A Lit Ph.D.? Honestly...

An Outsider Looking In

2009-04-25T08:25:00.003-07:00

It's day two of MiT6 (http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit6/index.html), and the conference is awesome, but a bit overwhelming. Not in the "wow, these people are so smart that I can't reach their level" way but in the "damn, I thought I had a good grip on these ideas, and these people know so much more about it than I do" way. Makes me nervous for my presentation tomorrow, but I know what I'm talking about, I've got some good ideas, and I honestly shouldn't be freaking out about this. This feeling sucks cause it's always in the pit of my stomach, but it means I'm taking this as a serious opportunity. Maybe it's a blessing and a curse that I'm at the last time slot of the conference. Oh well. Nothing to do really but present it.

What's been really exciting about the conference is being exposed to new ideas, which are forcing me to think about how my own research will reflect and deal with such issues. I mean, think about the replication of narrative: there's adaptation, appropriation, versioning, and translation all to consider. Then set those various methods next to something like transmedia storytelling, and what to you get? A jumbled mess on how digital media uses narratives within storytelling. It complicates all this thinking on how we treat narrative and what we do with it when we move between different modes of storytelling.

In another strain of thought, the term and idea of "Web 2.0" is really problematic. Web 2.0 implies that what we have now is a new version of the web that we didn't have before. That sounds so static, and the changes happening to technology on the web is much more fluid. We can do more with the net now than we could before. This doesn't call for a need for an idea about 2.0. The technology is the tool. It's the people who are changing how they use it.

There's some random thoughts for the moment.

A Brief Update

2009-03-04T19:25:00.002-07:00

Time for a new post. And what better time to write it than in the midst of a boring feminism lecture in my lit theory class. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about feminism, but this class just makes me shut down for three hours. This isn't bad, but I could be doing something more constructive. Like reading the Faerie Queene. Or sleeping.

Anyway, so it's been a while. A long while. A lot has happened. And nothing's happened. Went to Vegas. Lost some cash. Came back. Been here busting my ass more with two classes this semester than I was with three last semester. But it's good.

Big things:

Going to Louisville for a week on Friday. Should be good times with Erin and Joey for a week. Wish Chase could join us.

Presenting a paper at MIT in April. Pretty stoked about this. But also aware that I need to spend time working on the paper.

Hokies are Orange Bowl Champs! This obviously happened a while ago, but I need something good since the basketball team seems to lack any desire to win and make the NCAA tourney.

I know there are other things, but I'll make some more detailed posts later.

Reasons Not to Stay Up Late

2008-12-15T01:44:00.002-07:00

Well, I've really only got two:

You can't get to sleep before 2 in the morning

and

Late night IHOP is deadly. Or at least rock-like.

So I finished my grading a couple hours ago, which leaves me with a draft of a paper to write. What I'm actually excited about is that this is a paper I'll be working on for a while. Is it a bit weird that I'm excited to be working on something for a while? I guess what makes it exciting is that it is the first thing that has really made me feel like I'm working on a Ph.D. I plan to work on this paper for a while, put the ideas through the grinder, come up with a nice polished final product down the road. Sustained research. Makes you feel like you're actually doing something more than simply taking classes to complete requirements.

So here I am, one semester down, several more to go. I feel good about some things, not as good about others. It's been challenging to keep myself going at points, and I hope some time at home and away from school is just what I needed. I'm also looking forward to New Years and a couple weeks here with nothing to do (and a possible Vegas trip). I feel like a break is necessary. It's been non-stop since I got out here. Don't get me wrong, it's been a lot of fun. It's been draining as well.

For those of you in VA, I'm headed home Thursday and I'll be around til the 30th. I won't have a car of my own. It's going to be cold. But it'll be good. Only a little more work to do for now...and maybe some sleep.

I'm 26

2008-12-01T22:47:00.003-07:00

Well, depending on the time zone. In my home time zone of eastern standard time I'm 26. In mountain standard time I'm still 25. Hooray regardless!

I find myself more excited to be done with my damn film paper than the oncoming birthday. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm not excited, it's just a day right. I'll take the celebration, but I find myself both older and younger all the time. I'm close to 30 than 20 now, but I'm not worried about it. Hell, I probably like it. Will I still get carded? I'm sure. But some days I feel like a child, while others I feel much older than I ought to. Where's the damn balance?

It's been a rough couple of weeks, and I've got about 2 more before I can enjoy a little freedom, though I feel the worst has passed. It felt like I was going to be under a pile of work I couldn't escape from, but as always, I just keep working and it eventually gets done.

I'd say some profound thing on the day of my birth, but I'm just happy that the end of the semester is near. And somewhat in disbelief, though I've gotten accustomed to the speed of semesters. They always pass much faster than we expect them to. My first semester of my Ph.D. will soon be under my belt, and that's an accomplishment. Maybe I am cut out for this.

Overall, I'll just be glad for a break. For those of you in Front Royal/the surrounding area, I'll be home from December 18th-30th. The rest of the time, I'll be in my place, with my cat, enjoying a little relaxation.

Monday?

2008-11-17T22:39:00.002-07:00

So not in it today. I was hoping to be, since I've got so much to accomplish and only a few short weeks in which to do it. I got some things done today, though there were many other things that won't get finished.

Maybe I'm just ready for a break. I hope so. Things are so jumbled up I can't sleep a whole night, and I have the most vivid and odd dreams constantly. Of course, power-watching/reading The Lord of the Rings could have something to do with that.

I'll just take a line from old Bilbo Baggins: "I feel like butter scraped over too much bread."

Maybe Tuesday will be better.

Lazy Sunday

2008-11-16T17:17:00.002-07:00

This is my cat. While I work hard, she's hardly working. Ever.

So I've finished The Two Towers after having to return to Verizon because the new phone they gave me was attached to a New Jersey number. Fantastic.

With one film left, it's time to gather my thoughts. At this point, there are some things to consider: the difference between adaptation and appropriation (and which realm the films and games fall under), the reasons for the adapter's changes made to Tolkien's narrative, and the effects of those changes for the audience.

As to the first, I believe this is indeed an adaptation and not an appropriation. Granted I'm still reading the theory, but when I think about the films, even with all the changes made to the story, it is still very much Tolkien's work. That elusive essence is definitely there, even if it's hard to define or pin down. I would say that part of the defining line is in the adapter's intentions. Now this doesn't mean that all attempted adaptations are actual adaptations, but this at least plays a part in it. Also playing a part is the audience's reception of the adaptation and how they view.

Which really means that these questions are all intertwined. Fantastic.

Dinner and break for Quantum of Solace, and then back to finish the films.

Damn Distractions

2008-11-16T14:58:00.001-07:00

So I just had to go to Verizon and get my phone replaced. Luckily they do it for free because the warranty is still on it. Why is that you ask? Because I just got the damn thing replaced two months ago. I really can't wait to upgrade this coming summer.

Well, now that I've taken care of that, time for a late lunch and the second half of The Two Towers. I'm hoping to be able to read the books soon so I can think about all the differences, what they mean, etc., but there's so much that the challenge is quickly becoming what changes to focus on. Thus, the viewing rolls on...

1 Down, 2 to Go

2008-11-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

So I finished watching Fellowship. It's interesting how the first film overlaps with the second book, but the second book carries on well into the third film. Hmm...

Just realized that with the extended editions there's all that extra material, and it's even titled "From Book to Vision" and "From Vision to Reality." Don't think I'll watch them today, but maybe I'll get to them at some point.

Oh, and when the hell did the end of the semester get here? I'm starting to think about how much I have left to do and how little time I have left to do it. Oy...

Sleeps, Blessed, Blessed Sleeps

2008-11-16T09:59:00.001-07:00

So I did take a break there for a while, but I'm back at it. It's 9:50, and I'm into the second disc of The Fellowship.

A lot of the changes seem to be focused on creating conflict and tension to continually move the plot of the film. This would make sense, so things like Tom Bombadil are cut out of the book in favor of quick action, moving toward the council at Rivendell that is more tense than the one in the book. Boromir and Saruman's parts have been amplified to create more of a sense of danger for the fellowship and Frodo.

Many of these changes seem to all work toward making Tolkien's story a film. Obviously changes are necessary, and so the choices to leave out parts of the story, increase the importance of other parts, and shift key events and dialogue (the reforging of Aragorn's sword and several of Gandalf's lines), all work to make this a film that works with what an audience would expect.

It's interesting to think about the audience, who may be resistant to such changes, but at the same time still made the trilogy huge box office successes. There had to be more there than simple curiosity about how the film treated Tolkien's books; thus, these changes that were made seem to be forgiven by the audience. I wonder what the response of hardcore fans of the book were?

Dang...

2008-11-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is ridiculous how much of Tolkien's story is changed around in the film. My guess is all these changes work to move the action and develop the characters, two things that would be important in films. And to think that with all the changes, the films are still each around 4 hours long.

There is also a seeming increase in humorous moments in the film. Just like the Arwen/Aragorn love story, it's something that will attract a wider audience to the film.

On a totally unrelated note, I'm still quite disappointed in Stinespring's playcalling in VT's loss to Miami. We could have been in complete control of the ACC Coastal, but no.

And once again, for the record, kick the damn field goal Beamer. How hard is that?

Mmm Pie

2008-11-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

So I must admit I was distracted by delicious apple pie. And laundry. But mostly apple pie.

So anyway, it's 10:03 Mountain Time. I've finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and now I embark on my film viewing adventure.

Stay tuned.

It Begins...

2008-11-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

So for Video Game Theory, I'm writing a paper on how transmedia storytelling differs from adaptation. You may have questions about what the heck that means, and this paper and the blog will hopefully begin to inform you on my thinking. What you need to know are the two primary texts I'm using (well, they're actually several, but you get the jist): The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. I'm embarking on the LOTR case study, which means reading the books, watching the films, and playing the games. And there is my weekend. By all means, follow along. I'll be posting throughout the experience today and tomorrow.

Currently, I'm doing laundry, cause that needs to get done, and finishing The Fellowship of the Ring. Once I've done that, I'm going to watch the movies long into tonight and probably into tomorrow.

On a side note: Blizzard sucks. Obviously I love the game, but I've paid for an empty box, and both Gamestop and Blizzard are giving me the run around. It's not often I get worked up about things, but I am livid that as of right now, I'm just out $40. Oh well. Hopefully this will get resolved.

Back to our main program. Let it begin...

Election Day Eve Eve

2008-11-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Let's just get this out there:Now that that's out of the way, I am stoked for this week. Not only because of the election...no, wait, that's the only reason I'm really stoked.

Actually that's not true. I have a lunch and symposium with some big names in the Renaissance field this Friday. That should be interesting. I just hope to not appear like an ignorant fool in front of them. I mean, I'm smart. I know things. Yeah...

As I promised another update, I do indeed deliver. I've been spending most of the weekend working on getting my new laptop and wireless printer/fax/scanner/copier set up. When I wasn't doing that, I was wasting time playing Secret of Mana or Super Mario RPG on the Wii. And here is my big problem. Not the procrastination. The fact that I have 2 next generation systems, and I'm content playing SNES ports. I've obviously played them many times before, but they suck me in again and again. However, I do get to talk about/play Gears of War in front of my Video Game Theory class this week. That should be pretty sweet.

School's going well. I'm enjoying teaching, but at the same time I'd much rather be able to focus solely on my classes and research. Word around the department is that we'll be moving to a 2/1 load beginning next year, so that'll be pretty nice. The student body, if I haven't already mentioned this, is quite interesting at ASU. Aside from the 60,000+ and growing population (apparently ASU's goal is an enrollment of 90,000+, and the University president refers to graduates as the "product," chew on that), there are a lot of kids who walk around oblivious. I mean lost in their technology in the wrong lane on their bike I'm just waiting for that idiot to get hit oblivious. I seriously might clothesline someone off their bike, or skateboard, or weird skateboard shoes (the two wheels on the bottom of their shoes and that's it).

Classes are going fine. TA Seminar is a class I've taken before in the form of Composition Theory, though the nice thing is the rest of the semester is devoted to working on our 102 syllabi for the spring. I'm disappointed in the film course I'm taking. The title of "Identity and World Film" was intriguing, but I wasn't expecting a course cross-listed between three departments and the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a result, I'm lectured to, asked what an article said, and taking quizzes. I am working on a paper discussing gender roles in The Crying Game, but that's really an independent project worth the same amount as one of the quizzes. Oh joyous day.

My best course is "Video Game Theory," and not just because it's about games. I'm currently doing a lot of interesting research into the differences between adaptation and transmedia storytelling. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of these ideas in my dissertation, so this is really te class that's most interesting and engaging. At the same time, it's a lot of reading. And I mean a lot.

In terms of my degree, things are going well. I've cleared all my distrubtion requirements, so except for 6 hours of literary theory, I'm pretty much cleared to take the classes I want to as I work towards my dissertation. Which is much better than taking all these other classes that may be interesting but not quite helpful.

Anyway, big week coming up with the election, VT playing Maryland on Thursday night, the lunch and symposium on Friday, student conferences all week, a quiz in the film class, and of course the research. Guess I better get on it. Peace.

Halloween!

2008-10-31T11:54:00.001-07:00

Thankfully, I have a bit of a reprieve from the constant stream of work that is my life, though it only will last for the weekend. And not really even that. But at least today will be laid back and chill. It is, after all, Halloween. And I'm writing this post on my sweet new laptop. It is badass. It's pretty, it's fast, and it's sexy. What more does one need in a machine?

Well I promised a long post updating things, and depending on other things going on (like making breakfast) that may or may not be this post. But if it isn't, I'll make sure it happens this weekend at some point. Yeah...

Let's see. Let's go back toward the beginning of the month. My trip to Louisville was fantastic. The conference itself was a low-key affair, and the presentation of my paper on Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet went well. The only question I got on it was about teaching Shakespeare in conjunction with film. Not quite what I was looking for, but hey, it was good. The actual extended weekend in Louisville was awesome. Chase came as well, so the Pine was reunited, sans Gizmo, who remained here in Tempe under Katie's care.

Erin and Joey were great hosts, taking us to see various parts of Louisville, including a cool hookah bar, and a couple sweet music stores. I brought back about eight or nine new cds (including Radiohead, Outkast, Miles Davis, and Thelonius Monk, among others), so that was pretty cool as well. Louisville is a nice place, and it was turning into fall. Being there has made me miss the changing of the seasons. Don't get me wrong, I love Tempe and Arizona, but I've had the four seasons all my life, so it's an interesting experience when you don't have them for the first time.

The best part of the trip was of course hanging out with my friends. Since we're all busy as hell, we don't get to talk as often as we should, so it was nice to get together with Erin, Joey, and Chase and just relax and unwind from some of the rigors of school. It was, as are all trips like this, way too short, and so I hope I'll be able to see my friends again in the near future. It will be easier to see Chase, since he is a (long) drive away, as opposed to an expensive flight.

Well, I have to get moving and shower before the Renaissance Colloquium this afternoon and then the Halloween shindig at Patrick's tonight, so I will post more later. Maybe tonight, but maybe tomorrow. You'll just have to wait and see.

The Dice Roll My Way...

2008-10-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes, in the midst of all the insanity that is your Ph.D. program, teaching gig, and social life that keeps you sane (or is supposed to), you somehow have a moment where you feel fate is falling your way, if only for a second?

Yeah, that was today.

You know how great that feeling is, especially the relief that comes with it?

Fantastic. Which, by the way, if you didn't know, is the word of the year. Fantastic.

On a side note, it cracks me up that Firefox identifies contractions as misspelled. But that might be the English nerd in me.

Anyway, I bet your curious as to what happened today. So I guess I'll tell you.

As fate (we'll call it that) would have it, I stopped by Katie, Ryan, and Allyson's office today (if you weren't aware, we have about seven to ten people in our offices), and one of their officemates happened to be in there by the name of Valerie. Now, I have seen Valerie before, and we are actually in the same film class, but our paths had never really crossed until this point. As I was in the office, she introduced herself and pointed out the fact that we have the same class, and she asked me what I was focusing on for my Ph.D. When I said "Shakespeare and Film," well, things just started rolling my way.

Valerie is working in the same area I am, and so she started to tell me a lot about what she does and who she works with. This led to her taking me on a bit of a tour to meet some of the Renaissance faculty, and I finally met Ayanna Thompson, who is one of the faculty members that I hope to work with. She was more than glad to meet me, and she was actually somewhat amazed that she wasn't aware I was at ASU. Apparently I slipped through the cracks.

Now that I've been found, I'm participating in a Renaissance Colloquium and setting up meetings with faculty members to get the ball rolling. Where I didn't have guidance before, I now have some. And that's a great feeling.

Off to more grading for now. I'll post stories later about Louisville, students, and Gizmo.

A Brief Update

2008-10-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

I'll put more on here later. Eventually. At some point.

As of right now I'm waiting to go to class. That's right, I'm back to the old joy of a 6:05 night seminar. Cool thing is, it's about video games. Bad thing is, it's after teaching back to back 101s. So, suffice it to say, my brain is fried come Wednesday night.

There's been lots going on, and I will get more up here later, but I guess the two big things are that next week, I get to see Erin, Joey, and Chase when I present at a conference in Louisville (and I'll be back in EST for 4 days), and that I'm now the conference director for the Southwest Graduate English Symposium.

I am insane.

Getting Settled

2008-08-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

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.