I have a sh*tload of stuff to get done this week and for some reason I can't seem to kickstart myself after my mini vacation. I had a light breakfast and I'm on my second cup of coffee, but it's still no go. I'm going to try to read through this piece that I wrote on summer reading for the newspaper and then go and get my puppy from the kennel. After that I'll decide if I need a nap before I attempt anything else today. :-9

Spending the rest of the week prepping for the beginning of Maymester next week. It doesn't help that my allergies have flared up so badly that I have lost my voice :-(

Spent way too much time tonight working on the reading marathon site and blog. Ok, more on the blog and the new and improved (yeah, right) Blogger settings on all of my other blogs than on the placeholder site that I created for the reading marathon. So now it's 2:40 and I have to get up in 4 hours so that I can get to campus at a decent hour and turn in grades. I want to finish rereading all of the books for 360 this week and make sure that everything is functioning for the RM before letters get sent out later this week. I'll post more information on the RM as the great unveiling comes closer.Going to bed now, really.

Which Famous Homosexual are you?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

I am still working, really I am!! Right now I am finishing up grades and such for this semester and prepping for Maymester which my mother calls "May Madness," the 4 week intensive summer course in gender and literature. This has, of course, put my own writing on hold. In return for doing "May Madness" this year I have promised myself that I will ONLY do my work from mid-June to mid-August, and I'm sticking to it. I am feeling guilty for turning down requests for directed studies this summer, but in the end I have gotta get my own work done, right??

Yesterday's tasks carry over to today:

1. Read diss chapters and formulate questions for defense.

All while preparing for a visit from the maternal unit. :-)

My to do list is ever growing. I have a ton of work to do this week (including everything that I could do next week) because my mother is coming to visit for a week. That will put a stop to absolutely all scholarly pursuits until she leaves. Because very few things are actually where they are supposed to be (including the box spring sitting in the dining room because the movers couldn't get it upstairs) there is extra work to be done. There are dust bunnies to be captured, beds to be made, satellite receivers to be hooked up (gotta keep her entertained), a numerous other chores.

So what, you may ask, does this have to do with writing? Everything! This is a list of things that will keep me from writing. Not that I don't want my mom to visit, but lately I seem to be opposed to anything that takes me off task. Maybe I'm becoming some kind of hermit????

To Do Today:
1. Finish JR's chapter
2. Prep at least 1 chapter for Friday's defense
3. Grocery shop (hey ya gotta eat in order to write, right?)

Haven't been getting much of my own writing done lately (post Cs) with the end of the semester looming, but I have been prepping for summer classes and dissertation defenses, reading diss chapters, and teaching. I guess sometimes our own writing does suffer a bit. If we could just find a way to get blogging to count toward tenure I'd be a happy camper :-)

Google Bombing for Good
The top site for "jew" on google is currently a hate site. In an attempt to combat this, the blogosphere is google bombing for good. Currently jewfaq.org is in second place and with continued linking to jewfaq.com we can make it the top google site for the search term "jew".
via Crooked Timber: Joogle

Back from CCCC, feeling invigorated, got lots to do. Spent some time reading Gee's book on video games and literacy. Will blog about it here or over on the main blog when I'm done with it. I have so much to do I don't know where to start. Things I need to do in the very near future include reading diss chapters and a full diss. Another thing I need to do is to start mapping out my new project more clearly because I feel so scattered right now. I have a horrible tendency to over do stuff. If I don't map this out soon I'll end up with a first chapter that is in excess of 100 pages long rather than just being background for what I really want to talk about. Hopefully over the next few weeks this will start to materialize. Up way too early today, going to do a little of this and that all day (like maybe finish the Gee book) and then go in to the office later and pick up diss stuff and go to a faculty meeting.

I am making some progress. Not only did I get the documentary watched, but I got the exams read. Since I am up this morning I plan to read through the list of exam questions that I have waiting patiently on my desktop. I am going to the gym later today and I guess this will be a good time to drop off the video and the book that I have that was recalled now that the library has decided to block my account and I need to renew a stack of books :-(

In terms of my own research I plan to try to finish the Carole Stabile book today. After that I might move on to some of the books dealing with reproductive technologies. After the glaring omissions for the pill documentary I am wanting to go back and hit those books on and by Margaret Sanger, hard.

Kyle left an interesting comment about my telling readers what I am actually working on when I talk about writing. I do tend to be a bit vague when I am posting, offering only subjects when I talk about articles, chapters, etc. I don't know if this is intentional or if it is simply done for lack of time. But here's a heads up.

The major project that I am working on right now is evolving, it deals with race and network theory. I am looking at the way that technologies get connection for and by people of color and how that affects how they interact with specific technologies or technology in general. It moves historically through medical technologies, communicative technologies, and computer and entertainment technologies. It is still very much in the planning stages and while I have sections of what will become chapters that have been written for publication I am still thinking and researching it through. My goal is to have a solid prospectus done before school starts in the fall. This is an everchanging and constantly growing project that I am very excited about. I just wish I had more solid, uninterrupted time to dedicate to it.

On to other things, yesterday I had one of the worst migraine headaches that I'd had in a while so I got absolutely nothing done (with the exception of a teaching observation, so I guess that does away with the notion of absolutely notion). What that means is that my weekend is no longer mine (at least not completely) because there are some things that have to be done. I have to read some exams, look over some prelim. questions, finish watching the Pill documentary that I was supposed to watch Monday, and do some research. Sounds like a party, eh?

(update) I watched the Pill documentary and had a strong reaction to it. Rather than giving me more information for research it gave me fodder for one of my arguments. While this is vague it may make more sense if you read the extended post that I wrote on my "official" blog.

I didn't get much of anything done yesterday. I gave up after a while and went to the gym. I read over a couple of things for students and sent them feedback, but did no writing or researching work of my own. For this, my body/mind has decided to pay me back. I woke up this morning at 4:30 and have been working for about 1/2 hour. I am going to try to finish this review that I am working on before I see if I can sleep for a few more hours. I technically don't have to get up until 9 :-)

update (5:39 a.m.) Review done, headed back to sleep (hopefully)

Today is just one of those days when you don't feel like doing much of anything. It's rainy and dreary and all the coffee in the world won't wake you up. I am going to try to read and maybe watch the Pill documentary (yep, it's research).

My usual day to read the NY Times and anything else that strikes my fancy, but today I think I am going to do a bit of scholarly reading while sitting on the new non-smoky living room furniture. You heard it here first after months of waiting we have our first new, post fire furniture and our new home is beginning to feel like home. I am so inspired that I might even go out and replace the tv, coffee maker, and answering machine!! Who knows, I might even treat myself to a copy of The Sims: Bustin' Out (for research purposes of course).

Oh yeah, maybe it's time to replace the microwave too. Anybody know the shelf life on microwave popcorn??