Last year, listening to the radio on the way to work, ABC Classic FM played a piece of music that was performed only once during the composer's life. It might have been Rachmaninoff's first symphony, which was difficult to write, had a disastrous first performance and triggered an episode of severe depression. Of his symphony, … Continue reading Enjoying the little things
PhD
Housekeeping (at home and work)
This post is a way of exploring some contradictory thinking about housekeeping. In my last post on strategies for working during tough times, the small, shallow, short-term tasks I identified can be understood as a type of academic housekeeping. At work, as at home, women tend to do more of it, and it holds less … Continue reading Housekeeping (at home and work)
The liminality of graduation
I love graduations. I celebrated my first graduation—from a humble Bachelor of Arts—in 1999. From memory, I first participated in an academic procession in September 2012. I enjoy the pomp of graduation: winged gowns, polyester mimicking the textures of velvet and silk, the ceremonial mace, graduands’ inappropriate shoes for cobblestones, an operatic intermission, the occasional … Continue reading The liminality of graduation
The Slow Academic 