Absolutely have to finish the final draft of my final project proposal this morning, so that the prof can edit it and get it back to me to submit by next Friday!  Have had a major procrastination issue with this because of problems putting down how I perceive my goal.  I am just going to write it fresh withouth trying to re-word what I have and go ( Read more... )

The Final Project Proposal meeting actually went very well.  Dr. Wald (and "Priscilla" is officially okay) distilled my somewhat pedestrian proposal into something much more brilliant and exciting, which of course is what I tried to say and had written very poorly.  Essentially, why does literature inform us about sociological implications better ( Read more... )

Update to MALS project -- found Orson Scott Card's Empire this weekend, which would give me three dystopian novels written 2004 and later (Oryx and Crake, Off Armageddon Reef, and Empire) that fit the profile of what I really want to research, which is the changes that happened to dystopian issues since 9/11.  Dr. Wald agrees, so off I go.  No more ( Read more... )

My bad on the stats in a previous post -- those were for the lousy Philadelphia Flyers, not the lousy Carolina Hurricanes.  Who lost again on Saturday night, although it at least looked like they showed up this time.  And Staal's fiance is named Tanya.

Working feverishly on my Final Project Proposal, beginning with the preliminary bibliography.  I' ( Read more... )

Yesterday I met with Priscilla Wald in the English department at Duke, and she has agreed to work with me on my final project.  She is very interested in my topic, as she does work with both English and how science affects humans, and since I am doing something SF/dystopia it fits.  I have to focus the project some more but unless some major hiccup ( Read more... )

Off to Duke to meet with yet another professor to discuss a final project for my MALS.  I'm a bit hopeful, as this woman actually has a specific interest in literature and the genome sciences.  As one of the common factors of most recent dystopian literature is genetic manipulation of some sort (Children of Men, Oryx and Crake, Aeon Flux) and she ( Read more... )

Buon giorno!  Started Italian lessons last night.  Three of us and two more will join as their schedules allow.  Chiara is good  -- kept the class going, and gave us homework!

Bah.  Canes lost again last night.  What on earth did they go empty goal for -- there was no way they could score enough to even get to a tie.

Decided that Staal is best ( Read more... )

Working on Children of Men by PD James; excellent book.  Much different in many of the motivational aspects of the characters.  The movie was great, the book is also but differently.

Ate at Zely and Ritz (always a treat) last night, before the NC Symphony .  Tapas-style plates, and inventive dishes -- my entree was antelope stew, which was amazing ( Read more... )

Finished Anthem last night; didn't much like it.  I appreciate some of Ayn Rand's philosophy (people should be able to enjoy the fruits of their own labors) but the whole Ego thing just didn't work for me.  Weird story, but fits my dystopic theme.

Just finished Aeon Flux (the graphic novel) also and it's REALLY difficult tio see where the movie ( Read more... )