happy hallowe'en!

The Life of an Article

This is the true and very frustrating story of a recent article that has been hanging over me for basically ever.

• April 2006: I write a paper for a graduate class that I really like. I file it away for future publication.
• April 2009: I pull out this paper, and dust it off for publication. I send it to a quarterly mag I know in the field. They say they love it, and will get back to me with edits.
• January 2010: I email again to inquire as to what is happening with that article. They respond - so sorry, it got missed in the process, etc etc... We'll get on it.
• April 2010: I receive and do a series of edits. Am told it is done, and to please send suggested illustrations, which I do.
• May 2010: On my birthday, the week of the biggest event of my career (requiring a lot of preparation), I get an urgent email - Please do this huge gob of edits for us, and please send illustrations, as we need to run this article this week. I do the edits (ON MY BIRTHDAY), and re-send illustrations.
• June 2010: Am told the article was bumped from that issue, due to some mid-east crisis, and it will run in the fall issue.
• September 2010: Get email from a different editor, and am asked to do whole new set of edits, which I do. Am also asked to send illustrations suggestions, which I re-send. Am told again that the article is fine, and will run in November issue.
• October 2010: Get an email (at 8pm Saturday night) from yet another editor, and am asked to do a whole new round of edits - largely putting back in the stuff that ED1 and ED2 gutted out of the thing in the more than a year and a half these people have had it. Am asked to do these by Monday, as they are running it the following week.

Well, I did the edits and sent them in, so now I guess it *may* run. I emailed and asked if they need me to re-send the illustrations, as I assume they will. I mean, why not make it four times I have been asked, right?

ARGH.

Doesn't Feel Much Like Hallowe'en Around Here...

Yet!

But today, I must sally forth and find a clown wig, some face paint and some small spooky prezzie for the special little man in my life. We will hang the Hallowe'en pumpkin on the door, and maybe head to the park to carve the real one (leave those seeds for the squirrels, yo!). Maybe we'll see what little treats we can scare up, as well.

Festivities for the next few days will be hot and heavy - grad ceremony tomorrow, trick-o-treating on Sunday, and possibly some Ghostbusters fun somewhere in between.

Happy Hallowe'en, all!

huh

It's 7am, and I am desperately (and quietly) trying to hunt down the fourth set of wheels for the little stroller so we can take the bus today without me having to wrassle a toddler into his set the whole way. (The big stroller is iffy to fit on a bus in morning rush.) I found one of the two lost sets, but the other is still MIA.

The tot is certainly mechanically-minded, which is great... now if he could just put things back together after he dissects them, that would be really great.

Long Time No Blog

Hi folks. I am still alive. Still trying to organize money (which I spend about 65% of my time doing - and people say poor people are lazy!). Been working on stuff and at some shifts. Nothing too exciting. Things are generally okay.

Hope all is well with everyone out there.

good morning world

winter teaching term

I just put in my textbook order for the course I am teaching in the winter. Excitement! I have to submit the course pack by November 15, so that's the next phase of fun. The syllabus is then due by December 1.

I still have to figure out how to set up and manage the course online crap - the learning site or what have you (they changed systems this year - whoppeee!), and I should get cracking on doing the lectures and such so I have some leg room during the term.

The enrollment limit is 60, and it's at maximum capacity!

But the guest lecture I did in Sept, and the ones coming up, leave me feeling optimistic about this first teaching job, so I am in good spirits about it.

And I have to admit, it's kind of nifty to see your name in the "Professor" box. :)

Graduation

I just got some official emails regarding convocation, so all systems look a-go. I have plans in place to cover the rent, etc, for November 1st, and it looks like I might actually get to go (if everything goes well).

So, 10am, Oct 29.

I'm kind of excited, actually.

Happy Thanksgiving!

IAN & SYLVIA ~ Four Strong Winds ~

working forward

I have a week to decide on a dissertation chapter for a project a scholar asked me to contribute to... Which means I have left it too late to ask for advice on which chapter, which sucks. However! I am resolved to make the effort... So now I will be forced to look at the dissertation again. blah.

In other (good) news, I finished writing my holiday short a bit ahead of schedule, and ill be trying to burn through my other two short writing projects this month, so I should see some release dates coming up soon. I got very positive feedback on the guest lecturing I did last month, and have two guest lectures coming up soon. I also think I finally finished that Chaplin project, so I should see that released in the near future - and that one pays! Huzzah.

I also have some job/postdoc apps and things that look ok - or at least with trying range - for the next little while - mostly starting next summer or fall.

Just wanted to let everyone know everything isn't all bad. I'm working on things.

well, now we know

Turns out the work I was hoping for later in the term is a no-go, as the guy who was going to hire me is obligated to hire a registered student. Since I am now finished, I am ineligible. Wow, finishing was really in my best interest, eh?

sigh.

Joni Mitchell-A Case of You

october's safe... now for november

Well, paid the last of the bills for October, so now I will have a couple of weeks without harassing calls, etc. This is my favourite part of the month. The calm before the storm starts up again, as it were... Now, I have to start worrying about making the last week of Oct/first week of Nov gauntlet run, but it's at least not to a stressful point, yet.

Also still keeping in mind that $115 I need to attend graduation, if I can... Not a huge concern compared to the others, but still important to me.

Work, however, is getting rather fever pitch. By October 15th, I am hoping to have the Xmas novella and an Xmas short ready for submission, a chapter for the dissertation ready to send to a fellow editing a volume, and my bookstore order in for the class next term. I also have the Chaplin article to edit this week, some job apps, and some editing work coming up, as well as two lectures to give later in the month. That's a lot of words to produce in just a few short weeks. Let's hope the squid doesn't run out of ink any time soon.

All that and the fun of regularly scheduled human survival maintenance! YAY!

So, nothing to do but to do it, I guess.

Aaaaaaannnnnddd... GO!

sand monster got me

When my system works, I manage to put the tot to bed and then to stay up and write at night. In this way, I am able to put away 1-4,000 words in solitude. The system, when it works, is great.

When it doesn't, I accidentally fall asleep while putting the tot to bed, and wake up feeling discouraged because it is 7am, and I got nothing done.

I think the system needs tweaking.

well, that's it, then.

I just checked my online records with the university. It now says "graduate."

I'm officially done - just gotta wait for the piece of paper to arrive.

Now, they call me Dr Tibbs.