Geek Girl See, Geek Girl Do
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What is This? A Post, Perchance?
Aug 15th
So what up?
I thought that may be a good way to start a post given I haven’t written in about FOREVER. But it’s fine, because this is my “personal” blog. I don’t need to feel guilty about not writing here. unE, on the other had, I feel really, REALLY badly about–especially when professors say how wonderful it is and whatnot. And then I say what a great blogger I am and how I know so much about WordPress when really, it’s been 3 months since I’ve done anything. Well, that’s a lie. I haven’t done “nothing” per se; I have many unpublished drafts about random things on here, but could never make a good ending, so then I get pissy and never finish. Meh.
But also, life is incredibly hectic right now. I’m prepping for the lit GRE, preparing my MA thesis, creating a syllabus for the composition course I’ll be teaching this fall (Yes, you may call me professor now!), work, submitting conference proposals, etc. etc. Plus, I don’t necessarily want to share too many of my English-y, tech-y things, especially if they may become scholarly material for me to work on. I have a lot of literary interests and pursuits and I’m at a point where I have to “settle down” and decide what I’m going to do. So whatever I come up with that could be a potential area for my Ph.D., dissertation, or whatever else, needs to be kept on the “down low.”
I did get accepted to an 18th Century regional conference (EC ASECS) in Pittsburgh this November (I know you’re probably like 18th? Wtf? It pertains to my MA thesis!), which is great. I’m incredibly nervous, though. Most of my co-panelists have Ph.Ds from respectable schools already, are much older than me, published, etc. And I’ll walk in, blond hair and bubbly personality and they will probably shudder in horror. But I have until November, so maybe I can cool the cuteness by then!
So yeah, this is just a “what up” post. I do want to write another post about real ideas and whatnot, but I thought this would be a good warm-up to get blogging again. So if you actually read this, I can’t believe you just read my boring diatribe about my life. But rock on, anyway. Rock on.
CCCC10 Wrap-up
Mar 21st
So I went to my first CCCC and for the most part loved it. I definitely want to go and present again, and I feel I learned a lot through this experience. However, there were some meh moments, but I’ll try to really get to both sides of the spectrum.
Most of the sessions I went to were amazing. I attended the whole conference (except the first-timer’s breakfast, I was still en route) and missed about two sessions per day (to eat, look at books, etc). Since I focus myself in technology and composition, I attended almost entirely IT sessions, and I found that almost every session was great. The two Twitter sessions I attended had a lot of great discussion and some thought-provoking material. The gaming session–which is probably what I will explore for next year–unfortunately just had way too many people. They each had great things to say, but when there are eight people or so presenting, there isn’t much you can do. That blame is on CCCC for not making multiple gaming panels. The Writing Center database session was helpful to me since I currently work in a Writing Center and I want to try to convince the department to let us make a database. I have a lot of notes from all the sessions I attended and got a lot of great ideas.
The part that I was slightly disappointed with–or rather, quite disappointed with–was my lack of ability to network with others in the IT “department.” Since there was only 15 minutes between each session and no lunch break or anything where everyone could go out together, I spent most of my time between sessions walking back and forth between the Marriott and the Convention Center. The IT sessions weren’t really congregated in one place, and since I had to walk so much, I didn’t always have time to stay and mingle after a presentation. Also, let me add that I am a Master’s student at Queens College. I’m not on my Ph.D. yet and don’t have a big school that I can turn to for people to hang out with. I know UPenn and some other schools had “mini-events” for those who attended or worked at the school. Which is fine, I would do the same. But I hope NEXT year we can also get an IT “mini-session” and begin to intermingle with people outside of our schools and workplaces.
I guess my largest complaint is the timing of everything. There was no time to really see the exhibitors’ booths, unless you skipped a session, because they closed at the same time as the conference day ended. The 15 minutes between each session is a bit much. On Thursday, I woke up at 4:30am to fly over to Louisville and attended all session times that day except one–for lunch. I was exhausted and didn’t get to fully recuperate and still am not fully recuperated. Personally, I think I would have preferred a day that went slightly longer on Friday/Saturday and have a lunch break. But I don’t know–maybe NCTE had a good reason for scheduling CCCC like that.
I know some people were concerned with the tweeting level at CCCC, expecting there to be more tweets. As several Twitterers mentioned, the lack of free wi-fi in the Convention Center, coupled with horrible 3G reception in the lower level of the Convention Center, made it somewhat more difficult to stay connected. But for some reason, the more I think about it, the more I think that number is pretty appropriate. I’m not into the whole “digital native” stereotype that everyone my age-ish (24) is more connected than a finely knit sweater, especially compared to older generations, but as far as CCCC it may be, for the most part, true. So assuming that already there is a generational gap for Twitter and that the tweeters will probably be the IT people, I’m not too surprised.
Finally–my session. I had approximately 10 people at my session (N.27). Two people were there to see me, I think about four to see my co-presenter, Matt, and the other four, I’m not sure. They may have been there to see Sheri, but they may have been genuinely interested in the topic. I felt a bit bad for Matt. His presentation was focused mostly on time, so how he got with two bloggers, I’m not so sure. We had a couple of questions that I believe we answered well, but that was pretty much that. I’m going to embed a voice-over into my PowerPoint so those of you who are interested in the presentation can listen to it later.
And yes, I know. Every time I make a PowerPoint Edward Tufte kills a kitten. Sorry, lil’ guy, but my prezi wasn’t done in time.
So What’s Geekoric up to?
Feb 17th
So grad school started back up, and I’m taking three classes: Composition Theory, Writing Methodology, and Kafka. I had to keep some literature in there!
I think this is going to be a weird semester. I’m presenting at CCCC next month (panic attack much? I think so), I’m focusing much more on writing classes than literature (gearing up for the Ph.D. material), and my work schedule is just weird. I’m already enraged at my Comp. Theory course–almost the entire class is comprised of high school teachers, and, frankly, what happens in a high school environment is different than a college environment. It’s not that I’m not sympathetic to these teachers–I am–it’s just that, since I work in higher ed., I see different problems and concerns. While one of my classmates is worried about a homeless student who needs glasses, I’m concerned about the ESL student taking ENG110 and three writing intensive classes in her second-to-last semester. And these differences infuriate me. They don’t know the things we go through in higher ed., much like I don’t know what they go through. But constantly bitching about students who don’t care when I constantly see students who DO care, but just don’t get it–it frustrates me to no end.
So yeah, Comp. Theory is interesting. Writing Methodology has me stressed to no end–I’m supposed to pick my Master’s Thesis topic in one week? Sorry Prof, you may be totally awesome, but I highly doubt the topic will become my Master’s Thesis if I pick it in one week. 
I picked a topic, but it’s definitely not going to be my real Master’s Thesis. I’m using Mists of Avalon, which will be fun and awesome for the semester, but it has nothing to do with composition and rhetoric. I was thinking about something with narratology and Never Let Me Go, but I couldn’t iron it out quickly enough to use it for the class.
Kafka, for those of you who have never read Kafka, is insane. No really. His narrative style and voice is beautiful, but I just don’t understand the point of it all. For me, I like to analyze and create meanings etc. With Kafka, the point is that there is no meaning–it is what it is. Well if that’s the case, why am I studying this German writer in an English literature Master’s program? Bah. Plus there’s a ton of reading and a ton of blogging to go with it.
So yes, Geekoric is busy and stressed. I hope to still write posts her and there, but probably not too often. We’ll see. Expect far less towards the middle of March though, because I fly to the CCCC conference March 18th! Woohoo!
WTF Happened to Geekoric?
Dec 18th
Alas, I created Geekoric right before the final mad rush of–well–finals. For about a month and a half, I have had a substantial project due every week. Thankfully, my last paper is due on the 22nd, so expect to see more of me then. I have four post drafts waiting to be finished and polished, so I should be up and running fairly soon after the 22nd. See you then! 
Welcome to Geekoric!
Oct 26th
Welcome to my newest internet abode! For those of you who know me from (un)Enlightened English, this is a departure from researching grammar and a space to be myself. I definitely am prone to geekhood. I remember my father playing RPGs on the SNES and me putting a shawl around my shoulders, grabbing a walking stick, and pretending to be a cleric (even at 5 I was Lawful Good!). My geekhood changed as I grew, becoming more bookworm-y and less role-player-y. Reading books quenched my thirst for adventure, and I took a turn away from gaming. By the time I was in high school, I passed up the books mostly for my own adventures in theatre, cheerleading, band, choir, dance and work.
By the time college came around, I became friends with some guys at a local college–a techie college. The type of place where fraternity brothers play Halo tournaments. Long story short, I dated a guy there (who became my husband) and was reintroduced to gaming, primarily MMOs. Guild Wars was my first, but it quickly became WoW, LotRO, EvE, FFXI, the other GW games, WAR and I’m sure several others that I’m forgetting. My husband and I started to get into gaming quite a bit, GMing two guilds (one PvP and one Raiding) on WoW. But when I finished my BA in English and still couldn’t find a job, I surpassed my husband in the realm of Geek and worked for Warhammer Alliance as Content Lead.
My time at WA cemented my desire to be involved in gaming in some way. I kept trying to push it away, but it wasn’t happening. Let’s be real, my desire to get a Ph.D. in medieval lit? I chose medieval to study the Arthurian tradition (which spans far beyond the medieval scope), which really is just the fantasy escapism I find and love in games.
So now I’m looking at getting a Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric, having been largely influenced by a professor at my husband’s college (Gogo Intellagirl!). My options for jobs and my options of study are far broader with a Comp and Rhetoric degree. If I want to study language acquisition from gaming, I can. If I want to study role players and language, I can. It’ll allow me to mesh my love of all that is geek and my love of rhetoric instead of being a pendulum, bouncing between the two.
And that, my friends, is the birth of Geekoric.
