Sunday, April 13, 2008

More Pictures from NoLa

Here are some images from my trip to the Cs in NoLa.  First is a shot of the Asus Eee that traveled with me.

The courtyard of where I stayed.

The stairs going up to my room.

Step out the door and look to the left.

I saw this stretch every day I was in NoLa.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Cheap Food at Conferences

I’m no foodie, but I know how the cost of food impacts my pocketbook—especially when I have to eat out three meals a day for days on end.  Add to that the factors of being in a big city, not being a local who knows where to find cheap eats, and conferences being located—usually—in downtown areas.  So, what I humbly suggest to the big wide world of compositionist foodies is this: an informal eating activist group that posts a blog, wiki, and/or broadsides at conferences that map out the locations for eating for $10 and under within reasonable distance of the conference.  I am sure grad students would appreciate this as much as many adjuncts would. 

If someone or some group is already doing this—or undertakes this in the future—please let me know.  I am more than happy to post links to your wisdom.  Or, if you prefer, I can even post the food listings here.

Monday, April 07, 2008

A Note of Thanks!

I’d like to offer my thanks and gratitude to the College of the Redwoods Professional Development grant and the CCCC’s Professional Equity Project for largely funding my trip to New Orleans.  They made it possible for me to travel to and from the conference.  My hosts, Nason and Lee, I thank for generously giving me a place to stay and demonstrating hospitality above and beyond the call.

Thank you.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Live at the C’s: The Sounds of Home

Over the past couple of days, I have not thought much about my classes back in California.  Their absence from my physical presence has made them seem a bit theoretical.  Or fantastical.  Or as if they are part of some other existence.  That has started to end.

I am flying out tomorrow, and I am starting to resurface out of the pool that is the C’s. In a few days, the C’s will be the reflecting surface of memory and my classes the substance and place where my body walks around. 

The long and the short of it is that I’m doing little or nothing in the conference today.  If I went, I think my head would explode.  I already feel like there’s been so much growth, contemplation, and development, that I need to walk away for a bit.  Take a break.  Rest.  And so resting is what I am doing this day.  Good thing, rest.

I may or may not blog anymore while I’m here.  Blogging has been useful in helping me process my thoughts, but doing so also winds my mind and my head too tight.  My brain has been so charged that I wake up multiple times a night with ideas about teaching, how to adjust a class plan, topics to read, and themes to explore.  …

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Live at the C’s: Party, Wine, and Oysters

Even though I am not a big gathering kind of person, I really enjoyed the Bedford/St. Martin’s party at the aquarium.  Sure I sat outside, drank some cabernet, and wrote notes and people watched—but that is one thing I like to do.  The Bedford/St. Martin’s party allowed me to do that comfortably in the company of my peers.  I was not whooping it up, networking, or attempting to sell myself or my friends to possible employers, but that is not why I came to the C’s.  I came to the C’s to moderate a professional conference workshop, to experience NoLa, and to get a feel for what my profession is like. 

Frankly, it is nice knowing that there are literally hundreds—if not thousands—of people just like me who care about writing, reading, language, and communication.  That is why I came here.

And yes, I drank cabernet at the party.  It was good, and it suited my mood.

After the party, my friends/hosts treated me to Drago’s.  Raw oysters were odd but good.  The barbecued oysters with garlic were divine.  I am no foodie, but I will remember those oysters for quite a while.  The shrimp was great, and the duck fingers were unique—unique in a good be sure.  When—not if—you get the barbecued oysters, mop up the sauce with …

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

Live at the C’s: Physical Place

As I have mentioned, I am writing more personally than normal. 

I have been quite drained and wired during my time at the C’s, and I have been trying to figure out why.  I think a lot of it has to do with the actual physical space where my body is located.  I have not really left “home” for several years—and even then, when I did, it was never for more than a few days.  Thus, I have become extremely insulated in my physical patterns.

My mental patterns are mirrored by this physical space as well.  During Wednesday’s workshop, several times people disagreed with points or parts of points I made.  This was great because I love learning new things.  What I found fascinating, though, was that on queer issues, most of my thinking/exchange had been done electronically via e-mail or Web pages.  Here, there were bodies and faces and each of them had opinions.  These voices were not disembodied ideas—they were visceral, and they spoke with body language.  This made me respond in a different way.  I had to treat these ideas with more purpose because there was an actual person there—one with a physical presence.

Being in a large city—to me, at least—is always a bit nerve racking.  I rarely like places with more than 20,000 people.  …

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Live at the C’s: Thursday, April 3, 2008

This morning was the WPA breakfast on board the Creole Queen.  It was nice to go and see folks, but I can’t say I saw hardly anyone I knew.  I hung out with a co-panelist from yesterday, ate some good food, and was stunned that the meeting ended right on time.  The only bummer was they kept on running out of real coffee.  That hurt.

Thanks to the generosity of a staker, I was able to attend the breakfast.  In many ways, simply attending the meeting has taken away the mystery that was there before.  For some reason, I thought that there was special business that went on, but it was essentially—from what I could tell—mostly an excuse to get all of those people who knew each other together in one place.

There are tons of panels today, the display room is open, and there is the Bedford/St. Martin’s party at the aquarium to go to.  On top of that, there is sleep to catch up on, coffee to drink, and the French Quarter to explore.  There really is not enough time to do all of these things.

On a side note, the iron work on the balconies surrounding Jackson Square is incredible.  Similarly, the cool fog that lingers in the morning makes it worth getting up around 6:30 …

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