Diss in a Box: The contest

Step 1...cut a hole in the box
Step 2...put your diss in the box
Step 3...make your committee open the box

My problem right now? Step 1.5...find a diss topic to put in that box.

I thought the worst was behind me with Comps, but it turns out that once you're done with comps and all that pressure is (you thought) behind you, they actually want you to keep going and pick a dissertation topic and then actually write about it. Who knew?! As my completely work-free Xmas vacation has extended a little longer than I'd planned and I have no topic in site, I'm going to have a contest for best potential dissertation title as a way to inspire me.

Here's how it works: For the next week, I'm going to be accepting nominations for the best/most creative/funniest potential title for my dissertation. Winner will receive a as-yet-unnamed gift from me:) Leave your suggestions in the comments section and next Monday I'll pick a winner. As most people have no freaking clue what it is I do (Applied Linguistics), I'll leave a few buzz words below referring to things I might actually use in a dissertation title. Feel free to use them for inspiration:

repair, SLA, computer-mediated, Conversation Analysis, micro-analysis, ethnomethodological, ideology, exegesis, epistemology


And just for fun, and in case you didn't get the original reference, here's the original SNL skit "D!ck in a Box" for your viewing pleasure:)

Vicky the ladies man meets Pan the freaky Faun

Good morning friends! Like force feeding myself vegetables a la New Years Resolution-style, I'm trying to force myself to blog more so I can get back into the groove. I thought about blogging some about my Europe trip, but that'll take too long, so I've decided to share about the most twisted "fairy tale" I've ever seen: Pan's Labyrinth.














Baby eater monster thing


While you digest that image, let me just say that no children should ever be allowed to see this film. Granted it's touted as a horror film officially, but I thought I was in for something like The Dark Crystal or whatever. I didn't know it had an R rating to begin with. I expected such depressing gruesomeness from the Finns or Icelandanders (?), but not the Spanish. This is not to say that I didn't like the film, because I did. It's highly original and well shot, but definitely not for the faint of heart. My buddy Jon and I went to see this film a few days ago because it's been getting all this Oscar buzz and love from Rotten Tomatoes. There were more than a few scenes in which I had to cover my ears or eyes. Afterwards, I turned to Jon and sighed "Well, it ain't Disney". I'm not sure if it was the man getting his leg sawed off or the girl getting shot by her stepfather or the various torture scenes with hammers that tipped me off, but I'm just saying that next time I'm definitely going to read up on a film like that before I see it.

Because of all the darkness I've thrust upon you with this movie, I thought I'd leave you on a lighter note. As you know I teach ESL at the university as part of my assistantship. And I really like my job. Well, most of my students for some reason end up being Asian. And while that's cool, you should know that it's the tendency of many Asian students to use Western names while studying in the U.S. Granted there is more than a fair share of "normal" names like Mike and Michelle, but every once in a while you get some fantastically out-there names that you have to refrain from busting out laughing as you take attendance every day. I was talking to one of my friends the other day who taught EFL in China and she shared a few gems of names that were too fantastic not to share. Here are some of my favorites to brighten your day (picture the roll call for this class):

Celery
Apple
Watermelon
Cinnamon (notice a pattern yet)
Germany
England
Fat Boy (Runner up)
and...... Vicky the ladies man!!!!!

New Years Resolution

...to blog more. Yes, it's been like 2 months since I've posted to or read anyone else's blog, which is a damn shame because blogging is one of my favorite things to do. See I've been preoccupied with this little thing called "Comps", which made me its bitch for the last 2 months. But luckily (sound trumpets), I passed!! Woohoo!! As such, I have begun to decompress and become a human again, which of course, includes blogging more regularly.

So what have I been up to, you ask? Lots (though mostly studying). Actually, I just got back from 2 weeks in Europe a few days ago, so a new post full of photos and stories will be coming soon. I also started seeing someone, which takes up a lot of time (in a good way), and I've been watching a lot of football as always. And no, I will not be commenting on the exercise in pain that was the National Championship Game.

However, I have lots of stories or randomness to share, so bear with me as I attempt to fill you in on what I've been up to over the next few posts. For now, all I can say is I've missed you blog:)