New career
OK, so I've decided I'm going to give up on the academic life since it seems impossible to convince anyone to give "such an old person" even an interview - I'm heading for the open road and the wideopen spaces across the plains and far away as a new age trucker. No more 9-5 and scrabbling in the rush hour traffic of suburbia, Wyoming here I come!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Blogging books
I like the idea that this medium which we are accusing of stealing our childrens' ability to appreciate the good things in life, like conversations and literature, can turn the tables occassionally, like when it presents this ongoing conversation (16/08) from Barbara Ganley about books that "really" mean something.
For the time being I'm connecting to the first question only - books that changed your life, among which must feature Rosellen Brown's extraordinary 'Half a Heart' - a novel, and James McBride's 'The Colour of Water' an autobiography and tribute to McBride's mother. Both deal, albeit in totally different ways, with bi-racial children and the relationships they have with their white mothers. It is the social context which made these books so significant - and so shocking - for me. In the former the mother surrenders her daughter to the child's father at birth because she believes there is no way that she can know how to raise that 'black' child, to all intents and purposes the Deep South socio-political 1960s context determines that there is no middle road of colour, white mother or not, the girl is black and - the part that shocked me - the mother seems to put up no fight against this at all. Almost as shocking is the fact that no-one seems to envisage any problem with the father being left to raise a girl child alone. I cannot imagine the story turning out the same way in 1960s Britain - that's not a criticism, just an observation of difference.
McBride, on the other hand, describes growing up in the ghetto alongside his complicated family, including his white Jewish mother who having refused to accept such a status quo endures lifelong censure from both black and white but remains steadfast in her convictions and her committment to her family of twelve children. The story is told alternately in his voice and hers in successive chapters and is well worth the reading.
I like the idea that this medium which we are accusing of stealing our childrens' ability to appreciate the good things in life, like conversations and literature, can turn the tables occassionally, like when it presents this ongoing conversation (16/08) from Barbara Ganley about books that "really" mean something.
For the time being I'm connecting to the first question only - books that changed your life, among which must feature Rosellen Brown's extraordinary 'Half a Heart' - a novel, and James McBride's 'The Colour of Water' an autobiography and tribute to McBride's mother. Both deal, albeit in totally different ways, with bi-racial children and the relationships they have with their white mothers. It is the social context which made these books so significant - and so shocking - for me. In the former the mother surrenders her daughter to the child's father at birth because she believes there is no way that she can know how to raise that 'black' child, to all intents and purposes the Deep South socio-political 1960s context determines that there is no middle road of colour, white mother or not, the girl is black and - the part that shocked me - the mother seems to put up no fight against this at all. Almost as shocking is the fact that no-one seems to envisage any problem with the father being left to raise a girl child alone. I cannot imagine the story turning out the same way in 1960s Britain - that's not a criticism, just an observation of difference.
McBride, on the other hand, describes growing up in the ghetto alongside his complicated family, including his white Jewish mother who having refused to accept such a status quo endures lifelong censure from both black and white but remains steadfast in her convictions and her committment to her family of twelve children. The story is told alternately in his voice and hers in successive chapters and is well worth the reading.
Too much studying, not enough gardening
My garden has become a conservation area again this summer as I have struggled to finish the thesis and do everything else and the dark corner at the bottom has systematically stiffled anything that needs light to grow - or so I had thought - until I noticed how the one remaining rosebush has risen to the challenge - spot the pink bits on the skyline!
And, yes, once I get a new job I'm going to get a better camera too :-)
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Meanwhile on the other side of the woods...
more screaming headlines from the last 7 days assure us that despite war and terrorist anarchy, justice prevails and the rights of goats are enshrined in the law, although injustice busting moggies may be less successful at securing their full allocation of lives.
more screaming headlines from the last 7 days assure us that despite war and terrorist anarchy, justice prevails and the rights of goats are enshrined in the law, although injustice busting moggies may be less successful at securing their full allocation of lives.
Heavenly body
Who says size doesn't matter? After years and years of being told that it was not the important issue, all of a sudden it seems a particular kind of heavenly body is entirely all about size. Thus, a committe of seven good men and true assembled today in Prague have ended years of intense speculation and declared that on 24th August their peers must vote to correct a mistake about Pluto made 70 years ago. Seems like poor Pluto was miss assessed back then but, with committee approval, and endorsement from everyone else, can be rebranded and redeemed as a Pluton along with former unknowns Xena and Charon ... such a relief to know that the really weighty issues of the universe are being tackled.
Who says size doesn't matter? After years and years of being told that it was not the important issue, all of a sudden it seems a particular kind of heavenly body is entirely all about size. Thus, a committe of seven good men and true assembled today in Prague have ended years of intense speculation and declared that on 24th August their peers must vote to correct a mistake about Pluto made 70 years ago. Seems like poor Pluto was miss assessed back then but, with committee approval, and endorsement from everyone else, can be rebranded and redeemed as a Pluton along with former unknowns Xena and Charon ... such a relief to know that the really weighty issues of the universe are being tackled.
Friday, August 11, 2006
methel's mutterings
trying to assemble some employment and scanning the vacancies lists this attracted my attention - by the seaside, helping those less advantaged than self and with a bit of class and culture added:
trying to assemble some employment and scanning the vacancies lists this attracted my attention - by the seaside, helping those less advantaged than self and with a bit of class and culture added:
Part-Time Research Assistant
Resettlement of Prisoners
Faculty of Education
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Exmouth
Salary £18673 pa, pro rata (new pay framework pending, up to maximum of £25633 - subject to Union ballet and agreement) - Research Assistant point 6
- whey hey girls, a chance to wear that old tutu again after all these years. Can hardly weight :-)
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