It was a little more than a year ago that Brandon and I left our jobs in Roswell to start a new life in Virginia. So has it been for us so far? It’s definitely been an eventful year. We’ve lived in two different places, with our most recent move happening in July. Brandon’s held… Continue reading Life in Virginia: One Year Later
Blog
Keio Program
From August 5th to the 20th, I served as a classroom instructor (CI) for the immersive Keio/W&M Cross-Cultural Collaboration. For two weeks, twenty-five students from Japan’s Keio University visited William and Mary to practice their English skills, learn about United States history and society, and complete a research project comparing American and Japanese cultures. Today,… Continue reading Keio Program
A Space of One’s Own, Part Three
Last week I told you about the personal issues I worked through while getting a new desk. Today I’ll show you what the finished study looks like. The first thing I did was get the bookshelves set up. It took me several hours and three car trips, even after weeding out 1/3 of my books,… Continue reading A Space of One’s Own, Part Three
A Space of One’s Own, Part Two
Last week I started talking about our recent move to New Town, and the decision to turn one of the bedrooms into a study for myself. Today I’ll talk about the process of setting up that space, and the personal challenges I had to reconcile along the way. It all started when Brandon’s mother kindly… Continue reading A Space of One’s Own, Part Two
A Space of One’s Own, Part One
Brandon and I recently moved into a new place here in Williamsburg. While our old apartment at City Lofts had an unbeatable location in terms of convenience, being about a mile from campus and within walking distance of grocery stores and restaurants, it was a little small for our needs. Also, being primarily an undergraduate-populated… Continue reading A Space of One’s Own, Part One
Downsizing My Library
There’s a wonderful little essay by Walter Benjamin called “Unpacking My Library.” Scholars tend to cite The Arcades Project or “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” when it comes to Benjamin, but the library essay is another gem. Written in 1931, Benjamin’s essay basically concerns his life as a collector, and… Continue reading Downsizing My Library
A Maine (and New Hampshire and Vermont) Adventure
Brandon and I recently took a vacation up to New England to visit friends and family. It had been about two years since I’d last visited, so I was due for an excursion. As for Brandon, he’d never been to this region aside from a quick work trip to Connecticut, he’d never been to this… Continue reading A Maine (and New Hampshire and Vermont) Adventure
A Cat for Virginia
A few weeks ago, my parents emailed me a picture a cat belonging to their neighbor, Virginia, and asked me if I could draw of portrait of it for her. Apparently, Virginia had seen a picture I’d done some years ago of a cat in my parent’s house, and all but absconded with it. My… Continue reading A Cat for Virginia
I Watched the Roswell, New Mexico Pilot, and This is What I Thought Of It
After debating for months whether or not we should do it, Brandon and I decided to watch the pilot for the relaunch of Roswell. Our curiosity about how the show would interpret the place we lived in for several years finally overpowered us. I’ve never watched the original iteration of the series, so I don’t… Continue reading I Watched the Roswell, New Mexico Pilot, and This is What I Thought Of It
Thinking About Relevance
Most academics I know want their work to be relevant to today’s issue’s and concerns. After all, showing how your research sheds light on specific social or economic issues can make it easier to get your work published, to receive grants, and even just have an answer to the ever-aggravating but vital question, “who cares?”… Continue reading Thinking About Relevance