New Music and Ennui
Bought three new CDs last night:
- The White Stripes: Elephant
- The Donnas Spend the Night
- Lucinda Williams
- World Without Tears
They all rock. I must admit, though, that the purchase of Elephant was somewhat of a political move because of the band's stance on intellectual property.
Anyway, the music is great, and that's really all I have to say about it...which leads me to the ennui part. Lately I've been feeling as though I have no opinions and nothing to contribute to anyone or anything. The feeling stems from the comments I received on the research papers I wrote this semester. In sum, they said that they don't hear my voice in my writing. I'm making arguments, but they aren't anything special or innovative. The feedback from my professors was valuable, and I definitely needed to hear it, but it has left me with this bland, no-talent hack thing going. I've been brooding ever since. I'd like to revise the papers and do something with them, but is it even worth it? Would it just be a futile endeavor? Should I be in a Ph.D. program? Why did they even accept me?
- Clancy's blog
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Comments
"World Without Tears" is exce
"World Without Tears" is excellent. Can't get enough Lucinda Williams. The mood of this album won't help with the ennui, however.
I don't know you, Clancy, except through your blog, but I do know something of the rhetoric program at UMN, and I'm pretty confident in saying they wouldn't have accepted you if they hadn't seen that spark. In other words, if they weren't sure you could get out, you wouldn't have gotten in.
Does it help to hear that what you're feeling is a NORMAL part of the transition of working toward a Ph.D.? I really don't mean to sound patronizing, but these feelings of self-doubt are common - especially among women doctoral students. As I see it, you ARE doing a lot of original work, and you'll be able to work through this. So - yes, revise those papers and submit them to conferences and journals.
Elle
Aaaaww! Thanks. :-) I know my
Aaaaww! Thanks. :-) I know my profs are just trying to push me. I've already gotten two of the three papers in question accepted at conferences and will be presenting them this fall, so I'll have to tweak them for that.
The Lucinda Williams CD is excellent, like you said. Every song on there could be a single. You don't sound patronizing at all, by the way...I needed to be reminded of that "impostor syndrome," heh.
Two of the three papers accep
Two of the three papers accepted already?! Outstanding! Is either of them at the NCA meeting in Miami? In other words, will I get to hear one of them?
Elle