Committee Work

There is exciting news for my department--we have been approved to search for a new faculty member in my specialty area. As we are already the largest department in the college, I am sure there will be some moans and groans, but this will really help to meet student demands in specialty area. Now that I am teaching this new course this semester, more and more students approach me/email me asking when it will be taught again. So it is exciting to know that this will become a part of our regular course offerings.

But this news brings up two issues. This will be the second of potentially three searches we are conducting this year. My department is constantly searching and not even because we keep losing people--we just don't seem to ever stop growing. Of the three searches, only one is to replace a member who relocated--the other two are new lines. It just seems crazy to be searching all of the time to me--and I just got here. I wonder how the more senior faculty feel....

Oh and I've just been informed that I am on the search committee. I honestly don't know if I'm looking for a colleague or a replacement. I may or may not be around next year so it feels weird to be invited to participate in this process. Chair knows that my situation is still developing so I assume s/he is okay with this since s/he designed the search committee. But I just don't know how to feel about this yet.

Busy Wedding Weekend

I made a quick run to Hometown to handle some wedding business. Long story short, although our issues with the venue continue, we are making progress on finalizing the menu. It was tough going to the tasting without Dr. J being there. But since I wasn't completely satisfied with the chicken dish (too creamy), it looks like we'll have to schedule a second tasting.

Here's my favorites from the tasting:

A very very tasty vegetable and pepperjack cheese stuffed mushroom.

My favorite entree of the day (which may not be on the menu due to venue pricing changes) was the stuffed shrimp. Absolutely wonderful!!

Of course, we will be serving our wedding cake, but the menu comes with its own dessert choices. The best option was the cheesecake (with our choice of garnish--this one was a key lime and lemon scrape). So we have to make a decision--should we serve both cake and cheesecake and allow guests to choose? Or just go with the wedding cake?

That was part of my weekend. The other part was that I finally picked up our Save the Dates/Hotel Info cards and put down the deposit on our cake. So I've been obsessing about finding everyone's address today when I was supposed to be working on my conference paper. Sigh.

Getting it Together

It is wonderful how God puts certain people in your life at just the right time. This semester we have an amazing scholar in residence--a true pioneer in Black women's studies. I somehow mustered up the courage to ask her to join me for lunch, and we had a wonderful conversation today. In her questions about my work, it became very obvious that I have serious issues with my discipline that have kept me from sending out more of my work. She gave me a serious (but sweet) kick in the behind to get moving. But I also received from her something that I hadn't gotten anywhere else--affirmation that I'm not crazy! She has an amazing sense of the academic landscape and was able to confirm that yes, my discipline is a little slow when it comes to race and gender. But she was really able to help me see possible avenues to get my work out in my field, and also in other forums that might give me the feedback I need to strengthen my work within my discipline.

The timing of this conversation was amazing because just on Friday, for the first time in a long time, I had the desire to work on my own stuff. I've been making plans to work--plans to write for a while, but the desire--the motivation--has been gone. It is nice that it is finally coming back, and just in time for me to have this wonderfully inspiring conversation with a preeminent scholar who has truly been there--done that.

I have some serious work to do this semester--not just because I'm on the market--not just because I need in on my CV--but because I want to and I need to. My discipline needs some new perspectives and talking about my work with someone who knows so much definitely helped me see today that I do have new perspectives to offer. I just need to put pen to paper and get going! I just wasn't in a good place last year to invest myself in writing again. And I'm okay with that. I can't feel bad about it or call it a "loss" (which is how I think I have been thinking of the past year academically). Last year was a big transition for me in a lot of ways and I am blessed to be on the other side of that.

So here's to getting it together. Finally.

We Object!

After my recent post about "professional hair," I was surprised to hear about this Glamour editor who recently gave a presentation before a law firm.

First slide up: an African-American woman sporting an Afro. A real no-no, announced the Glamoureditor to the 40 or so lawyers in the room. As for dreadlocks: Howtruly dreadful! The style maven said it was "shocking" that some peoplestill think it "appropriate" to wear those hairstyles at the office."No offense," she sniffed, but those "political" hairstyles really haveto go.

Now, of course, I'm wondering why the editor of Glamour is speaking to this law firm, but in any case, this story is a trip. Law.com - Cleary Gottlieb Has a Bad Hair Day. Apparently there has been lots of reaction--I'm just a little late: Law.com - Bloggers Fan the Fury Over Hairstyle Advice to Cleary's African-American Lawyers.

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Facing Week Three--Already

It is incredible how the first two weeks of classes have flown by already. I'm already exhausted and wishing that Fall Break was here. But I'm also feeling more confident--more assured about my classes. My Major Course, which I'm teaching only for the third time, is finally feeling comfortable. From its inception, it has been a fun course to teach--it encourages student discussion on a lot of current events. However, this semester I can already see that I am getting better at encouraging student discussions. I lead conversations less; I let the material dictate more. I'm more comfortable with getting off track. I'm more comfortable with throwing the class back on track when necessary. My use of technology is definitely more effective. And most of all, I'm having more fun.

My spirit is lighter this semester. Despite the fact that Dr. J and I are farther apart than every and I miss him terribly, I finally feel like each week down is one week closer to our marriage and our life together. Yes, that's always been the case--its not like the wedding date has moved--but it feels more real now. There is definitely something to his just being done with school and having a place that will soon be our home that makes everything all the more real. The light is finally appearing at the end of the tunnel.

But I digress, week three is approaching and I am looking forward to Specialty Course. I think I have overcome my discouragement about the last Specialty Course I taught. It helps to have more students in this course who are vocal--and the topic is more appealing to a broad audience. Still, the change is most apparent in the way I feel about teaching the class--even though I am not a practitioner in this area and it really isn't my specialty. I am, so far at least, enjoying the challenge and really trying to let my personal interests and excitement about the topic drive the course. I'm letting go of the areas I know little to nothing about and scheduling helps a great deal with that.

Now of course, this is all before any major grading is done.