RBOC -- where have I been?

RBOC-- where the hell have I been? edition

• There should be a Carnivalesque coming up at A corner of Tenth Century Europe Real Soon Now next month -- please help with submissions!
  
  
• I have spent the last week at a Think Tank (TM)-run institute, aka Smart People's Citizenship Camp. It was a mixed bag. Some really cool people and great conversations, a beautiful location (marred by the ridonkulous heat wave, which meant that I could not actually enjoy the beautiful location), and some weirder-than-hell dynamics that left many of us feeling uncomfortable, but not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.
  
  
• Supposedly, I close on my house tomorrow. This would be easier if they had told me the closing costs, but presumably I'll find out in time to run down to the bank and get a cashier's check before closing. Holy crap. I'm buying a house!
  
  
• The cats have not yet convinced themselves that I am not leaving them alone for a while.
  
  
• I have a LOT of admin work and teaching prep to do before I'm due back on campus (not counting today's lunch meeting), and did I mention I'm moving into a new house in a week or so? Depending on when I can get re-wiring done. And appliance, sofa, and curtain shopping. Which comes first?
  
  
• I will at some point possibly blog about Leeds, because it was awesome. I can honestly say that Kalamazoo is fun, but Leeds really regenerates me. I think part may be the timing, but also, there are people there who know my field and who make me feel both able and obliged to up my game, and I like that. Anyway, if you're lucky, I'll remember to tell you the story of how I didn't get mobbed by penguins.
  
  

meet-ups

meet-ups

if you are at Leeds, some of us will be in the Stables from right after the last session till whenever. For me, whenever is at about 7:15.

Leeds, Day 1

Leeds, Day 1

Extremely cool colleague across the hall. Dinner with a friend in Classics. Geezer-fu still working. Meet-up with other people from Grad U and TenthMedieval and friend. Too much beer. Yep, I'm at Leeds. Seriously, the one thing I dislike about Leeds is that the bars are rather further from each other than is convenient. Actual posting on scholarly stuff tomorrow.

Workation, all I ever wanted...

Workation, all I ever wanted...

So this is still not that post about my first year of quasi-tenure. Instead, it's about what I'm doing Right Now. Sort of. Because, I am currently in my favorite big European city -- favorite because many people I love live here, and so is the BL, which is one of my favorite places to work, because I am always able to be somewhat productive there. The weather has been very warm. Very warm. And I've had to use my inhaler every day. But I'm still having a blast. Watching the World Cup with my family and friends, going to the zoo and to pubs, and meeting up with a lot of people. Meanwhile, I've spent a lot of time reading up on diplomatics and charters -- ugh. But useful. And getting ready to go to Leeds. So basically, I've worked every week day, played every night, and have had a very lovely time. I'll be telling you more later. Because I had something to talk about, but I forgot about it, because my family is watching Desperate Housewives, which I've never seen, but it seems a lot of fun.

Really?

Really?

Dear person offering to do my research for me,

Are you effing serious?

Also, eff right off.

Also, yeah, because what I do is sooooo easy. Clearly if I am having difficulties wrapping my head around diplomatics in German, you'll be able to just go on the internet with your super-cool internet research platform and your not-yet-complete undergraduate degree and do it for me.

Did I mention...

Please eff off. Now.

ETA for Cranky Professor



Dear The Author of Blogenspiel,

I am following up on an email I sent you last Monday.

My name is [redacted], and I am an undergraduate student studying English, Philosophy and Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto. I am writing to offer you on-demand research support: a high quality intellectual service exactly when you need it.

The mechanics to facilitate this are easy since I am on the [redacted] research platform. [redacted] is based in Canada and was originally developed by professors for professors as a way to connect top students with faculty to assist them with their research. The platform is now open to serve the private sector. I was invited to contact individuals for whom I would be keen to conduct research. I chose you, among others, due to your field of work.
{redacted] works:

1) Visit www.[redacted].com, click “start your research,” and enter your research assignment,
2) Select how long you would like the researcher to spend on your assignment (in 2-, 4-, or 6-hr increments) and how fast you need the report delivered,
3) Register and pay (a 4-hr report can be as low as $69).

[Redacted] is so confident about the quality of its researchers’ work that it offers a full money-back guarantee. To see samples of the quality of work that we produce in just a few hours, please visit www.[redacted].com.[Redacted] researchers are top students from leading North American research universities who are selected and trained by professors. Many professionals spend a lot of time searching, synthesizing, and presenting information. Instead, we can do that quickly, effectively, and at minimal cost, making our clients more productive. The service is hassle free – researchers work on your assignments on demand (when you need it, without employment contracts or price negotiations).

So, if you are swamped and could use a highly motivated, high-performing student to save you time on tasks involving online research, then please let me know.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to be in touch. I am happy to contact you by phone if you prefer.

Sincerely,

[Redacted]
[redacted] Researcher
www.[redacted].com



I'm really tempted to send them a list of German references on diplomatics and ask them for a precis in English... I bet it takes more than 4 hours!

History Carnival

History Carnival!

Summertime is carnival time, right? And there is a new History Carnival up at Jonathan Dresner's place. So go and play!

The 2 1/2 orders?

The 2 1/2 Orders?

Following on tenthmedieval's comment on this post, and a conversation at the massive group exam read of last week, I have some thoughts.

The conversation was about the F word at first. A group of us were talking, me, a Late Antique person, a very modern person, and two high school teachers. I mentioned the F word, and one of the high school teachers said, as they often do, "but wait, I always teach the Feudal Pyramid -- it's in the textbook! What am I supposed to tell them?" Me being me, I said, "well, really, that's a model that has been pretty much abandoned. Textbooks tend not to be written by medieval specialists, so the information is often very outdated. If it were a university course, there's a good chance that the first half would be taught by someone who was a pre-modernist, and they'd correct the misrepresentations." So we talked a bit about feudalism and Peggy Brown, and Susan Reynolds, and Chris Wickham, and manorialism, and other such things... like Duby and the Three Orders and how a feudal obligation is between members of the same social group.

Fast forward to the last post.

Because what do you do with the three orders? it doesn't really work unless 'those who pray' are really the low-level monks -- except that in the Early Middle Ages, at least, even monks tend to be not from the lower echelons of society. And if we look at the people who are at the top of the ecclesiastical food chain, so to speak, they are members of the leading families. Their brothers and fathers are comitesand duces -- and even kings. And yet we have a model that is based on lines that we see more and more to be very fluid between the first two orders. By birth, they are largely the same people. And yet, so much of the existing scholarship of the past, oh... hundred years? has created an understanding of society that means that we always seems to express some sort of surprise, or at least forceful assertion, when we find something that indicates that the interests of ecclesiastics and laity were often the same, and were intertwined. And yet, it is only logical. So where do we go from here, to get to where we can start really changing our models? Or should we?

this confuses me

This confuses me

SO I'm in the British Library, more falling asleep than working (I only got here yesterday morning, and had only three hours' sleep Tuesday night), and read something I've read over and over for years... basically, an author states that lay elites and ecclesiastical elites had similar interests. In this case, we're talking about charters. But really, is this supposed to be a surprise? Because I thought it was pretty clear by now that we are talking about the same people, by and large. Yes, ecclesiastics do have additional interests, because their allegiance is, or should be, somewhat divided.* But hasn't there been enough work done, at least for the Franks, that we can now assume that the two groups are generally related to each other by kinship, and that, especially in the cases of proprietary churches and monasteries (or royal ones), the holders of ecclesiastical office are doing it precisely because they are connected by blood to the lay elites?

Or am I missing something important?



*should be in the sense that they are supposed to be looking out for the church's property and interests, whoever their relatives.

Carnivalesque 63

Carnivalesque 63

Hey everybody!!!1

Carnivalesque 63 is up at The Cranky Professor. It's full of all sorts of fun stuff, so take a break and read!

UPCOMING CARNIVALESQUE

UPCOMING CARNIVALESQUE!!!

Hey all -- the next Carnivalesque is coming up this coming weekend at Cranky Professor Please, send him links at crankyprofessor AT gmail DOT com!

Regarding my faith in the UK education system

Regarding my faith in the UK education system...

"Professor Rick Trainor has been awarded an honorary knighthood (KBE) for services to higher education. The award is honorary due to his American nationality. Commenting on the award, the Chairman of Council of King’s College London, Lord Douro, said, ‘Rick Trainor has been a tireless advocate for King’s and for British universities more generally. In particular, he has helped to develop the alumni programme and raise significant sums for the College, and has helped improve the estate of King’s, not least through the acquisition of the East Wing of Somerset House. He has also helped shape the improved academic profile of the College and done much to further the student experience at King’s. This award is well deserved.’"

Like f*#k.


'nuff said. Feel free to leave furious comments below.

back, kinda sorta

back, kinda sorta

So I've done my last deadlined report for work. I'm burnt out. So today is a me, me, me day! It says something about my life lately that this means I am doing one thing for my department, and otherwise cleaning, doing laundry, handling personal finance because it looks like I've bought a house, and getting ready to start a series of posts on my first year with tenure. And going to Target and buying shoes online.

see you soon!

kalamazoo days 3 and 4

Kalamazoo Days 3 & 4,

Met my SFMS mentee. She's very nice. Hope I gave her good advice. Then off to panels -- Really nice panel where Margaret McCarthy and Karl Heidecker and Justin Lake gave really nice papers. Lots of good questions. Then lunch with friends from Beachy U. Then panels -- two in honor of the legal historian who was the second member of my committee. Since most of my friends from Grad U were there, and also, they were presenting him with his Festschrift, I went to those rather than Steve Muhlberger's De Re Militari lecture. Then off to the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholars' dinner, then to ... the Dance!! Little dancing, some talk, home to bed at a decent hour.

This morning was my panel. It was full of win. First, Sunday morning at 8:30, and at least 20 people were there! Second, the people were all the kind of people who could ask scary questions. Too bad I was not the best moderator ever and let our first speaker go over, but damn, he gave a good paper on formulae. Then one of my blogfriends gave a really interesting paper on things Catalonian, and finally, we heard a very good paper that argued, among other things, that Hincmr's De Ordine was something akin to utopian literature. Then more hanging out with some fab people for brunch at McNalley's, and then home.

I know -- not too detailed.

It was busy and I am tired. More later.

kalamazoo day 2

Kalamazoo Day 2

One of the things I love about Kzoo is the people -- I get to see folks I only see at conferences. One of the things tat gets me is that I'm actually sort of an introvert. And I'm one of those people who doesn't necessarily do well with too many choices. And I want to be friends with lots of people, and am always worried that I don't fit.

So today was a hard day. Blogger meet-up was great, but one of these days I have to remember to socialize more with the people I'll see less, and more with the people who I only see at the meet-up. But it was really great to see folks especially the ones I communicate with less than I'd like, and see far less than I'd like.

Paper panel one was a disaster. I got there ad realized it wasn't really going ot be what I wanted. Then, before the next panel, lunch that went on too long, service- wise. Late to the most. Crowded. Panel. Ever. Poisoning in the 14th C. Awesome

kalamazoo day 1

Kalamazoo Day 1

Today was all about the Carolingian panels. Heard lots of good papers. Especially enjoyed the first two papers, by Christina Pössel and Paul Kershaw. More on that later. For now, I have been hanging with my friends, and have sleep to be getting to. But so far, my Kalamazoo collection includes Rebel Lettriste, Jonathan Jarrett, meg from xoom, ex-tiruncula, Lisa Carnell, and much of the ITM crowd, and some of the totally cool folks I met last year at St. Andrews and Leeds.


more later. Blogger meetup tomorrow!


OH -- I met the Chaucer blogger tonight!!!

Blogger meetup!!

Kalamazoo Meetup

Because I am soooo far behind in reading Other People's Blogs, I missed it. Usual time and place, though -- Friday at 8 am at Mugshots.

Blogger meetup?

Blogger Meetup at Zoo?

Hey all -- have we organized this yet?

Because there needs to be at least one official blogger meetup at the Zoo. I'm happy to organize, if no one else has (although I'm guessing it will be the usual Friday morning at the coffee place?)

LET ME KNOW, MY BLOGPEEPS!


Also, I will blog something of substance soon on my year of isolation.

Carnivalesque!

Carnivalesque!

There is a new Carnivalesque posted at Gill Polack's "Even in a Little Thing". It's got a bunch of things I knew about, and a bunch of things I missed, and it going to be really useful to me in my catching up.




Go and read! I'm too swamped to blog or break, so you should!

Blegging for entries

Blegging for entries

Hi all --

We are looking for entries for the carnivalesque due up in a week or so. We are especially looking for good Ancient posts (anything posted after January 1 is fair game) and would really like more on the closures of Classics departments, cool discoveries, and generally interesting stuff!


this is a great way to get the message out about new blogs and remind people about older ones.

(and obviously, good medieval posts are always welcome!)

Put your links in the comments!


Thanks!

SEMA

SEMA

Ok, folks. I've agreed to come up with something for SEMA. I can simply put in a paper, but might as well see if anybody wants to help put together a panel. Me, I think I'll be writing about women and property, but focusing on the deo sacrata. Anyway, the CFP is below. Let me know if you are interested in putting together a panel or submitting a paper!

Call for Papers

“Natural, Unnatural, & Supernatural”



36th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Medieval Association
Roanoke, VA
November 18-20, 2010

The Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Medieval Association will take place November 18-20, 2010, at the Hotel Roanoke, located in the southwest corner of Virginia in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley. Because this year’s conference coincides with the 75th anniversary of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, we have selected “Natural, Unnatural, & Supernatural” as its theme.

We welcome papers and panels dealing with all aspects of the Middle Ages, but we particularly encourage those examining elements of the natural, unnatural, and supernatural in the medieval world. As it does every year, the SEMA annual conference encourages submissions from all branches of medieval studies, including but not limited to history, art, science, philosophy, theology, archaeology, paleography, language, and literatures.

Proposals for entire sessions and for interdisciplinary presentations are strongly encouraged, although individual paper proposals are welcome as well. Offers to serve as session moderators are also welcome.

Papers should be no more than 20 minutes in length and sessions should consist of no more than 3 presenters and 1 moderator. If submitting a full session, please indicate the intended format of the session (formal papers, roundtable discussion, panel, and so on) and titles of all individual presentations. All proposals should be approximately 250 words and include all contact information (mailing address as well as email) of the presenter(s) and/or organizer. Proposals must include a note regarding A/V equipment needs. Email submissions are much preferred.

Email proposals by June 1 to:

sema2010 AT scholar.vt.edu

Prof. Matthew Gabriele
Dept. of Religion and Culture
Virginia Tech
342 Lane Hall (0227)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
USA

Please explore the conference website, where you'll find information on plenary speakers, accommodation, local dining, travel & maps, and local attractions.


For questions or more information about the conference please contact:

Matthew Gabriele (Virginia Tech) mgabriele AT vt.edu
Dana-Linn Whiteside (Roanoke College) whiteside AT roanoke.edu