1. Writing a dissertation and thinking deeply about dead French people.
2. Teaching. Though one student tried to convince me to change careers by repeatedly adding an “h” to the word “peasant” on her final exam. There’s only so many times you can read about Mao leading a “pheasant revolution” and not start to have apocalyptic visions of ring-necked wildfowl storming Luding Bridge.
3. Leading an extended study trip to Northwest Yunnan. A lot of fun. A lot of work. Need to give a shout out to our friends at the Compass Cafe in Zhongdian for fueling my students with the necessary quesadillas and banana pancakes as they put their projects together.
4. Taking a much-needed vacation to the great state of NH and learning that restaurant staff need not be surly; efficiency and competence are in fact part of services rendered in exchange for monetary remuneration in many stores and hotels; and, of course, unfettered and unfiltered Internet access. It’s kind of nice hanging in the US for awhile, I totally get why so many Chinese nationalists prefer to live here rather than try to hack it in China.
(And there’s always the whole ‘breathing actual air’ bit. YJ and I had just disembarked at Boston’s Logan Airport and couldn’t stop talking about how clear the air was. Of course,we were standing in the lower deck of an enclosed parking garage at the time. I guess that’s what nearly nine years in Beijing will do for you.)
5. Writing a book. In addition to the dissertation. And teaching. And life. Andohbytheway, I’m also going to be acting director of my center this summer, too. There’s like a 98% chance that by the end of August I’ll be more strung out than Pete Doherty after a three-day holiday in Bogota.
6. Did I mention trying to finish a dissertation while working and teaching full-time?
So, in any case, greetings from the Granite State, sorry for my absence, and I’ll try to be a bit more of regular correspondent this summer.
From the archives
What have I been doing since the Bob Dylan concert in April?
1. Writing a dissertation and thinking deeply about dead French people.
2. Teaching. Though one student tried to convince me to change careers by repeatedly adding an “h” to the word “peasant” on her final exam. There’s only so many times you can read about Mao leading a “pheasant revolution” and not start to have apocalyptic visions of ring-necked wildfowl storming Luding Bridge.
3. Leading an extended study trip to Northwest Yunnan. A lot of fun. A lot of work. Need to give a shout out to our friends at the Compass Cafe in Zhongdian for fueling my students with the necessary quesadillas and banana pancakes as they put their projects together.
4. Taking a much-needed vacation to the great state of NH and learning that restaurant staff need not be surly; efficiency and competence are in fact part of services rendered in exchange for monetary remuneration in many stores and hotels; and, of course, unfettered and unfiltered Internet access. It’s kind of nice hanging in the US for awhile, I totally get why so many Chinese nationalists prefer to live here rather than try to hack it in China.
(And there’s always the whole ‘breathing actual air’ bit. YJ and I had just disembarked at Boston’s Logan Airport and couldn’t stop talking about how clear the air was. Of course,we were standing in the lower deck of an enclosed parking garage at the time. I guess that’s what nearly nine years in Beijing will do for you.)
5. Writing a book. In addition to the dissertation. And teaching. And life. Andohbytheway, I’m also going to be acting director of my center this summer, too. There’s like a 98% chance that by the end of August I’ll be more strung out than Pete Doherty after a three-day holiday in Bogota.
6. Did I mention trying to finish a dissertation while working and teaching full-time?
So, in any case, greetings from the Granite State, sorry for my absence, and I’ll try to be a bit more of regular correspondent this summer.
From the archives