Gillian Polack's Blog, page 145
October 15, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-16T13:09:00
My useful thought for the day is to look at my TV viewing and count the number of women and count the number of men and work out (by simple numbers) what that tells me about women's place in society. What it tells me is that the ratio of women to men ranges from 1:2 to 1:10. If one adds in speaking, then women are expected to let others do it except in very specific cases*.
None of this is new. All of it has been studied. I just thought it helped explain (to me) why some idiots don't see that Gillard was stating the literal truth about Tony Abbott's misogyny. I've seen so many cries of "But where's the evidence" even though Gillard provided quite enough concrete evidence, using Abbott's own words. Some of these accusations come from misogynists, of course, who don't want to admit that something they think may not be the best thing they could think and may not earn them social brownie points. In other cases, however, these people are not seeing their own bias and not understanding the permissions that Abbott has to speak and that Gillard usually doesn't. I've even heard people saying that other people have addressed the issue for Gillard and so she shouldn't have done so: this is another form of permission.
That ratio of women to men in media disempowers women. Giving men the speaking parts and the action roles above women denies women the authenticity of speaking about their own experience.
This bugs me. It also (which is worse) has caused me to say to myself "Maybe I should let others say what needs to be said - they have cultural permission and I don't." This is so very wrong that I felt I should post about my count of what happens on my TV screen.
This post is brief because I have so much else to do, but I couldn't let it pass.
*some programs had much healthy ratios of speaking and agency for women - these programs were, however in the minority.
ETA: What I was wondering originally, when I started noticing numbers (ages and ages ago) was what messages aliens got about our society from current TV. One of the messages is taht we have a male majority.
None of this is new. All of it has been studied. I just thought it helped explain (to me) why some idiots don't see that Gillard was stating the literal truth about Tony Abbott's misogyny. I've seen so many cries of "But where's the evidence" even though Gillard provided quite enough concrete evidence, using Abbott's own words. Some of these accusations come from misogynists, of course, who don't want to admit that something they think may not be the best thing they could think and may not earn them social brownie points. In other cases, however, these people are not seeing their own bias and not understanding the permissions that Abbott has to speak and that Gillard usually doesn't. I've even heard people saying that other people have addressed the issue for Gillard and so she shouldn't have done so: this is another form of permission.
That ratio of women to men in media disempowers women. Giving men the speaking parts and the action roles above women denies women the authenticity of speaking about their own experience.
This bugs me. It also (which is worse) has caused me to say to myself "Maybe I should let others say what needs to be said - they have cultural permission and I don't." This is so very wrong that I felt I should post about my count of what happens on my TV screen.
This post is brief because I have so much else to do, but I couldn't let it pass.
*some programs had much healthy ratios of speaking and agency for women - these programs were, however in the minority.
ETA: What I was wondering originally, when I started noticing numbers (ages and ages ago) was what messages aliens got about our society from current TV. One of the messages is taht we have a male majority.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-16T10:59:00
It's possible that I'm already up to the penultimate draft of the PhD work. All those years in the public service and (more recently) working with small press on books, has made a big difference at this end of things. There are some checks I do automatically (like making sure Word hasn't switched fonts on me) and I know how to see the look of the printed page from the screen version.
This doesn't mean I'm happy with it yet. That's the point, though, with my training, I'm never going to be happy, for I will always worry about that last typo or the fact that a page looks clumsy. One of my publications had reversion to an earlier version just before print, and no-one realised until it was too late. This always haunts me and so I am never content. Apparently most students are happier with less cleaning up before their work goes in and are not quite as careful in the early stages with formatting. This leads, of course, to many iterations.
There may still be problems, of course, but we suddenly have several days to troubleshoot them if there are. And I won't actually come off this high-nerve ledge until the thing is in. I do think, however, that I might be able to return to some of my normal activities from this weekend. If I feel a bit less tired than now, then I might even go to CSFG's meeting tomorrow night.
The other news is that the Beast has suddenly made huge strides. I don't know quite when we'll reach the end, but it will be sooner rather than later, all going well.
All this work never changes things and never changes things and never changes things and then there's a moment when I realise that it does change things, only I was too busy reaching the goal to notice that it's within sight. Not there yet, in other words, but definitely reassured.
Today is mainly about job applications, I think, so it's good to know that the world does shift, even when it feels as if it dosn't. Today my middle name is 'Galileo' - and I am worried I'll be forced to recant and to admit that life is impossibly hard and never changes. Even if I have to recant, however, at least I've had this moment.
This doesn't mean I'm happy with it yet. That's the point, though, with my training, I'm never going to be happy, for I will always worry about that last typo or the fact that a page looks clumsy. One of my publications had reversion to an earlier version just before print, and no-one realised until it was too late. This always haunts me and so I am never content. Apparently most students are happier with less cleaning up before their work goes in and are not quite as careful in the early stages with formatting. This leads, of course, to many iterations.
There may still be problems, of course, but we suddenly have several days to troubleshoot them if there are. And I won't actually come off this high-nerve ledge until the thing is in. I do think, however, that I might be able to return to some of my normal activities from this weekend. If I feel a bit less tired than now, then I might even go to CSFG's meeting tomorrow night.
The other news is that the Beast has suddenly made huge strides. I don't know quite when we'll reach the end, but it will be sooner rather than later, all going well.
All this work never changes things and never changes things and never changes things and then there's a moment when I realise that it does change things, only I was too busy reaching the goal to notice that it's within sight. Not there yet, in other words, but definitely reassured.
Today is mainly about job applications, I think, so it's good to know that the world does shift, even when it feels as if it dosn't. Today my middle name is 'Galileo' - and I am worried I'll be forced to recant and to admit that life is impossibly hard and never changes. Even if I have to recant, however, at least I've had this moment.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-15T22:47:00
This evening is all about finishing things. It's a bit of a mystery how I can do one thing after another after another after another and my piles of paper diminish, but my list of what must be done continues to grow. They're all items with long deadlines, too. If I'm lucky it will only be weeks before I see the results, but it's more likely to be months, and some of the deadlines are being met with no expectation of results.
My big tasks for the week (apart from the obvious) are the Beast, to apply for jobs, and to redraft an article (with a bit of extra reading, for I discovered I'd read most of the material I needed to have read for this redraft, but not quite all). I meant to tackle the article today, in fact, but instead I've been playing skittles with my deadlines.
I have an added incentive to play skittles with deadlines and get promised articles done, for I have the lure of an article I really, really want to write and it has its own deadline and I can't begin work on it until the decks are just a little less impossible to navigate. I get to re-read Game of Thrones as my first step for this article, which is such a good way to begin something.
And my supervisor has just emailed and I have work to do!
My big tasks for the week (apart from the obvious) are the Beast, to apply for jobs, and to redraft an article (with a bit of extra reading, for I discovered I'd read most of the material I needed to have read for this redraft, but not quite all). I meant to tackle the article today, in fact, but instead I've been playing skittles with my deadlines.
I have an added incentive to play skittles with deadlines and get promised articles done, for I have the lure of an article I really, really want to write and it has its own deadline and I can't begin work on it until the decks are just a little less impossible to navigate. I get to re-read Game of Thrones as my first step for this article, which is such a good way to begin something.
And my supervisor has just emailed and I have work to do!
October 14, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-15T11:53:00
I overslept this morning, bigtime. I feel better for it, too. I woke up to my new column on BiblioBuffet, which is all about different ways of approaching books. I had a class of readers (one of my Tuesday classes) and they only ever read books from beginning to end. I found this unaccountably sad and so I wrote a column about other ways of looking at books. It's not the deepest or most thoughtful column I've ever written, but it's made me much happier. I'm reading a lot of books word for word and from beginning to end right now, but that's because they need to be compared with each other and the same approach helps, not because I think it's the only way of reading a book.
I'd better make some tea and do more catching up on work. I didn't actually lose much time to sleeping in, but for a few weeks the less I fall behind the easier my life will be. I have a list of things that must be accomplished by 5 pm (for I have a meeting more or less around 5) and it's not long, but they're all substantial, and it might be derailed at any point (as my lists were yesterday) by an email from my supervisor. PhD takes precedence, of course, over everything. We're advancing with it steadily and are on schedule. And I need that tea and to complete my next listthing. 'Conscious virtue' is my motto for this week.
ETA: I didn't give you a URL for my column. How remiss of me. Also, a significant failing of my conscious virtue. http://www.bibliobuffet.com/bookish-dreaming/1854-the-fine-art-of-reading-101412
I'd better make some tea and do more catching up on work. I didn't actually lose much time to sleeping in, but for a few weeks the less I fall behind the easier my life will be. I have a list of things that must be accomplished by 5 pm (for I have a meeting more or less around 5) and it's not long, but they're all substantial, and it might be derailed at any point (as my lists were yesterday) by an email from my supervisor. PhD takes precedence, of course, over everything. We're advancing with it steadily and are on schedule. And I need that tea and to complete my next listthing. 'Conscious virtue' is my motto for this week.
ETA: I didn't give you a URL for my column. How remiss of me. Also, a significant failing of my conscious virtue. http://www.bibliobuffet.com/bookish-dreaming/1854-the-fine-art-of-reading-101412
October 13, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-14T11:46:00
My big accomplishment of the morning is an excess of annoyance at Microsoft Word. I'm putting together all the segments of the PhD (dissertation, bibliography, novel and etc) to make a whole that can be submitted. Word, in its wisdom, decided to change half my text to a brand new font (Cambria, if you're someone who seeks significance in fonts) and then to change my footnotes to a variety of fonts and sizes. I think I've caught all the changes and am just waiting to see if my supervisor wants to see it again before I transform it to pdf for the first time. Because I have to submit a pdf version as well as the hard copies, we will be spending the next few days going through pdf versions until they behave nicely. A background in publishing makes a modern PhD easier, I have to admit. I don't like this stuff, but I know how to do it. I also know when to call for help, as I did yesterday when three hyperlinks refused to behave.
And that was my morning. My body is doing the stressing so that my mind doesn't have to - it's very efficient that way.
And that was my morning. My body is doing the stressing so that my mind doesn't have to - it's very efficient that way.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-13T22:51:00
I've finished cavorting (alas) and even done a half hour's work. In the meantime, I spent four happy hours with Rachel and Naomi, drinking hot chocolate and discussing writing with Naomi and then with both of them at the G&S production that's touring Australia.
Pirates is usually one of my least-favourite G&S operettas (for Mabel bugs me), but this production redeemed it. The director brought out all the narrative values, made Ruth more rounded (and more scene stealing), unshrilled Mabel, and paid full attention to what Gilbert was doing with the words. This latter is exceptionally important, for it meant that all the modernisation (and modernisation is inevitable in these things) strengthened the narrative and made sense of what characters did at various stages. It wasn't just a set of stage pieces. It was integrated and made emotional sense at every point. I loved it.
The Anthony Warlow version was a lot of fun, but this was better drama in so many ways. Also, the production respected old pronunciation where it was essential to rhyme and reason. The 'orphan' joke wasn't orphaned the way it often is.
Count me very happy - and grateful to friends with good taste. I feel replenished and much more enthusiastic about work. I have missed musical theatre, which used to be a wild addiction of mine, and two performances in a month have gone a long way to making me happy.
Actually, I was missing all theatre. I used to go to a play one week and a concert the next, for student tickets in Melbourne and Sydney were very cheap. Tickets in Canberra are not cheap and transport is an issue and so I've been leaning heavily on DVDs. They aren't the same. The Sergeant doesn't startle audience members by unexpectedly shining torches in their faces in DVDs. You don't hear the audience's silent sorrow as Frederic and Mabel sing their parting duet when you see it on DVD.
And now I can get another hour and a half's work in before bed. This is a good place to be.
Pirates is usually one of my least-favourite G&S operettas (for Mabel bugs me), but this production redeemed it. The director brought out all the narrative values, made Ruth more rounded (and more scene stealing), unshrilled Mabel, and paid full attention to what Gilbert was doing with the words. This latter is exceptionally important, for it meant that all the modernisation (and modernisation is inevitable in these things) strengthened the narrative and made sense of what characters did at various stages. It wasn't just a set of stage pieces. It was integrated and made emotional sense at every point. I loved it.
The Anthony Warlow version was a lot of fun, but this was better drama in so many ways. Also, the production respected old pronunciation where it was essential to rhyme and reason. The 'orphan' joke wasn't orphaned the way it often is.
Count me very happy - and grateful to friends with good taste. I feel replenished and much more enthusiastic about work. I have missed musical theatre, which used to be a wild addiction of mine, and two performances in a month have gone a long way to making me happy.
Actually, I was missing all theatre. I used to go to a play one week and a concert the next, for student tickets in Melbourne and Sydney were very cheap. Tickets in Canberra are not cheap and transport is an issue and so I've been leaning heavily on DVDs. They aren't the same. The Sergeant doesn't startle audience members by unexpectedly shining torches in their faces in DVDs. You don't hear the audience's silent sorrow as Frederic and Mabel sing their parting duet when you see it on DVD.
And now I can get another hour and a half's work in before bed. This is a good place to be.
October 12, 2012
On the readability of pages
I'm taking a forced break from Aurealis reading because the print is so small that my eyes were hurting and I need a break. My break consists of a cuppa and some work at the computer.
I don't know why some publishers decide on tiny type, for each cent they save in printing they lose a reader who reads in dim light, or with dim eyes, or with other issues. I was going to read my books in a rational order, but now the rationality consists of one book in reasonable print and one book in far-too-small print, for otherwise I shall never reach the more difficult ones and those novels are worth reading, even if it hurts. The physical pain won't affect my thoughts about the books themselves, but it certainly lessens my opinion of book design at that publishing house.
In this world of ebooks, paper books that are so difficult to access ought to start disappearing. Instead, they're becoming increasingly common. I don't know whether it's to keep the costs down, or whether they're using the same typeset version for both paper and electronic and haven't considered the consequences of the size of the type (although it isn't type anymore, is it, for it's all done electronically? - my descriptions used to be so precise and now they're a bit tangled).
It's arguable, I guess, that YA books have smaller print because YA eyes are better than older eyes. Except they're not always better. My correction was this drastic when I was a teenager: I would have had just as much trouble then as I have now.
For the record, my favourite typefaces for modern printed books are Minion or Garamond, but I'm open to persuasion on that. I'm not open to persuasion concerning the accessibility of books that need a magnifying glass to read.
I still have the magnifying glass (with light!) I bought for examining medieval manuscripts (the curator at Chantilly was so impressed with my earlier version, but this newer one is way superior). I might haul it out and do 50% of my reading with its assistance. It'll be a pain, not not nearly as much of a pain as my eyes if I don't.
I don't know why some publishers decide on tiny type, for each cent they save in printing they lose a reader who reads in dim light, or with dim eyes, or with other issues. I was going to read my books in a rational order, but now the rationality consists of one book in reasonable print and one book in far-too-small print, for otherwise I shall never reach the more difficult ones and those novels are worth reading, even if it hurts. The physical pain won't affect my thoughts about the books themselves, but it certainly lessens my opinion of book design at that publishing house.
In this world of ebooks, paper books that are so difficult to access ought to start disappearing. Instead, they're becoming increasingly common. I don't know whether it's to keep the costs down, or whether they're using the same typeset version for both paper and electronic and haven't considered the consequences of the size of the type (although it isn't type anymore, is it, for it's all done electronically? - my descriptions used to be so precise and now they're a bit tangled).
It's arguable, I guess, that YA books have smaller print because YA eyes are better than older eyes. Except they're not always better. My correction was this drastic when I was a teenager: I would have had just as much trouble then as I have now.
For the record, my favourite typefaces for modern printed books are Minion or Garamond, but I'm open to persuasion on that. I'm not open to persuasion concerning the accessibility of books that need a magnifying glass to read.
I still have the magnifying glass (with light!) I bought for examining medieval manuscripts (the curator at Chantilly was so impressed with my earlier version, but this newer one is way superior). I might haul it out and do 50% of my reading with its assistance. It'll be a pain, not not nearly as much of a pain as my eyes if I don't.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-13T11:45:00
I heard from my supervisor today and know what to do next. It's a tricky business, submitting from 3000+ km away.* I'm at the stage where I read his note about formatting and promptly felt a terrible urge to tidy a corner of my desk. My rates are now paid (just in time!) and my mess of paper has migrated from that corner of my desk unto the Secondary Recycling Pile (which gives me a second reason why no-one except me should enter my flat for the next fortnight) and I am out of excuses.
I'm taking the evening off in style (thanks to a wonderfully kind
kitzen_kat
- I don't often get evenings off and very seldom in style, which is the price of being a middle-aged woman living alone without much money) so I shall finish my PhDness for today by mid afternoon and then accomplish six other things before evening. It's totally amazing what a bit of positive incentive can do!
My positive incentive for the PhD itself is a moneybank which gets emptied and which I can spend on drinks and food at the pub the official day of submission. I live a wild life - yes. The moneybox is Cleopatra the Duck, looking more Jazz-Age than Ancient Egyptian.
And now I know I'm procrastinating. Let us not format tomorrow what we know we can format today!
*my student commute, should I be foolish enough to try it: http://www.travelmath.com/drive-distance/from/Canberra,+Australia/to/Perth,+Australia
I'm taking the evening off in style (thanks to a wonderfully kind
kitzen_kat
- I don't often get evenings off and very seldom in style, which is the price of being a middle-aged woman living alone without much money) so I shall finish my PhDness for today by mid afternoon and then accomplish six other things before evening. It's totally amazing what a bit of positive incentive can do!My positive incentive for the PhD itself is a moneybank which gets emptied and which I can spend on drinks and food at the pub the official day of submission. I live a wild life - yes. The moneybox is Cleopatra the Duck, looking more Jazz-Age than Ancient Egyptian.
And now I know I'm procrastinating. Let us not format tomorrow what we know we can format today!
*my student commute, should I be foolish enough to try it: http://www.travelmath.com/drive-distance/from/Canberra,+Australia/to/Perth,+Australia
October 11, 2012
gillpolack @ 2012-10-12T16:25:00
Another parcel of Aurealis books arrived this afternoon. There ought to be 40 novels in toto, which is not a lot in the universal scheme of things. I still hope more will come, but ... maybe not.
I'm having a grand time reading them. As usual, I won't review any or comment on any until the awards are given. I know that my opinions are just mine and do not reflect the rest of the judging panel or what the judges are thinking, but I like to keep those particular boundaries free of confusion where possible.
I have established four piles (it was three, then my thinking grew). One is books I will fight to get on the short list. One is books I think could be on the short list but are flawed in some significant way. One is books that are perfectly readable and that I have enjoyed but are not special. The other pile is for everything else and ranges from books that are abominably written to books that shouldn't have been entered to books that really needed a solid edit to books that were someone's apprenticeship (and they are so going to do better next time round, or I shall refuse them chocolate at SF conventions). We have a proper, formal scheme for evaluation, of course, but I like my piles.
What this means, of course is that my place is off-limits to anyone who is tempted to touch my stacks of books. Last year and the year before, my piles were rearranged by friends who thought they would look better, or didn't ask why each pile wasn't one and stacked them together to save space, or who just wanted to look at a book in one stack and absently put it back on another. My research was also rearranged in this way (I believe I ranted about it at that time, for I had to spend significant time getting my doctoral notes sorted again).
I'm thinking of getting anyone who is even tempted to mess with my books to sign an oath in their blood, just for the duration. I have a suitable pen. I'm certain I can devise a suitable oath.
Anyhow, it's only for a couple of months. Unless more books come (as they did today) I'm an 1/8 through the novels. When we've short-listed, then the stacks will mysteriously disappear.
I'm sure everyone else judges using far more rational methods than mine, but mine seems to work. The piles of books help me to remember the content over significant periods of time. It's a form of visual/tactile notation. I can look and the information is there. The far stack, for instance, has so far been forgettable, but a lot of fun. The book on top is an example: story arcs were fine, but bad characters tended to be forced and there was much scrabbling and explanation to fix plotholes. They're in order of reading, which helps. Another reason why I need that oath signed in blood to prevent people from disarranging.
I'm having a grand time reading them. As usual, I won't review any or comment on any until the awards are given. I know that my opinions are just mine and do not reflect the rest of the judging panel or what the judges are thinking, but I like to keep those particular boundaries free of confusion where possible.
I have established four piles (it was three, then my thinking grew). One is books I will fight to get on the short list. One is books I think could be on the short list but are flawed in some significant way. One is books that are perfectly readable and that I have enjoyed but are not special. The other pile is for everything else and ranges from books that are abominably written to books that shouldn't have been entered to books that really needed a solid edit to books that were someone's apprenticeship (and they are so going to do better next time round, or I shall refuse them chocolate at SF conventions). We have a proper, formal scheme for evaluation, of course, but I like my piles.
What this means, of course is that my place is off-limits to anyone who is tempted to touch my stacks of books. Last year and the year before, my piles were rearranged by friends who thought they would look better, or didn't ask why each pile wasn't one and stacked them together to save space, or who just wanted to look at a book in one stack and absently put it back on another. My research was also rearranged in this way (I believe I ranted about it at that time, for I had to spend significant time getting my doctoral notes sorted again).
I'm thinking of getting anyone who is even tempted to mess with my books to sign an oath in their blood, just for the duration. I have a suitable pen. I'm certain I can devise a suitable oath.
Anyhow, it's only for a couple of months. Unless more books come (as they did today) I'm an 1/8 through the novels. When we've short-listed, then the stacks will mysteriously disappear.
I'm sure everyone else judges using far more rational methods than mine, but mine seems to work. The piles of books help me to remember the content over significant periods of time. It's a form of visual/tactile notation. I can look and the information is there. The far stack, for instance, has so far been forgettable, but a lot of fun. The book on top is an example: story arcs were fine, but bad characters tended to be forced and there was much scrabbling and explanation to fix plotholes. They're in order of reading, which helps. Another reason why I need that oath signed in blood to prevent people from disarranging.
gillpolack @ 2012-10-12T10:36:00
Nothing has so far happened this morning. I live in hope of a quiet and productive day.
Everything right now is arranged around what needs to happen to get the PhD in. Since there is more waiting in this than there was last time (different university, different discipline, different technology) I get the non PhD work done while I wait. This is my last few days of such luxury, for next week teaching starts up again.
Right now I don't know if I'm looking forward to teaching, or not. I rather like being able to fit 100 pages of Aurealis book in before attacking the paper I'm giving next month and of being on hand to tackle whatever my supervisor sends the moment it arrives. I also like time to remind my body that it's permitted to rest.
I haven't done as much as I would have liked with my two non-teaching weeks, for first the virus intervened, then crit group and then the blasted car. I've done all the time-dependent things and a few more, however. I'm more than dealing, which is rather nice.
Everything right now is arranged around what needs to happen to get the PhD in. Since there is more waiting in this than there was last time (different university, different discipline, different technology) I get the non PhD work done while I wait. This is my last few days of such luxury, for next week teaching starts up again.
Right now I don't know if I'm looking forward to teaching, or not. I rather like being able to fit 100 pages of Aurealis book in before attacking the paper I'm giving next month and of being on hand to tackle whatever my supervisor sends the moment it arrives. I also like time to remind my body that it's permitted to rest.
I haven't done as much as I would have liked with my two non-teaching weeks, for first the virus intervened, then crit group and then the blasted car. I've done all the time-dependent things and a few more, however. I'm more than dealing, which is rather nice.
