My B-Day

Yesterday I turned 43, but it could have easily been 34, or 24, or I don't know, any time during my adult life because I can't feel a difference. I know that time is passing by, some of my childhood events and teenage days seem to have happened in another life time, but at the end of the day, I feel that I am me and that it is not so bad to be in my own skin. I used to think, when I was younger, that I was loosing time, you know, running from here there, speeding towards becoming independent, getting a career, finding the love of your life, settling down... There seemed to be a race to get it all figured out and I distinctively remember when people stopped asking me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and instead started asking me what were my plans for a future career, and what steps was I taking towards that goal. In high school, I used to count the days to be out of town and go to college, failing to realize that the life I was living then was pretty good and that there are all these events and things happening then, even though I always had the feeling that I was stuck until I grew into being old enough to matter. Know what I mean? After all, all this running and urge to move forward at any cost was a mistake, I know now looking back, but try to explain that to an anxious and vibrant 20 year old! And maybe that's the reason why where I am now in life, in spite of all the challenges, uncertainties, and oddities, feels right to me. I am not running anymore, at least more or less than the next person. I enjoy time passing and taking time to smell the roses in my garden as much as any one else. I still spend as many hours a day as I can reading and thinking, sometimes dreaming with my eyes open, a favorite past time of mine. Above all, I like to think, even if that does not necessarily entail producing anything immediately, like writing about it or whatever. I like the way your brain tickles when you attack a new idea, when you fly in hot pursuit after your imagination, and how everything seems to fall into place after you flipped and tossed and turned all the pieces of complex mental puzzles into coherent masterpieces. I like the traveling, the search, the research, the pursuit, the quest, and I feel that without brain stimulation, meaningful human contact, and being part of something, be it your family, your knitting club, or your research niche, well, it's the best for me. I know that I am older than other people in my circumstances, but really I don't care any more. I feel that what I bring to the table, my life experience, my culture, my ability to contribute meaningfully to a shared project are pluses that should not be disregarded. I am still short of my full potential, of course, aren't we always far away of reaching our own ideals, but today it feels comfortable being me and I just wanted to share that with you all. Every age if beautiful is you know how to live it, my mother always says. Who would have thought she has been right all these years!

Academic life

I just finished reading a very handy and practical little book entitled "What they didn't teach you in graduate school - 199 hints for success in your academic career" by Paul Gray and David E. Drew. the reason why I want to advise this book to you all out there at different stages in academic life, and also for those of you that don't have anything to do with it but were always curious how it works, is because even though it is small in size it is packed with inestimable tips in a user-friendly format. At this point of my life, still starting, an absolute beginner, I will won't probably be able to tell you about the validity of the hints offered, but at my level, that of the PhD. Candidate struggling to understand the idiosyncrasies in academia and the power struggles, I am grateful that such experienced authors took the time to lay it flat for me. It has its challenges, it is a field full of primadonas and in much need of a strong work ethic, probably today more than ever, but it is also inspiring and when I finished reading their book about it, I felt like I belong, and that's always a good feeling, right? Not a lot of solutions have been created structurally to develop higher education or any form education in this country in the last couple of years, with gruesome attacks on the value of a liberal arts education and the never ending budgetary cuts at all distinct levels. Academia is changing too due to all these constraints, but most likely like Profs. Gray and Drew anticipate, will remain somewhat the same for still many years to come. And it will be important for its professionals to figure out the rules of the game that are not written any where, but nonetheless govern its cyclic life. Therefore, I recommend this little big book to any one seeking to understand how does academia work like myself. what I liked the most was the fact that while giving practical and meaningful advice in a light-tone, they also reiterate the humanistic philosophy beyond this knowledge-driven world. For example, they reinforce the importance of mentorship at all stages of academic development, they cherish a shared culture of knowledge and education, excellence in teaching, giving back to your community and your students at different stages of life, and remaining ethical and courteous throughout the whole process. In addition, they are not afraid to be dead serious if it's an issue of such a nature like salary and professional performance and expectations, or your health and well being and how to balance personal and professional lives while on the tenure track. Even though the picture in often shy from a platonic view of academia, it is still compelling enough to inspire and to encourage those pursuing this lifestyle. Now, back to being a dissertator for "a good dissertation is a done dissertation," some one once told me in the same spirit. Gray, Paul and David E. Drew. What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School - 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career. Stylus: Sterling, Virginia, 2008.