Wednesday, 20 May 2009

• Currently Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste By Pierre Bourdieu see related

  On my 29th birthday

  Turning 29 is kind of funny.  It's that age that people older than 29 pretend to be turning when they don't want to embrace their actual age.  It's so common, I kind of feel like I'm lying when I say "I'm turning 29 today."  It's like: people who say they're turning 29 just aren't telling the truth.  Because most of them aren't!!  Anyway, I'm looking forward to turning 30 next year, because 29 is just awkward.  It has this built in ageist angst to it that I just don't like.  And I think I've always been spiritually in my 30s, anyway.  Even when I was a kid, and especially when I was in high school.  Not that I was all that mature or anything, it's just more how I've always seen the world.  Or so I presume....  (Having never been in my 30s, myself.) 
  
  Many wonderful people have been wishing me a "Happy" birthday, and I've been doing my best to oblige!  This morning I woke up at the usual 7:30am, but I awoke slowly, with the sunlight rather than with the alarm clock.  Geordi (my cat) jumped onto the bed and lay on my chest, pawing at my face for a few minutes, which is something I find very annoying when I'm trying to sleep, but which I found very endearing this morning as I lay there enjoying the quiet of the morning.
  
  I decided to come into campus today and actually do a little work.  I don't teach on Wednesdays, so I could've taken the whole day "off" if I'd wanted to.  But one of my favorite things to do is to spend time with people, and since Jefferson had to go to work today, I wasn't about to sit around at home when there were plenty of cool people to hang out with at work.  So I came into the office and did some work, which was of course peppered by wonderful phone calls and Twitter/Facebook catching-up with people.  I went to a tasty lunch with my friend and colleague, Caroline, and then to coffee with another friend and colleague (and fellow Lew-hyphenator!), Casey.  Just a little while ago, yet another friend and colleague (and by "colleague" for all of these I mean fellow PhD student who studies language/linguistics), Stacy ("Stacina"), brought by some handmade cupcakes!  I also got to chat on Skype with my dad, who's currently over in Guangzhou, China, for work.  So yeah, I did do some work today (which I'm quite proud of myself for doing), but all-in-all this day has been more celebratory than anything else.  And I am totally okay with that.
  
  It's been so long since I've posted here.  I guess now's as good a time as any to tell those of you who don't know me in "real" life that I got recently got a job!  It's a 2-year Mellon post-doc at Oxford, joint in English & Linguistics, with both research & teaching duties, starting this October.  So yeah, I'm moving to the UK!  And I'm gonna graduate this summer.    No more Ling"GradStudent"!  It's been quite a journey; thanks to all of you for coming along for the ride. 
  
  
  

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