File this under Religion and News

New England surpasses West Coast as least religious region in America, study finds (via LATimes)
Wonder what the Puritans would have thought of that! And what does “least religious” really mean?

Bruhahahha over Big Love Temple episode and subsequent media coverage
I’m totally watching the season finale tonight and ignoring my work for an hour.

And in stuff I like this week:

Teaching The Handmaid’s Tale by Atwood:

Doesn’t the guy kinda look like representations of Henry the 8th?

This “crisis” is premature, but I am currently dealing with a quandary regarding potential research ideas.  I have a the opportunity to apply for research/language funding through my department this summer which is great.  However, the language that I will choose to learn is deeply wrapped up with the research I will pursue.   I’m only required to learn one as an Americanist BUT I am not opposed to learning two.

Here is the further conundrum, I also have the opportunity to do research in the archives in lieue of a language.  I feel more comfortable with this choice but many people have told me that (1) its better to get the language out of the way and (2) archives can be daunting when you don’t know what you’re looking for.  My issue is that learning the language I am thinking of can be so specific that if I spend a summer doing that and don’t pursue that further  it would be a waste.  Whereas visiting an archival respository will be beneficial because it is good experience even if I walk away with material that I won’t use.  As one can tell, I am leading toward the archival option.  I want to be 100% sure I am learning a language that I will be using.  If I do go look at archives this summer, I will be mostly be looking at documents in English.

I’m glad I wrote this out… Of course, there is a WHOLE other side to this I am not writing about which mostly pertains to WHAT my dissertation topic will exactly be.

Well, its March, and Spring Break is on Friday.  I’m on a 7:30 AM flight out of here! I don’t really need to get away, but I am excited to see a friend I haven’t seen in almost a year…wah!

Spring break is only one week which is a bummer, since when I was in undergrad it was TWO whole weeks!  A week to go somewhere and then a week to get something done.

Some links:

An excellent interview with the cast of Big Love. I didn’t get to watch last Sunday’s episode until Friday night.  OK, that episode was written for me!  I loved how it just focused on family dynamics and they did the Mormon trail in reverse!  I want to do that trip.

I did have issue with one section. At one point, Bill refers to a book about Mormonism by a historian. He tells this one guy to go read it. However, Bill, as a Mormon follower, wouldn’t have thought that book held value since it questioned his faith.  I have to rewatch the episode to see if I get that right.

Can’t wait for tonight’s show!

DOUBT Now, we don’t get as many movies here in the Midwest like one does in NYC/LA. I finally saw this and liked it a lot.  And I want to watch it again to make sure I picked up on everything.

Meryl Streep does a MEAN Bronx accent!

I haven’t updated in over a month, mostly because when I attempt to update I am unsure of what to say.  How do I explain a month long absence beside gradschool, gradschool, gradschool.

Things are moving along swimmingly this semester. Some of my plans are to

- do a quick research trip over spring break
- apply to a grad student conference
- and maybe attend another conference

I have a new dissertation idea every 5 minutes but it all fits in the realm of my larger research topics of gender, religion, migration and US history.

And, of course, the house is NEVER clean enough.

What have you been up to?

(Almost) Me, PhD tagged me in the Seven Random Things About You meme…

1. I used to hate tomatoes until I was 19 or 20. Now I love them.
2. I’m afraid of living in CA as evidenced by living there and leaving within six months at age 5 and age 23.
3. I have only ironed one piece of clothing when I was 23 right before I was going to speak at a conference at Smith College. And my mom helped me. Yes, I’m lame.
4. I’ve been to three elementary schools (CA, DC and MI) and the same middle school/high school (private nyc school) thus evening out the number of schools I have went to.  I liked living in NYC but DC gives me my fondest childhood memories.
5. I don’t mind staying up all night to do work ahead of time but I mind staying up until the last minute to do work.
6. Surprising things I miss about NYC: the balmier weather, subway reading time.
7. Likes reading my academic friends papers for fun. I learn a lot from them! And I like to give advice.

If anyone else is interested in playing, here are the rules:

If you want to join in months after this circulated like me, here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Um I don’t know seven people so I’ll just tage Hanvnah and Phroofie and I’ll email them…hahaha

My work is turned in.  I still have some grading to do. Or a lot of grading.  I need to coherently bring my thoughts on this semester together and write about it.  However, knowing me and my attention span that won’t happen for awhile.

I have some thoughts on teaching too that I feel isn’t appropriate to share in such a public place. However, I will say this: it many ways it was a real joy toward the end to be teaching something I knew so well.  Whether or not my students felt the same way is a different case altogether.

I also am hesitant to write about my overall experience in great detail as well.  I will wrote more effectively about it soon enough.  But I do know this I was challenged in brand news ways and that was great.  I’m very excited to be pursuing this line of work

I’d love to sleep for more than five hours though sometimes this week!

Wow, the last half of November disappeared but for many good reasons

- big paper that was due

- mediating family stuff/visits

- husband’s surprise 30th birthday

- the holidays

- just not getting around to it

Ugh, I’m in the library again and should be reading.

I do not use skype or twitter.

I don’t really understand how either works (Though I have a much better idea of how twitter works then skype.) But I have come to conclusions as to why I don’t need to use them.

• Skype. I NEVER talk on the phone unless its with my mom, stepmom, dad or husband. The conversations with parents are mostly once a week conversations. Most of my other communication  with friends is via gchat, facebook or email. I do talk to grad school friends occasionally on the phone but those are less than five minutes. I have no one to call “abroad.”
• Twitter. Yeah, I really don’t need to  be hyperconscious about updating about my status. I know twitter is a lot more than that but between fbook (which I am boycotting again), my other blog, gchat and this blog, people know what I’m doing, and I will list that below in case you don’t know…

Reading for school at home
Reading at the library
Writing a paper
Preparing for teaching
Teaching
Sitting in Seminar
Watching the daily show, grey’s anatomy or mad men on the internet between 2 and 4 AM.
Driving to Meijer
Sitting at starbucks/ Barnes and Noble working
Petting/Playing with/Feeding the kitties

“Melrose Place” Remake in the Works

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Nothing is truly sacred anymore.