One Week Down ...

... and 14 more to go till the semester ends. Yes I'm already thinking about it and I can't wait. I seem to have a good group of students in both sections, but it's only the first week.

I plan to write again today but I also have to complete several dissertation fellowship applications in the next week. One of the applications requires a 5-7 page abstract detailing my research, how it is located in a discipline or field of study, and what are its contributions. My eyes initially rolled up at the requirement. Another damn thing to write for something that I could be denied. But I quickly found it was a blessing in disguise. Part of writing this abstract is becoming a shortened version of my conclusion. And to have a real deadline is forcing me to put my thoughts together in an articulate and coherent manner. I had forgotten how having a real deadline is forcing me to write and finish a piece.

Here I Go Again

Today the spring semester for 2007 officially starts for me. Two sections of GOVT 101: Democratic Theory and Practice. Another set of students. Some last minute emails from students about adding to my class. Some minor changes to my syllabus.

And away I go.

Snowfall!!!

I was so overjoyed at the first flakes of snow for this year that I went outside with my camera to photograph the moment. It's mostly random pictures around the area but I wanted to capture the initial layer of snowfall and how it changes the texture of the landscape. While I was ecstatic, my friend, on the other hand, was grumbling about extra time to warm the car, brushing the snow cover off the windshield, etc. etc. I guess I'm still new to this idea of "winter."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

*sighs*

Where did my winter break go? The spring semester is starting next week and once again my time for writing is rapidly dissipating.

Ethnic Cleansing in LA? "Little Asian on the Hill?"

Posting an awesome analysis by Oliver, a colleague/friend of mine at Poplicks, about a recent op-ed piece in the LA Times about black/latino race relations. The article, Roots of Latino/Black Anger, was written by Tanya K. Hernandez and it's generated a bit of discussion. Not because of what she raises as an important complex and much needed address on minority-minority relations and conflicts, but how she presents the material. Oliver's critique is right on the mark. There's also an accompanying piece in the New York Times about Asian Americans and higher education focusing on UC Berkeley by Timothy Egan called, Little Asia on the Hill -- I guess it's a derivation of "Harvard on the Hill" when someone goes to a not so great college. Oliver's response raises some insightful points about educational policies like affirmative action and its relationship on Asian American students. It's a damn good read not because he's a sociologist, but because he's an alum of UC Berkeley. It's a really interesting perspective of then when he was an undergraduate, to now at CSU Long Beach as a professor in sociology.

New York Pix!

I have my pictures from New York loaded on Zoomr so click below to check it out. I didn't bring my clunky digital camera, and instead used a simple 35mm automatic. Nothing fancy at all and it was easier to carry around. Some pictures had to be photoshopped (is that a word?) because I messed up on one thing or the other -- either I was moving, or someone bumped into me, or just a bad angle. But with some cropping and the power of editing, I was able to salvage some shots. The photos are from MOMA, Museum of Natural History, Grand Central Station, Radio City Music Hall, Spuyten Duyvil, the subway at Bleeker Street, and south Bronx. The photo in the above header is an edited image of Grand Central Station.

Back to Work

*sighs*

New Year's Eve in New York with great friends was fabulous!

Coming back to Arlington, VA, and getting ready for the Spring semester in two weeks is depressing.

Trying to write my chapter in two weeks is my goal.

Think I can do it? Only one way to find out.