What to report today - it was my penultimate day here in the MAD. The first half was spent in a very groggy manner, as I spent the entire night (hopefully for the last time in a long time) throwing together yet another sub-standard term paper cobbled together from bits of the tragic Ms. Thetis. Dr. Jaime A. Peck, being a fellow Marxist, will most undoubtedly have mercy on me like a good Marxist should, as he is well aware of my score. However, I still do not enjoy turning in such a shoddy quality paper. And so it goes - B's get degrees in grad school (along with painstakingly crafted theses.)
Haven't finished the paper for Dr. Wong, but I'll be getting on that immediately following this blog posting. Again, another woefully substandard product will be the result. So it goes, Mr. Vonnegut. So it goes.
I've come to the conclusion that I've had a mild bout of depression of late. I think this is due to the fact that I'm still embarrassed about my thesis, I feel overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done between now and 25 May, and that no one other than my ever-lovin' parents came for this thing. However, I do believe Thailand will pull anyone out of a downward rut. Or at least it will for me.
Which illustrates the reverse-triage of our society's attitude toward various graduations. When one graduates High School, a feat which in excess of 90% of people in this country succeed in and is about as challenging as climbing Bascom Hill if you're a Sherpa, the entire community congratulates them. They receive congratulations from everyone ranging from politicians to their insurance men to all their father's clients. When one receives one's Bachelor's Degree, a feat which somewhere between 40-50% of our populace achieves I would conjecture and is challenging enough to require two or three all-night study sessions per semester, a good portion of the relatives make the trip and one receives a fair number of cards. However, the hubbub is nothing like the High School graduation. When one receives the Master's Degree, a feat which likely less than 10% of society achieves (and of those, more than half are probably professional Master's which require no thesis or any equivalent,) and is slightly less harrowing than an invasion of Normandy in 1944, one receives the same acclaim as if they had bought a fishing license. Parents are proud, but it doesn't extend much beyond that. If I do end up going for my PhD someday, I think I'm gonna have to buy a dog, because if this trend continues, he'll be the only one showing up. Thankfully, potential employers see it the opposite of larger society when it comes to these degrees and the amount of money they are willing to pay is inversely proportional to the amount of acclaim society puts on the new recipients of these degrees.
Ma and Pa Luebke came to town today. I was able to show them the Arthur H. Robinson (May Peace be Upon Him) Map Library, and those of us who all came in to the department of Geography together back in the Fall of '03 took a few pictures together and went and had what is likely to be my last beer on the Terrace. The cool, grey weather actually made for a nice day to be out there, and lots of people who were receiving their PhDs were running around in their robes and caps, which is always cool to see.
Had some pizza for dinner, and got a good start on packing. So things are shaping up okay.
The party is tomorrow, and I'm hoping to let loose a bit. Hail progress!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
apprehension
Well, due to my ridiculous level of procrastination and a bit of insomnia to follow it, I've slept only one hour of the past 48 hours. This cannot be good.
This burnout is an ugly one. Turned in my term paper and weekly journal to RD Sack at 4:55 pm yesterday (due at 5). The term paper was basically nothing more than large sections of my thesis cut and pasted. It's probably less integrated than an Alabama High School in 1955, and the weekly journal is even worse, but at least it's in. I doubt RD Sack would give any grad student less than a B on anything, as he knows the score probably better than anyone (one must maintain a 3.0 gpa to remain in good standing/graduate from the grad school here.) However, it's still unnerving to turn in 29 pages of pure garbage when it has some consequence. And so it goes...
This burnout is an ugly one. Turned in my term paper and weekly journal to RD Sack at 4:55 pm yesterday (due at 5). The term paper was basically nothing more than large sections of my thesis cut and pasted. It's probably less integrated than an Alabama High School in 1955, and the weekly journal is even worse, but at least it's in. I doubt RD Sack would give any grad student less than a B on anything, as he knows the score probably better than anyone (one must maintain a 3.0 gpa to remain in good standing/graduate from the grad school here.) However, it's still unnerving to turn in 29 pages of pure garbage when it has some consequence. And so it goes...
Monday, May 09, 2005
Smut and Eggs
The operative word for this weekend is procrastination. I've been doing it far too much, and RD Sack is going to want my paper tomorrow, poststructural or not. Burnout is rearing its ugly head in a big way here. Ugh!
Yesterday morning, had breakfast with my fellow map library worker and good friend Marjorie Morningstar. For those of you who aren't of Madison, there is a bar on South Park Street called Bennet's, and it's famous for its breakfast, during which they show hard core pornography on 6 televisions. They call it Smut and Eggs - Porn in the Morn! Marjorie wanted to try it just to say she had, and so we did. Wasn't quite as bad as expected, but drunk people at 8:30 am watching adult videos makes for an interesting crowd to be sure. The owner of the place, who was wearing a large rubber phallus on his head and an Aston Villa soccer jersey, told us a numerous tasteless jokes as we watched the stuff on TV and enjoyed our eggs.
Other than that, we (Keli, Debauchery, and I) went to visit our friend Jessica, who now keeps her own chickens in her back yard. Should make for some good eggs, I guess. Wonder if Bennet's might want to purchase them. Keli left today for a job interview at SMU in Dallas, and India's back in Boston for a week or so, so it's bachelor pad at 1431 for the moment - just me and Rebound!
Gotta type for RD Sack. Hail progress!
Yesterday morning, had breakfast with my fellow map library worker and good friend Marjorie Morningstar. For those of you who aren't of Madison, there is a bar on South Park Street called Bennet's, and it's famous for its breakfast, during which they show hard core pornography on 6 televisions. They call it Smut and Eggs - Porn in the Morn! Marjorie wanted to try it just to say she had, and so we did. Wasn't quite as bad as expected, but drunk people at 8:30 am watching adult videos makes for an interesting crowd to be sure. The owner of the place, who was wearing a large rubber phallus on his head and an Aston Villa soccer jersey, told us a numerous tasteless jokes as we watched the stuff on TV and enjoyed our eggs.
Other than that, we (Keli, Debauchery, and I) went to visit our friend Jessica, who now keeps her own chickens in her back yard. Should make for some good eggs, I guess. Wonder if Bennet's might want to purchase them. Keli left today for a job interview at SMU in Dallas, and India's back in Boston for a week or so, so it's bachelor pad at 1431 for the moment - just me and Rebound!
Gotta type for RD Sack. Hail progress!
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
Blast from the past
The most fascinating thing that has happened since my last post was a chance meeting with someone at the Monona Terrace. My friend and colleage in the Geography Department, Matt Steigman, struck up a conversation there yesterday with a very senior gentleman who was in town for a class reunion. It turns out that the man, named Einer, was 92 years old and graduated from the UW with a degree in Geography back in the Year of Our Lord 1937. Later, as Matt was telling me about the meeting, Einer walked up and I was able to meet him as well. Absolutely fascinating. The man still had excellent hearing and a mind sharp as a knife, and the only real symptom of his age was the fact that he walked with a cane. He told us stories about old professors in our department, such as Trewartha, whom we only know because of the rooms and monuments in Science Hall which bear their names. Einer had been a band instructor at a high school in Chicago, and some of his students, long since passed on, were ace fighter pilots in WWII. He said that he came to his class reunion here, but he was the only one from his class who showed up, which must really make him feel old. He said that he believes the secret to living long is the fact that he still plays the French Horn, which keeps his lungs healthy and gives his diaphragm a regular workout. The man was fascinating - I could've spoken with him for hours. I'd post a picture of him, but by that point the battery on my digicam was dead since I took something like 57 pictures around campus yesterday.
And what a beautiful day it was. Enjoyed some beers at the Terrace, blew off my project of modifying the lit. review section of my thesis to de-postmodernify it for my paper for RD Sack, and enjoyed some good conversation with some friends. Ahhhhhhhh, I already am missing it. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut would say. Bangkok will have its pleasantries as well. Hail progress!
And what a beautiful day it was. Enjoyed some beers at the Terrace, blew off my project of modifying the lit. review section of my thesis to de-postmodernify it for my paper for RD Sack, and enjoyed some good conversation with some friends. Ahhhhhhhh, I already am missing it. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut would say. Bangkok will have its pleasantries as well. Hail progress!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Mono No Aware
At the moment, I'm understanding yet again what the ancient Japanese philosophers and poets meant when they said Mono No Aware. Mono No Aware is a feeling of bittersweetness when looking at something beautiful. The sweet aspect is appreciation of its beauty, while the bitter aspect is sadness knowing that the beauty is fleeting and ephemeral. The picture which I posted of the Magnolia Tree that is just down the street from me is a good example - the flowers were, and still are, beautiful. However, seeing the petals falling to the ground shows just how temporary their beauty is. It can be seen as a metaphor for our lives. Futhermore, it's the perfect metaphore to describe my time here in Madison.
Today I had what could very well be my last college class ever as a student, which was an optional question/answer session with Burrito Lover RD Sack (and I ate a Sackian burrito right before class, just for good measure.) Had a beer on the terrace, and then ate pizza on the sidewalk at Tuttos with my friend and colleague, Matt Liesch. I really wish I would've brought my camera with me today - the dome of the Capitol was beautiful bathed in the golden, late evening sun. Plus there was a guy walking up and down state street with a massive Burmese Python draped about his neck. Always interesting people watching there, that's for sure...
Today I had what could very well be my last college class ever as a student, which was an optional question/answer session with Burrito Lover RD Sack (and I ate a Sackian burrito right before class, just for good measure.) Had a beer on the terrace, and then ate pizza on the sidewalk at Tuttos with my friend and colleague, Matt Liesch. I really wish I would've brought my camera with me today - the dome of the Capitol was beautiful bathed in the golden, late evening sun. Plus there was a guy walking up and down state street with a massive Burmese Python draped about his neck. Always interesting people watching there, that's for sure...
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Onward
What to report today...
Last night, my ever-resourceful roommate Keli cooked us all a lovely taco dinner. India made some high-quality daquaries. It was excellent.
A really weird hail/snow type pellet form fell yesterday as well. You can see them in India's hair and on the picnic table in the picuture on here. However, a rainbow followed, so all was not bad.
Today, I've received word from my advisor that he will approve of my plan to delay the thesis writing, which feels good.
I also gave my presentation in Geography 503, my Qualitative Methods class with the great Marxist Geographer in the lead, Dr. J.A. Peck. It was our final meeting, and for some of the people in our class, their final class ever. My presentation wasn't particularly good, as I didn't prepare it until about 10 minutes prior to class, but good enough for me! I'm going to miss that class - probably the most interesting class I've had here yet.
My 901 Seminar Class, which is taught by the burgeoning migration geographer and my committee member Dr. Madeleine Wong, is coming to party at my house tomorrow afternoon. I have to give another presentation which I won't prepare more than five minutes for. But it's not a big deal - it's all related to Thetis, so I can talk about it in my sleep, which I probably do from time to time.
Nothing due in any class until next monday, but I need to get some work done tomorrow night on RD Sack's paper. Other than that, over and out. Hail progress!
Last night, my ever-resourceful roommate Keli cooked us all a lovely taco dinner. India made some high-quality daquaries. It was excellent.
A really weird hail/snow type pellet form fell yesterday as well. You can see them in India's hair and on the picnic table in the picuture on here. However, a rainbow followed, so all was not bad.
Today, I've received word from my advisor that he will approve of my plan to delay the thesis writing, which feels good.
I also gave my presentation in Geography 503, my Qualitative Methods class with the great Marxist Geographer in the lead, Dr. J.A. Peck. It was our final meeting, and for some of the people in our class, their final class ever. My presentation wasn't particularly good, as I didn't prepare it until about 10 minutes prior to class, but good enough for me! I'm going to miss that class - probably the most interesting class I've had here yet.
My 901 Seminar Class, which is taught by the burgeoning migration geographer and my committee member Dr. Madeleine Wong, is coming to party at my house tomorrow afternoon. I have to give another presentation which I won't prepare more than five minutes for. But it's not a big deal - it's all related to Thetis, so I can talk about it in my sleep, which I probably do from time to time.
Nothing due in any class until next monday, but I need to get some work done tomorrow night on RD Sack's paper. Other than that, over and out. Hail progress!
Monday, May 02, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
A top ten...
I don't really like Dave Letterman, but since I didn't do a heck of a lot today, I'm going to make this post a top ten list. The title is: The ten things I'll miss the most about Madison.
1. Spotted Cow and Edel Pils
2. My backyard
3. Burritos (ala Bob Sack) and beer on the Terrace
4. Food from the food carts on Library Mall
5. The change in the seasons
6. My wonderful roommates and friends and colleagues
7. Deep philosophical discussions in Science Hall
8. The Ice Cream
9. The various characters around campus, such as Scanner Dan and the Piccolo player in all blaze orange
10. The Onion on Wednesdays
Things I'm going to miss the least:
1. The change in seasons
2. Excessively theoretical discussions in Science Hall
3. Triage
4. People handing me flyers and yelling about some sort of cause wherever I go
5. Walking down crowded State Street when I'm in a hurry
6. Trying to go into Science Hall while a class is letting out
7. The uneven heating in Science Hall
8. The Homework and papers
9. Trying to pretend that I've read something that I haven't
10. typing all night
1. Spotted Cow and Edel Pils
2. My backyard
3. Burritos (ala Bob Sack) and beer on the Terrace
4. Food from the food carts on Library Mall
5. The change in the seasons
6. My wonderful roommates and friends and colleagues
7. Deep philosophical discussions in Science Hall
8. The Ice Cream
9. The various characters around campus, such as Scanner Dan and the Piccolo player in all blaze orange
10. The Onion on Wednesdays
Things I'm going to miss the least:
1. The change in seasons
2. Excessively theoretical discussions in Science Hall
3. Triage
4. People handing me flyers and yelling about some sort of cause wherever I go
5. Walking down crowded State Street when I'm in a hurry
6. Trying to go into Science Hall while a class is letting out
7. The uneven heating in Science Hall
8. The Homework and papers
9. Trying to pretend that I've read something that I haven't
10. typing all night
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