PTSD

ditties from the edge of the world

Friday round-up:

- I (accidentally) returned a library book from the TUWSNBN library to my local (public) library. Public library people then said they didn't have said book. I had to go buy a new one.

All fine, yous might say. Well, the book I misplaced (mis-returned?) was this. Batman: Year One.

Ideally, when one is on file as "faculty" for the TUWSNBN library, one would not like to have conversations about Batman.

Ideally, if one had to lose a library book, one would lose Geertz. Or, Keohane and Nye.

- I have about half of one of my papers for Big Name Conference written. The problem is that said half is rather repetitious. I need help. So, I'm going to tell yous about it. Here. Now.

It's about Doctor Who and security. I'm making the case that two characters of Doctor Who, what happens to them and how they change through the series, exemplify two ways of dealing with insecurity and question our traditional understandings of violence.

The two characters? Margaret Blaine and Harriet Jones. Both female. Both single (as far as we know). One alien. One human.

So far, I've written about traditional views of security and dealing with others, with "aliens" and how this gets played with in the Jones and Sloane storylines.

The problem: Well, so what? It's hardly anything new or different, is it? Do I really think I can carry off a 15-minute presentation on this (fairly lean) premise? What does it matter? Why should we (yous) care?

What's the point of all this, then?

Ideally, I should have written about Blake's 7, ensuring my utter rejection from the world of "normal" academia and also ensuring that practically no one in the audience would know of what I spoke.

- Also, I have been getting a few emails thanking me for taking the time to talk to some of my students about their topics. Rather odd, that, as I'm being thanked for doing what is essentially my job.

Ideally, they'd not whinge about their grades and wouldn't think they had to thank me for talking to them. Ideally, they'd talk to me before doing anything.

- Oh, and since it's Friday and I'm about to be homeless, I spent money buying a ticket for this. Carbon Leaf, Emmet Swimming, Flogging Molly and at RFK. Not bad for $15.

Ideally, finding a space to kip on, starting next month, will be as easy.

posted by Priya @ 4:15 PM