- I need to accomplish a great many things today, all of which I truly don't feel like doing. Grading, some administrative stuff for my online class, grading, and then maybe some more grading. I'm giving myself an hour to chill before I really get down to it.
- In other news, I'm finding myself oddly annoyed by a post over at Rate Your Students that quotes from my recent cat post (without linking to me I might add, so I'm not linking to it). Let me just say this again (though how many times I've said it now, I have no idea): I'm an academic, and sometimes I write about stuff related to academia. But this is not a professional blog. It's not listed on my cv, and I don't view it or present it as a professional document. (If I did, I wouldn't go by "Dr. Crazy," for a start.) If that's the sort of thing that you're looking for, perhaps this is not the blog for you. If what you're looking for is focused, high-minded commentary on my field or the profession, which never veers off into other areas, this certainly is not the blog for you. I'm a whole person. I attempt to write about different snippets of that whole person, because I think there's value in doing so. If you don't think there's value in that, or you don't like the fun, personal, or frivolous stuff on this blog, that's your prerogative. But dude, if you're going to use my blog to make some broader point about the scourge on our culture that blogs like mine pose, the least you could do is link to it so that people can judge for themselves.
- Did I mention that I need to grade?
- In other news, I sent off the application for JWIBSNA yesterday, and so my whining about that task that had been looming for a month is over.
- I've actually got some academic sorts of posts brewing in my head, but I've been too swamped with actual work to write them. The thing is, a lot of what I've been busy with is very specific, and when I post about academic things here, I like to telescope out from the specific so as to make a broader point, so this blog isn't just about me, or my students, or my department, or my institution. That takes effort, and when I'm really freaking busy with actual work, I don't typically have what it takes left over to make that effort.
- In other news, I think I'm actually feeling like doing research again, which I've not felt since finishing my last article (still no word from Fancy Journal), finishing the book, and finishing the tenure binder. I'm hopeful that I'll be doing two conferences in 2009, and I'm hopeful that those papers will translate into either an article or into a chapter for a next book, though I've yet to decide whether I'm really game for strapping the "next book" project on. I'm feeling a sense of liberation when it comes to the research side of things right now, because I don't really have a set agenda for what I need to accomplish next. That said, I think I'm getting close to the point where I need to set some sort of agenda for myself where that is concerned. Agendas can be a good thing.
- You know, there's a large part of me that just wants to read for my one class instead of grading. This would be productive procrastination, but procrastination all the same.
- Enough of this bullet nonsense. I need to go start making my to-do list for the day.
12 years ago
8 comments:
I read your blog regularly but don't comment much because I don't typically use my blogger account and your comments require that. But please know that I *love* your blog. It's genuine and funny...you have a great voice. (And I don't know how anyone else could feel like it's their right to put any expectations on what is your personal space here. Geez.)
Just wanted to send you some positive vibes today.
I love your blog and I love your cat posts most! People who tell other people what to do when it doesn't affect them and are rude and nasty about it bug me.
Why do we work on Sundays?
I notice working out was not on your list: Did you go to the gym?
I did, even though it means I'm going to bed tonight without grading the last 1/2-dozen or so Reaction Papers before class tomorrow(my personal deadline).
And I graded papers all day and fiddled with my slides for tomorrow so nothing, and I mean nothing, got done around the house.
Why, oh why, must we work on Sundays??
Thanks for the positive comments, Cleo and Canuck_Grad. I think that the thing that annoys me most is that I've gotten shit from RYS more than once now, and the fact that if you're going to quote me, just freaking quote me and actually CITE me, or, in blogging terms, link. It's awfully rich when somebody questions my professionalism when they fail to do those basic things. I may write what I think are hilarious posts about my cats for the fun of it, but I don't quote people and fail to acknowledge them. I suppose it's for readers to decide which is the more egregious offense to their sensibilities.
Why must we work on Sundays, Virginia? Ah, 'tis the curse of being an academic :) I didn't work out today, and indeed, remained in pajamas from morning to night. It was sweet :)
Dr. Crazy,
A reader told us that you had written about the recent post that apparently included some text from your blog. (It was about cats.)
The poster in question didn't note that the text was actually from your blog, so we had no way of knowing it was your material.
If you'd like us to excise that material, we're happy to.
Our best,
RYS
Yep, if you could remove it, I think that would be the best thing.
The original poster of the Mr. Whiskers / Hiram Scoobies post has contacted us and asked us to try to resolve this.
He tells us that he did not plagiarize your cat dialogue, that is he wasn't taking credit for it. He purposefully didn't give your blog's name because his point was not to poke fun at you, but at the whole "academic with cats" blog-style that he finds embarrassing.
We can't imagine how using the changed names of the cats "Mr. Whiskers" and "Hiram Scoobies" (which he provided) can possibly be a problem, because as far as we can tell those aren't the names of your cats.
We don't think they were quoted out of context at all. Indeed, they were used by the OP as an example of this type of academic blogging.
As moderators of the site we choose pieces that seem lively and interesting, and since academic blogging has been a recent topic, we found the OP's post funny and more than a little tongue-in-cheek. This OP is not the first person to comment on what may or may not be appropriate blogging, and we let him join the conversation.
Nobody at RYS was attempting to do anything to discredit you, and we think the OP was trying to be diplomatic by not mentioning you or your college.
We are made aware of your blog from time to time by readers, but it was not thus in this case. We only got involved because a reader (not the OP) mentioned that you had blogged about it here.
Indeed if you still feel we've wronged you, please let us know what we may do. Our email is rateyourstudents@hotmail.com
RYS
He tells us that he did not plagiarize your cat dialogue, that is he wasn't taking credit for it.
You just can't make stuff like that up, can you.
FWIW, you know I love your blog and, as I wrote in an earlier thread, I find your creative writing exercise win cat speak to be most entertaining ... but I read you for everything else.
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