tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58732102012-02-02T12:55:22.094-05:00dans la têteZhenianoreply@blogger.comBlogger8331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137788271267380512006-01-20T14:50:00.000-05:002006-05-09T20:58:07.160-04:00

I started Comme un trou with Ptichka several years ago. She put in a couple of guest appearences and then I became the sole proprietor of the URL. I also started out thinking that this would be an academic blog first and a personal blog last.As I begin the home stretch of the dissertation, which will mark the end of my academic career, I find that with a couple of exceptions, I'm just not very

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137771578430066932006-01-20T10:39:00.000-05:002006-01-20T10:39:38.430-05:00

I'm rethinking this blog. I'm tempted to chuck it and start anew. At the moment, I've changed the template and I'm rethinking my focus. In other words, I'm trying to figure out what my focusm if any, will be.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137699725386240662006-01-19T14:39:00.000-05:002006-01-19T14:42:05.400-05:00

I arrived at the TA office ten minutes before my class. Eight minutes before my class, there was a knock on the door. I figured that it was a student coming to see another TA who had recently left. No, it was the advisor. "If the Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain wil come to Mohammed," she said to me (in Czech). Damn. I knew that I should've taken out the trash before coming

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137599028306170642006-01-18T10:35:00.000-05:002006-01-18T10:43:48.366-05:00

I understand Paul Martin's frustration with Jack Layton. I also understand why Layton is going after left-wing voters and not moderate ones. Someone who is taking Stephen Harper seriously and deciding between the Conservatives and the Liberals is not going to see voting NDP as a viable alternative to voting Liberal.That said, if the Conservatives score a majority, which I think they will, and

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137531203783218292006-01-17T15:47:00.000-05:002006-01-17T15:53:23.810-05:00

I need to succinctly sum up the characteristics shared by the Romantic poet and the Romantic protagonist. The description should be grand and postive. Instead, I keep crediting the Romantic poet and protagonist with peevishness, angst, and general dickishness.It will all be over in May.It will all be over in May.It will all be over in May.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137421954347013392006-01-16T09:32:00.000-05:002006-01-16T09:32:34.370-05:00

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Zh.! Two thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in Zh..Zh. cannot be detected by infrared cameras.Snow White's coffin was made of Zh.!Britain's Millennium Dome is more than double the size of Zh..Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are Zh..Ideally, Zh. should be stored on her side at a temperature of 55 degrees!Scientists believe that Zh. began

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137174464801228892006-01-13T12:40:00.000-05:002006-01-13T12:57:10.686-05:00

But I'm not a pirate, fruit. (Scroll down)At least I can occassionally giggle at Scott Feschuk's Liberal campaign blog because everything else about the Liberal campaign makes me want to cry. The CPC is only a few seats away from a majority. How the hell did they do that? It's as though Canada forget that by voting CPC it'll get not only a surprisingly and suddenly moderate-seeming Stephen

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137172877349411442006-01-13T12:17:00.000-05:002006-01-13T12:24:38.360-05:00

Last year I went to workshops at the career centre with titles like: "Compiling Your Dossier," "You and Your Teaching Dossier," "CVs and Cover Letters for Academic Positions."Last night I signed up for two workshops at the career centre next week. The titles? "Career Centre Orienation for Graduate Students" and more tellingly, "Non-Academic Jobs for Graduate Students."Stick a fork in my

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1137161920893937042006-01-13T09:16:00.000-05:002006-01-13T09:31:25.153-05:00

Back when this random ten songs on your iPod meme started, I didn't own an iPod. Now, thanks to my parents (who do spoil me), I have an iPod Nano. Just this once, here's my Friday random ten:"Every Planet We Reach Is Dead" - Gorillaz"Came on Lion" - Sarah Harmer"For Real" - Okkervil River"Boy with the Arab Strap" - Belle and Sebastian"Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio"I'm Not Angry" - Elvis

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1136989345647655402006-01-11T09:17:00.000-05:002006-01-11T09:56:08.570-05:00

I need a vacation to recover from the last four days of my vacation.I also need to get a bunch of tests marked.And get some more written for my penultimate chapter.And sleep. I need to sleep more.Well, that's not happening until this weekend, so there will be no posting until then. Unless, of course, the Conservatives do something else that really scares me. Well, they've already freaked me

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1136357971012144322006-01-04T01:28:00.000-05:002006-01-04T02:01:00.170-05:00

Seattle comes to an end tomorrow. I'm sad even though I am looking forward to sleeping in my bed again. I also don't understand how I was ever used to the months of grey, rainy weather here. I haven't seen Mt. Rainier once since I arrived a couple of weeks ago. That bothers me.Tomorrow, we head north to Vancouver and then we head east to Manitoba. Wedding bells will ring on Saturday. Not

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1135385086237745342005-12-23T19:38:00.000-05:002005-12-23T19:44:46.250-05:00

I was worried about clearing customs and immigration on my way into the States. I'd noticed a rise in hostility towards those of us who are US citizens but residents of other countries. I was always tempted to say, "I've lived in Canada since long before 9/11" but I didn't. Lately all of the questions have been geared towards figuring out why I don't live in the US: "Are you married?" is the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1135016547898145132005-12-19T13:20:00.000-05:002005-12-19T13:22:27.913-05:00

I am leaving town tomorrow for three weeks. Posting during that time will be sporadic at best and non-existent at worst.Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season. And now, I shall go back to doing laundry.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1135013406687621412005-12-19T12:27:00.000-05:002005-12-19T12:30:06.700-05:00

I've noticed a general pattern. When entering the US, the customs official wants to know when you'll be leaving. When entering Canada, the customs official wants to know if there's anything in that bag there on which customs fees could be levied. In light of the fact that the US wants you to leave and Canada wants your money, I find it odd that the on-line immigration fee site for Canadian

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134737738927992202005-12-16T07:44:00.000-05:002005-12-16T07:55:38.940-05:00

This is the neighbor's cat who has an incredibly stupid name, so we call her RZA. She spends more time at our place than at our neighbor's so we consider her our cat, especially since she likes to spend the night at our place, which equals a whole heck of a lot of crappy sleep. Her owner is out of town at the moment, so we locked her up in his apartment. It was so nice to sleep through the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134659919937232062005-12-15T10:16:00.000-05:002005-12-15T10:18:39.950-05:00

After paying an embarrassingly large overdue fine at the library yesterday, I vowed to not have another overdue book until I'm done. Today I was unloading my bag to go grocery shopping and guess what I pulled out of it? A now-overdue library book.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134489759476978432005-12-13T10:58:00.000-05:002005-12-13T11:05:18.060-05:00

Albertans are cranky because no federal party leader of any value has visited them since the election began. I understand, Alberta. I'm originally from Seattle. During presidential elections no one visits Washington because it's a blue state. May I suggest electing more than two non-Conservative MPs in the next election? Everyone will be happy. Harper will no longer be traipsing about the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134421896266751342005-12-12T16:07:00.000-05:002005-12-12T16:17:59.560-05:00

Further proof that prison isn't really about rehabilitation:After studying the evidence, searching the history, listening to the arguments and wrestling with the profound consequences, I could find no justification for granting clemency.Sure Arnie, I believe you.I also love the way the CBC.ca story casts doubt on the worth of the cause with a single sentence:The 51-year-old has become a

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134400981347336252005-12-12T10:20:00.000-05:002005-12-12T10:23:01.350-05:00

There is hope! On Friday, a friend of mine who already has his fancy-pants graduate degree and then took his fancy-pants title to a job outside of academia, told me that as soon as grad school was over, his spelling and his English-language vocabulary improved. Whew. I was beginning to wonder if grad school was actually making me dumber.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134400135809757152005-12-12T09:51:00.000-05:002005-12-12T16:18:37.636-05:00

We finally sat down and figured out who was getting what this weekend. We are, of course, spoiling the niece. She's eight! She's girly! She wants beads! How can we not spoil her? We bought that Klutz beading book that everyone loves so much, more purple beads than you can shake a stick at because the niece likes purple, and a domino necklace that a friend of ours (who lives in North Pole,

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1134061115157608072005-12-08T11:45:00.000-05:002005-12-08T11:58:35.186-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of class for the term. My students are currently writing a take-home test. We don't do in-class tests because I can't afford to use four of hours of an entire year's worth of classtime for tests. Stupid Czech. Why did you have to be so effin' hard?So, today was the day to get my life back on track: focus on the diss again, finish those pesky last immigration

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133974271828759442005-12-07T11:50:00.000-05:002005-12-07T11:51:11.843-05:00

Today is my last teaching day until the new year. Can I get a "woo hoo"?

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133910937271453702005-12-06T18:12:00.000-05:002005-12-06T18:15:37.286-05:00

I like a good Tarkovsky flick. I really do. I especially love the ones where nothing happens. Detractors of Tarkovsky will say that I just described all his films but really, there's something amazing about a film in which nothing happens and where the lack of action isn't annoying. Like Stalker. Nothing happens and it would be much, much worse if something did happen. So, back to Tarkovsky

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133545619277346142005-12-02T12:43:00.000-05:002005-12-02T12:46:59.290-05:00

It's an entire website of pissed off kitties, which means that dinner almost burnt while Ptichka and I laughed at the poor animals. In other news my modbird arrived last night. It's the one with the purple beak and tail feathers.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133466705942723692005-12-01T14:49:00.000-05:002005-12-01T14:51:45.956-05:00

I'm almost done with the immigration rigamorole and I just realized that the application focuses so intently on what you've done and where you've been that, except for the current address bit, there isn't any space for you to describe what you're doing now. As in at this moment.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133455591620930352005-12-01T11:30:00.000-05:002005-12-01T11:46:31.700-05:00

This morning, I literally almost threw Sparky, the laptop, against the wall. None of this was Sparky's fault, of course. I think that I had him closed and clasped in both my hands before I realized what I was contemplating doing. The source of my extreme frustration was a fruitless search for two films by Grigorii Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg: The Devil's Wheel (Chertovo koleso) and The

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133362911857042822005-11-30T09:53:00.000-05:002005-11-30T10:07:34.333-05:00

After much procrastination, I am finally wrapping up the immigration application. I'd like to mail it this Friday but I have several explanatory letters that I need to write. Explanatory letters for things like why I don't have a customs stamp from my last entry into Canada (that would be because the customs agent didn't stamp it and because I doubt that I still have my boarding pass from

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133309896215089812005-11-29T19:16:00.000-05:002005-11-29T19:18:16.230-05:00

When I say that I'd like to be more like Ptichka, I'm saying that I'd like to be better looking, smarter, and more talented, not that I too would like a strike vote. I feel that I've been willfully misunderstood by some higher power on this point.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133308200965203722005-11-29T18:36:00.000-05:002005-11-29T18:50:01.013-05:00

Stephen Harper is blathering on about how it's time for a change. I do happen to agree with him. Sort of. I'd really like to see is an NDP majority. I'd prefer another Liberal minority to a Conservative minority, especially in light of the fact that Harper's promising to revisit same-sex marriage should he become Prime Minister. Threatening to take rights away is not kosher. So here's

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1133147253741687322005-11-27T22:03:00.000-05:002005-11-27T22:07:33.756-05:00

Is it wrong to be thankful that I have a couple of students who consistently fail to turn in homework? Because I am. I am thankful that I have that much less homework to mark.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132949682321295942005-11-25T15:08:00.000-05:002005-11-25T15:16:29.470-05:00

Is it me or is there nothing in this world less convincing than a white male asshole?* (Swiped from Marginal Notes) *To be honest all assholes are pretty unconvincing but this particular variety of asshole really chaps my hide.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132925832894558582005-11-25T08:27:00.000-05:002005-11-25T08:37:12.906-05:00

Yesterday after sitting through the third annual minute film festival here, Ptichka and I went to the corner store on the way home to pick up some milk for morning lattes. It was chilly outside and I was wearing (stupidly) mary janes (although I'm wearing those same shoes and a skirt today) so I think that we looked sufficiently cold for the employee to talk to us about the weather. "It's cold

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132852468563669742005-11-24T12:10:00.000-05:002005-11-24T12:14:28.576-05:00

Don't do it Stevie! I promise the Liberals are going to pick up all those points in the polls that they just lost if people have to listen to you tell them you're a nice, understanding, not-so-right guy on commercial breaks during It's a Wonderful Life. Not even Ralph thinks you're going to end up PM.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132507333617756682005-11-20T12:05:00.000-05:002005-11-20T12:22:17.806-05:00

How was the concert?(John K. + Sarah Harmer) x "Islands in the Stream" = Awesome

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132329920521391672005-11-18T11:04:00.000-05:002005-11-18T11:05:20.533-05:00

There is nothing worse than starting one's day with a bad work-out, except for, maybe starting one's day without a work-out. Either way, you're feeling unproductive from the get go. Blah.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132243118630409112005-11-17T10:55:00.000-05:002005-11-17T10:58:38.643-05:00

Although I know that nothing can really be considered odd behaviour if one's discussing a cat, I still find it odd that the neighbour's cat licked the gelatinous goo off the chunks of poultry goodness we fed her but did not touch the poultry goodness.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132162614583393062005-11-16T12:30:00.000-05:002005-11-16T13:07:51.326-05:00

Every Wednesday I have a chat about something with my advisor in Czech. I've been talking about my latest chapter now for a few weeks and I'm sick of it. Stick a fork in Boris Mikhailovich, he's done folks. At least as far as I'm concerned. So, I asked Ptichka about possible non-diss topics for the chat and she pointed out this article about James Kudelka's version of Swan Lake. I've seen

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132153269512957902005-11-16T09:57:00.000-05:002005-11-16T10:02:45.636-05:00

I may be crossing Winnipeg off my list of Canadian cities in which I'd like to live (as opposed to the one in which I'm probably stuck for the rest of my life). And before you accuse me of being a complete and utter pussy when it comes to weather, I will admit it: Toronto has transformed me into a complete and utter pussy when it comes to weather. I don't complain as much as the average

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132095456087601062005-11-15T17:54:00.000-05:002005-11-15T18:04:24.293-05:00

Last week, M. L. Gasparov died. Of course there wasn't an obit in English until the following Friday, I believe. Sigh. His History of Russian Verse is probably one of the most valuable books I own.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1132064469472812682005-11-15T09:12:00.000-05:002005-11-15T09:29:05.820-05:00

My students, whom I genuinely like, recently received the "how to learn a foreign language" chat. I should probably just schedule repeats of the chat in the class schedule because I have a feeling that they'll need to be reminded a couple more times that cramming is no way to learn just about anything and it's definitely no way to learn a foreign language. Oh the irony that this was said by

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131983384373371562005-11-14T10:48:00.000-05:002005-11-14T10:49:44.390-05:00

Based on Friday's trip to IKEA, Jacobean-inspired is the new black. I am very happy about this.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131645172536373782005-11-10T12:46:00.000-05:002005-11-10T12:52:52.550-05:00

I hate Coldplay.That is all.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131243197717369102005-11-07T01:40:00.000-05:002005-11-07T13:48:02.863-05:00

On Friday, I was poked, prodded, weighed, pricked, pressed, and tested. I was not x-rayed, though. The machine was broken. I need to call the x-ray place now but I have the thing that Immigration would really like to see: the receipt for my physical. It's been photocopied and stashed with my birth certificate, my marriage certificate, and numerous background checks. Of course, as my

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131117305082206622005-11-04T10:14:00.000-05:002005-11-04T10:15:05.096-05:00

Happy Birthday, Ptichko!May you have many more.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131063054294932112005-11-03T19:10:00.000-05:002005-11-03T19:10:54.306-05:00

3,211 / 40,000(8.0%)

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1131045211660358512005-11-03T14:09:00.000-05:002005-11-03T14:13:31.673-05:00

There is nothing on this planet that can make one feel uglier than immigration photos. Yes, they trump even passport and driver's license photos.My photos are also making me wonder when I began looking like a man.And I need a haircut.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130944616004303642005-11-02T10:15:00.000-05:002005-11-02T10:16:56.020-05:00

2,484 / 40,000(6.2%)

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130856095597834562005-11-01T09:40:00.000-05:002005-11-01T09:41:35.616-05:00

I say, screw Nanowrimo. It's Nadiwrimo this month.The starting word count is: 2484.But first, I really need to work out.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130532654557442262005-10-28T16:46:00.000-04:002005-10-28T17:00:40.966-04:00

My blog is worth $0.00.How much is your blog worth?Yes, my "academic" blog is worth as much as my future degree. My amateur craft presence in this world, which comes with sloppy gluing and a chronic inability to colour in the lines, is worth more. It may be time to drop out. I didn't want to write those last forty-thousand words, anyway.Seen at Shatnerian.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130440169374712842005-10-27T14:56:00.000-04:002005-10-27T15:09:29.450-04:00

Due to Ptichka's new job, which demands that she knows what's going on in the world, we now have cable. And not basic cable, mind you, but some deluxe package from the world's worst cable service provider. And of course, even though Ptichka ordered the deluxe package, they tried to sell me digital cable while they were here. Two months free! Two months free! Um, no thank you. I don't really

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130325620442052682005-10-26T07:18:00.000-04:002005-10-26T07:20:20.450-04:00

Student: For the dissertation don't you have to write, like, a really long thesis?Me: It's about two hundred pages.Student: I'd rather write a novel. Make some money.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130259208156190212005-10-25T12:50:00.000-04:002005-10-25T12:53:28.163-04:00

There's a cliche out there that mediocre books tend to make great movies. If that's truly the case, I think that Life of Pi now has a fighting chance of being made into a great movie. Jean-Pierre Jeunet will direct the film. Here's hoping that he doesn't continue down the path he started in Amélie, which is an amazingly fun film to watch and analyse if the kitsch is ignored.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1130248596643129692005-10-25T09:46:00.000-04:002005-10-25T09:56:36.666-04:00

I opened the fridge today and saw a low-fat Cool Whip container in it. I freaked out. What had happened to my dairy-loving wife because I know that I didn't buy any low-fat Cool Whip. It was one of those containers that we had somehow acquired via the potluck circuit and it was full of the best soup ever (Main Dish Minestrone) and not some random petroleum product. So, I think that I'll have

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129740416142937772005-10-19T12:35:00.000-04:002005-10-19T12:51:26.933-04:00

Most of this post comes to you courtesy of another post by me on my happy blog. Yes, that's right, I have a happy blog. Or at least a happier blog. No, wait, a happy blog, dammit! It's where school hardly ever intrudes and life is wonderfully and amateurishly crafty and artsy (with a hint of fartsy). So, Mom and Dad, go take a peak. I'm not that much of a malcontent. Really!I'm also in a

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129650292412526882005-10-18T11:31:00.000-04:002005-10-18T11:44:52.456-04:00

I requested that all birthday gifts be handed over at dinner, so I was worried when Ptichka held something behind her back this morning and told me put out a hand. I want something to look forward to this evening, besides this blasted day finally being over. It wasn't gift. Really. Well, it was a gift of sorts. Beginning on 15 August, Robert Rabinovitch hadn't just locked out 5500 CBC

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129601364936132262005-10-17T22:06:00.000-04:002005-10-17T22:09:24.943-04:00

This isn't a real post.It's only a quiz that I saw at Badger's. What Classic Movie Are You?personality tests by similarminds.com

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129323110629684872005-10-14T16:42:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:52:12.340-04:00

Eikhenbaum isn't cooperating, which means that I'm officially having a crappy writing day. This entire half of the dissertation feels like nothing more than a string of crappy writing days. I suppose that my general lack of love for Russian literature at the moment combined with the knowledge that my degree won't be worth much when I'm done isn't helping either. So, I've been procrastinating

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129301135110136952005-10-14T10:43:00.000-04:002005-10-14T10:45:35.116-04:00

This weight-loss thing must be going well because the homeless and the elderly in the neighborhood have begun cat calling when I walk by. Oh joy.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129239001822880902005-10-13T17:28:00.000-04:002005-10-13T17:30:01.823-04:00

I am surprised and then happy about Pinter winning the Nobel for Literature today. But I have one request: Give Milan Kundera the fucking thing soon.Ptichka pointed out that Kundera needs to write another novel first. She's probably correct. Let's hope that he does that. And let's also hope that it's better than his string of French-language novels.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129238526950565732005-10-13T17:13:00.000-04:002005-10-13T17:24:21.913-04:00

Everyone in the academy whom I've told about my decision not to go on in academia is intially surprised. Then they curse geography and the Bush administration. Ah, well. This is the fun part, right? The figuring it out. The not knowing. Being the hero of my very own Sorrows. Well, not Sorrows really. I don't say very profound things, unless you consider things like, "It's cold out"

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129219076118931262005-10-13T11:36:00.000-04:002005-10-13T11:59:38.760-04:00

Last night, I watched Vladimír Michálek's 1998 movie Sekal Must be Killed (Je třeba zabít Sekala) (Information in Czech here), which was the Czech entry for the Best Foreign Film Competition for the Oscars that year. It wasn't selected, so I figured that it had to be a decent film. It was. Beautifully shot, although with a bit too much extra-diagetic music, the film was a perfect antitode to

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1129123408368523892005-10-12T09:21:00.000-04:002005-10-12T09:25:55.176-04:00

I keep waking up at four am. I've usually only fallen asleep between eleven and midnight. I usually sit straight up and then slump back into bed, unable to fall back asleep until six or so. Then, I'm exhausted when I crawl out of bed an hour later. I'm wondering if I should just start getting up at four...

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128951274960725142005-10-10T09:22:00.000-04:002005-10-12T09:20:29.366-04:00

Yesterday, Ptichka and I returned from a relaxing weekend at her aunt's during which more cheese than is recommended was consumed. Upon entering the house, I detected a low-grade rumble. It's the new furnace. The latest energy-efficient model. A model that I assume my landlord, a former EU resident, brought back to Canada with him, just as he brought back the solar panels that supply the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128647359049069242005-10-06T21:08:00.000-04:002005-10-06T21:09:19.056-04:00

I'm leaving town tomorrow for a couple of days. Happy Thanksgiving all! May your roast beef/turkey/tourtiere be tasty!

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128623133888918392005-10-06T14:23:00.000-04:002005-10-06T14:25:33.893-04:00

Why are the last 250 words always the hardest to write?

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128520151387255312005-10-05T09:46:00.000-04:002005-10-05T09:49:11.393-04:00

It looks as though the voting on the agreement in principle will start tomorrow and with any luck at all Ptichka will be back at work on Tuesday. Hooray! That "hooray" will go into all caps if I hear that the Heritage Committee has dismissed Rabinovitch and his cronies.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128461923017017542005-10-04T16:55:00.000-04:002005-10-04T17:38:43.123-04:00

"Please tell me that this is the hardest thing we're going to do all year. Please say, 'yes,' even if it's not."

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1128087671598599482005-09-30T09:31:00.000-04:002005-09-30T09:44:28.976-04:00

I'm doing something internet-based that involves people whom I've know (of) via a web-based community for about a year but have never met in person. Mainly because we're scattered around North America. This thing will take some serious planning, so we're arranging for an on-line conference call. I actually spoke to one of them last night. It was, um, odd? Sure. It was odd. Usually, the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127926918542495752005-09-28T12:55:00.000-04:002005-09-28T13:10:22.530-04:00

Seen at Badger's: How many of the 100 most challenged books have I read? Read books are in bold.Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin SchwartzDaddy’s Roommate by Michael WillhoiteI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouThe Chocolate War by Robert CormierThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckHarry Potter (Series) by J.K. RowlingForever by Judy

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127831914660774612005-09-27T10:18:00.000-04:002005-09-27T10:48:06.076-04:00

My field has produced some promising-sounding job postings so far this year. Open specialization? I can do that! Twentieth-century specialization? I can do that. Nineteenth-century specialization? I could do that but I'd slit my wrists after a couple of years of it, so I won't apply. And so far this year, I think that there have been more jobs posted than in the past two years combined.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127613689169713492005-09-24T21:58:00.000-04:002005-09-24T22:04:23.536-04:00

On Tuesday evening there was a knock at the front door. Through the window I could see a flower delivery guy. I was rallying my sleep- deprived brain so that I could tell the guy to which apartment he should go to deliver the flowers. Ptichka and I do not receive flowers. Well, now we need to change that sentence a bit. Ptichka and I hardly ever receive flowers. It was an anniversary

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127584476778011972005-09-24T13:51:00.000-04:002005-09-24T13:54:36.783-04:00

I went for beer with a few of my colleagues and numerous friends who had been my colleagues before they smartened up and got the hell out. After much discussion, it was decided that the only statistic that my department is going to be able to use to promote itself in the future is the student-teacher ratio. Not for any good reasons, though, but because everyone is getting the hell out and

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127398915824609972005-09-22T10:09:00.000-04:002005-09-22T10:35:01.483-04:00

Note: I do not reveal the Harry Potter spoiler but I do blithely reveal the ending to The Perfect Storm, Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho series, some bits of the Horatio Hornblower series, and some other bits of the Aubrey-Maturin series. These are all sufficiently old and I am sufficiently behind-the-times to figure that anyone reading this who cares already knows the endings to everything

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127398155536955822005-09-22T10:08:00.000-04:002005-09-22T10:09:15.546-04:00

I thought that this conversation was funny.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127351387040512052005-09-21T21:00:00.000-04:002005-09-21T21:09:47.046-04:00

I missed Talk Like a Pirate Day. I forgot about the day entirely until a student asked me how Czech pirates speak. I thought for a minute, "Even though Shakespeare insisted that Bohemia had a coast, the country is actually landlocked, so I feel confident saying that there were no Czech pirates." Now, though, I need to find a book or a film or something in Czech that features pirates.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1127230384806802722005-09-20T11:32:00.000-04:002005-09-20T11:33:04.813-04:00

"He began taking himself Byronically..."- D. S. Mirsky

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126965143405235832005-09-17T09:47:00.000-04:002005-09-17T09:54:25.253-04:00

and I will have no interest in posting.Love is a great thing, yea, a great and thorough good.By itself it makes that which is heavy light;and it bears evenly all that is uneven.It carries a burden which is no burden;it will not be kept back by anything low and mean;It desires to be free from all wordly affections,and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity,or by any adversity subdued.Love

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126962421052558942005-09-17T08:44:00.000-04:002005-09-17T09:12:53.200-04:00

Yesterday, in the rain, I walked to campus (it's an hour walk). It had started raining just after I left the house and I was away from transit routes. I was also feeling too poor to spring for bus fare so it didn't matter that I was away from transit routes, really.I walk by a park in one of the residential neighborhoods I cut through on the way to campus. Yesterday, there were hordes of

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126888369180145812005-09-16T12:30:00.000-04:002005-09-16T12:32:49.186-04:00

Advisor: Yesterday, this guy gets into a cab. He has a thick Hungarian accent. The cabbie asks him where he's from. The guy tells him that he's from Hungary originally. The cabbie asks when the guy moved to Canada. The Hungarian guy says, "1956." "Oh, that must've been horrible," responds the cabbie. "Yes," the Hungarian answers, "I lost everything but my accent."Former Student: Is that it

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126822544889073812005-09-15T18:14:00.000-04:002005-09-15T18:32:57.946-04:00

There's a great set of ads running in The Globe and Mail in support of locked-out CBC workers. To see the ads and for more information, go here.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126822259007335642005-09-15T18:08:00.000-04:002005-09-15T18:10:59.016-04:00

ILL just cancelled two of my requests because they can't find them. *sob* I guess that I really will have to go to Prague next summer. Can't you hear my disappointment at the prospect of hanging in the archives, drinking beer, and eating fried cheese? Of course, this'll happen after I tour the Maritimes with Ptichka.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126787267485062052005-09-15T08:21:00.000-04:002005-09-15T08:27:47.493-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, since our landlord fixed the nasty bathroom leak, worms have been entering the bathroom with great ease. Worms are harmless but they are terrifying when you turn and notice one on the shower wall at head-height and you are without your glasses so you can't see it without bringing your face to within half an inch of the worm. They could be one of those

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126701358326730732005-09-14T08:28:00.000-04:002005-09-14T08:42:55.450-04:00

The neighbor's are also having tomato-production issues (read there are more tomatoes in the garden than they can possibly eat), which is probably why I found a flower pot full of yellow pear tomatoes on the front step last Saturday. Another variety of tomato coming out our ears. Goody We used up some more of our tomatoes last night by making raw tomato sauce.While the pasta is cooking, dice a

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126612822686683922005-09-13T07:53:00.000-04:002005-09-13T08:20:38.120-04:00

I was half-expecting the potential auditor to show up at the first class because permission had been ultimately granted by my chair. I had not heard anything back from either the chair or my supervisor. My supervisor was also expecting my chair to pose a problem. At some point in time, I will be the final word but at the moment, there are two people who could possibly overrule me and neither

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126549475679242722005-09-12T14:23:00.000-04:002005-09-12T14:24:35.690-04:00

If only the knew how accurate this is:Your Superhero ProfileYour Superhero Name is The Laser WeirdoYour Superpower is VampirismYour Weakness is French PeopleYour Weapon is Your Mind BulletsYour Mode of Transportation is SnowboardWhat's your Superhero Name?Swiped from Badger.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126543155779817512005-09-12T12:37:00.000-04:002005-09-12T12:39:15.786-04:00

When I go to the departmental orientation this afternoon, none of my friends will be there. They've all left the program except for one, who teaches from 15.00 - 17.00. Thank goodness I start teaching midway through the orientation. Early exits are the best thing ever.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126529171084175532005-09-12T08:27:00.000-04:002005-09-12T08:46:11.153-04:00

I slept like a rock until 5.00. Fell back asleep at 5.30. Woke up at 7.00. Felt worse than I did at 5.00.It's supposed to be in the mid-thirties Celsius here today, so I can be a disheveled sweaty mess when I teach my first class.I suppose that it's time to face the day. At least I'll only be dreading two days out of the week this year, instead of four or five.I will console myself with

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126493907472018912005-09-11T22:57:00.000-04:002005-09-11T22:58:27.476-04:00

To break up all the gloom and doom of late, here's some cats in sinks.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126458389628043242005-09-11T13:00:00.000-04:002005-09-11T13:06:29.636-04:00

Tomorrow I am officially on-leave no more, which makes me sad. I still remember one of the profs in my department seeing me before a colloquium and saying to me, "You look so happy!" He then paused and continued, "You're on leave. You haven't been around. Of course you're happy."I am thankful that my class meets in the evening twice a week because it will minimize the amount of time I have to

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126285375067554072005-09-09T12:26:00.000-04:002005-09-09T14:12:53.950-04:00

The frosh are out. As I crossed campus today there were swarms of them dressed in matching tee shirts. They had climbed onto a large statue and were chanting in unison various phrases that involved balls, pussy, boobs, and other parts of human anatomy. I don't think that I heard the words "ass" or "butt" but at one point I stopped listening to the frosh and started observing a a large group of

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126231825507111132005-09-08T22:07:00.000-04:002005-09-08T22:18:51.360-04:00

Ptichka, in her inimitable Ptichka way, made things better with BLTs and salad for dinner and a new CD for dessert: Funeral by The Arcade Fire. "Crown of Love" is amazing. I've had it on repeat for the past hour and a half because I am obsessive about music in that annoying twelve-year-old sort of way. "Neighborhood no. 3" is amazing. As is "Neighborhood no. 1" and "Haiti" and and and the

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126213550150130042005-09-08T17:03:00.000-04:002005-09-08T17:06:02.206-04:00

Sure, Tod Maffin over at CBC Unplugged is good but he's no Pedro the Gnome.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126199818472144242005-09-08T13:06:00.000-04:002005-09-09T13:13:56.480-04:00

While my chair reminded me yesterday of why much of the world sucks, my advisor/supervisor's reaction to the situation reminded me about why I like her so much, her unrealistic expectations be damned. A friend, who is one of her former students, told me once that a conversation with the advisor meant three more books added to the bibliography of your nearly completed dissertation and dinner with

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126130267100855722005-09-07T17:49:00.000-04:002005-09-07T18:01:39.806-04:00

Ptichka has reminded me that the incredibly condescending last sentence in the chair's e-mail to me has less to do with a lack of confidence in me and more to do with the chair's complete and utter lack of confidence in everyone, the chair included. My mantra for dealing with the chair this year: "Sometimes it does suck to me but at least it doesn't always suck to be me." If that doesn't

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126098397911650022005-09-07T08:43:00.000-04:002005-09-07T09:15:10.783-04:00

I've been ploughing my way through Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho books. The more I think about them, the more I'm not so sure that I like them. The more I read them, the more I lament the fact that I started with the Rolls Royce of the boat book genre: Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. How can anything else live up to those? Bolitho's just a bit too perfect in his professional life

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1126037103992402752005-09-06T15:57:00.000-04:002005-09-06T16:07:48.616-04:00

As I've posted before, I have grown disenchanted with the upstairs neighbour even though it means that the best cat in the world is practically ours. Now, he's freaking me out because it sounds as though he's swiped my CD collection. I am willing to share late R.E.M. and Belle and Sebastian but I draw the line at Moreno Veloso. Moreno is mine. And Ptichka's when she wants him.In other news,

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1125668205022135342005-09-02T09:31:00.000-04:002005-09-09T13:14:52.920-04:00

I just discovered that although the department website, the administrative assistant, and the supervisor say that auditing is allowed only with the instructor's permission, it should read, "If the instructor is not telling you what you want to hear, please be advised that the department chair will gladly pull the rug from under the instructor and tell you what you want to hear." Say it with me

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1125618734413061212005-09-01T19:38:00.000-04:002005-09-01T19:52:14.423-04:00

Go to Music Outfitters for a list of the top 100 songs during the year you graduated from high school. Bold the ones you like(d), strikeout the ones you don't. I'm borrowing New Kid's twist and leaving the ones I've never heard of alone.1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot3. Jump, Kris Kross4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC6. Tears In

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1125609108955919802005-09-01T17:09:00.000-04:002005-09-01T17:11:48.956-04:00

The Canadian Idol theme next week is The Bare Naked Ladies. Hopefully someone will get away with doing their best song, which is not really their song. It's a cover of a Bruce Cochburn song.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873210.post-1125608724281036412005-09-01T17:02:00.000-04:002005-09-01T17:05:24.286-04:00

1. New, runless gitch.2. New, holeless socks.3. New, non-pokey bra4. New, non-sneaker shoes.*This will occur only if the lock-out has ended, which I doubt.

Zhenianoreply@blogger.com0