Getting Settled

So, for those of you with some foolish notion of temporarily sitting in another apartment while waiting for yours to open, I simply have one word for you: don't. I was lucky enough to have two neighbors and my friend Matt, a fellow GC alum, help out with the move, and it was still rough. It also didn't help things that it was probably around 105 or so outside when we were moving it all. But at least I'm finally in my actual apartment, and I have to say I'm liking it. I've got a bedroom and an office, which is something I was looking for. The community I'm in is pretty nice, except for the apparent penchant for having our front gate killed. Gizmo seems to be making this place her own rather quickly, but then, that's not a surprise for that cat. She also attacked my arm at 5:30 in the morning last week. Par for the course, eh?

In terms of getting ready for classes, while I still have no real idea about the student side of things, the teacher side is taking shape. I have a complete draft of my syllabus and daily schedule, something I haven't had to really do before. I think it'll be helpful though, as I have at least a skeleton of what I'll be doing throughout the semester. I'm excited for classes to start next week, not only to get back into teaching, but to get back to being a student as well. I'm looking forward to the balance, much more so than the prospect of another 6/6 load at Greenville Tech.

As for the people, I'm really liking the folks I'm in TA training with. I've been going out with the Creative Writing crowd on the weekends, and they know how to have a good time. That's also pretty easy when you find a place that has a 2 for 1 deal on most drinks from 7 to 11. Let's just say it's bad news. I laugh in a way that I'm hanging out with the MFAs and not the PhDs yet, but then I've always hung out with the Creative Writing folks. Hell, it was my focus in undergrad. I'm always impressed by the talent of folks to write creatively. I hope that one day I could pull something like that off, but for now, it looks like I'm going to be on the analyzing side of things. Not that I find anything wrong with that; I'm quite up to the challenge.

Well, enough rambling for now. I have a mandatory new TA Orientation hosted by the school tomorrow morning, so I should probably catch some sleep.

And all you folks on the east coast, remember, I'm three hours behind you. Think about it.

Later.

Just Step Away...

A little time to think about things is always good. What I was griping about last week is really less of an issue this week. I think part of the anxiety was just about getting settled in, which will finally occur tomorrow afternoon when I get into my actual apartment. If you ever think about living out of boxes for a while, take my advice: don't.

The weekend was good. I went out drinking with the MFAs on Friday, and a couple of us hit up a hookah bar on Saturday, complete with belly dancer using those tiny hand cymbals. It was an interesting experience to watch, to say the least. You don't know whether to look or not, or whether to applaud, and before you know it the dancer is all up in your space and it's all crazy like and then you want some tiny hand cymbals for yourself.

Oy. I'll be glad to get into my place tomorrow and unpack. I'm going to catch some sleep now. Or at least try.

A Fresh Start?

A line from the Arizona State University Writing Programs Mission Statement: "We favor college-level non-fiction readings that invite students to become actively engaged with the author's point of view, rather than simply to read for 'information' or 'main ideas.'"

As I start this new blog in an attempt to document my experiences as I work on my Ph.D., I know that I shouldn't complain. ASU has offered me funding, and given me a place to study out of the 14 programs that I applied to. I get to teach and work on my degree. This is what I wanted, and in a place that is new and different from any other I've lived in up to this point in time.

My problem is that once again, whether through the apathy of the program, or the eyes of the university, I am not teaching literature. Not only that, we aren't even supposed to bring literature into the classroom unless it's the last option available. I figured that by this point, working on my doctorate, I would be able to actually teach what I know. It's not that I haven't taught this type of class before. It's that this should be the time where I begin to hone my skills as a teacher of literature, not composition. Luckily it seems that there will be opportunities for me to teach literature courses after my first year, but the reason eludes me why my fellow lit Ph.D. students and I (the ones of us fortunate enough to receive funding for our first year) are placed in a situation where we must teach in an area that is not our primary field. Maybe this is part of what I want to change wherever I go. You wouldn't have a chemist teach physics, so why have a literature specialist teach composition?

I just find is frustrating that for whatever reason, my expectations are not met yet again. I am excited to be here and excited to start my research. It's quite possible that this is just a small problem in what will be an otherwise amazing journey. But I guess I'll see.