Closing some Loops
For the past two or three days, I was in a bit of a funk. Nothing really wrong, everything going okay, but something not quite right. I wanted to sleep more, was easily distracted, and just not feeling right. Some of it may or is physical. There are all kinds of cold germs floating around the university now and I am no doubt fighting them off. But there seemed to be something else. I think what was happening was there were a lot of open loops, to use a phrase from Getting Things Done, -- things that I had not completed and had not written down to complete. Two loops got closed recently that have made me feel better. There's a third thing that I need to close soon, but is a bit harder.
Those loops:
1. A number of financial things have been stressing me out lately. Sarah did a big breakdown of all our finances and came up with a solid "this is all we get to spend every month" number. That number is not very big, but it makes me feel good to have that set in stone to work from. It's much easier to NOT EAT OUT when you see how that stupid combo meal from Taco Bueno is taking away from your ability to do other things, like buy books or put gas in the car.
2. I picked the texts for my graduate course next semester. I didn't realize this was bugging me until I turned in the forms today and instantly felt better. I am trying to get my students to read some primary stuff that also dovetails with my research interests. We will be reading: Experience and Education (Dewey), School and Society (a quasi-textbook on social theory and education), the Ethics of Teaching (another quasi-textbook), Tinkering Toward Utopia (Tyack and Cuban), and The Closing of the American Mind (Bloom). It's pretty ambitious, but I think it will work out.
The third thing is I need a book to read. I've been floundering a bit on the reading side of things the past two weeks, ever since finishing The Lions of al-Rassan, which was very, very good. I just can't decide what I want to read now. The financial side of things suggests getting a book from the library, but I kinda want a graphic novel or something rather escapist. I think I'll feel better once I figure out something to put my nose in.
Those loops:
1. A number of financial things have been stressing me out lately. Sarah did a big breakdown of all our finances and came up with a solid "this is all we get to spend every month" number. That number is not very big, but it makes me feel good to have that set in stone to work from. It's much easier to NOT EAT OUT when you see how that stupid combo meal from Taco Bueno is taking away from your ability to do other things, like buy books or put gas in the car.
2. I picked the texts for my graduate course next semester. I didn't realize this was bugging me until I turned in the forms today and instantly felt better. I am trying to get my students to read some primary stuff that also dovetails with my research interests. We will be reading: Experience and Education (Dewey), School and Society (a quasi-textbook on social theory and education), the Ethics of Teaching (another quasi-textbook), Tinkering Toward Utopia (Tyack and Cuban), and The Closing of the American Mind (Bloom). It's pretty ambitious, but I think it will work out.
The third thing is I need a book to read. I've been floundering a bit on the reading side of things the past two weeks, ever since finishing The Lions of al-Rassan, which was very, very good. I just can't decide what I want to read now. The financial side of things suggests getting a book from the library, but I kinda want a graphic novel or something rather escapist. I think I'll feel better once I figure out something to put my nose in.
Should have let me know when you were down. I would have let you read Sentences:: The Life of M.F. Grimm. Emerson picked it up for me and is really good. Basic in nature but an ambitious project from a hip-hop guy.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds pretty good.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Virgin looks pretty interesting also.