dateline: midterms!

ah, midterm week: alternately the best and the worst week of the year. i always get a ton of stuff done this week, because i'm under so much pressure from deadlines ... but i also have to get a ton of stuff done this week, because i'm under so much pressure from deadlines! :) at least my classes got their papers back last week, so that's one less thing to worry about!

right now i'm working on a research grant proposal. one of the toughest things about academia is the way that money is distributed; instead of giving everyone more on a regular basis, they hold more competitions and scholarships that you have to apply for. i've got a great project going right now, something that could definitely be publication material, so fingers crossed on this one ... now i just have to get the write-up done on time!

but as a distraction, of course (of course!), my brain is going all full-steam-ahead on dreaming up the world of the persuasion-inspired novel. picture it: a girl just like you, who loves a really sweet boy, with misunderstandings, love, romance, reconciliation ... all set with the kentucky derby and the horse racing industry as the background. and the hero looks like this:

swoon! love henry cavill. ah, someday soon i will get this written! and it will be amazing, and you will all love it. ;)

the girls are on the move!

fellow golden girls fans: make sure you tune in on sunday to the hallmark channel for a marathon of the girls! the show is moving after being on lifetime for what seems like an eternity, and they're having a special day of episodes to mark the move. i can't ever decide which episode is my favorite, but all of my most-loved moments seem to center around sophia (who doesn't love sophia?) and rose -- she's just so childlike in her wonder about everything in the world, and that is hilarious. here's one of my favorite scenes -- rose thinks she has "died and gone to heaven." oh, and of course, the parody video of the girls as the election '08 candidates!

also, it seems to be "entertainment with old people" day, but everyone needs to check out the clara cannucciari cooking show on youtube -- she's 91, and she and her grandson produce a show where she demonstrates recipes that she and her mother made during the depression. she's adorable!

more grading tonight -- and then i'm going to spend some time sketching out more ideas for the persuasion novel. i really feel like this could go somewhere if i just had enough time to sit down and get through it!

another long day

lesson planning? check. we're going to keep pushing on cultural studies questions tomorrow, and things should hopefully work out okay. so now i've given myself the rest of the evening to chill on the couch, eat potato chips, and watch 30 rock on tv and old episodes of rich girls on youtube. ah, relaxation. if i could just forget that i have all those papers to grade tomorrow, i'd be totally zen.

after my weekly liz lemon fix, i'm switching over to pbs for the video of last night's stevie wonder extravaganza at the white house. can't wait to see the prom king and queen of dc there! ;) (and it just started -- and he's kicking off with "sir duke"! my favorite!)

austen fans, check it out -- the first preview art panels from the new marvel pride and prejudice comic books! i've already got mine ordered, and i can't wait until they come in the mail!

still working on the editing project for that forgotten regency novella that i've rediscovered. i really think this could be an amazing edition if it all takes off -- i've got plans for the introduction, the annotations, and even the appendix material, with primary sources, contemporary reviews, and more. i'm not sure that i'll have the clout yet to convince a press like broadview to publish my stuff, but i think they'd really benefit from something like this text for college students -- it's short enough to be read quickly, but it's got so many dimensions that it could be interpreted in lots and lots of different ways.

tomorrow: teaching, laundry, grading, more grading, possibly drinks later. and hopefully a hell of a lot of sleep!

anyone want to lesson plan for me?

having one of those evenings where i should be lesson planning (for tomorrow! eek!) and grading essays, and i somehow cannot make my brain cooperate. we're working on a rather abstract and complex text in my lower-level course right now, and thinking up ways to complicate the discussion while still steering them toward a more nuanced understanding of the essay is really just eluding me at the moment. looks like there will be major freewriting going on in the preppy prof's class tomorrow...

thought obama did a really great job with his speech tonight, and i loved the emphasis on education, health care, and personal responsibility for all americans. he's managed to stay inspiring even after the rah-rah campaigning portion of the political journey has ended, and i love it. he makes me want to be a better american, and that's got to be worth something. i love that he's trying to make us all understand that we have massive common ground despite our differences.

in royal news today, crown princess victoria of sweden got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, daniel westling. i love that yet another "normal" person is marrying into a european royal family. they look incredibly happy, and i can't wait to see what her wedding dress looks like. if her classy engagement dresses (and ring -- what a rock!) are any indication, it's going to be gorgeous.

still having the persuasion-inspired piece knocking around in my head. i'm thinking henry cavill is my ideal stand in for the "wentworth" character. maybe that will be fun to dream about tonight, even if the lesson planning goes as pear-shaped as i expect it will.