Gillian Polack's Blog, page 71
April 8, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-09T08:12:00
I'm sorry about being silent the last couple of days. I took a brief leave-of-absence for my mother's 80th birthday. I intended to post last night, but from the moment I came in, things were a bit busy. By 'a bit', I mean that the only reason I got to eat dinner was because I bought a pre-cooked chicken, that I still haven't entirely unpacked my shopping, and that I still haven't checked my letterbox.
Today is also going to be a bit busy.
I'm certain that being busy is good for me. Sleeping for two days is also good for me. Pity I can't do both at once!
It was lovely to catch up with family and with Mum's friends. I needed another 3 hours of party to talk to everyone, though. I also needed time to see other friends, but this trip, time was not forthcoming (nor was organisation - I couldn't work out when I was needed, so I just hung around and did useful things - but I missed most of my friends - not all of them, one was able to make it out to our place on the one quiet evening). This is the nature of big family events.
I didn't do all the work I took with me (shameful admission) but I did half of it. The working hours on Monday were overtaken by a small migraine, and there were no working hours on other days. This means I'm still in catch-up zone, but I had my mother's birthday, and I had Aurealis, and I had Women's History Month, so I have a month to treasure while I catch up. Also, the treatment is definitely working. I still hurt, but not as much of the time and not as badly. This means I'll be back to being able to do my longer hours sometimes soonish, and I'm terribly terribly efficient when I have deadlines with less pain.
And now I need to finish my coffee and start in on my busy day! See you on the far side...
Today is also going to be a bit busy.
I'm certain that being busy is good for me. Sleeping for two days is also good for me. Pity I can't do both at once!
It was lovely to catch up with family and with Mum's friends. I needed another 3 hours of party to talk to everyone, though. I also needed time to see other friends, but this trip, time was not forthcoming (nor was organisation - I couldn't work out when I was needed, so I just hung around and did useful things - but I missed most of my friends - not all of them, one was able to make it out to our place on the one quiet evening). This is the nature of big family events.
I didn't do all the work I took with me (shameful admission) but I did half of it. The working hours on Monday were overtaken by a small migraine, and there were no working hours on other days. This means I'm still in catch-up zone, but I had my mother's birthday, and I had Aurealis, and I had Women's History Month, so I have a month to treasure while I catch up. Also, the treatment is definitely working. I still hurt, but not as much of the time and not as badly. This means I'll be back to being able to do my longer hours sometimes soonish, and I'm terribly terribly efficient when I have deadlines with less pain.
And now I need to finish my coffee and start in on my busy day! See you on the far side...
April 5, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-06T08:37:00
This is the morning of lists and small things and jumpy noises. First day of daylight savings being out and I'm shorter of sleep than any of year. I quite possibly shouldn't written all my Aurealis reports starting at 11 pm, nor done my little end of LonCon volunteering at 2 am, nor... But those things are all done and I'm now tackling a whole new batch of lists. And I've decided to have a mid-morning doze. The important decisions...
Aurealis
I'm a bit tired, but very amused. A bunch of my friends (mostly interstate visitors for the Aurealis awards) are at an advanced stage of drunkenness in someone's hotel room. Me, I had to come home straight after the ceremony, partly to prepare for tomorrow, partly to avoid too much pain, but mostly to file some reports I promised. I still have to finish some small things, but I will be asleep within the hour. And all my Aurealis promises are, I think, completed.
I have no idea how good I was in presenting the award I was asked to present. I do know that I apparently made suitably funny jokes at mostly-appropriate moments, for people laughed and David Dufty became worried about not having prepared any jokes, not long after. I hadn't actually prepared any jokes, but I wasn't going to tell him that. What I did was lose one of my shoes when I left my seat. I went back to retrieve it and found my nerves had quite evaporated. I said nice things about children's literature (because it really was an honour to present that award and the best children's writers are the ones that really do create our future readers: they are our bedrock) and I read the script I was given, but wry asides bubbled out because of that shoe. And the audience laughed. Four times, for I counted. Three proper laughs and one rippling chuckle.
What else do you need to know? Not much, for I must sleep, but there's just one thing I've been sitting on. It's a book, and I was sworn to secrecy.
There was a tie for the YA novel award. It couldn't have been any other way, for they're impossible to compare and they're both very, very prizeworthy. One of the books is wonderful and traditional and the other is something quite extraordinary and different and I love it with a passion. Allyse Near's Fairytales for Wilde Girls. I plan to look at it quite closely, quite soon (but not here). I'm pretty sure it won't be to everyone's taste, but it's so very special.
Australia is doing some extraordinary things in spec fic literature right now. And one thing I couldn't help but noticing tonight is that we're doing it without ignoring women. Near writes a very female tale. It's from the point of view of a teenage girl, and it totally and absolutely could not be written any other way. So tonight included 2 moments (for Near's book won 2 awards) of teenage emotion and changes and Gothgirl sensibilities simply because of the quality of the writing and the story and its exuberance and its pain and all the other right reasons for celebrating a book of this kind of high originality. Near's gender is irrelevant: her character's gender is at the heart of the story. This is so very important.
In fact, the writing of women dominated the awards tonight. Why is this night different from all other nights?* Because it's Australian and we might not have a lot of stuff right, but we do seem to have the knack of not looking past or over or around most writing by women. At least, not in the Aurealis awards.
Not all writers are noticed, and every year there are some who ought to be but aren't, and outside this rarefied atmosphere many shops and journals and bloggers still give significant preference to male writing. Tonight, though, women were noticed. Not as women, but as outstanding writers who have produced work that is important, that must be read.
The Aurealis list is all about "Read this!" And it's just as good a list as last year and, like last year, the quality of the story trumps some of our usual prejudgements. A good moment in a difficult year.
*A seasonal joke!
I have no idea how good I was in presenting the award I was asked to present. I do know that I apparently made suitably funny jokes at mostly-appropriate moments, for people laughed and David Dufty became worried about not having prepared any jokes, not long after. I hadn't actually prepared any jokes, but I wasn't going to tell him that. What I did was lose one of my shoes when I left my seat. I went back to retrieve it and found my nerves had quite evaporated. I said nice things about children's literature (because it really was an honour to present that award and the best children's writers are the ones that really do create our future readers: they are our bedrock) and I read the script I was given, but wry asides bubbled out because of that shoe. And the audience laughed. Four times, for I counted. Three proper laughs and one rippling chuckle.
What else do you need to know? Not much, for I must sleep, but there's just one thing I've been sitting on. It's a book, and I was sworn to secrecy.
There was a tie for the YA novel award. It couldn't have been any other way, for they're impossible to compare and they're both very, very prizeworthy. One of the books is wonderful and traditional and the other is something quite extraordinary and different and I love it with a passion. Allyse Near's Fairytales for Wilde Girls. I plan to look at it quite closely, quite soon (but not here). I'm pretty sure it won't be to everyone's taste, but it's so very special.
Australia is doing some extraordinary things in spec fic literature right now. And one thing I couldn't help but noticing tonight is that we're doing it without ignoring women. Near writes a very female tale. It's from the point of view of a teenage girl, and it totally and absolutely could not be written any other way. So tonight included 2 moments (for Near's book won 2 awards) of teenage emotion and changes and Gothgirl sensibilities simply because of the quality of the writing and the story and its exuberance and its pain and all the other right reasons for celebrating a book of this kind of high originality. Near's gender is irrelevant: her character's gender is at the heart of the story. This is so very important.
In fact, the writing of women dominated the awards tonight. Why is this night different from all other nights?* Because it's Australian and we might not have a lot of stuff right, but we do seem to have the knack of not looking past or over or around most writing by women. At least, not in the Aurealis awards.
Not all writers are noticed, and every year there are some who ought to be but aren't, and outside this rarefied atmosphere many shops and journals and bloggers still give significant preference to male writing. Tonight, though, women were noticed. Not as women, but as outstanding writers who have produced work that is important, that must be read.
The Aurealis list is all about "Read this!" And it's just as good a list as last year and, like last year, the quality of the story trumps some of our usual prejudgements. A good moment in a difficult year.
*A seasonal joke!
April 4, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-05T10:19:00
This morning is volunteer work and all about spreadsheets and coffee. This afternoon is editing the recalcitrant section on the structure of novels (in relation to my book, not as a general thing, which is part of the problem with it). This later afternoon I start gadding and I stop gadding at bedtime.
You probably don't want me to report on the spreadsheets, no matter how marvellous they are. Pity.
You may well want me to report on my work, but I think I'll refrain until I've won my wrestling match with it. Think of this book as an angel, given I have temporary hip problems and am Jewish and my writing is always totally and entirely angelic.
I promise to report on the gadding. In fact, I promise to report on the gadding in several places, two of which may well have pictures.
They won't have pictures if writers and editors and publishers see me coming and run away. Normally I'd say that I can run faster than writers and editors and publishers can (even if they're in heels), but right now... obviously not. I might have to resort to bribes. I shall find beautiful and charming and witty and superbly educated people* and lure writers and editors and publishers into standing next to them, to be infected by their beauty and charm and wit and superb education, and then I shall take a snapshot. Or I shall set up trails of chocolate they can follow into the dark woodlands near campus, where I shall lurk in my gingerbread house (the woodlands are someone's old suburban backyard and are not actually next door to University House, but they're close and they'll do, and I can always eat the gingerbread myself if they eat the chocolate rather than following its trail). Or I could ask them.
*This should be easy, because the Aurealis Awards are at the ANU campus this year, and my campus is positively bursting with such people. If I was feeling mean today, I'd say "And it also has academics." But I'm not mean and I never even think such things, for it would be self-denigration and I"m never likely to do this. Not ever. (And by this you know that so far today I have not encountered a single idiot. Not one. Also, that I have given up waiting for a judges' meeting to be called this afternoon, which means I can get more work done, which makes me bizarrely happy. Judges' meetings are fun and only once a year, but work is even more fun and it's every single day. I do wonder where the judges' feedback and socialising comes in if we don't get our meeting, but no doubt it's all planned. Unless someone forgot...)
You probably don't want me to report on the spreadsheets, no matter how marvellous they are. Pity.
You may well want me to report on my work, but I think I'll refrain until I've won my wrestling match with it. Think of this book as an angel, given I have temporary hip problems and am Jewish and my writing is always totally and entirely angelic.
I promise to report on the gadding. In fact, I promise to report on the gadding in several places, two of which may well have pictures.
They won't have pictures if writers and editors and publishers see me coming and run away. Normally I'd say that I can run faster than writers and editors and publishers can (even if they're in heels), but right now... obviously not. I might have to resort to bribes. I shall find beautiful and charming and witty and superbly educated people* and lure writers and editors and publishers into standing next to them, to be infected by their beauty and charm and wit and superb education, and then I shall take a snapshot. Or I shall set up trails of chocolate they can follow into the dark woodlands near campus, where I shall lurk in my gingerbread house (the woodlands are someone's old suburban backyard and are not actually next door to University House, but they're close and they'll do, and I can always eat the gingerbread myself if they eat the chocolate rather than following its trail). Or I could ask them.
*This should be easy, because the Aurealis Awards are at the ANU campus this year, and my campus is positively bursting with such people. If I was feeling mean today, I'd say "And it also has academics." But I'm not mean and I never even think such things, for it would be self-denigration and I"m never likely to do this. Not ever. (And by this you know that so far today I have not encountered a single idiot. Not one. Also, that I have given up waiting for a judges' meeting to be called this afternoon, which means I can get more work done, which makes me bizarrely happy. Judges' meetings are fun and only once a year, but work is even more fun and it's every single day. I do wonder where the judges' feedback and socialising comes in if we don't get our meeting, but no doubt it's all planned. Unless someone forgot...)
gillpolack @ 2014-04-04T20:09:00
Today was strange.
This morning was again full of idiots. Sharyn had to hose me down by email at one stage, for my rage had reached incandescence. I'm not someone who generally gets wildly inflamed, much less incandescent, but one particular idiot had walked right up to me and pushed me over a kind of emotional cliff. The person in question doesn't know about this (for it won't help if she does, which means I miss out on the joys of actually losing my temper at the person and feeling cleansed), and I've worked out what to do to at least diminish the problems she's causing.
I got on the bus just in time, despite the delays caused by my curious and strange week, and someone kind pointed out I had my blouse on inside out. We got talking and she asked me for career advice. That was the turning point in my day. If ever I meet her again, I shall thank her again, in Thai, for her taking me seriously for the fifteen minutes of busride was wonderfully calming. Mind you, it led to a positive flood of strangers asking me questions of great import about their own futures.
Also, I had a breakthrough during class (my last class on higher ed teaching for three weeks - with the possibility of timetable clashes at the far side - but at least I'm 60% through the modules and significantly further than that through the assessment).
Today was all about assessment, and I'm now up to date on the latest techniques and thinking. The examples were mainly for subjects at a quite different end of the spectrum to my own, which gave me the chance to look for similarities and possibilities. My personal breakthrough was on the assessment of creative writing. I've seen too many graduates of creative writing not have any real idea of grammar and punctuation and submission procedures and a whole heap of technical things that they really should have.
How to include it in a course? Well, if I ever get the opportunity, I can weight the assessment so students have to deal with these aspects to get better marks. I can make them part of the invisible tools the university-educated author has, in much the same way that historians develop the capacity to do bibliographies and handle referencing systems.
Assessing creative writing would thus use pretty much the same thoughts that I use when doing the first pass of reading for the anthology. The writing subject has to fit the subject set for the students to write about (subject of anthology), it has to be within the general form we're looking into (genre requirements for anthology), it has to have decent spelling and grammar and be proofread and be doublespaced and the Times New Roman (meet the technical specifications for submission) and it has to be assessed for quality and originality (do I want to buy this story? why? this is where plotting and characterisation and voice and style come in, I think).
And this is my first step for creating a decent assessment technique that I can myself apply. It's not the whole thing, but it will be a good start. What I was after, was something that would work for any subject of fiction that I taught and that would build on my own knowledge and that would give students a solid framework for understanding how their work compares to each other and would give the subject assessment a structure that would enable it to fit in with a wider humanities curriculum.
All this isn't the breakthrough bit for me, though, and it's something that any uni writing teacher is probably already using (it or a form of it). My personal illumination is that the general feedback for entry into the right university documents and for handing back to the student can be done using a specially-developed form with fields which could take some of the heavy lifting out of marking and getting marks into the system.
TO be honest, I don't know how far I could take mechanical assessments for fiction. Certainly, students still need individual feedback about their work. But, but, but. It's very tempting. A simple form that I fill in, on the computer, for each student, measuring all the same factors.
There will always be a subjective factor in creative writing and there *should* always be a subjective factor in creative writing, but unintentionally bad grammar is not it, and going over word length or under word length by a significant factor is not it. And even for the subjective factors, it would surely be easy enough to mark a field that said "Superbly done" against, for instance, one that said "Not quite good enough, sorry." And if all the fields marked are "Superbly done" the student gets an HD and from there there is a falling off (a weighted falling off, for a student should not lose a whole grade for 100 words over the word limit, or for 3 typos, or - as used to happen in one of my universities past - splitting infinitives).
The thought then is not that this can be done (for obviously it has been done, in many universities) but that I personally can do it. That marking essays is not the limit of my ability. That I have the capacity already to assess fiction (for I have and I do it, regularly) but that fair comparisons can also be made between students in one course and in fact by students over a number of years, by me, using tools I already have.
I don't know why this has taken me so long to work out. I think it's a confidence thing. I've had this knowledge for years. Today's module made me realise I *can* do it.
This morning was again full of idiots. Sharyn had to hose me down by email at one stage, for my rage had reached incandescence. I'm not someone who generally gets wildly inflamed, much less incandescent, but one particular idiot had walked right up to me and pushed me over a kind of emotional cliff. The person in question doesn't know about this (for it won't help if she does, which means I miss out on the joys of actually losing my temper at the person and feeling cleansed), and I've worked out what to do to at least diminish the problems she's causing.
I got on the bus just in time, despite the delays caused by my curious and strange week, and someone kind pointed out I had my blouse on inside out. We got talking and she asked me for career advice. That was the turning point in my day. If ever I meet her again, I shall thank her again, in Thai, for her taking me seriously for the fifteen minutes of busride was wonderfully calming. Mind you, it led to a positive flood of strangers asking me questions of great import about their own futures.
Also, I had a breakthrough during class (my last class on higher ed teaching for three weeks - with the possibility of timetable clashes at the far side - but at least I'm 60% through the modules and significantly further than that through the assessment).
Today was all about assessment, and I'm now up to date on the latest techniques and thinking. The examples were mainly for subjects at a quite different end of the spectrum to my own, which gave me the chance to look for similarities and possibilities. My personal breakthrough was on the assessment of creative writing. I've seen too many graduates of creative writing not have any real idea of grammar and punctuation and submission procedures and a whole heap of technical things that they really should have.
How to include it in a course? Well, if I ever get the opportunity, I can weight the assessment so students have to deal with these aspects to get better marks. I can make them part of the invisible tools the university-educated author has, in much the same way that historians develop the capacity to do bibliographies and handle referencing systems.
Assessing creative writing would thus use pretty much the same thoughts that I use when doing the first pass of reading for the anthology. The writing subject has to fit the subject set for the students to write about (subject of anthology), it has to be within the general form we're looking into (genre requirements for anthology), it has to have decent spelling and grammar and be proofread and be doublespaced and the Times New Roman (meet the technical specifications for submission) and it has to be assessed for quality and originality (do I want to buy this story? why? this is where plotting and characterisation and voice and style come in, I think).
And this is my first step for creating a decent assessment technique that I can myself apply. It's not the whole thing, but it will be a good start. What I was after, was something that would work for any subject of fiction that I taught and that would build on my own knowledge and that would give students a solid framework for understanding how their work compares to each other and would give the subject assessment a structure that would enable it to fit in with a wider humanities curriculum.
All this isn't the breakthrough bit for me, though, and it's something that any uni writing teacher is probably already using (it or a form of it). My personal illumination is that the general feedback for entry into the right university documents and for handing back to the student can be done using a specially-developed form with fields which could take some of the heavy lifting out of marking and getting marks into the system.
TO be honest, I don't know how far I could take mechanical assessments for fiction. Certainly, students still need individual feedback about their work. But, but, but. It's very tempting. A simple form that I fill in, on the computer, for each student, measuring all the same factors.
There will always be a subjective factor in creative writing and there *should* always be a subjective factor in creative writing, but unintentionally bad grammar is not it, and going over word length or under word length by a significant factor is not it. And even for the subjective factors, it would surely be easy enough to mark a field that said "Superbly done" against, for instance, one that said "Not quite good enough, sorry." And if all the fields marked are "Superbly done" the student gets an HD and from there there is a falling off (a weighted falling off, for a student should not lose a whole grade for 100 words over the word limit, or for 3 typos, or - as used to happen in one of my universities past - splitting infinitives).
The thought then is not that this can be done (for obviously it has been done, in many universities) but that I personally can do it. That marking essays is not the limit of my ability. That I have the capacity already to assess fiction (for I have and I do it, regularly) but that fair comparisons can also be made between students in one course and in fact by students over a number of years, by me, using tools I already have.
I don't know why this has taken me so long to work out. I think it's a confidence thing. I've had this knowledge for years. Today's module made me realise I *can* do it.
April 2, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-03T11:54:00
I have taken my courage in both my hands and spent the morning gently dealing with the worst of the idiotise. Some things I've sent polite "Thank you - let's move on from here" emails and some things I've simply dealt with. I've also asked someone nicely if we can shift a meeting, which will give me time to do the work I didn't get done this morning. I shall write three difficult paragraphs now, and then leave anything else to stew.
Things are still not good, but they're no longer entirely impossible.
Also, the pool noodle is an extremely strange method to achieve pain reduction, but it totally works. I have a totally clever physio. It hurts more for about five minutes, then gradually the pain diminishes as my muscles realign. If I could carry it everywhere and have 15 minute breaks to rest upon my noodle (the way some people rest upon their laurels) then I wouldn't have to make difficult decisions about Friday *or* Saturday! But I can't and so I do.
Still, I'm partway through the woods, and just two hours ago they felt impenetrable. It's a big relief.
Things are still not good, but they're no longer entirely impossible.
Also, the pool noodle is an extremely strange method to achieve pain reduction, but it totally works. I have a totally clever physio. It hurts more for about five minutes, then gradually the pain diminishes as my muscles realign. If I could carry it everywhere and have 15 minute breaks to rest upon my noodle (the way some people rest upon their laurels) then I wouldn't have to make difficult decisions about Friday *or* Saturday! But I can't and so I do.
Still, I'm partway through the woods, and just two hours ago they felt impenetrable. It's a big relief.
gillpolack @ 2014-04-03T10:05:00
This week has had more than its share of idiots. I only told you about one, yesterday, but already today (before 10 am) my inbox is flooded with emails from intelligent people who simply haven't thought things through. All week, I've been the recipient of emails that I describe as "I should have got back to you sooner." Some of them are really "I don't normally take this long so I'm sorry if this major delay has caused problems at your end" or "Your email bounced and I didn't try the main email we have for you" or "I'm doing you a favour" and they all add up and they all create in me a desire to give up on everything.
Every time someone sends me one of these emails, it makes my life somewhat harder in several respects. I'm willing to lay odds that the moment my body is realigned and the pain stops and I'm vibrant and dangerous, the emails stop. I guess I should encourage people to send me all the unlikable emails this week so I can finally get past them. I want the world to go right, though, just for a few months.
To be honest, it was already a bad week. There are things I don't talk about on my blog (because they're not about me and I have no control over them and the privacy of these people matters to me) and they do affect me and quite often they're pretty uncool.
I doubt the week will improve, but I shall get through it anyhow. Because. Things will start getting less fraught (the background things) after Tuesday.
Every time someone sends me one of these emails, it makes my life somewhat harder in several respects. I'm willing to lay odds that the moment my body is realigned and the pain stops and I'm vibrant and dangerous, the emails stop. I guess I should encourage people to send me all the unlikable emails this week so I can finally get past them. I want the world to go right, though, just for a few months.
To be honest, it was already a bad week. There are things I don't talk about on my blog (because they're not about me and I have no control over them and the privacy of these people matters to me) and they do affect me and quite often they're pretty uncool.
I doubt the week will improve, but I shall get through it anyhow. Because. Things will start getting less fraught (the background things) after Tuesday.
April 1, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-02T16:58:00
Dear Help Desk, If you keep me waiting for 15 minutes and then say "I can't help you with this and I can't find anyone to help you right now, ring back tomorrow" and if I say "Tomorrow is going to be difficult for this, can't you do anything?" and they say "I can't help you. You need the specific branch. Ring back on this number tomorrow" and I know that the library has a central catalogue, and that the branch can't do a thing about one of my problems (which is a DVD issued to me which I did not actually borrow - I know this because this is the second time this has happened since the new computer system was installed) and the phone number I rang is the one that is supposed to have the computer access to make this central change and I express mild peeve, please don't finish the conversation with "Have a nice day."
The other problem was an item that should have been there for collection today, when I was in the library, but somehow failed to be on the collection shelf and yet, mysteriously has to be collected during a period when I can't actually get to the library. Sometimes it happens that an item makes a detour to the collection shelf as someone sees it on the way there and says "Let me just borrow this overnight." And it appears on my list and yet is not there. When this happens, though, normally I have a reasonable time to collect the d* thing when it finally arrives. Though once, someone sent a search party after an item, because arrival took ten days after it was announced. This has been waiting for me (in theory) for three days, but it will be taken off the collection shelf on Sunday, regardless. I gave it one library visit to be not there, and now it's had a second. Cue more polite peeve.
And the hip readjustment thing has caused me lots of pain today, which makes it hard to take the normal irritants of life in my stride. The pain a good sign, but it makes me grumpy and means I sweat the small stuff. For which I feel like apologising to the whole world. Except the person who wasted my time, told me I had to try again in the middle of my busy day and then told me to have a nice day. She deserves no apology.
Today's class was a lot of fun, and my students dealt with my pain levels and I dealt with my pain levels and we did some delightful work.
In fact, I realised that today might not be so good, so I prepared for it. I brought the x-ray of my pelvis to class with me and we spent a large amount of time talking about physical selves and inner selves and outer selves and other selves and doing many translations across senses of selves and making bad jokes. Word of the day was homunculus/a/um (for I decided it was more fun than names of body parts), which meant we got to talk about gendering in Latin and its limitations and how it affects our perception of gender.
The writing the class produced from this combination of stimuli was so very interesting that I asked the student who also has a wild talent in graphic designing if he'd mind drawing us up a design for a poster. Next week I'll bring giant paper and some pretty colour pens and we'll translate all the work to this poster. We'll then present the poster to Belconnen Community Services, with a suggestion that it would be very good for Mental Health Week later in the year.
A poetic poster, inspired by my pelvis... I don't think we'll tell the wider public that.
The other problem was an item that should have been there for collection today, when I was in the library, but somehow failed to be on the collection shelf and yet, mysteriously has to be collected during a period when I can't actually get to the library. Sometimes it happens that an item makes a detour to the collection shelf as someone sees it on the way there and says "Let me just borrow this overnight." And it appears on my list and yet is not there. When this happens, though, normally I have a reasonable time to collect the d* thing when it finally arrives. Though once, someone sent a search party after an item, because arrival took ten days after it was announced. This has been waiting for me (in theory) for three days, but it will be taken off the collection shelf on Sunday, regardless. I gave it one library visit to be not there, and now it's had a second. Cue more polite peeve.
And the hip readjustment thing has caused me lots of pain today, which makes it hard to take the normal irritants of life in my stride. The pain a good sign, but it makes me grumpy and means I sweat the small stuff. For which I feel like apologising to the whole world. Except the person who wasted my time, told me I had to try again in the middle of my busy day and then told me to have a nice day. She deserves no apology.
Today's class was a lot of fun, and my students dealt with my pain levels and I dealt with my pain levels and we did some delightful work.
In fact, I realised that today might not be so good, so I prepared for it. I brought the x-ray of my pelvis to class with me and we spent a large amount of time talking about physical selves and inner selves and outer selves and other selves and doing many translations across senses of selves and making bad jokes. Word of the day was homunculus/a/um (for I decided it was more fun than names of body parts), which meant we got to talk about gendering in Latin and its limitations and how it affects our perception of gender.
The writing the class produced from this combination of stimuli was so very interesting that I asked the student who also has a wild talent in graphic designing if he'd mind drawing us up a design for a poster. Next week I'll bring giant paper and some pretty colour pens and we'll translate all the work to this poster. We'll then present the poster to Belconnen Community Services, with a suggestion that it would be very good for Mental Health Week later in the year.
A poetic poster, inspired by my pelvis... I don't think we'll tell the wider public that.
March 31, 2014
gillpolack @ 2014-04-01T17:49:00
The first deadline for my April series has been brought forward to tonight. This will mean one thing out of my hands, thank goodness.
I've met with the teacher I'm replacing on Fridays next term. He's lovely, and his teaching methods are different to mine but 100% the right ones for the particular class, so I'm really going to enjoy borrowing his students for a term and slotting into their style.
It's a reading group, and I'm allowed to introduce them to speculative fiction. I just need to find 10 really rather marvellous short stories of 3000 words or less. Ones with emotional impact, I think, for most of the class will only have time to read them through the once. High on clarity and meaning and style and characterisation and low on strange concepts.
These students are well up to strange concepts, but I want to get them to realise the other values that spec fic can have, first. If they totally understand that they're reading outstanding fiction, they can explore out from there. The stories also need to be easily obtainable, of course, which limits things. All suggestions considered!
Other big things have not happened today. I've learned that the day before I see the physio is not a high-energy day. It's also not a comfortable day. Comparing this Tuesday with other Tuesdays, though, I can see definite progress.
I've met with the teacher I'm replacing on Fridays next term. He's lovely, and his teaching methods are different to mine but 100% the right ones for the particular class, so I'm really going to enjoy borrowing his students for a term and slotting into their style.
It's a reading group, and I'm allowed to introduce them to speculative fiction. I just need to find 10 really rather marvellous short stories of 3000 words or less. Ones with emotional impact, I think, for most of the class will only have time to read them through the once. High on clarity and meaning and style and characterisation and low on strange concepts.
These students are well up to strange concepts, but I want to get them to realise the other values that spec fic can have, first. If they totally understand that they're reading outstanding fiction, they can explore out from there. The stories also need to be easily obtainable, of course, which limits things. All suggestions considered!
Other big things have not happened today. I've learned that the day before I see the physio is not a high-energy day. It's also not a comfortable day. Comparing this Tuesday with other Tuesdays, though, I can see definite progress.
Women's History Month guests - finding your favourite post
Women's History Month is over for another year. All that remains for me to do is give you a table of contents, so that we can all can find our favourite post, or check out stories we somehow missed.
Thank you, all my guests (including those who meant to give me posts but had family emergencies, unexpected work deadlines or simply ran out of time) - it's been a great pleasure.
This year was the fifteenth and last year of the national committee, so there's a bit more of me in these posts than usual. I keep wanting to apologise for this, but there's nothing to apologise for. I'm in terrific company, though, for almost all the women who gave me guest posts apologised and worried if their writing was appropriate. This single fact alone is one of the reasons why we still need Women's History Month. We don't have to apologise for our work, and we especially don't have to apologise for our passions!
It's been a wonderful month, with so many thoughtful and interesting posts. Thank you all!
And now, alphabetically by first name:
Alex Isle http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1270658.html
Ambelin Kwaymullina (International Women’s Day guest) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1265325.html
Brian Wainwright http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1262905.html
Carrie Vaughn http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267762.html
Faye Ringel http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1264314.html
Foz Meadows http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1279662.html
Gillian Polack http://fablecroft.com.au/books/cranky-ladies-of-history/cranky-ladies-guest-post-helen-leonard with addendum http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267515.html
Gillian Polack (a comment on an earlier post) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1268538.html
Gillian Polack (again! special favour from owner of blog, obviously) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276284.html
Helen Stubbs http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1268348.html
Isolde Martyn http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1264818.html
Jason Franks http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269729.html
Jason Nahrung http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1273737.html
Jenny Blackford http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1277788.html
Joyce Chng http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1261697.html
Kaaron Warren http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1273370.html
Kari Sperring http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1279861.html
Kathleen Cunningham Guler http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267354.html
Kate Forsyth http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1271793.html
Katrin Kania http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1274790.html
Laura Goodin http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278180.html
Mary Victoria http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1266486.html
Nicky Strickland http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276947.html
Pamela Freeman – wrote for Cranky Ladies blogtour this time: http://www.pamelafreeman.com/cranky-women-of-history-month-lores-bonney-1933-1994/
Persia Woolley http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1261842.html
Queenie Chan http://www.queeniechan.com/2014/03/19/famous-women-rumiko-takahashi/
RJ Barker http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269369.html
Satima Flavell http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278938.html
Shana Worthen http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278993.html
Sharyn Lilley http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1263484.html
Sherwood Smith http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1262542.html
Sue Bursztynski http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1265409.html
Tamara Mazzei http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1275533.html
Tsana Dolichva http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276534.html
Vashti Farrer http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269802.html
Yaritji Green http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1277488.html
For other posts related to women’s history see
The Cranky Ladies of History Blogtour – crowd fundraising for the anthology, which you may want to watch out for.
Thank you, all my guests (including those who meant to give me posts but had family emergencies, unexpected work deadlines or simply ran out of time) - it's been a great pleasure.
This year was the fifteenth and last year of the national committee, so there's a bit more of me in these posts than usual. I keep wanting to apologise for this, but there's nothing to apologise for. I'm in terrific company, though, for almost all the women who gave me guest posts apologised and worried if their writing was appropriate. This single fact alone is one of the reasons why we still need Women's History Month. We don't have to apologise for our work, and we especially don't have to apologise for our passions!
It's been a wonderful month, with so many thoughtful and interesting posts. Thank you all!
And now, alphabetically by first name:
Alex Isle http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1270658.html
Ambelin Kwaymullina (International Women’s Day guest) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1265325.html
Brian Wainwright http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1262905.html
Carrie Vaughn http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267762.html
Faye Ringel http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1264314.html
Foz Meadows http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1279662.html
Gillian Polack http://fablecroft.com.au/books/cranky-ladies-of-history/cranky-ladies-guest-post-helen-leonard with addendum http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267515.html
Gillian Polack (a comment on an earlier post) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1268538.html
Gillian Polack (again! special favour from owner of blog, obviously) http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276284.html
Helen Stubbs http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1268348.html
Isolde Martyn http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1264818.html
Jason Franks http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269729.html
Jason Nahrung http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1273737.html
Jenny Blackford http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1277788.html
Joyce Chng http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1261697.html
Kaaron Warren http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1273370.html
Kari Sperring http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1279861.html
Kathleen Cunningham Guler http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1267354.html
Kate Forsyth http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1271793.html
Katrin Kania http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1274790.html
Laura Goodin http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278180.html
Mary Victoria http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1266486.html
Nicky Strickland http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276947.html
Pamela Freeman – wrote for Cranky Ladies blogtour this time: http://www.pamelafreeman.com/cranky-women-of-history-month-lores-bonney-1933-1994/
Persia Woolley http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1261842.html
Queenie Chan http://www.queeniechan.com/2014/03/19/famous-women-rumiko-takahashi/
RJ Barker http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269369.html
Satima Flavell http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278938.html
Shana Worthen http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1278993.html
Sharyn Lilley http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1263484.html
Sherwood Smith http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1262542.html
Sue Bursztynski http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1265409.html
Tamara Mazzei http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1275533.html
Tsana Dolichva http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1276534.html
Vashti Farrer http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1269802.html
Yaritji Green http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/1277488.html
For other posts related to women’s history see
The Cranky Ladies of History Blogtour – crowd fundraising for the anthology, which you may want to watch out for.
