune » grad school

Why

Kit — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:13:09 +0000

So, I need to always revisit why I am doing a thing. In this case, grad school seems unpleasant currently, so I am trying to see what it is that I like about it. And really, it is the teaching. I very much want to do that. I am sure that I want to do research and publish things, too, but right now that desire is distant, obscured.

I got a great compliment from a student the other day—she said that I was the only TA she had this semester who seemed to know the material. I then had a conversation with another student about the ways in which what they’re learning in intro Ling isn’t, per se, true, but is, I hope, a set of useful simplifications.

This is probably just end-of-semester workload blues. Lemme write 20 decent pages more and talk with you again. I reckon I’ll be fine in a few weeks.

Free as in Freedom

Kit — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:32:57 +0000

I was catching up on This American Life today, and heard about the Brooklyn Free School. It sounds great. Having homeschooled (or possibly unschooled?) myself through high school, I like the idea of it.

And then I’m confronted with taking attendance for my students, and it feels a little ridiculous.

Echo

Kit — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:26:49 +0000

Today, I was staring blankly at Information Structuring in Papago Narrative Discourse (Payne 1987), and getting nowhere. Ever alert and ever insightful, Allison suggested we go for a walk, and get out of the house.

And what a walk! We went up the Wonderland Creek Trail (how perfect for her, right?) where she’s been going for runs lately, and saw the hordes of grasshoppers bouncing around the tall grass. We walked along the creek under the shade of the trees, and it felt perfect. I am glad to have water like that so close.fantastic

But the best was yet to come. On the way back, we went through a tunnel that the creek and the path take under the road. And there, we found the echo. The perfect, amazing echo. We sang Foggy Dew and then I sang Patriot Game, and Allie observed that, given the melodic structure of the song and the strength and timing of the echo, I was accompanying myself. It was just what I needed.

Now, about that information structuring in Tohono O’odham (“Papago” being not the right name).

Canada

Kit — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:50:54 +0000

I’ll be in Montreal in about a week. This will be the tail-end of a trip which will include seeing friends in Toronto beforehand, and I know what to do in Toronto, but Montreal is all unknown to me. What should I do there? Let me know what’s cool in Montreal.

In other news, vests. More vests. Working pocket watch. I need more nice shirts and ties; I love my black-on-black paisley tie dearly, but I need some variety. Toronto should help for this. Perhaps Montreal also has good vintage and used clothing stores?

No news, of course, on the real activity, which is grad school applications. No news on that for a while, I suppose, which is the frustrating thing.

When your content is too sparse to inspire a title, you know you have a problem

Kit — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:37:26 +0000

I just wanted to say that I’ve taken the GREs, and now am free to work on grad school apps and plan my Grand Travel Plans and go on an orgy of visiting folks and being super-social. It’s good. My mind is freed.