I have figured out that I can spend downtime at work adding to my blog. There will probably be more posting going on! Till I get busted by the man. But I figure as the temp I shouldn't be expected to work that hard. seriously.
I am currently shlogging my way through Marx's Capital. By way of contrast, I am also re-reading the Potter series in anticipation of the new book and the next film. I'm kinda regretting not submitting a paper for the Harry Potter conference that will be at Salem this fall. I was going to write something about queer harry potter. All those closets and dual worlds. Seemed appropriate. but the deadline fell around the same time as all of my other deadlines and that one just didn't seem important. oh well. The head of my department is giving the keynote speech. I'll post the URL when I think of it. I kinda forgot.
but back to Marx. I am thinking about the fetishisation of art. For Marx, the commodity is a fetish, something that culture has created a desire for. William Pietz, whose "Fetishism and Materialism" I am currently reading on the train, reads Marx as believing that capital is a species of fetish: a factory machine, a wheat field, a pension fund which are viewed as "capital" by accountants and political economists are fetishes. I really enjoy this bit considering where I am working!
Now on to a personal fetish, Pink Floyd is reuniting for SIR Bob and his magical concerts for self promotion. I had the pleasure of seeing Pink Floyd (the new slimmed down version sans Roger) in the late eighties and it was one of the most spectacular experiences of my young life. Lets hope a tour arises out of this.
On a side note, Bob is being sued by the other members of the boomtown rats for back royalties. I guess he has been a bit busy.
okay, back to the corporate grind.
names.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
bad, bad, bad gay films
oh dear. spent the evening wading through some submissions for the film festival. Once again, I can't believe how bad gay films can be. On an up note the Ethan Green film was cute. A little miscast a times. One character who was supposed to be the hot young twink was certainly not. I don't think even drunk, creepy old guys at the Eagle would have thought so. I also discovered a group of local filmmakers who are making queer horror films! Excitement she wrote! They certainly aren't great films, in fact they can be placed in the same realm as the soft-core films on skin-a-max. but there is a certain campy amusement in watching muscle queens try to act and pretend to be dead. I saw many a fluttering eye on a "dead" person. I am tempted to contact them and join them in their bad filmmaking!
More gay films to follow this evening!
On a side note Batman opens this evening, or should I say tomorrow morning? Speaking of gay films! hunky hunky Christian Bale!! it can't be any worse than Joel Schumacher's disastrously queer Batman films. not that I minded seeing Chris O'Donnell wrapped in leather with big fake nipples, not at all!
On a decidedly more intellectual note I have begun the rather arduous process of applying for overseas scholarships. Good times are ahead!!
later,
names.
More gay films to follow this evening!
On a side note Batman opens this evening, or should I say tomorrow morning? Speaking of gay films! hunky hunky Christian Bale!! it can't be any worse than Joel Schumacher's disastrously queer Batman films. not that I minded seeing Chris O'Donnell wrapped in leather with big fake nipples, not at all!
On a decidedly more intellectual note I have begun the rather arduous process of applying for overseas scholarships. Good times are ahead!!
later,
names.
Friday, June 10, 2005
yow! time flies!
okay...so time has flown. It is literally a month since my last post. So much has happened that I wonder if it is worth the trouble bringing those out there up to date.
It is now post Star Wars, but pre Batman Returns. post end of the semester but pre-fall (a very good thing) and I am working, earning an almost livable wage.
I feel like I should take a moment and reflect upon the Deleuze conference. Perhaps the greatest thing I walked with was a sense of my own strength in navigating Deleuze. I understood about 60% of what was said. believe me, that is quite an accomplishment. Not to toot my own horn, I owe it all to the fabulous D.N.R. He is teaching an early cinema and philosophy class in the fall that I am quite psyched about. Although there is some paranoia about my final paper. I think it might have sucked. I did say that about my last paper for him and I got an A. however, this is different. I really didn't spend the amount of time I should have on it. very rushed. It was an analysis of Alain Resnais "Providence" which I really enjoyed. It was actually too much to write about. If you haven't seen that film, go and see it!
I have notes from the conference for who wish further elaboration. On the very same weekend I was a panel moderator for the Media in Transition conference. I moderated the discussion on music and subcultures which in retrospect seems rather a misnomer. I gather that the "subculture" title refers to the fact that each paper referred to either a queer male genre, an African-American genre, or musicals in general. Which is not to say that the papers didn't warrant discussion but rather the framing device did them a disservice. We had a decent turnout for 10:30 on a chilly Sunday morning.
The following Monday we all gave out thesis presentations. I spent most of the day fine tuning my powerpoint presentation. Half listened to the other people giving their schpiels. Most were surprisingly interesting. But I really didn't pay attention. I changed my topic in the last two weeks and so was racing my ass towards the finish line of 6:30pm. I needn't have worried. I actually had enough material to spend an hour talking. The best crit I got from the department head said "I have no idea what you are talking about, almost no interest in the subject, but am totally fascinated!" so there you go. whoopi-de-do!
I'm trying not to be bitter but god damn it, I am. I plan on writing most of this fucker this summer and finish a semester early. deciding not to listen to anyone in my department was the smartest thing I have done so far. I got really tired of being the square peg attempting to fit myself into their round hole.
I really had fun writing my thesis proposal. It was interested to me, engaging. Isn't that the way it should work?
Flash forward a couple of weeks. I am temping at Putnam Investments. I have a great schedule despite the fact that it doesn't leave me much time to go to the gym. and my supervisor said I could work on my thesis when there isn't other work to do!
I spent this afternoon printing out material for a post-graduate program abroad. If luck is with me I will be spending next year at Oxford. with someone else paying!!
oh man, enough for tonight.
names.
It is now post Star Wars, but pre Batman Returns. post end of the semester but pre-fall (a very good thing) and I am working, earning an almost livable wage.
I feel like I should take a moment and reflect upon the Deleuze conference. Perhaps the greatest thing I walked with was a sense of my own strength in navigating Deleuze. I understood about 60% of what was said. believe me, that is quite an accomplishment. Not to toot my own horn, I owe it all to the fabulous D.N.R. He is teaching an early cinema and philosophy class in the fall that I am quite psyched about. Although there is some paranoia about my final paper. I think it might have sucked. I did say that about my last paper for him and I got an A. however, this is different. I really didn't spend the amount of time I should have on it. very rushed. It was an analysis of Alain Resnais "Providence" which I really enjoyed. It was actually too much to write about. If you haven't seen that film, go and see it!
I have notes from the conference for who wish further elaboration. On the very same weekend I was a panel moderator for the Media in Transition conference. I moderated the discussion on music and subcultures which in retrospect seems rather a misnomer. I gather that the "subculture" title refers to the fact that each paper referred to either a queer male genre, an African-American genre, or musicals in general. Which is not to say that the papers didn't warrant discussion but rather the framing device did them a disservice. We had a decent turnout for 10:30 on a chilly Sunday morning.
The following Monday we all gave out thesis presentations. I spent most of the day fine tuning my powerpoint presentation. Half listened to the other people giving their schpiels. Most were surprisingly interesting. But I really didn't pay attention. I changed my topic in the last two weeks and so was racing my ass towards the finish line of 6:30pm. I needn't have worried. I actually had enough material to spend an hour talking. The best crit I got from the department head said "I have no idea what you are talking about, almost no interest in the subject, but am totally fascinated!" so there you go. whoopi-de-do!
I'm trying not to be bitter but god damn it, I am. I plan on writing most of this fucker this summer and finish a semester early. deciding not to listen to anyone in my department was the smartest thing I have done so far. I got really tired of being the square peg attempting to fit myself into their round hole.
I really had fun writing my thesis proposal. It was interested to me, engaging. Isn't that the way it should work?
Flash forward a couple of weeks. I am temping at Putnam Investments. I have a great schedule despite the fact that it doesn't leave me much time to go to the gym. and my supervisor said I could work on my thesis when there isn't other work to do!
I spent this afternoon printing out material for a post-graduate program abroad. If luck is with me I will be spending next year at Oxford. with someone else paying!!
oh man, enough for tonight.
names.
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