Monday, July 04, 2005

Tagged by Tiruncula

Tagged by Tiruncula


(and no, I haven't written today. But I graded and will be reading when I get home. Memes are a moral imperative in the Real Genius sense)


What were three of the stupidest things you've done in your life?

Like Tiruncula, I’ll take this as three categories of stupidity, because, well, if you know me, you know how true they are:

  1. Partners. Not recognizing the ones that I should have appreciated more and who never got the chance, and regularly ending up with the ones who were jealous of/threatened by me. I think that may be changing, but it took ten years ...

  2. Thinking of scholarly activity as a kind of luxury that gets put after "People's Needs," i.e., never learning how to see my work as a whole and treat it that way

  3. Never learning tact or discretion to the extent that I'd like


OK -- I know those aren't great, but I can't think of any really stupid things I've done that don't relate to them, except for the one Truly Stupid Thing I am most ashamed of -- I once went to a wake -- a close family friend who was for a while my flatmate) and got pissed out of my brain and drove the 10 or so blocks home.

At the current moment, who has the most influence in your life?

I would say that it's me in my personal decisions -- getting divorced was all me. Professionally (and that's a different kind of personal, really), it's several colleagues, including some of you who have given so much encouragement that I feel I have to live up to it, and of course, DV. And SC who's been there for every horrible part of the divorce and job search, despite not having known me for long.

If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to only pick up to five people to dine with, who would you pick?

OK -- I'm picking people who haven't been picked yet, but NK and Tiruncula had ideas I'd definitely steal.

  • Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus, because, well, he's so damned cool
  • Theodora
  • John Lennon
  • Jane Austen
  • Horatio Nelson (or maybe Wellesley)


If it were people still alive, Michael Parkinson, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Sheri Tepper, and Billy Connolly (and Eddie Izzard, maybe)

If you had three wishes not supernatural, what would they be?


  1. A tenure-track job at a liberal arts college with a 3-3 or 3-4 load and reasonable expectations of scholarly activity -- or a lecturer position in the British Isles, because I am only 32% American, apparently.

  2. A tax system in the US that is not regressive and that taxes people enough to pay for health care, public transport, etc. I have seen this work ...

  3. the chance for a visit with a close but distant friend before next year's K'zoo -- two visits would be better.


Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live at the moment. Name two things you regret your city not having, and two things people should avoid.

I wish we had:

  • better public transport outside the city center (where you can't complain, 'cos it's free)

  • an Irish/English/Scottish-type pub that had decent beer


People should avoid:

  • a couple of neighborhoods, but they're off the beaten track

  • the mole at any local Mexican restaurant, which is more likely to taste like satay sauce than anything having to do with chocolate, chilis, or spices


Name one event that has changed your life

When AXADH told me that, if I got a job, I could not count on him coming with me, so I had better consider carefully before applying. I did.


Tag five people.

(apologies for those who hate to be tagged)

Prof. Bitch, meg, Scribblingwoman, 1B*, and (so she has something to do when she gets back ...) Evieballerina. There are a couple of others I'd LOVE to see, but I think they would not appreciate my tagging them ...

9 comments:

BrightStar (B*) said...

Here's mine. :)

Tiruncula said...

Ooh, Real Genius! Smart people on ice! Love it love it love it. In fact, I loved that movie so much I was suckered by it into seeing half a dozen lousy Val Kilmer movies after that. Well, Willow wasn't as bad as the rest. But what was I saying about flat learning curves?

timna said...

and you applied anyway. isn't that an amazing moment?

for us it was not divisive though, but my daughter was shocked when mr. t. said that I would be taking a job 250 miles away if I was offered it (just after the campus interview). he knew before I did. and that I'd be commuting. and it would have been ok.

Another Damned Medievalist said...

t, I'm so happy that that happened for you. And I'm glad I applied anyway, although I wish now I'd applied for another few jobs where I could have lived, but knew he never would consider. But sometimes I do think, "wow."

timna said...

of course, I didn't get the job! but that moment of clarity was amazing and that we were on the same wave length really felt great.

you can apply even more freely next year, no?

Another Damned Medievalist said...

And will be, if I don't get the one TT job that's still out there! (Actually, there are two, but I haven't heard anything other than that the one in the middle colonies is reviewing applications). I just wish that they'd get on with it -- I can't believe how long it takes people who are hiring for August to move! I'm almost hoping to just get the one-year here, so I can not worry about moving, etc.


And for the record, I am actually sad about AXADH and me. It's just that it seems to be a really good decision.

meg said...

I don't really do the meme thing on my blog, but since you tagged me, I'll answer here....

Stupidest thing(s)
Well, one of them would have to be getting drunk and punching a wall, thereby breaking a bone in my hand into a zillion pieces.

Historical dinner party
St. Jerome
Catullus
Mrs. Gaskell
Rev. Sydney Smith
Jessica Mitford

Three wishes
Tenure.
House (owned) in Sprinklerville.
a solution to the aging-parent problem.

My town and welcome to it
Doesn't have a good cafe to work in, doesn't have anywhere to escape academics. Avoid the only Indian restaurant, and avoid talking academic politics without doing the Sprinklerville Head Swivel first.

Life-changing event
Deciding not to go to college after high school and waiting till my 30s. Despite predictions, it did not ruin my life.

Another Damned Medievalist said...

The last one is so cool! I did not know that about you!

Miriam Jones said...

I don't usually do the more personal memes on my site, just the book memes, so I'll do this one here. And, sorry for the delay!

What were three of the stupidest things you've done in your life?

Just three? Geez. They would all involve speaking before thinking.

At the current moment, who has the most influence in your life?

Not me. I feel less control now than I think I ever have, since childhood. My aged and ailing parents have just moved in, and I sometimes -- not always -- feel like a lid has slammed shut.

If you were given a time machine that functioned, and you were allowed to only pick up to five people to dine with, who would you pick?

Aphra Behn
Nell Gwynn
Eliza Haywood
Samuel Johnson
Emma Goldman

If you had three wishes not supernatural, what would they be?

Other than universal peace and an end to hunger? And health and happiness for all who are dear to me?

1. A sudden recognition of the fundamental importance of the arts at my institution, and elsewhere across the academy.

2. Two people close to me to loose their chronic health conditions.

3. The U.S.A. to become more like the Netherlands.

Someone is visiting your hometown/place where you live at the moment. Name two things you regret your city not having, and two things people should avoid.

I wish we had:

* a repertory cinema

* an NDP mayor and city council

People should avoid:

* some of the more touristy restaurants

* drinking the tap water

Name one event that has changed your life.

Getting knocked up.