You're older than you've ever been. And now you're even older. And now you're even older. And now you're even older. You're older than you've ever been. And now you're even older. And now you're older still.
So now we know why the RGM is taking a hiatus this week. Apparently everyone at the compound is having a week-long blowout to celebrate Cal's birthday.
Makes sense to me. Happy birthday, Cal!
Oh, and I'll take B. I like liminality. My undergraduate thesis was about liminality (well, sorta).
You want to talk about dead, the "100 Reasons*" anti-grad school blog has been stuck on reason 88 for a month and a half.
_________________________________
*It's the Blogspot blog (http://100rsns.blogspot.com) with the brown background. And here are their reasons (some are pretty derpy):
1. The smart people are somewhere else. 2. Your colleagues are your competitors. 3. Your pedigree counts. 4. It takes a long time to finish. 5. Graduate school is not what it used to be. 6. Intellectual expectations are falling. 7. Labor demands are increasing. 8. There are very few jobs. 9. It is very, very hard. 10. There is a psychological cost. 11. There is a psychological cost for quitting. 12. Adulthood waits. 13. Respect for the academic profession is declining. 14. Adjuncthood awaits. 15. Marriage and family usually wait. 16. Where you live will be chosen for you. 17. Funding is fleeting. 18. Fellowships are few and far between. 19. These are the best years of your life. 20. Few ideas are exchanged. 21. Graduate seminars can be unbearable. 22. The liberal arts do not attract investment. 23. There is a pecking order. 24. “You are still in school?” 25. Academe is built on pride. 26. Some graduate students are more equal than others. 27. The academic bubble may burst. 28. Writing is hard. 29. You may not start with plans to be a professor, but... 30. You occupy a strange place in the world. 31. There are biological consequences. 32. The university is an economic engine. 33. There is too much academic publishing. 34. There is too little academic publishing. 35. Mumbo-jumbo abounds. 36. “So what are you going to do with that?” 37. The university does not exist for your sake. 38. The tyranny of the CV. 39. You are asked to do the impossible. 40. Faddishness prevails. 41. Teaching is your first priority. 42. Your workspace reflects your status. 43. Attitudes about graduate school are changing. 44. Advisers can be tyrants. 45. Nice advisers can be worse. 46. You may not finish. 47. It requires tremendous self-discipline. 48. The two-body problem. 49. There are few tangible rewards. 50. You are surrounded by graduate students. 51. You are surrounded by undergraduates. 52. Your adviser’s pedigree counts. 53. Teaching assistantships. 54. “What do you do for a living?” 55. There are too many PhDs. 56. Grading is miserable. 57. Rejection is routine. 58. The one-body problem. 59. You pay for nothing. 60. The tyranny of the dissertation. 61. Unstructured time. 62. You have no free time. 63. Your friends pass you by. 64. Smugness. 65. Teaching is less and less rewarding. 66. “Why are you studying that?” 67. There is a star system. 68. It is stressful. 69. It is lonely. 70. It is unforgiving. 71. The tenure track is brutal. 72. The humanities and social sciences are in trouble. 73. Perceptions trump reality. 74. Academic conferences. 75. You can make more money as a schoolteacher. 76. There is a culture of fear. 77. It attracts the socially inept. 78. It takes a toll on your health. 79. The tyranny of procrastination. 80. “When will you finish?” 81. Comprehensive exams. 82. Teaching is moving online. 83. It narrows your options. 84. The politics are vicious. 85. It is not a ticket to the upper middle class. 86. It is a state of being. 87. The financial rewards are decreasing. 88. You are not paid for what you write.
CM:
B.
ReplyDeleteWait . . . what?
You don't want me to answer this based on this post, do you?
ReplyDeleteBeer me?
ReplyDeleteD, always.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a correspondent, so I can't say much about the number, frequency or variety of postings.
ReplyDeleteBut I love having someone in charge, posting all sorts of stuff, videos, linked articles, the crazzy happenings at the compound, etc.
If there are 90 correspondents, it'd seem like we'd be bombarded by posts every day. And I'd eat it up.
Even when there are 4-5 a day, it only takes me about 10 minutes to read it all. It's never been too busy for me.
But as for this quiz? Uh, give me e) punt.
I don't know these words. It's not fair. I tried sooooo hard!!
ReplyDelete(Now, if B were "limerence" or "criminality".....)
Hey, RGM, thanks for the shoutout. I know Fab knows my birthday, so I'm betting he's to blame for getting word to the sidebar.
ReplyDeleteYes, another year older. Closer to death. And it's gluten free cake tonight. Ugh. But I'll be with my baby, and that's all that matters.
Cal
Fab has more info on you than just your birthday, Cal.
DeleteLexington Ocala Utica Saskatoon Yuma. Galveston Orem Louisville Farmington Edmonton Raleigh.
Happy Birthday, Cal!
DeleteYou're older than you've ever been.
And now you're even older.
And now you're even older.
And now you're even older.
You're older than you've ever been.
And now you're even older.
And now you're older still.
(They Might Be Giants)
Will this be on the test?
ReplyDeleteHappy Birfday, Cal!
DeleteSo now we know why the RGM is taking a hiatus this week. Apparently everyone at the compound is having a week-long blowout to celebrate Cal's birthday.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense to me. Happy birthday, Cal!
Oh, and I'll take B. I like liminality. My undergraduate thesis was about liminality (well, sorta).
P.S. I've got a couple of post ideas, but I posted yesterday. I think it's someone else's turn.
DeleteThe answer is: ennui.
ReplyDeleteFor Cal: coolest college student ever.
D. Fucking exams
ReplyDeleteYou want to talk about dead, the "100 Reasons*" anti-grad school blog has been stuck on reason 88 for a month and a half.
ReplyDelete_________________________________
*It's the Blogspot blog (http://100rsns.blogspot.com) with the brown background. And here are their reasons (some are pretty derpy):
1. The smart people are somewhere else.
2. Your colleagues are your competitors.
3. Your pedigree counts.
4. It takes a long time to finish.
5. Graduate school is not what it used to be.
6. Intellectual expectations are falling.
7. Labor demands are increasing.
8. There are very few jobs.
9. It is very, very hard.
10. There is a psychological cost.
11. There is a psychological cost for quitting.
12. Adulthood waits.
13. Respect for the academic profession is declining.
14. Adjuncthood awaits.
15. Marriage and family usually wait.
16. Where you live will be chosen for you.
17. Funding is fleeting.
18. Fellowships are few and far between.
19. These are the best years of your life.
20. Few ideas are exchanged.
21. Graduate seminars can be unbearable.
22. The liberal arts do not attract investment.
23. There is a pecking order.
24. “You are still in school?”
25. Academe is built on pride.
26. Some graduate students are more equal than others.
27. The academic bubble may burst.
28. Writing is hard.
29. You may not start with plans to be a professor, but...
30. You occupy a strange place in the world.
31. There are biological consequences.
32. The university is an economic engine.
33. There is too much academic publishing.
34. There is too little academic publishing.
35. Mumbo-jumbo abounds.
36. “So what are you going to do with that?”
37. The university does not exist for your sake.
38. The tyranny of the CV.
39. You are asked to do the impossible.
40. Faddishness prevails.
41. Teaching is your first priority.
42. Your workspace reflects your status.
43. Attitudes about graduate school are changing.
44. Advisers can be tyrants.
45. Nice advisers can be worse.
46. You may not finish.
47. It requires tremendous self-discipline.
48. The two-body problem.
49. There are few tangible rewards.
50. You are surrounded by graduate students.
51. You are surrounded by undergraduates.
52. Your adviser’s pedigree counts.
53. Teaching assistantships.
54. “What do you do for a living?”
55. There are too many PhDs.
56. Grading is miserable.
57. Rejection is routine.
58. The one-body problem.
59. You pay for nothing.
60. The tyranny of the dissertation.
61. Unstructured time.
62. You have no free time.
63. Your friends pass you by.
64. Smugness.
65. Teaching is less and less rewarding.
66. “Why are you studying that?”
67. There is a star system.
68. It is stressful.
69. It is lonely.
70. It is unforgiving.
71. The tenure track is brutal.
72. The humanities and social sciences are in trouble.
73. Perceptions trump reality.
74. Academic conferences.
75. You can make more money as a schoolteacher.
76. There is a culture of fear.
77. It attracts the socially inept.
78. It takes a toll on your health.
79. The tyranny of procrastination.
80. “When will you finish?”
81. Comprehensive exams.
82. Teaching is moving online.
83. It narrows your options.
84. The politics are vicious.
85. It is not a ticket to the upper middle class.
86. It is a state of being.
87. The financial rewards are decreasing.
88. You are not paid for what you write.
What, are you bored, Bubba? Why don't you do what we did as undergraduates, and pull the fire alarm?
ReplyDeleteBored? Do what we did as undergraduates and start day-drinking and playing video games. I mean, what we did as grad stu. . . as faculty.
ReplyDelete