% of time blogging?
The thing about books is that there are so many of them, I have an ever expanding shelf of 'to read' - I wouldn't feel so bad except that most of them are PhD related, and some of them are in the mental category of, hmm. Do I really want to read this? Anyway, several of them are compelling - which is good. So I've taken to reading the really interesting ones as a reward for tacking the nightmare ones. And then rewarding myself for reading them as a reward by reading some Wendell Berry poems. That works a little.
Anyway, sorry if it appears that my life has shrunk. It probably has. To a Phd size. I feel pretty boring about that.
We had the funny experience of trying to give percentage values to our work today. I realised with a lot of gratification that: (a) I am in the position of having jobs (2 of them in fact) (b) both are ones where I can legitimately put 'talking, thinking, reading, visiting' down as acts that merit something other than a reprimand (c) I have the luxury of setting my own schedule and trying to live up to it. That is good. [I'm not sure where facebook/blogging fits in all that so I do it out of hours, but I would argue that for some people it may in fact be critical for their work - thoughts?] However, the funniest part was trying to get a percentage. For instance - do I assume that my working week is in fact below 40 hours. It's not. Never has been. Do I factor in term time (where it can be CRAZY albeit not this term) - or non term time - where it is busy, but paced...? Since I'm seconded from the college for pastoring, do I count that as work? You begin to see the dilemma - Anyway, it amused me for a time. [for those of you who know my relationship with maths it will send you into hilarity!]
I'm currently trying to think about some lectures, sermons, and my classes, and am discovering that all of them are morphing in my brain, so I should probably head home. I've stayed longer than I intended to tonight -
Still can't decide about facebook. Or mobiles. Or housephones. Terry Eagleton, at Manchester University - apparently can only be contacted by post. I wonder what difference that would make to my life? or yours. Also, I was very sad that the last speaker of a northern language died this last week. (her obit's in the economist). Truly tragic.
Anyway, sorry if it appears that my life has shrunk. It probably has. To a Phd size. I feel pretty boring about that.
We had the funny experience of trying to give percentage values to our work today. I realised with a lot of gratification that: (a) I am in the position of having jobs (2 of them in fact) (b) both are ones where I can legitimately put 'talking, thinking, reading, visiting' down as acts that merit something other than a reprimand (c) I have the luxury of setting my own schedule and trying to live up to it. That is good. [I'm not sure where facebook/blogging fits in all that so I do it out of hours, but I would argue that for some people it may in fact be critical for their work - thoughts?] However, the funniest part was trying to get a percentage. For instance - do I assume that my working week is in fact below 40 hours. It's not. Never has been. Do I factor in term time (where it can be CRAZY albeit not this term) - or non term time - where it is busy, but paced...? Since I'm seconded from the college for pastoring, do I count that as work? You begin to see the dilemma - Anyway, it amused me for a time. [for those of you who know my relationship with maths it will send you into hilarity!]
I'm currently trying to think about some lectures, sermons, and my classes, and am discovering that all of them are morphing in my brain, so I should probably head home. I've stayed longer than I intended to tonight -
Still can't decide about facebook. Or mobiles. Or housephones. Terry Eagleton, at Manchester University - apparently can only be contacted by post. I wonder what difference that would make to my life? or yours. Also, I was very sad that the last speaker of a northern language died this last week. (her obit's in the economist). Truly tragic.
posted by erdreid at 21:21
2 Comments:
Deirdre,
I completely hear you about a world shrinking around a Ph.D. life. I, however, cannot pretend to be stretched so thin as you, with your teaching and pastoring all thrown in there. You continue to amaze ... but I doubt that "surviving a deadly-sized 'to-do' list" is among the things for which you'd like to be honored. Nevertheless, last year after our meeting with all the wonderful "young" folks at the Amsterdam conference, I had these grand ideas of worldwide conversation partners. But the cursed immediacy of assignments, towering stacks of books, and papers to write quickly nipped that in the bud. I think this period of life will lead to regrets of that kind.
I am grateful, though, for your reminder that even the work that feels so taxing IS something I want to do. (Maybe just in smaller doses, eh?)
When you DO blog, I usually read it, by the way. So, I thought I'd respond this time. Just a, "Remember me?" and a bit of commiserating over the books we wouldn't choose for ourselves.
Many blessings this Lenten season.
D,
So great to see you on here, and yes there are several people, including me apparently, who check your blog! I am amazed with you at the way life seems to squeeze us into some shape (what does the shape of a PhD look like anyway?) that we weren't really shooting for but somehow stumbled onto. I am now taking the form of a North American pastor and am wondering "how do I help to actually form the shape of this (me) instead of it totally forming me?" If I get it figured out I'll let you know.
We miss you guys terribly and think of you more than you can imagine, and certainly more than we communicate (bad us!). Give our love to your family and keep pressing forward on that "big paper."
Stephen
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