Narrowing the List

As I come to the end of day 2 of my intensive reading/writing process, I can definitely say that I am not as far ahead as I'd like, but I can feel things starting to come together

It's been an unusual day, marked by some detours (late start to the gym, then groceries, then a late lunch) which sort of threw off my game. Add in my ability to procrastinate online (what other resources are available at Amazon.com?!) AND get sleepy, and all of the sudden the day seems to have taken a wrong turn.

But as Frank'n'Furter suggests to both Brad and Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) "it's not all bad, is it?" The answer is, of course, no: by staying in and trying to read as much as possible, I've managed to nail down three readings and I'm starting to get an idea how to organize my incredibly short 6 weeks with students.

I think the summer session is one of my big stumbling blocks at this point. I'm a bit of an overachiever, and I'm zealous to boot, so the idea of scaling back my readings, and as a result my results (!) isn't all that appealing. Unfortunately you can't assign two 50 page readings two days apart - it's not feasible. It might have flown back when I was teaching in the Winter semester and had one class a week, but this summer that is most definitely not going to work.

Unfortunately that forces me to select all my materials much more carefully. Sure it's good because it boils everything down and forces me to get the heart of the course. It also doesn't allow much wiggle room. Something tells me this will be an ongoing struggle as the course continues to develop.

As it stands though, I have for sure decided to include screenings of Rocky Horror (to kick off the course), as well as episodes of Twin Peaks and The Prisoner somewhere along the line (subject to moving around status). But I feel better than where I was when I woke up this morning, so that's good!

And now I'm off to celebrate with a few drinks with friends, which hopefully won't be a disaster (I'm forcing said friends to go to a different bar than they originally wanted, so if it's not a good idea I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about tomorrow). Until then...adieu!

The Educated Narcoleptic

It's suddenly coming back to me!

When I first got word that the Cult course was going ahead, I was excited not only because I was yearning to return to the classroom, but because it was an opportunity for me to get my head back into reading journicles (journal articles) and textbooks.

Alas it also seems to have brought back my old scolastic nemesis: sleepiness.

Don't get me wrong; it's not that I'm not interested in what I'm doing. It's fascinating to read about the cross-national implications present in 2000's Battle Royale, the super controversial kids-killing-each-other-on-a-reality-tv-show that caused a huge sensation both in its native Japan and in its North American release (where it was immediately banned and became a cult, underground sensation, thereby forcing me to buy a copy on ebay and smuggle it into the country!) It's honestly a fascinating article, but I always find that as I shift positions (first at the dining room table, then the couch because it's softer, then on my side because that's more comfortable, then with my eyes shut because they're soooo heavy)...wait a minute! This is how I get nothing done!

I used to have a trick back in my undergraduate years that I may have to bring back: I used to chew gum because mentally I told myself that if I feel asleep I would choke to death on it.

Now there's a tool to avoid procrastination and narcolepsy!