(Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander, in the recent movie. I haven't seen the movie yet. Source)I've read the first two books, and can't wait for the final book's American release later this summer. I am trying to channel Lisbeth not only because she's a B.A. that takes names, but also because she's an amazing and competent researcher. She loves to find out information, many times just for the sake of learning, and she writes the most comprehensive and clear reports as well. (Did I mention that she can take down bad dudes, despite being less than 5 ft. tall?)
So I'm not super amazing Lisbeth and I lack her B.A. motorcycle jacket, her hacking skills, and general brilliance, I am channeling her fearlessness and her amazing research skills. Like Lizbeth, I am staying up late, working on a weird schedule, and thinking non-stop about my research (OK, maybe with slightly less focus). While maybe Sally would not wear wear this Murakami shirt, maybe she'd appreciate it.
DSCF4258, originally uploaded by Cohabitating_Closet.
So I'm not super amazing Lisbeth and I lack her B.A. motorcycle jacket, her hacking skills, and general brilliance, I am channeling her fearlessness and her amazing research skills. Like Lizbeth, I am staying up late, working on a weird schedule, and thinking non-stop about my research (OK, maybe with slightly less focus). While maybe Sally would not wear wear this Murakami shirt, maybe she'd appreciate it.
In addition, I'm quite sure that Lisbeth would have a similar work space, although maybe she'd work more from a sofa or on the floor.
(She'd also approve of my major intellectual crush on the late Steig Larsson, but that's a story for another time).
That's about what my desk looked like until I stopped printing stuff (although I do work from a sofa at home since we don't have a desk). Organized chaos, or something like that. I don't know how you do it, but you even manage to make jorts look good. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteYou look unbearably cool, Rad. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteI like your outfit and agree that Lisbeth Salander is a great character. I saw the movie recently, and it is worth watching because the actress who plays Lisbeth is very good.
ReplyDeleteYou are totally B.A. Can we have a close-up of the boots?
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for introducing me to this fascinating character.
This outfit is totally rad, in every sense of the word. I don't know this BA literary character but I so rarely read. Novels, I mean.
ReplyDeleteAnd in response to your thoughtful response yesterday, I also agree that university administrations (or university marketing departments) are complicit in the student-as-customer ethos that is slowly but surely taking over institutions. At my university right now there is a lot of talk of student success in relation to student satisfaction. I'm not even sure what "student satisfaction" looks like outside of a consumer model. I think I probably want my students to be dissatisfied, in fact. I want them to be challenged, I want them to be bothered by things in the world and I want them to develop the tools to declare that they are bothered and to back those declarations up.
I think the problem is that my students seem to be confused, and again the university marketers may be to blame for this, about what it is that they are "buying" when they are accepted to the university. They are not buying credits or a degree, they are paying for an education. So many of my students think that they are owed a passing grade and on more than one occasion students have suggested that they deserve a better grade, not because they think their work merits it (it doesn't), but because they paid for the course. This I cannot abide. I told one such student, who failed my course spectacularly in large part because he did not hand in all of the required assignments or attend more than 3 classes the whole term, that he is "paying" for an education, not a degree, and that I was fairly sure that in failing my course, he learned something. He was unimpressed.
I'm also concerned about the dangerous repercussions to allowing students to approach education as a commodity that can be measured because we are not far off from offering students the courses they want at the times they want to take them, lest they take their tuition dollars to another department or another institution. In our department I was at the centre of an uncomfortable debate last year because I demanded that 3-credit hours in medieval literature be a requirement for an English degree. This was the only field that was not required and many faculty members expressed concern that medieval courses are difficult and we might lose potential majors if they are required to take these courses. Putting aside for the moment the fact that it is ridiculous to assume that medieval literature is any more difficult than any other literary period, the concern was very clear that we would put students off by requiring them to have breadth in their major. I was flabbergasted and had to work very hard to maintain my calm in that meeting. My motion was passed and students are now required to take 3-credit hours of medieval literature in our programme, but it was hard-won and very much influenced by this new breed of consumer-student that the university is courting.
Oh my, I could go on, but I won't. Though I did want to say that I admire your willingness to like your students and to see things from their perspective. I try to do this, and often I manage it, but just as often, I don't. Soldier on with the writing, BA Rad. Kick arse and take names.
You do look pretty bad-ass today. I haven't read the books, maybe I'll have time to get through my "to read" pile this summer. Love the little kitty/kid shirt, but isn't it a Yoshitomo Nara shirt? I have one of his - I love him!
ReplyDeleteRad, I just discovered your blog via your comments on Sal's posts. It's. . .well, rad! Funny, as I was reading this I thought "a B.A. who takes names" meant Bachelor of Arts. I love that I can now think the "B.A." I earned (also) means Bad Ass.
ReplyDeleteBut if so, geez. . . what does M.F.A. stand for?
Rad, I just discovered your blog via your comments on Sal's posts. It's. . .well, rad! Funny, as I was reading this I thought "a B.A. who takes names" meant Bachelor of Arts. I love that I can now think the "B.A." I earned (also) means Bad Ass.
ReplyDeleteBut if so, geez. . . what does M.F.A. stand for?
I like your outfit and agree that Lisbeth Salander is a great character. I saw the movie recently, and it is worth watching because the actress who plays Lisbeth is very good.
ReplyDelete