I thought I had my summer finances under control with research stipend, but then I got upgraded to a semester fellowship (which is awesome, because I will have so much to do finishing up next year, a semester off teaching is great).

This however, leaves me high and dry for the summer months. Anyone know of any kind of part-time work I might snag for June-Sept? Any leads appreciated.

I have a lot of office experience (have done administrative assistant, receptions, office manager work, both as a temp and in permanent positions) but am willing to consider all kinds of work!

The essay which I have bitched about here many times was finally accepted by the journal! I have my first academic article slated to appear in a peer reviewed journal. Giant flaming hoop successfully jumped!

In the New York Times today:

One headline:
Detroit Bailout Is Set to Bring on More U.S. Oversight
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JACKIE CALMES

Congressional Democrats were drafting legislation for government control of the auto industry, including the possible creation of an oversight board.

A headline RIGHT NEXT TO IT:

In Hard Times, Russia Moves In to Reclaim Private Industries
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY

The Kremlin seems to be exploiting the economic crisis to establish more control over weakened industries.


Um. If I were teaching rhetoric now I could point out just how differently the same action can be described in under 20 words.

As I believe I have posted before, all good things come to an end. I had a really good deal on my living situation, and my landlady finally asked me to move out so she can renovate and double the rent on this place. I have until Dec. 31st.

So if anyone hears of a 1 or 2 bedroom with yard access (dog friendly) that isn't too far out (commute to UT) and in a nieghborhood I would feel safe walking my dog alone twice a day let me know.

They have made a home in my laundry room (and the walls of the house I am sure). I just dragged most of the stuff out of my storage area in the laundry room and it was covered in rodent poo and empty pecan shells. Ew!!!

I think I have been purposefully not looking too closely at those shelves, until one of the furry creatures themselves ran past me in there today! Gross.

visited 35 states (70%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

You know you know the words. Come sing-a-long on Thursday 9:15pm at the Alamo Ritz!

I had the joy of having one of my most favorite persons in the world staying with me for two weeks. Life was a bitch for other reasons during that time, and I can't imagine how much harder it would have been without the loveliness that is Jodi right here hugging me. Things feel back on track lately, (although the work is still going slowly!) but now I have the post-Jodi lull. I feel so blessed to have such amazing women in my life. Yay!

Everything is better with Jodi.

I am thinking I want to go to this. I find the Beats compelling and annoying, and in general interesting. I think I have seen some of these, but it was YEARS ago, and well, I am willing to give it another go. Anyone want to join me?

_______

In conjunction with the exhibition On the Road with the Beats, the Harry Ransom Center presents the Beat Film Series, opening this week on Wednesday, April 2, and continuing Wednesdays through April 23. All screenings take place at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz at 7 p.m.

The Beats did not limit themselves to one exclusive medium, foraying into visual arts, music, performance art, and film. This film series will immerse audiences in the avant-garde film scene of the mid-1950s to 1960s. It includes films by Beats, about Beats, and films that reflect or were inspired by the aesthetic innovations of the Beats.

Learn more about the series and see the schedule for future screenings.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 7 P.M.

Frank Paine’s Motion Picture (1956), 4 min., 16 mm. This film documents a culture in perpetual movement, shot from the windows of an automobile traveling from the Midwest to New York City. Print courtesy of the Film-makers Cooperative of New York.

Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie’s Pull My Daisy (1959), 28 min., 35 mm. Written and narrated by Jack Kerouac and starring Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Peter Orlovsky, Delphine Seyrig, and other Beats, this film examines a day in the life of a Beat couple and their incorrigible friends. Frank was an influential photographer, and Leslie was an abstract expressionist painter. Print courtesy of Alfred Leslie and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Ed Bland’s Cry of Jazz (1958), 35 min. Digital. An intense meditation on jazz and race in the late fifties. Thanks to Atavistic and Osmund Music.

Shirley Clarke’s Bridges-Go-Round (1958), 4 min., 16 mm. Stunning colorization and editing characterize this footage of bridges, notably the Brooklyn Bridge, set to jazz. Print courtesy of Canyon Cinema.

Stan Brakhage’s Anticipation of the Night (1958), 40 min., 16 mm. An attempt to deconstruct the act and experience of seeing, this film captures a man’s day through metaphor, editing, and vivid camerawork. Print courtesy of Canyon Cinema.

Tickets are required and can be purchased at the Alamo Drafthouse website. Discounts are available for students, members of the Ransom Center, and the Austin Film Society.">Tickets for each night are $8.25, or a series pass is available for $25.

On the Road with the Beats traces the travels of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and their friends across America and the globe. The exhibition runs through August 3.

This event is co-sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz, the Austin Film Society, The University of Texas at Austin's College of Communication, and the Department of Radio-Television-Film.

Bassnectar at Antones on Saturday. I can't wait. I have had such a great time at every show of his I have made it to in the past few years. I need me some of that dancing crack for sure.

sometimes i am a lucky person. by sheer luck of timing and old friends i am now in possession of a platinum badge for sxsw. bring it on.

I canceled class on Friday, which means my Spring Break has begun! Woo! I am celebrating by working on my essay all day. Take that bikini-clad drunken co-eds.

When I got home from the coffee shop tonight (yes working on a Friday night) there was a MANHUNT going on on my block. Cops everywhere. Helicopter with spotlight. Policeman with dogs searching backyards. It is kindof freaky. The helicopter went away, which would make me feel better if a few cops with a german shepard weren't still searching my back yard.

My doors are locked and my dog is with me. But man. It's a weird feeling.

Edit: No one climbed into my house when I was sleeping. Well, expect for in my dreams, which really scared the crap out of me.

I lost my shit this weekend. Hormones of course played a large part, but I just feel like I am failing to find a workable balance between the demands of my work and the time I would like to spend with people I love. I had so much room for people when I was slacking on my work that I built a life that I can't sustain now. But every time I have to say no to seeing someone I feel awful. And when I do say yes, but then can't get my mind into a party mode... its even worse.

I know I will readjust, and people will forgive me for not being as present to them as I might have been. But it sucks.

Can I have more hours in the day please?

Maybe if I didn't need so much damn sleep. But if I get less than 8 hours I don't function well. And I would just meltdown more often.

I don't know how my colleagues with children do it. I bet they sleep a lot less than I do.

While I may not be making great strides in the revisions I need to be doing, I have still be cooking a lot more frequently. It takes time away from my studies, but I think it is important.

Saturday's veggie box came with a crazy amount of broccoli, so I attempted my first broccoli soup. I was trying to make it without cream (since I don't do so well with the dairy), but the consistency was way off. So later I added some sweet potato and just bit of sour cream. I also reblended it, and got some of the last chunks out. It was still a little on the bland side, but the texture was MUCH better.

The best thing from this box that I made (with much help from Leo) was a Sweet Potato, Apple, and Braised Greens dish. It was heavy on the butter, so perhaps not the lightest of meals. But damn it was tasty.

And I just made a cabbage and parsley salad that is pretty tasty. I like cabbage it seems. Who knew?

I have been a busy bee lately, and for the most part been very productive. But I have still not been making much progress on my own work. I have to revise this essay and resubmit it to a journal. I set aside time this morning for that work. But ANXIETY takes over when I think about it. I can't retain anything I read. I can't even focus on the words.

Deep. long. breathe.

I have really bad eating habits. My mother did a great job raising us, but she is no cook. And my father would refuse to eat anything that was not your typical bland meat and potatoes dish, so even when my mother would try to introduce some variety into our diet it was not met with success. My relationship with vegetables began with a rocky intro into microwaved frozen green things with no flavor or love.

When I was on my own I chose to eat out for the most part. Relying on a steady diet of sandwiches and Asian dinners, and so while vegetables would appear on my plate, I had no direct relationship with them.

Saturday I got my veggie box from www.johnsonsbackyardgarden.com and I am in love. I have cooked so much in the past few days and eaten so well. I made Khale and Tofu in Peanut sauce; Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad; Purple Cabbage and Sweet Potato Soup; and a roasted Kohlrabi, carrots, potatoes and onions with some olive oil and rosemary.

I know I won't always tackle each box (that I will get every other week to make sure i don't get overwhelmed with veggies) with such enthusiasm, but I feel like this is a great start to a better relationship with vegetables.

I am afraid of mechanics. I hate the feeling of being "had." My "check engine" light went on the other day and the details of the saga are boring, but yesterday morning I was faced with "well, I don't know what you were told on Saturday, but that price was just the diagnostic and won't go towards repair (which is not what I was told on Saturday)" AND that the part the the guy had written down didn't exist (he called it something different than the dealer so they couldn't order the part without going under the car again).

I felt "had", lied to and just generally annoyed. And after fuming all day and being told I would have to wait another day for the same guy to come into work so he could point out the right part I demanded a refund for my diagnostic fee. Poor guy at the counter that day. It wasn't his fault. But neither was it my fault and $80 is a lot of money for NOTHING, since they still couldn't tell me what part I needed unless I let them work on it more (and paid them more money). I got my refund! Power to the people.

I have other mechanic recommendations now and will deal with it after the holidays.

I took a random vacation to SF and it is coming to a close. I have only been here since Saturday and now I have to pack up today and return home. I am ready to be home in my own bed, but it was great to be back here. When I left five years ago I assumed I would move back at the first possible chance. I am not so sure anymore. It's the best city I have ever spent time in, but Austin has mellowed my need for the intense urban life. And the money. I bleed money when I visit.

But man do I love these people. I miss my friends out here so much and the few days a year I come back and try to keep those connections open isn't enough. My solution: they should all move to Austin! But all you Texans tired of the CA migration don't worry, they still look at me like I am crazy.