week 12

• Write up about responding to Chinese students' writing
  
• Respond to their emails
  
• Read chapters from Representations
  
• Write response
  
• Read sections of Rhetoric of Motives
  
• Read sections of Language as Symbolic Action
  
• Read Weaver essay
  
• Read Chapter 5 of SAGE
  
• Write Response
  
• Write my presentation for Wed
  
• Finish Crane biography
  
• Write at least 10 pages on Crane paper
  
• Code student reflections on Sony Reader
  
• Always more laundry
  
• Read article about Butler that LR sent me
  
• Register my printer with Staples
  
• Return Matt and Una's blanket I washed from when I cat-sat for them long ago
  
• Set up brown-bag discusses for comp office w/ John
  
• Get my committee form filled out
  
• Inquire about language requirement
  
• Get signed up for credits next term
  
• Draft a comps list
  
• Pay bills
  
• Start project for ethnic rhetorics class
  
• Draft proposal for this project
  
• Buy tickets to Iowa (and maybe Austin) for Winter Break
  
• Buy stuff for drag expedition on Wednesday

what a week!

This was perhaps the most "cultured" week I've had in State College. It gives me hope that this town isn't as un-lively as I had thought. Monday, I saw the Toasters (an amazing NYC ska band dating back to the 1980s) at the Brewery. They were fantastic, but even more wonderful was the surprisingly good opening bands, particularly The New Collisions, who rocked.

Tuesday, I saw Rocky Horror Show performed at a bar (and my friend Dan was an amazing Frank-N-Furter!). Thursday was the screening of my friend James's Won Ton Baby, a great low-budget horror/comedy throwback to movies like Teeth and Zombie Strippers, among other horror/comedy flicks that feature the grotesque, ridiculous, and comedic. Last night, a couple fantastic Halloween parties with wonderful costumes.

I couldn't ask for more. Except time. The week before I spent almost all week working. This last week I spent more time for play, and it was good for the soul. But I also managed to get quite a bit of work done. But now, I have a crap-ton to do! Back to work!

week 11

• Write up about responding to Chinese students' writing
  
• Respond to their emails
  
• Read rest of Angels' Town
  
• Read Baca's article
  
• Write response
  
• Email mentorship form
  
• Read sections of Rhetoric of Motives
  
• Read article for Burke class
  
• Go to archives
  
• Read introduction to Part I and Chapter 1 of Sage
  
• Write Response
  
• Write my presentation for Wed
  
• Read more for Crane and write bibliographic entries
  
• Write essay due Wednesday
  
• Code student reflections on Sony Reader
  
• Go over prior Burke books and develop better notes
  
• Revise book review and send out
  
• Write a blog post about the Rhetoric and Feminisms Conference (exigence past, too late)
  
• Fold Laundry
  
• Clean Room
  
• Read article about Butler that LR sent me
  
• Call the DMV about my license I never got from them (why the heck is their phone always busy!!!!)
  
• Register my printer with Staples
  
• Send out vocab books for donation
  
• Return Matt and Una's blanket I washed from when I cat-sat for them long ago
  
• Set up brown-bag discusses for comp office w/ John
  
• Get my committee form filled out
  
• Inquire about language requirement
  
• Get signed up for credits next term
  
• Draft a comps list
  
• Pay bills and rent
  
• Start project for ethnic rhetorics class
  
• Start indexing

to do some more of

Miraculously, I didn't get a migraine all week! This is the first time this has happened in many weeks, perhaps in seven or eight weeks. So I'm happy. Rough week. Barely slept the first half of the week, so then I slept a lot yesterday and today, which means I didn't get as much done as hoped. Oh well.

• Read and respond to Chinese students' essays
  
• Read chapters 1-3 of Angels' Town
  
• Write response
  
• Read and skim Rhetoric of Motives
  
• Read article and encyclopedia entry for Burke class
  
• Read With Pen and Voice
  
• Read Fredrick Douglass
  
• Write response
  
• Code interviews on Sony Reader
  
• Provide feedback on professor's article
  
• Exchange shirt that I bought the wrong size of
  
• Go over prior Burke books and develop better notes
  
• Finish reading The Economics of Attention
  
• Write review of Identity's Strategy (drafted!)
  
• Write a blog post about the Rhetoric and Feminisms Conference
  
• Fold Laundry
  
• Clean Room
  
• Buy cat litter and clean litter box
  
• Read article about Butler that LR sent me
  
• Call the DMV about my license I never got from them (why the heck is their phone always busy!!!!)
  
• Register my printer with Staples
  
• Send out vocab books for donation
  
• Return Matt and Una's blanket I washed from when I cat-sat for them long ago
  
• Set up brown-bag discusses for comp office w/ John
  
• Get my committee form filled out
  
• Inquire about language requirement
  
• Get signed up for credits next term
  
• Draft a comps list
  
• Get a halloween costume or two
  
• Start project for ethnic rhetorics class
  
• Read and write about sources for Crane paper
  
• Do the thing that matters most and has mattered for nine months... EDIT: This one is purposefully cryptic and stupid to include.

axiomatic

Now playing: "Nu Rock" by Morningwood.

Axiom: If you're interested in me romantically, I'm probably not interested in you romantically. And if I'm interested in you romantically, you're probably not interested in me romantically.

Kairos: The appropriate time for a rhetorical action. I can wait for the kairotic moment, but it will never come. Instead, I should create it.

Synthesis: Perhaps creating kairos can negate prior axiom. Doubtful, but possible.

Correlative: Grad school is ruining my life by clouding my reading of the world.

week 9!

• Finish revising history of rhetoric essay
  
• Write history of rhetoric essay due this week
  
• Read Philosophy and Rhetoric issue for this week
  
• Read Blair essay for this week
  
• Write response
  
• Finish African-American Jeremiad
  
• Read "Black Nationalism" article
  
• Write reading notes
  
• Read and respond to Chinese students' essays
  
• Finish Philosophy of Literary Form
  
• Go over prior Burke books and develop better notes
  
• Finish reading The Economics of Attention
  
• Write review of Identity's Strategy
  
• Finish literature review for e-reader article
  
• Write a blog post about the Rhetoric and Feminisms Conference
  
• Finish laundry
  
• Buy new winter clothes
  
• Read article about Butler that LR sent me
  
• Call the DMV about my license I never got from them
  
• Register my printer with Staples
  
• Make a doctor's appointment if I get another migraine this week (averaging 2 a week for over a month, which is unusual)
  
• Bring books I no longer need into Burrowes for donation to EGO
  
• Send out vocab books for donation
  
• Return Matt and Una's blanket I washed from when I cat-sat for them long ago

snow!!!

It snowed about four inches yesterday and last night! It's gorgeous. It's the earliest it's ever snowed in State College (on record, anyway). It's a bit of a pain in the ass, especially when the electricity went out last night. It's never been so dark in my apartment. But overall, I'm not too bummed. It's beautiful outside.

I'm wearing long underwear in October. It's not that cold out, really, but I just wanted to make sure I was warm.

But it's probably going to be a long winter.

convergent audiences

I had a wonderful conversation about politics tonight at Chumleys (the local gay bar) tonight. It was the best conversation about politics I had in a long time, and we covered a variety of issues, but toward the end, we were talking about culpability for and responses to the September 11 attacks. Awesome conversation.

Then a gentleman in the bar interjects and chews us out for joking about September 11. We weren't joking. We were holding a serious conversation. About if invading Afghanistan was an appropriate response to September 11. I was arguing that it wasn't. That we redirected blame from Al-Qaida, and from our own historical involvement with imperialism and Al-Qaida, toward the Taliban. But this gentleman only wanted to chew us out and not listen to us. He didn't want to whole picture of our conversation.

Of course, I could draw an important lesson here, about convergent audiences and public discourse and being misunderstood. Thing is: I already know these to be true. I'm more annoyed that he came to a quick judgment and then didn't want to listen to any explanations. He wasn't open-handed. We had been having a great conversation, and his intrusion ruined the mood.

It's not whether he agreed or disagreed with anyone. It's that he wouldn't listen. That he actively refused to listen. The thing is: this is a bad idea if you own a business in town. Another thing is: I won't be visiting the business this gentleman owns ever again or eating his food even if it's free at some event. My commitment to communication goes above whether or not you're gay.<sup>1

1</sup> Unlike the Human Rights Campaign, which puts pandering to the gays above every other social issue, including unionization, factory conditions, fair trade, and fair pay.

another to-do!

Wow! The conference last week was amazing! I loved it and had so much fun and feel so invigorated. And I don't feel too behind in work, but here's what I gotta do!

• Mail letter of evaluation about a teacher
  
• Read title essay of Philosophy of Literary Form
  
• Read Quandahl essay
  
• Read first half of The African American Jeremaid
  
• Read Gilyard introduction to book
  
• Write response to AAJ
  
• Order books by Lanham and Crane and about Crane
  
• Talk to professor about revising essay
  
• Revise essay
  
• Read Fell and Grimke, Campbell, Blair, and Whately
  
• Write response to one of these
  
• Read Chapter 4 in SAGE
  
• Write a blog post about the conference
  
• Write a review of Identity's Strategy
  
• Respond to classmates' writing and give feedback
  
• Laundry (again!)
  
• Buy some new winter clothes
  
• Finally get that bookshelf and filing cabinet I've been meaning to get for 2 months
  
• Buy a printer because I'm tired of going to campus to print things
  
• Finish literature review of ereader articles
  
• Attend TEN meetings this week! TEN! That's insane!
  
• Buy new notebooks
  
• Read and respond to Chinese students essays for class

to do in the next nine days

Now playing: "Back To The Start" by Lily Allen.

Must finish before going to conference next Wednesday/Thursday:

• Read Confucius
  
• Write Reading notes for Confucius
  
• Read two chapters on Chinese philosophy and rhetoric
  
• Read first half of Burke's Attitudes Toward History
  
• Read the second half of Burke's Attitudes Toward History
  
• Read the essay for Burke seminar
  
• Read Dana Anderson's Identity's Strategy
  
• Prepare presentation on Aderson's Identity's Strategy
  
• Write essay for historiography class
  
• Do application for CCCC scholarship
  
• Do travel funds application for Feminisms and Rhetorics
  
• Finish presentation for Feminisms and Rhetorics
  
• Finish literature review for ereader article (this is not getting done before I leave)
  
• Read Mao, You, Hum & Lyon, Lipson, and Lyon
  
• Write notes on those readings
  
• Photocopy pages from Burke reference book
  
• Read Augustine and Wilson
  
• Write response to Augustine or Wilson
  
• Read Zulick's "Rhetoric of Religion" in Sage (Ch. 7)
  
• Read Glenn's Rhetoric Retold
  
• Write response to Rhetoric Retold
  
• Read Ronald's "Feminist Perspectives in the History of Rhetoric" in Sage (Ch. 8)
  
• Read Sutherland's "Medieval and Renaissance Rhetorical Studies of Women" in Sage (Ch. 3)
  
• Get car registered
  
• Get car looked at
  
• Get oil changed
  
• Do laundry
  
• pay bills
  
• Renew membership to RSA and NCTE
  
• Check to see if I have a certain textbook I should have
  
• Pack bags for trip (duh!), include some reading for next week and materials for conference
  
• Write review of teacher