Although it has been WONDERFUL to have some time in southern Florida to hang in the sun, read fluff books, and sleep a lot, I am buoyed by the thought of returning to The Buff, seeing my son, and getting back to normal. And, with these thoughts come some reflection--sitting by the ocean and listening to real waves hit the beach (instead of my CD of "beach sounds" that wakes me every morning) greatly encourages such things. *Sigh*
So, a list of some of my greatest moments of 2008, in no particular order. They come as they come. Feel free to send me yours!
--presenting a paper at Columbia University/being in NYC
--swimming in my pool with my son
--enjoying the news of births of two girls to two girlfriends (and their spouses)
--seeing the piano movers arrive in my driveway with the recently purchased Baby Grand (BG)
--leading my church congregation in singing traditional Christmas hymns
--learning a Shostokovich prelude on the ol' BG
--flashing my "Researcher" card at the National Archives
--realizing moments of clarity and confidence in my Diss writing
--pajama/movie days with my son
--hosting a baby shower/making goulash/carving pumpkin bowls
--seeing my friend Cara in Erie
--rocking out to the Foo Fighters in Rochester
--tasting salt water on my lips after swimming in the ocean in FL
--getting a homemade Valentine's card from my little guy
--visiting old friends in Madison
--successfully teaching a wonderful bunch of piano students
--singing "Love Can Build a Bridge" at church for my parents' anniversary (my mom's favorite song)
--finding my Nano/iPod/Shuffle, and keeping track of them!
--watching Obama's acceptance speech
--starting a garden (and successfully reaping edible food!)
--"Girls Weekend" in Lake Meade
--rediscovering my love for the music of Shostokovich and Brahms
--having an early Christmas with my family at my house/making chili for first time (and having it taste pretty damn good)
--watching my son play the piano
--happy hours with Raquel
--joining FaceBook
--having long, breezy chats with my mom from time to time
I'm sure there are more and many more to come.....Happy New Year!!!
--feeling the now-familiar satisfaction of being in The Buff
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Grading and "Girl Talk"
Tonight I will be swamped with research papers, final exams, journals, and all-what-else as I wrap up another sweet semester as part-time Prof. For some crazy reason, my final exam is scheduled for 8:30 PM this evening....my students are not happy. Neither am I, but it does give me all of today to do many things which are fun while, I'm sure, my students are scrambling to complete assignments. Such is life in mid-December...
So, I'm creating the syllabus for my Pop class for next semester because it is a very easy and satisfying task. Cut and paste the current into a new Doc, edit the calendar, tweak various sna-fus that popped up throughout the fall, and yahoo! Done. Print. Copy. File 'til January.
I am horrible at keeping track of grades in an official/professional manner. I write them down on sheets of paper that contain a high risk of getting lost (but never have) all the while knowing that Excel spread sheets exist for my convenience. So at this moment on this crisp sunny morn, I'm Excell-ing and organizing my gradebook. What makes this so much fun is that I have the house to myself and am BLASTING the music of Girl Talk.
Who? you say. The name is misleading. "Girl Talk" is a young and savvy tech-y guy exactly a decade younger than myself who specializes in mash-ups. What? you say. I understand. I know the term "mash-up"--taking various tracks of two or more songs, piling them on top of each other and *poof*--new song. Fun stuff. But, I had know idea who this "person" was until a Pop student brought him into class last week (see blog from 12/10) as an example of music from 2008. And I'm so glad he did! I'm having the time of my life right now...entering little numbers into even littler boxes, tabbing, calculating, and listening to Greg Gillis/Girl Talk weave his way through the history of pop music. Whoo-hoo. How? you say. Here it is:
From what I can speculate, Gillis/"GT" has more command of his computer's music making functions that 99% of us (well, definitely me, at least) while ALSO displaying an absolutely astonishing and keen awareness of pop music form, content and history. I have a smattering of his work rolling through my iTunes today, and below are the contents of one particular song and the pieces that I can identify:
"Play Your Part" length: 4 mins, 45 seconds
--drum intro--2 seconds...ARgghhh. sounds like the intro to Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" but faster
--bass line--"Gimmie Some Lovin'"--Traffic
--vocals, no idea
--hand-claps--damn....taken from something familiar....grrr..... can't identify
--new vocal loop--no idea (i'm beginning to feel inferior by now.....)
--new rhythm track--i've got nothing
--new melodic/harmonic track. YES! "Let My Love Open the Door" slow remix, Pete Townshend
--new-"We're Not Gonna Take It"--Twisted Sister with unidentified female vocals
--new--"Hunger Strike"--Temple of the Dog
--new--can't get the harmonic track, new vocals, didn't get that either
--handclaps--same as earlier sample
--new--Sinead O'Connor "NOthing Compares 2 U" sped up
--last sample--can't get it.
Song over.
So, I would certainly lose at "name that tune" if this was the selection, although, I usually kick-ass at that. I could lose hours of my life due to Girl Talk....
OK, one more...this is the one my student brought in called "Like This:"
--opening--a mash of stuff. I can get the early low track as something from early 90s hip hop. Then it's "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul,
--snippet of LL Cool J's "don't call it a comeback" song
--"body movin"--can't get the artist
--bass line--nothing
--"Rock and Roll Hoochie-Coo"--guitar riff
--organ track--remake of "Superstar"
--Diana Ross, "Upside Down"
--Janet Jackson rhythm track...what song, dammit?!?! something early. "Rhythm Nation"?
--The Carpenters are in there somewhere
--Metallica--"One"
--can't get the rapper
--song over.
Shoo.
I'm am exhausted yet exhilarated. How in the hell would I do a mash-up of my own? The time! The meticulous matching/mashing/mixing.....mon Dieu! But the potential that exists to create and re-create is endless. I'm actually glad that I DON'T know how to do this with any efficiency. My Diss would NEVER get done.
OK, back to my mid-morning mash-up...grades, music, coffee, snacks. Not as interesting as "Girl Talk," me thinks......
So, I'm creating the syllabus for my Pop class for next semester because it is a very easy and satisfying task. Cut and paste the current into a new Doc, edit the calendar, tweak various sna-fus that popped up throughout the fall, and yahoo! Done. Print. Copy. File 'til January.
I am horrible at keeping track of grades in an official/professional manner. I write them down on sheets of paper that contain a high risk of getting lost (but never have) all the while knowing that Excel spread sheets exist for my convenience. So at this moment on this crisp sunny morn, I'm Excell-ing and organizing my gradebook. What makes this so much fun is that I have the house to myself and am BLASTING the music of Girl Talk.
Who? you say. The name is misleading. "Girl Talk" is a young and savvy tech-y guy exactly a decade younger than myself who specializes in mash-ups. What? you say. I understand. I know the term "mash-up"--taking various tracks of two or more songs, piling them on top of each other and *poof*--new song. Fun stuff. But, I had know idea who this "person" was until a Pop student brought him into class last week (see blog from 12/10) as an example of music from 2008. And I'm so glad he did! I'm having the time of my life right now...entering little numbers into even littler boxes, tabbing, calculating, and listening to Greg Gillis/Girl Talk weave his way through the history of pop music. Whoo-hoo. How? you say. Here it is:
From what I can speculate, Gillis/"GT" has more command of his computer's music making functions that 99% of us (well, definitely me, at least) while ALSO displaying an absolutely astonishing and keen awareness of pop music form, content and history. I have a smattering of his work rolling through my iTunes today, and below are the contents of one particular song and the pieces that I can identify:
"Play Your Part" length: 4 mins, 45 seconds
--drum intro--2 seconds...ARgghhh. sounds like the intro to Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" but faster
--bass line--"Gimmie Some Lovin'"--Traffic
--vocals, no idea
--hand-claps--damn....taken from something familiar....grrr..... can't identify
--new vocal loop--no idea (i'm beginning to feel inferior by now.....)
--new rhythm track--i've got nothing
--new melodic/harmonic track. YES! "Let My Love Open the Door" slow remix, Pete Townshend
--new-"We're Not Gonna Take It"--Twisted Sister with unidentified female vocals
--new--"Hunger Strike"--Temple of the Dog
--new--can't get the harmonic track, new vocals, didn't get that either
--handclaps--same as earlier sample
--new--Sinead O'Connor "NOthing Compares 2 U" sped up
--last sample--can't get it.
Song over.
So, I would certainly lose at "name that tune" if this was the selection, although, I usually kick-ass at that. I could lose hours of my life due to Girl Talk....
OK, one more...this is the one my student brought in called "Like This:"
--opening--a mash of stuff. I can get the early low track as something from early 90s hip hop. Then it's "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul,
--snippet of LL Cool J's "don't call it a comeback" song
--"body movin"--can't get the artist
--bass line--nothing
--"Rock and Roll Hoochie-Coo"--guitar riff
--organ track--remake of "Superstar"
--Diana Ross, "Upside Down"
--Janet Jackson rhythm track...what song, dammit?!?! something early. "Rhythm Nation"?
--The Carpenters are in there somewhere
--Metallica--"One"
--can't get the rapper
--song over.
Shoo.
I'm am exhausted yet exhilarated. How in the hell would I do a mash-up of my own? The time! The meticulous matching/mashing/mixing.....mon Dieu! But the potential that exists to create and re-create is endless. I'm actually glad that I DON'T know how to do this with any efficiency. My Diss would NEVER get done.
OK, back to my mid-morning mash-up...grades, music, coffee, snacks. Not as interesting as "Girl Talk," me thinks......
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Popular Music 2000-2008
This was the "title" of my final lecture for the semester in my Popular Music class. *Sigh.* We met last night to discuss the current state of pop music in the current decade. The textbook I use does a pretty good job of moving chronologically through American pop music history from the early days of good ol' minstrelsy (never an easy subject to teach) to today. Well, the book was published in 2005. So, until then, I guess. The biggest flaw in the book is, indeed, the final chapter. How do you write history while living it?!?!? Oh, wait......blogging. Ha ha!
Anyhoo, I mentioned in the last post that I like to shift the burden of the work at the end of the semester toward my students. Yep, that's the kind of professor I am, dammit! While they are already scrambling and all-nighting, I ease off my responsibilities and give them even more. But wait, before any raised-eyebrows get tilted my way, here's the method behind my madness:
My Pop students were in charge of creating the content of last night's lecture by preparing the following things:
1. select one song from one year between 2000 and 2008 that is a good representative of "popular" music for that year. Explain how it contributes to our historical consideration of "popular music" in the US. Explain what elements of the song (artist, production, genre, etc.) caused it to become popular.
2. Offer three artists who remained absent from our discussion of popular music, or the book's discussion, but who belong in it and why.
3. Offer one or more artists who should be beamed off the planet due to the advent of their popularity.
I did, actually, bring in examples of my own to contribute. I used Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" for #1; Kansas, BTO, and Hall & Oates for #2; Nickelback, Maroon 5, and the J.Geils Band for #3.
On the whole and throughout the semester, my Pop students were not as enthusiastic about the course material as one might think. It is a history class, after all, so we have to actually talk about and dissect not only the music, but the events, people, places, times surrounding the music. We can't just "simply" sit around and listen to tunes all the time. *Sigh.* I will be the first to admit that I would prefer to create a course simply called "Led Zeppelin," and be done with it. And, alas, sometimes, the actual enjoyment of music in music history classes gets bogged down by, well, the history.
But, last night's class rocked. I have a smart classroom so almost all of the selections had videos/clips available on youtube, which was fun. My students were enthusiastic and had a lot of things to say about the music of "their" decade. I, in turn, felt connected to them a bit more than I have in the past. Although I still feel (and probably act) like a 20-year old, I....am.....not. *Another sigh.* There have been moments teaching pop music, like the week of the 1980s, where I felt totally old, out of touch, and wrinkly. Last night, my students absolutely taught me things about the past 9 years of music that I would never have known. Lovely way to spend a snowy Tuesday, me thinks.
Here's the best part, the part that makes me blush with pride in my young 20-something students.....below is our compiled list of bands who should be beamed off their earth. Zap. Gone. Not a tear shed. Bye-bye bands we don't like (and now you know who you are):
Nickelback
Maroon 5 (I just typed "Moron 5" without even trying to be funny. How funny!)
J. Geils Band
Creed
Axl Rose (after the GnR breakup)
Britney Spears
Miley Cyrus and all aliases
U2
Lindsey Lohan (as singer and all else)
everything to do with High School Musical
Hanson
Jonas Brothers
Coldplay
Tool
Rufus Wainwright (I guess he performed during the college's SpringFest recently. Not good.)
Cher
Gwen Stefani
Hinder/Seether
Hope for the future, yes indeed. *Final Sigh*
Anyhoo, I mentioned in the last post that I like to shift the burden of the work at the end of the semester toward my students. Yep, that's the kind of professor I am, dammit! While they are already scrambling and all-nighting, I ease off my responsibilities and give them even more. But wait, before any raised-eyebrows get tilted my way, here's the method behind my madness:
My Pop students were in charge of creating the content of last night's lecture by preparing the following things:
1. select one song from one year between 2000 and 2008 that is a good representative of "popular" music for that year. Explain how it contributes to our historical consideration of "popular music" in the US. Explain what elements of the song (artist, production, genre, etc.) caused it to become popular.
2. Offer three artists who remained absent from our discussion of popular music, or the book's discussion, but who belong in it and why.
3. Offer one or more artists who should be beamed off the planet due to the advent of their popularity.
I did, actually, bring in examples of my own to contribute. I used Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" for #1; Kansas, BTO, and Hall & Oates for #2; Nickelback, Maroon 5, and the J.Geils Band for #3.
On the whole and throughout the semester, my Pop students were not as enthusiastic about the course material as one might think. It is a history class, after all, so we have to actually talk about and dissect not only the music, but the events, people, places, times surrounding the music. We can't just "simply" sit around and listen to tunes all the time. *Sigh.* I will be the first to admit that I would prefer to create a course simply called "Led Zeppelin," and be done with it. And, alas, sometimes, the actual enjoyment of music in music history classes gets bogged down by, well, the history.
But, last night's class rocked. I have a smart classroom so almost all of the selections had videos/clips available on youtube, which was fun. My students were enthusiastic and had a lot of things to say about the music of "their" decade. I, in turn, felt connected to them a bit more than I have in the past. Although I still feel (and probably act) like a 20-year old, I....am.....not. *Another sigh.* There have been moments teaching pop music, like the week of the 1980s, where I felt totally old, out of touch, and wrinkly. Last night, my students absolutely taught me things about the past 9 years of music that I would never have known. Lovely way to spend a snowy Tuesday, me thinks.
Here's the best part, the part that makes me blush with pride in my young 20-something students.....below is our compiled list of bands who should be beamed off their earth. Zap. Gone. Not a tear shed. Bye-bye bands we don't like (and now you know who you are):
Nickelback
Maroon 5 (I just typed "Moron 5" without even trying to be funny. How funny!)
J. Geils Band
Creed
Axl Rose (after the GnR breakup)
Britney Spears
Miley Cyrus and all aliases
U2
Lindsey Lohan (as singer and all else)
everything to do with High School Musical
Hanson
Jonas Brothers
Coldplay
Tool
Rufus Wainwright (I guess he performed during the college's SpringFest recently. Not good.)
Cher
Gwen Stefani
Hinder/Seether
Hope for the future, yes indeed. *Final Sigh*
Thursday, December 4, 2008
the end of "Romanticism and Music"
Today, as I hope to finish an "official" Diss Prospectus to be sent into my grad school "file" (who knows what that contains at this point) in Wisconsin, I also have to prep my last lecture for my "Romanticism and Music" class that I'll teach tonight. It's not the end of the semester quite yet, but we've entered the home stretch. Yahoo!!!
I've been entrenched in academia--with fits and spurts--for almost 20 years. Holy canoli, Batman. I've been teaching in it for seven, on and off as I've also had to complete course work for the ol' PhD. And, as a part-timer, I've also had to acquire side jobs and other means of income which I've written about here in M(MotT). This demands some kind of efficiency on my part--which also comes in fits and spurts--and the implementation of more than a few tricks of the trade, so to say.
An interesting thing I've noticed about myself is the wave of momentum that comes to me at the end of the semester. I've seen friends, peers and students bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived as they stagger through the last weeks of the fall semester while I, in turn, have the endless stamina of the Energizer Bunny. I don't know why. I see the finish line--in this case December 17--and sprint for it, completing assignments, sleeping well, checking tasks of the my list and checking it twice for gaps. My stuff gets done in these last few weeks better, faster, and with more gusto than I usually muster for other times in the semester. Kookie!
In my teaching duties, I pad the end of the semester in ways that allow me to do less of what I'm supposed to do and more of what I want to do. Several friends and classmates can attest to this--the "time to do what I want to do" thing. When I know I'm getting a break, I make it as long and personal as I can.
Sooooo, tonight I will present a mini-lesson on the last Romantic "duality" (a concept that I created to organize my Romanticism and Music class) we have to cover, "Tradition vs. Revolution." This is the eighth one. Previous weeks explored Crowd vs. Individual, Program music vs. Absolute, Man vs. Nature, Science vs. Irrational, Professional vs. Amateur, Nationalism vs. Internationalism, and Material vs. Ideological. By now, Tradition vs. Revolution is fairly obvious regarding music and other aspects of Romantic ideology. That's why it's last. So, I have 20 minutes of lecture tonight. My students will take up the other 120 minutes giving mini-lessons of their own based on their research papers.
I get to listen to their thoughts, make comments and run the audio equipment. Each presentation is 10-minutes. A powerpacked nugget that requires them to be concise and streamlined in their verbal skills. They have to give a one sentence definition of Romanticism as it applies to our class's exploration of it (not just the ol' standard of "it's a period in history between 1820-1900." I believe that strategy of teaching "history" is hogwash, if you're wondering). Then they state their thesis (which we've worked on creating), their musical topic, their reasoning for connecting these three elements (Rom, thesis, music), and an audio example that summarizes it all. So I get to be both critic and DJ tonight. Yes!
My presentation on Trad vs. Rev consists of two things: Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Opus 102 and The Who's performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again" from the Concert for New York City DVD from December 2001 (after the events on 9/11 of that year).
Here's my rationale for both: I've mentioned my affinity for Shostakovich. I can do no better describing how much I just friggin' dig his music other than, I do. From the get-go I always have. Plus, his life is fascinating from a historian's point of view (probably not so much from his). He had to constantly defend or shelter himself for the Communist regime under Stalin, to the point (many historians argue) that his "commitment" to Communism was an act that both saved his life and allowed him to circumvent the censors by writing "nationalistic" music that actually criticizes the regime itself. Gotta love that kind of subversion! Play by the rules to break them, I say. Anyhoo, this particular piece was written for and debuted by his son, Maxim in 1957 when the boy was 19 years old. It is an astounding piece (find it and take a listen) in its entirety but I will only play the first movement (there are three altogether). My thought here is that Pappa Shost passes the baton, so to say, to his son, and Maxim--who is still alive--which permits him to eventually live a life of artistic freedom that his father never knew and had to navigate and negotiate with his entire life. And you can HEAR it in the music. Well, at least I can. And I'm the professor, so...... (ha ha. just kidding). I have a kick-ass sound system in my room, and no other classes meet near mine tonight. Look out!
For The Who snippet, I have a DVD of the Concert for New York City which took place shortly after the events in Manhattan on 9/11. Most performances are ok, but The Who blows the lid off of Madison Square Garden. I have never seen men of this generation so poignantly defend the notion that music has power and tenacity like this brief performance. So, again, they pass the baton to the rest of us to be diligent against stagnation, laziness and conformity and to always strive for what we believe in. Good stuff. Let the wild rumpus begin, I say.
And then next week, the whole class session is the rest of the presentations (I have 26 enrolled). I've met with each of my students to discuss their research, and the topics range from Brahms to Bob Dylan, Chopin to Clapton, Liszt to Led Zeppelin. Makes my heart happy just to think of what these kids will come up with, and this has been a great class.
Next semester, I'm not teaching a section of "Romanticism and Music" (at least I still have a job---but we'll see what Gov. Paterson has in store for me....) and I will miss it. I will, however, sincerely enjoy the sprint to this finish line.
OK, back to the Diss. And I think I'll rearrange my office and go the gym...Two weeks left!
I've been entrenched in academia--with fits and spurts--for almost 20 years. Holy canoli, Batman. I've been teaching in it for seven, on and off as I've also had to complete course work for the ol' PhD. And, as a part-timer, I've also had to acquire side jobs and other means of income which I've written about here in M(MotT). This demands some kind of efficiency on my part--which also comes in fits and spurts--and the implementation of more than a few tricks of the trade, so to say.
An interesting thing I've noticed about myself is the wave of momentum that comes to me at the end of the semester. I've seen friends, peers and students bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived as they stagger through the last weeks of the fall semester while I, in turn, have the endless stamina of the Energizer Bunny. I don't know why. I see the finish line--in this case December 17--and sprint for it, completing assignments, sleeping well, checking tasks of the my list and checking it twice for gaps. My stuff gets done in these last few weeks better, faster, and with more gusto than I usually muster for other times in the semester. Kookie!
In my teaching duties, I pad the end of the semester in ways that allow me to do less of what I'm supposed to do and more of what I want to do. Several friends and classmates can attest to this--the "time to do what I want to do" thing. When I know I'm getting a break, I make it as long and personal as I can.
Sooooo, tonight I will present a mini-lesson on the last Romantic "duality" (a concept that I created to organize my Romanticism and Music class) we have to cover, "Tradition vs. Revolution." This is the eighth one. Previous weeks explored Crowd vs. Individual, Program music vs. Absolute, Man vs. Nature, Science vs. Irrational, Professional vs. Amateur, Nationalism vs. Internationalism, and Material vs. Ideological. By now, Tradition vs. Revolution is fairly obvious regarding music and other aspects of Romantic ideology. That's why it's last. So, I have 20 minutes of lecture tonight. My students will take up the other 120 minutes giving mini-lessons of their own based on their research papers.
I get to listen to their thoughts, make comments and run the audio equipment. Each presentation is 10-minutes. A powerpacked nugget that requires them to be concise and streamlined in their verbal skills. They have to give a one sentence definition of Romanticism as it applies to our class's exploration of it (not just the ol' standard of "it's a period in history between 1820-1900." I believe that strategy of teaching "history" is hogwash, if you're wondering). Then they state their thesis (which we've worked on creating), their musical topic, their reasoning for connecting these three elements (Rom, thesis, music), and an audio example that summarizes it all. So I get to be both critic and DJ tonight. Yes!
My presentation on Trad vs. Rev consists of two things: Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Opus 102 and The Who's performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again" from the Concert for New York City DVD from December 2001 (after the events on 9/11 of that year).
Here's my rationale for both: I've mentioned my affinity for Shostakovich. I can do no better describing how much I just friggin' dig his music other than, I do. From the get-go I always have. Plus, his life is fascinating from a historian's point of view (probably not so much from his). He had to constantly defend or shelter himself for the Communist regime under Stalin, to the point (many historians argue) that his "commitment" to Communism was an act that both saved his life and allowed him to circumvent the censors by writing "nationalistic" music that actually criticizes the regime itself. Gotta love that kind of subversion! Play by the rules to break them, I say. Anyhoo, this particular piece was written for and debuted by his son, Maxim in 1957 when the boy was 19 years old. It is an astounding piece (find it and take a listen) in its entirety but I will only play the first movement (there are three altogether). My thought here is that Pappa Shost passes the baton, so to say, to his son, and Maxim--who is still alive--which permits him to eventually live a life of artistic freedom that his father never knew and had to navigate and negotiate with his entire life. And you can HEAR it in the music. Well, at least I can. And I'm the professor, so...... (ha ha. just kidding). I have a kick-ass sound system in my room, and no other classes meet near mine tonight. Look out!
For The Who snippet, I have a DVD of the Concert for New York City which took place shortly after the events in Manhattan on 9/11. Most performances are ok, but The Who blows the lid off of Madison Square Garden. I have never seen men of this generation so poignantly defend the notion that music has power and tenacity like this brief performance. So, again, they pass the baton to the rest of us to be diligent against stagnation, laziness and conformity and to always strive for what we believe in. Good stuff. Let the wild rumpus begin, I say.
And then next week, the whole class session is the rest of the presentations (I have 26 enrolled). I've met with each of my students to discuss their research, and the topics range from Brahms to Bob Dylan, Chopin to Clapton, Liszt to Led Zeppelin. Makes my heart happy just to think of what these kids will come up with, and this has been a great class.
Next semester, I'm not teaching a section of "Romanticism and Music" (at least I still have a job---but we'll see what Gov. Paterson has in store for me....) and I will miss it. I will, however, sincerely enjoy the sprint to this finish line.
OK, back to the Diss. And I think I'll rearrange my office and go the gym...Two weeks left!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
safe and sound....sort of
So I'm now carrying around a "Researcher" card as a souvenir from the National Archives. Whoo-hoo. It has my picture on it and everything. I should probably stop carrying this thing around today but the whole trip and experience was so surreal that I guess my access card proves to me that it all really took place.
I had to go to the archives in College Park, MD for the things that I needed after confirming at the D.C. archive site that they were, indeed, in CP. A free shuttle scooted through the city to get there from downtown DC. I didn't know what to expect, so what I encountered, I'm guessing, will shape all other archival experiences, yes? Puh-retty interesting....
Lockers provided space for all of our stuff. Nothing could be brought into the research area. Paper and pencils were around, if needed, for notes. My computer could have come in, but I chose not to bring it so I could focus on scouring the archives, making photocopies of what I needed, and taking notes later. Which means the next two weeks of sorting, writing, sorting, etc.
The initial smaller "search room" had binders and binders along the walls that pinpointed what the archives actually contained. One folder had "Federal Music Project" on it. Score! So this one told me what file number I needed and gave a quick summary of its contents. Then another binder told me where these things were: Record Group number, shelf number, box number, etc. A "pull slip" served as my "order" form. I could take out enough boxes to fill one cart at a time, which turned about to be about 23 or 24 boxes per cart.
"24 boxes at a time!??!?!" you say? "How many can there be?" Yes, I hear ya. My thoughts exactly.
The order form goes in and is picked up only at specific times by the "runners." This is my term for the perky grad students, college locals, or budding researchers who work at the archives and keep that place running in accordance to all the friggin' rules.
The "pull times" are 10am, 11am, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30. This is the tricky part of the whole sha-bang. You are guaranteed to get your materials within one hour of picking them up. But, you can only have one cart at a time signed out. The book that summarized the contents was VERY GENERAL in its summary, and I quickly learned that an entire "file" (of 24 boxes) could be useless after a quick glance in a few files. So then I had nothing to do until another pull time. And so on.
Mon dieu!!!
I quickly learned to overlap my materials. One cart would come out but another pull slip was already in. Once pulled, those carts could sit in the back for up to 3 days, so I figured I'd gather a whole "Brady" area and at least be able to pick and choose what I needed rather than wait for it.
To put it MILDLY, this was an exhausting process. Two 9 hour days in College Park and my eyes were playing tricks on me, my dehydration level was dangerously low, and my multi-tasking nature had been shut down. Focus. Find any document that even MENTIONS Buffalo. Copy it. Return it to its place in the folder. Return folder to its place in the box (marked with a special Archives place marker. For real. I got yelled at for not having my place marker in a box that moved chronologically by YEAR. Sheesh!). Return box to cart. Grab new box. Repeat the last seven sentences. Again. And Again.
We stayed with my cousin the night we arrived in Baltimore and the night before we left to come back to The Buff. While unwinding on Weds and getting ready for the next big day, he asked me (like most good family members) what the hell I was working on (in a nutshell). I told him. He asked me if I'd be disappointed if I didnt' find something in particular (since I mentioned that no less than three professional archivists made it clear that they were not sure what I'd find "in there"). I said that there were a few "golden nugget" holes in my argument that COULD be cleared up IF the evidence is in a box somewhere and IF I could find such a box. Gulp.
And nuggets I found! This was the thing. I was exhausted but completely wrapped up in piecing this chapter together. It was like a soap opera unfolding with names and places and people coming along on all of this official letterhead. What has been written in Buffalo about the story I am trying to tell seems anecdotal or filled with conjecture. Some even contradicts each other.
Well, I've got the story, baby! It sits next to me on my desk, freshly sorted into color- coordinated folders (in chronological order according to the rainbow--red, yellow, green, blue, purple). Five years of federal documents explaining the painstaking process of implementing the New Deal in Buffalo's orchestral circle. Complete with turmoil, backstabbing, scandal, hand-wringing, pleas for more jobs, and heart-felt appreciation for the FMP.!!!!!! Whoo-hoo!!!! Holy f@ckin' moly.
I hope someone will care about this someday besides me (smile).
On the other side of things, we returned to home Monday to find one of our Beta fish doing weird things (he is Rojo, a feisty deep red one. Usually a tough little sucker) and floating around strangely in his little bowl. He didn't even respond when we held Psycho (short for psychedelic, a beautifully tie-dyed sort of Beta) up close. Hmmmmm....
One of our TVs shut itself off after 5 minutes. Won't turn back on.
My wireless router is "connected" but my computer isn't gettin' it. I've tried everything except a phone call to Verizon. I don't have that kind of time. Out came the DSL cord.
My microwave clock was set at "0:00." No other clocks were blinking or wrong.
My washing machine refuses to spin on its own. It simply stops at "spin." We have to go down in the basement and manually push the dial a bit more into the "spin" cycle for it to work.
But, I found the Nano.
I can only guess that my little house missed us and is pitching a fit. Now that we're back home and I have two weeks off from the greenhouse to write all this stuff into a chapter, maybe my home will become familiar, once again, with the sounds coming from my office......quick clicks from my computer keypad, the pouring of coffee, Groove Salad internet radio, me talking to myself, my slippers shuffling around the hardwood, etc. I cannot stop what I'm doing to call maintenance people and I have faith (oh, yes.....) that the kinks associated with Extreme Research (a new cable show, perhaps?!?!?! Hours and hours of bleary-eyed, frantic members of the Nerd Kingdom searching for that golden nugget!?!?!) will work themselves out as my chapter comes together.
Come on, lil' house. Let's get ourselves back in order. Deep breath.......exhale. Let's go.
I had to go to the archives in College Park, MD for the things that I needed after confirming at the D.C. archive site that they were, indeed, in CP. A free shuttle scooted through the city to get there from downtown DC. I didn't know what to expect, so what I encountered, I'm guessing, will shape all other archival experiences, yes? Puh-retty interesting....
Lockers provided space for all of our stuff. Nothing could be brought into the research area. Paper and pencils were around, if needed, for notes. My computer could have come in, but I chose not to bring it so I could focus on scouring the archives, making photocopies of what I needed, and taking notes later. Which means the next two weeks of sorting, writing, sorting, etc.
The initial smaller "search room" had binders and binders along the walls that pinpointed what the archives actually contained. One folder had "Federal Music Project" on it. Score! So this one told me what file number I needed and gave a quick summary of its contents. Then another binder told me where these things were: Record Group number, shelf number, box number, etc. A "pull slip" served as my "order" form. I could take out enough boxes to fill one cart at a time, which turned about to be about 23 or 24 boxes per cart.
"24 boxes at a time!??!?!" you say? "How many can there be?" Yes, I hear ya. My thoughts exactly.
The order form goes in and is picked up only at specific times by the "runners." This is my term for the perky grad students, college locals, or budding researchers who work at the archives and keep that place running in accordance to all the friggin' rules.
The "pull times" are 10am, 11am, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30. This is the tricky part of the whole sha-bang. You are guaranteed to get your materials within one hour of picking them up. But, you can only have one cart at a time signed out. The book that summarized the contents was VERY GENERAL in its summary, and I quickly learned that an entire "file" (of 24 boxes) could be useless after a quick glance in a few files. So then I had nothing to do until another pull time. And so on.
Mon dieu!!!
I quickly learned to overlap my materials. One cart would come out but another pull slip was already in. Once pulled, those carts could sit in the back for up to 3 days, so I figured I'd gather a whole "Brady" area and at least be able to pick and choose what I needed rather than wait for it.
To put it MILDLY, this was an exhausting process. Two 9 hour days in College Park and my eyes were playing tricks on me, my dehydration level was dangerously low, and my multi-tasking nature had been shut down. Focus. Find any document that even MENTIONS Buffalo. Copy it. Return it to its place in the folder. Return folder to its place in the box (marked with a special Archives place marker. For real. I got yelled at for not having my place marker in a box that moved chronologically by YEAR. Sheesh!). Return box to cart. Grab new box. Repeat the last seven sentences. Again. And Again.
We stayed with my cousin the night we arrived in Baltimore and the night before we left to come back to The Buff. While unwinding on Weds and getting ready for the next big day, he asked me (like most good family members) what the hell I was working on (in a nutshell). I told him. He asked me if I'd be disappointed if I didnt' find something in particular (since I mentioned that no less than three professional archivists made it clear that they were not sure what I'd find "in there"). I said that there were a few "golden nugget" holes in my argument that COULD be cleared up IF the evidence is in a box somewhere and IF I could find such a box. Gulp.
And nuggets I found! This was the thing. I was exhausted but completely wrapped up in piecing this chapter together. It was like a soap opera unfolding with names and places and people coming along on all of this official letterhead. What has been written in Buffalo about the story I am trying to tell seems anecdotal or filled with conjecture. Some even contradicts each other.
Well, I've got the story, baby! It sits next to me on my desk, freshly sorted into color- coordinated folders (in chronological order according to the rainbow--red, yellow, green, blue, purple). Five years of federal documents explaining the painstaking process of implementing the New Deal in Buffalo's orchestral circle. Complete with turmoil, backstabbing, scandal, hand-wringing, pleas for more jobs, and heart-felt appreciation for the FMP.!!!!!! Whoo-hoo!!!! Holy f@ckin' moly.
I hope someone will care about this someday besides me (smile).
On the other side of things, we returned to home Monday to find one of our Beta fish doing weird things (he is Rojo, a feisty deep red one. Usually a tough little sucker) and floating around strangely in his little bowl. He didn't even respond when we held Psycho (short for psychedelic, a beautifully tie-dyed sort of Beta) up close. Hmmmmm....
One of our TVs shut itself off after 5 minutes. Won't turn back on.
My wireless router is "connected" but my computer isn't gettin' it. I've tried everything except a phone call to Verizon. I don't have that kind of time. Out came the DSL cord.
My microwave clock was set at "0:00." No other clocks were blinking or wrong.
My washing machine refuses to spin on its own. It simply stops at "spin." We have to go down in the basement and manually push the dial a bit more into the "spin" cycle for it to work.
But, I found the Nano.
I can only guess that my little house missed us and is pitching a fit. Now that we're back home and I have two weeks off from the greenhouse to write all this stuff into a chapter, maybe my home will become familiar, once again, with the sounds coming from my office......quick clicks from my computer keypad, the pouring of coffee, Groove Salad internet radio, me talking to myself, my slippers shuffling around the hardwood, etc. I cannot stop what I'm doing to call maintenance people and I have faith (oh, yes.....) that the kinks associated with Extreme Research (a new cable show, perhaps?!?!?! Hours and hours of bleary-eyed, frantic members of the Nerd Kingdom searching for that golden nugget!?!?!) will work themselves out as my chapter comes together.
Come on, lil' house. Let's get ourselves back in order. Deep breath.......exhale. Let's go.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Faith and Clocks restored, me thinks....
Regarding yesterday's post, I fell asleep easily after watching Obama's speech from Chicago. I slept like a log. I woke up feeling fresh and clear. Perhaps my internal clock is adjusting. Finally.
I'm packing for D.C. right now and much less nervous about the trip and the research. Friends and family have wished me luck and have reassured my nervousness with lots of, "You'll be fine!"s and "What a cool thing to do!"s (meaning going into the National Archives. And yes, it is cool. For real). So, I'm returning to my usual energized self.
I got all of my midterms graded, classes taught, and clothing washed. Everything in order.
Now, I am a disorderly organized person. I used to be a huge slob (former roommates can surely attest). As I have learned to keep things in certain places and whatnot, I have also noticed that I tend to "lose" things as I multi-task. I put things in their place and forget where that place is. *Sigh.* Back on 7/23, I bemoaned my missing Nano, only to slowly remember where I placed it. I also described what I felt was my shaky faith that someone had lifted my iPod and iShuffle from my house during some remodeling. That notion had always made me uncomfortable.
Well......
I am riddled with faults, and I should have kept that faith in the world all this time (I really did give up hope on the iPod and iShuffle....) and the past few days have confirmed my notion that the world is, indeed, filled with more good than bad.
Yesterday while DESPERATELY searching through Diss notes, crouched on the floor of my office opening folders and skimming my own terrible handwriting, my pen rolled under my office desk. I reached under there only to grab MY IPOD AND ISHUFFLE!!!!! How the hell they were there? I simply do not know. NOTHING in my memory tracks my movements in any way toward putting them there. I can only assume that they had been lying on the floor and simply pushed out of the way and under my desk by other "organized" crap needing the room.
So, I never found the reference I need for my D.C. trip, but I have faith that either I'll remember it on my own as I wind my way through lovely southern NY and PA into D.C. 0r, I'll be able to obtain the book itself (where the info is) at the ol' Library of Congress itself. And, although my iPod and iShuffle were hidden from view, I should have known that they were still around.
I'm wondering about the climate in D.C. over the next few days due to the election. I expect tourism to be down (yes!) because most had to be home to vote yesterday. I also expect a certain faction of political people in D.C. to be hittin' the sauce pretty heavily at happy hour (ha ha). I expect I'll be able to judge from the looks on their faces who voted for whom.
But as Obama said last night, we all need to keep hope and faith part of our everyday outlook, and that the outlook must also extend to the future. I hope the McCain supporters can stop for a moment and become supporters of all of us. I have faith that they will.
I also have faith that when I get back from D.C., I'll be able to find the Nano......cuz it's hiding now, too. (Sheesh!!) Maybe it figures it's time for a change as well.......
I'm packing for D.C. right now and much less nervous about the trip and the research. Friends and family have wished me luck and have reassured my nervousness with lots of, "You'll be fine!"s and "What a cool thing to do!"s (meaning going into the National Archives. And yes, it is cool. For real). So, I'm returning to my usual energized self.
I got all of my midterms graded, classes taught, and clothing washed. Everything in order.
Now, I am a disorderly organized person. I used to be a huge slob (former roommates can surely attest). As I have learned to keep things in certain places and whatnot, I have also noticed that I tend to "lose" things as I multi-task. I put things in their place and forget where that place is. *Sigh.* Back on 7/23, I bemoaned my missing Nano, only to slowly remember where I placed it. I also described what I felt was my shaky faith that someone had lifted my iPod and iShuffle from my house during some remodeling. That notion had always made me uncomfortable.
Well......
I am riddled with faults, and I should have kept that faith in the world all this time (I really did give up hope on the iPod and iShuffle....) and the past few days have confirmed my notion that the world is, indeed, filled with more good than bad.
Yesterday while DESPERATELY searching through Diss notes, crouched on the floor of my office opening folders and skimming my own terrible handwriting, my pen rolled under my office desk. I reached under there only to grab MY IPOD AND ISHUFFLE!!!!! How the hell they were there? I simply do not know. NOTHING in my memory tracks my movements in any way toward putting them there. I can only assume that they had been lying on the floor and simply pushed out of the way and under my desk by other "organized" crap needing the room.
So, I never found the reference I need for my D.C. trip, but I have faith that either I'll remember it on my own as I wind my way through lovely southern NY and PA into D.C. 0r, I'll be able to obtain the book itself (where the info is) at the ol' Library of Congress itself. And, although my iPod and iShuffle were hidden from view, I should have known that they were still around.
I'm wondering about the climate in D.C. over the next few days due to the election. I expect tourism to be down (yes!) because most had to be home to vote yesterday. I also expect a certain faction of political people in D.C. to be hittin' the sauce pretty heavily at happy hour (ha ha). I expect I'll be able to judge from the looks on their faces who voted for whom.
But as Obama said last night, we all need to keep hope and faith part of our everyday outlook, and that the outlook must also extend to the future. I hope the McCain supporters can stop for a moment and become supporters of all of us. I have faith that they will.
I also have faith that when I get back from D.C., I'll be able to find the Nano......cuz it's hiding now, too. (Sheesh!!) Maybe it figures it's time for a change as well.......
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
daylight "wasting time"
I took a nap on Saturday!!!!! For real! In the afternoon. For two hours. This is a beloved behavior off mine that I have missed dearly. I felt so refreshed and calm and mellow after that 40-winks. Ahhhhhh.
Then the clocks changed.
I have never really been a procrastinator. What needs to get done becomes part of a prioritized list in my lil' noggin (or in my Steno pad) that my days respond to and accomplish. I'd rather just do it and get it over with than let it hang and become a problem (i.e. stress).
I have noticed, however, that as I've gotten older and am working from home and have all of these jobs, that my Task Master sometimes goes on strike, if you will. Instead of getting things done, my TM will find deliciously nonsensical things to do instead. It's making me crazy. I'm making me crazy. I leave for D.C. to do archive research TOMORROW, today is the election, my son is home from school, I have nineteen different appointments and I have mid-terms to grade (that have been staring at me in my office for two weeks now. TWO WEEKS!?!?! Holy hell!).
And, I am exhausted. To the core. I start fading at like, 8:30pm (which until just a few days ago, was 9:30pm) because it's dark at friggin' 5:30. My evenings seem to crawl by, and as I try to go to bed early because I'm tired, I get a second wind. So I'm up til midnight watching my free HBO and Cinemax (part of a new cable package---only free for a few more bittersweet weeks) and accomplishing nothing except becoming addicted to strange vampire shows ("True Blood" on HBO) and watching "The Shawshank Redemption" for the 1287th time (without commercials, though!). And, I'm waking up at 6:15am as the sun comes up, even though my room is as dark as a cave and could get 90 more minutes of sleep.....Grrrrrrrr.......
Mon dieu!
There is absolutely no way that I will get my list done today. To prove that point, I have an hour before I have to leave the house, and instead of knocking off a few mid-terms, I AM BLOGGING.
I will need the Nano in the car today for sure. I'm anxious and jittery. Here are the top five reasons why (in my own rationalizing state of sleep deprivation/appreciation):
1. Today is the election. I live in Buffalo. If I hear one more fucking racist remark that only proves how ignorant the speaker is I'm going to fucking scream. For real. That shit bothers me. For real. It doesn't roll off. I can't shake feeling anxious for the future--not because of the President but because of the intolerance I often see around me (remove the "P" from President and I think I've located the REAL problem in America.....). It stops me in my tracks, and clogs up the gears on this spinning wheel. I can't even explain it I'm so bungled up (maybe a post for another day). Go Obama.
2. I have never researched in an archive before, and certainly not one out of town, paid for by a grant, in the nation's capital THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION. Jesus. How am I going to sleep tonight?
3. My students---I have been frazzled and distracted lately and they can see it. I know I'm only part-time, but I like that job and want to do it well. And I don't think I've been up to par lately.
4. My family and friends. I haven't been keeping up with them either. When I have time to call or chat, I don't (some form of procrastinating, I think?!?!). Sorry guys. This, too, shall pass?
5. Oh, I don't know.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some clarity as I will run myself ragged today, have absolutely no down time and drop like a sack of potatoes into my bed later (and sleep well).
In the past when I get overwhelmed, I turn to music to even myself out. I will do so today, but I can't even predict what how my fingers will guide my little Nano's song wheel today. It could be "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot or "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit. No way to tell.
I am not naive enough to think that when I wake up tomorrow I will feel differently. This shit going on in mi vida loca takes time to work itself out. But, maybe I can feel just a LITTLE differently somehow. Just a teeny tiny bit. For real.
Ok. I think I'll start with Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and go from there........
Then the clocks changed.
I have never really been a procrastinator. What needs to get done becomes part of a prioritized list in my lil' noggin (or in my Steno pad) that my days respond to and accomplish. I'd rather just do it and get it over with than let it hang and become a problem (i.e. stress).
I have noticed, however, that as I've gotten older and am working from home and have all of these jobs, that my Task Master sometimes goes on strike, if you will. Instead of getting things done, my TM will find deliciously nonsensical things to do instead. It's making me crazy. I'm making me crazy. I leave for D.C. to do archive research TOMORROW, today is the election, my son is home from school, I have nineteen different appointments and I have mid-terms to grade (that have been staring at me in my office for two weeks now. TWO WEEKS!?!?! Holy hell!).
And, I am exhausted. To the core. I start fading at like, 8:30pm (which until just a few days ago, was 9:30pm) because it's dark at friggin' 5:30. My evenings seem to crawl by, and as I try to go to bed early because I'm tired, I get a second wind. So I'm up til midnight watching my free HBO and Cinemax (part of a new cable package---only free for a few more bittersweet weeks) and accomplishing nothing except becoming addicted to strange vampire shows ("True Blood" on HBO) and watching "The Shawshank Redemption" for the 1287th time (without commercials, though!). And, I'm waking up at 6:15am as the sun comes up, even though my room is as dark as a cave and could get 90 more minutes of sleep.....Grrrrrrrr.......
Mon dieu!
There is absolutely no way that I will get my list done today. To prove that point, I have an hour before I have to leave the house, and instead of knocking off a few mid-terms, I AM BLOGGING.
I will need the Nano in the car today for sure. I'm anxious and jittery. Here are the top five reasons why (in my own rationalizing state of sleep deprivation/appreciation):
1. Today is the election. I live in Buffalo. If I hear one more fucking racist remark that only proves how ignorant the speaker is I'm going to fucking scream. For real. That shit bothers me. For real. It doesn't roll off. I can't shake feeling anxious for the future--not because of the President but because of the intolerance I often see around me (remove the "P" from President and I think I've located the REAL problem in America.....). It stops me in my tracks, and clogs up the gears on this spinning wheel. I can't even explain it I'm so bungled up (maybe a post for another day). Go Obama.
2. I have never researched in an archive before, and certainly not one out of town, paid for by a grant, in the nation's capital THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION. Jesus. How am I going to sleep tonight?
3. My students---I have been frazzled and distracted lately and they can see it. I know I'm only part-time, but I like that job and want to do it well. And I don't think I've been up to par lately.
4. My family and friends. I haven't been keeping up with them either. When I have time to call or chat, I don't (some form of procrastinating, I think?!?!). Sorry guys. This, too, shall pass?
5. Oh, I don't know.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some clarity as I will run myself ragged today, have absolutely no down time and drop like a sack of potatoes into my bed later (and sleep well).
In the past when I get overwhelmed, I turn to music to even myself out. I will do so today, but I can't even predict what how my fingers will guide my little Nano's song wheel today. It could be "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot or "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit. No way to tell.
I am not naive enough to think that when I wake up tomorrow I will feel differently. This shit going on in mi vida loca takes time to work itself out. But, maybe I can feel just a LITTLE differently somehow. Just a teeny tiny bit. For real.
Ok. I think I'll start with Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" and go from there........
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)