Now that my dissertation is officially done I have been on R&R, doing other projects - mostly gardening and art. It is surprisingly easy to go from one day to the next without paying much attention to what the date is, or as I found out this morning, what day of the week it is! To Sleyed from bed early this morning:
You're going to work?!
At the UB?!
Why?!
It's Saturday!!!!
I said with conviction. Uh ooops.
Last night I finally opened the box that contained my doctoral robe. I tried it on and as anyone who knows me well might have guessed, my eyes watered. Yep, I hope the novelty wears off by the time I am actually hooded on stage in front of two former U.S. Presidents so I don't cry. I don't know why I get so emotional about stuff like this, but I have always and I probably always will. Being the first in my family to go to college, it's an extra-special achievement that I went on to get a PhD too. Why colleges and universities do not consider First Generation College a quality that adds to the "diversity" of the place I don't understand. It may be "hidden" but so is sexual orientation and that qualifies. Maybe I just am frustrated with the prospects of finding a position in academia - for so many reasons. I have applications out so we'll see. I may be pouring coffee for minimum wage just to pay off student loans for my BA... Hate that.
My manuscript got rejected for publication again. Hate that. How many times does your article have to be rejected before you are justified in scrapping it?
My new hair cut is fabulous. I absolutely adore it. The chick who cut my hair really did a great job. I wish she had nailed the color too. She put highlights in, but they came out way too streaky. She's going to fix them next week. Not being someone who has done this a lot before - the last time I really got my hair cut was about 10 years ago! - I don't know whether I should expect to have to pay for the color re-do or not. I don't think I should because The costumer is always right, right? I was pleasantly surprised that it only cost $95 for the cut, color, and style. Tipping is another thing I don't get - how much are you expected to tip for this sort of service?
Although I don't have much money left over from savings, I still treated my family to a few little "home improvements." The best new addition is the red habatoi silk comforter I got from Pottery Barn. Love it!!! Also, I got a great Hiroshige print (the one I have been admiring) from my FIL. I found a suitable frame for it yesterday and picked out the ideal spot. It'll be hung later today. Love it too!
In a few weeks I will be able to hang up the next project - a series of hands of fatima that FIL is scroll sawing for me. I plan to paint them black, hang them above the bed, and put tea lights behind them. I can't wait to see how they turn out and what interesting shadows they will cast. When I told Sleyed where they would go I refered to them as hand of fatimas not hands of fatima. He doesn't leave work - ever. Mr. Grammarian immediately exclaimed: So cool! I thought he was approving the project! But no - he wanted to discuss something that he read in Words & Rules or some other text. I didn't mind really; it was actually pretty interesting that in spoken lanaguage we have very clear rules about pluralizing words but in writing the rules aren't always the same. The hand of fatima thing was a perfect example.
The next project will be hanging the new shelves that will eventually display my primate pastel series. I'm doing a cheek-padder orangutan.
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5 comments:
Lots of exciting stuff! I don't think you should have to pay for the redo and I don't understand tipping the hairdresser either. One consideration, though, is whether she owns or rents her chair. Can't wait to see more primate art.
Hey, I do also think the hands of Fatimas project is very cool :) Spotting actual examples of the rules being followed is about as easy as spotting mutual grooming - it happens, but not in a regular and predictable way.
About the article, I have a colleague who has submitted at least 4 times to different journals and is revamping the manuscript again to resubmit... so I guess there is no set number. Was it flat out rejection because it didn't fit their journal? Or did they make good suggestions that might help it get published somewhere else?
Good luck!
No it wasn't flat out rejection - one reviewer recommended publishing it! The suggestions are all reasonable; I just don't know if I have it in me to rewrite much of the manuscript when reviewers disagree about even what studies should be cited in the lit review. THAT is frustrating. I will probably end up submiting it to a bottom-level journal just to get it on my CV and move on to something else.
Congratulations! I think it's lovely that you're so moved by your accomplishments. It's special to try on the robe and know how hard you worked to be able to wear it. Yay for you!
I had a paper rejected from 3 journals (actually, more than one paper - I don't do well with publishing right away), brought in a new author to help rewrite and reorganize it and got it into a far better journal than any that I'd tried so far. It's terribly frustrating when you know it's good work and can't find decent reviewers to recognize that. Hang in there.
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