A Return?

Perhaps. Perhaps I will find a way to manage my time better and actually get back into blogging. It’s gotten to the point where blogging is therapeutic again, so I should try really hard and make time for it. It’s not like I have tons of interesting information to divulge, but as far as getting thoughts down, I suppose that’s all that counts. So here we go. Cheers.

One thing I really would like to do is keep up with current events more. Back when I was an energetic International Studies/Foreign Relations major, I made a point to blog about politics and global problems, especially those in the Middle East. I’ve always found those topics to be far more intriguing than most things I would find online (not that I haven’t happily watched the sinking ships of Fandom scrape the ocean bottom time and again). I’m a watcher and a listener – it’s what I do. But I need to return to that era of online writing, even despite no longer being such a major. Yes, the field has been shifted to minor, but the matters involved have not wavered in their pull for me. So I shall begin by briefly sharing my take on the Bhutto tragedy.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about Benazir Bhutto at all. After the October attack and assassination attempt, I was rather determined to take up the time to research her. Such a person so able to move a people, even if it was just the stuff of savvy political maneuvering, really made me curious. And I managed to read a little. But nowhere close enough to what I should have. And now that she has been killed, her manuscript will hit the presses with full force, and I will be one of the many who picks it up and reads it. From what I can tell, PM Bhutto was an earnest visionary. She may have employed a master politician’s tactics, but the larger message is valid. Indeed, the fact that she was a woman in such a position speaks volumes; it is very likely the stuff of Hollywood scripts. Her murder is a great tragedy that has befallen Pakistan and her family, of that there is no doubt.

The question remains of what will happen next? Where will Pakistan go from here? Musharraf’s party has fairly low credibility at this point, particularly after the official rulings regarding the nature of Bhutto’s death have shifted yet again, and many are crying foul and a cover up. We may never know what really killed her, but what I want to know now is what the US role will be. Bhutto was supposed to have been our saving grace, a way to save face. But now that she’s gone, will turning completely to Musharraf yield positive results? I can only hope yes, even though my faith in his regime is weak and growing ever more so by the day. Chaos rages in that country, the fires are still burning – I ask, for how much longer?

So I wanna be a prof…

I have the sudden urge to watch History of the World: Part I. Not sure why, but I guess it’s always nice to have a good laugh, especially after an exhaustive day at the Classics Colloquium. I was up at 7:15 this morning getting things finished up and polished. I didn’t sleep well last night, so it was a little tough. But I did get everything done and was prepared for my 11:30 time slot. All of the presentations today were interesting and I’m glad I stayed around for the ones that followed mine. I’m also pleased that many more people signed up for it this year. Last year of course there were only four of us; but this year, there were eleven. A huge improvement! Congrats to everyone!

Anyway though, presenting again this year has made me think about my future career plans more. I have a general idea of what I would like to do, but I don’t always find myself thoroughly content with it. I mean, with a doctorate in Classical Studies, I could expect to be teaching, preferably in a college setting. But then again, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers in the world of employment. I would be inclined to refuse high school level positions, teaching Latin, Roman history or otherwise. But if that had to be a starting point for a few years, I guess I could suffer it. Not happily, but alas. But I often think about being a professor as a career. It seems both exhilarating and daunting as hell, given what my own Classics profs have to deal with in their classes. But one thing always comes through strong: they are having FUN, on a daily basis. I can tell that they love their subject matter, as I do, and with that in mind I think I could just pull off the teaching gig after all.

If there’s one aspect of the Colloquium that I appreciate the most, it’s that it preps me for my future plans. It gives me that chance to lecture in front of an academic audience, face tough questions and defend my theories. I’m already doing independent research, so I suppose I’m well on my way. In that respect, the Colloquium is a godsend.

Wedding, Latin

So my cousin is going to be married sometime in Fall of 2008. I guess I’m just surprised that any of us grandchildren are getting married. We all seemed, for so long, to be averse to the very idea of it. But it’s good news, I guess. Just quite unexpected. It already was incredibly surreal back at Christmas when she and her fiance announced their engagement. And while I’m happy for them, it’ll take some getting used to. Might I even be an aunt within the next few years? Now that would be strange. I wouldn’t bet on it though, given how career-minded both of them are. I can’t see them throwing kids into the mix. They’d be a serious impediment.

Turning to school now, this Latin exam tomorrow has got me tied up in knots. All I can think about is how insanely difficult it will probably be, despite how much I’ve been studying already. I have this terrible habit of expecting the worst in that class, and for good reason. Believe it or not, I’m trying to remain mostly optimistic, telling myself that even if I screw up some parts of it, I can still do relatively well. I will go back to studying madly again very soon, and I hope that more of this stuff begins to click as I go.

I am excited about the Colloquium on Saturday. I’m looking forward to presenting my research in a more professional setting. The pressure to speak well and present well is of course there, but it’s welcome pressure. I just hope I can polish my Powerpoint presentation sufficiently enough before then, so maybe I have a shot at winning the ‘best presentation’ prize. It will also be nice to see everyone else’s lectures, especially since there were only four of us last year. Ten or eleven is certainly an improvement.