The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

16. Read 30 books I haven’t read before (in addition to the above) and blog about them. (8/30)

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz

This is an interesting read - and I say read instead of book because that's exactly what I mean.  Reading this book is an interesting experience.  I know that it's very popular in college English courses right now - especially in New Jersey since a significant portion of the book takes place in Paterson and New Brunswick (at Rutgers) - so as I read it, I was reading it not just as a reader, but also trying to see it through the eyes of an English professor as well as a college student, trying to figure out how I'd teach this book, why I'd teach it, and how students might react to it.

Well, this was not entirely easy.  The book is a little difficult to get into and moves in and out of Spanish (which I don't know).  For an experienced reader, these are not problems.  There are plenty of books that are well worth reading that are difficult to get into at first.  And, as an experienced reader, one learns to just skim over the unrecognized words (whether in his/her native language or a foreign one) as the overall meaning of the passage should make this clear.  I see non-Spanish speaking students having difficulty with this and, as a teacher, I would definitely look up all of the Spanish so I had it notated.  It's undoubtedly important to be able to analyze what's in Spanish so we can figure why it is (there has to be a pattern as to what's in Spanish and what's not - just a hunch I have).

The narrator's identity is not confirmed until the end of the book; however, I had a hunch as to who it was (and was right).  Knowing who the narrator is and why he can tell the story tells a lot about how the story is told and arranged.  It's definitely a book that warrants a second reading because I know there is a lot that I missed the first time through. The dueling characteristics of the weight and support of family form the spine of the story.  It would be easy for students to relate to or understand this troubled, broken family, and there's a useful lesson on the troubles of colonization that could also be covered throughout the reading. 

The structure of the book is complex, moving between characters and locations, but it feels seamless - like the kind of writing any one of us could do if we just took a little time to do it.  It's truly marvelous in that respect. This is definitely a book that's going to sit with me for a few days.  You know, when you read something and it lingers in your mind like a hazy character in the shadows.  That's this book.  If I get to choose novels for my own syllabus in the near future, I will definitely give this one a space.

No, really - a list can make you a better person.

I love lists.  I cannot grocery shop without my list; if I try, I forget at least one thing (if not two or three).

I fully believe that part of the reason I love teaching college so much is because I get to write syllabi.  As a student, I have always been a total syllabus junkie.  It got so bad that half way through grad school, I started trying to get the syllabus before the first day of class, even if it was just a few hours before the first class meeting. I really was like a junkie who needed a fix.

This is why I am enamored with the 101 in 1001 project and, now, the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog project.  I don't recall how I found the 101 project, but my dear friend Delightfully Sweet turned me on to the 31 Days project.  Since I can't turn away from any kind of self-betterment project (I think self-betterment is one of the keys to a good life), I had to sign up.

Yesterday was Day One for me and the task was to write an elevator pitch: i.e. a sentence that can sell your blog in the length of time that elapses in an elevator ride.  Since my blog already has a tag line (I dream of having the time to read all the books I own), I didn't go out of my way to create a new one.  However, I realized that while I think that accurately sums up my life - wanting lots of free time to read but being overwhelmed (sometimes happily) with too much to do - it maybe doesn't accurately do the job in layman's terms.  I don't want to change my tagline, though, because I feel it captures me in a very succinct and appropriate way for the blog.  I do have a longer description about me on the, you guessed it, "About Me" tab, though - so I feel those are sufficient for now.

Day Two's assignment is to "Write a List Post."  Well, with my 101 in 1001 tab and follow-up posts, I am already working on this.  However, I haven't ever written a true list post - a post whose title is "X ways in which to do Y" (or something similar).  So that is what I'm going to work on today.  This way it is a challenge for me and I have an idea that I think will be beneficial to me (so it has a true purpose).  Stay tuned!

Tiptoeing into the Ivy

So remember how I got into one grad school program but really wanted another one?  Well, I got into that other one.  This fall I will be working on my Master of Education (Ed.M.) at Columbia University-Teachers College.

Part of me thinks I'm plum crazy to get back on the grad school train, but I do have my reasons for this.  I do want more of an education credential.  Wherever my career ends up going, it's going to involve some sort of education administration; I don't doubt this.  Whether I stay with my current job for a while (which is education administration) or whether I decide to try teaching full-time (if I could ever get such a gig), there would always be administration involved.  The program I'm attending is Teaching of English, so I'll be studying the methods and theories behind teaching composition and literature.  This is absolutely perfect for me because I'll get to continue studying literature but I'll also learn how to be a more effective teacher - something I plan to continue working on for as long as I'm teaching.

When the hubby and I were deciding on wedding photographers, I narrowed it down to two.  The one we ended up not going with does some work for Columbia University and so he had us meet him at a coffee place right by the campus.  We walked through the campus to get there and I totally fell in love; I even dragged Tom into the bookstore and bought myself a sweatshirt.  As of late, I have worried about that sweatshirt; I knew that if I didn't get in, I wouldn't be able to wear the shirt anymore because it would make me too sad.  I just heard from Columbia last night so I haven't yet worn the sweatshirt since being accepted, but I know that when I put it on, it's going to feel different than the last time I wore it.

The email from Columbia came in at 5:21pm yesterday; I was still at work and, thankfully, alone.  My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating as I opened the email.  After I read the first line of the letter: "I am pleased to inform you that you have been admitted..." I let out a "WOO!" and pounded on my desk, like a drum roll.

And then?  I proceeded to cry.  This was it.  This is what I have worked so hard for over the past ten years.  I sent those monthly payments to my first college after dropping out so I could pay off my outstanding balance to them so they could release my transcript and I could transfer to another school and finish my degree.  I took 2-3 classes per semester, including summers, at night while working full-time during the day so I could finish my B.A..  I gave up a decent-paying job and moved two hours from everyone I know (including my then new boyfriend, who is now the hubby) in order to attend grad school.  I holed up and alienated nearly everyone over those B.A./M.A. years because I was driven and dedicated to doing the best that I could at all times.  I won a Teaching Assistantship and didn't treat it like a given or a free ride or something I always knew was mine. I worked hard, learning everything I could about teaching from anyone who was willing to talk to me (I have a particular fondness for my grad school friend Nadia, who taught me so much about teaching and navigating grad school).  I studied my ass off and earned high honors on my comprehensive exam.  I wrote my ass off and earned high honors on my thesis.  Without this, those would just be personal badges of honor.  I have a friend who says he read Moby Dick just so he can drop, "Oh, well, when I was reading Moby Dick" into conversation.  That would have been the worth of those honors.  I was most definitely proud of what I accomplished, but I now feel that it wasn't just for me.  I know that putting this all together helped me get into this program.

I always joke that I wanted to go to an Ivy League school since I first understood what the Ivy League was.  I fully understand and believe that I could get an equally good education at many schools, but I'm always working to make myself proud.  The first time I felt like this was the day of my undergrad graduation:

I worked hard; I was wearing honors tassels; I was graduating from a school I loved (and still love) so much.  That photo was taken at about 6am after only 3-4 hours of sleep, but I look rested and honestly happy.

The next time I felt proud was when I found out I earned honors on my comp exam and thesis.  I didn't find out about the thesis until the booklet from graduation (which I didn't attend) arrived in the mail with my diploma and nearly had to sit down as I saw the double stars next to my name.

And then there's today.  I can't wait for Orientation - to walk onto campus and be able to say to myself, "I belong here."

The long and tart of it

Well, the tart turned out to be edible, yay!  I would change a few things for next time, though.  I think I need a higher quality lemon and to grind the sugar longer so the tart filling is less granular and smoother instead.  It wasn't the sort of thing you make where after one bite you're like, "MMmmm, oh this is GOOD!" (which is my favorite reaction).  It was good, maybe fair, but definitely not great - needs some work.  My dad and hubby ate up their slices, though, so at least it was good enough to eat.

I found the Oscars to be really enjoyable, but then I even enjoy the so-called "boring" ones.  I don't understand the reviews today saying that the show was even worse than ever.  I don't know what people expect; it's an awards show - it's a bunch of grossly overpaid people congratulating each other on one of the cushiest jobs one can have in our country.  How exciting is that going to be?  (But, ooh, I love the fashion and all the gossip-y-ness of the whole thing.)

My second job begins today.  I teach at a community college and their semester starts late, i.e. today.  I'm always nervous on the first day of any semester, but the first day is so easy - introductions, syllabus review, blah blah blah.  It's the first "real" lesson that's always the scariest... the first day where you ask your best, well-prepared discussion question... and all you hear is silence.  That's the scary moment yet to come.

I love teaching evening students, though - I find them to be so uniquely motivated and driven (not all, of course, but more so than the majority of traditional age, day students I know).  I'm excited to meet the new group I'll be spending four hours a week with until May.