testing

I think I screwed something up in my template. Ugh. This is a test.

UPDATE: Fixed! I need to remember to close quotes when I'm giving people like TV Detective their propers. You're on the friends link now, girl!

You know what's awesome? Finally hearing back from your doctor and learning you've had a torn ligament in your ankle for more than a month. Oh, and then having said doctor yell at you for not going to the podiatrist when you never got a referral from her office. My favorite part was when she said, "You really need to get this taken care of before the wedding." Thanks for the report from Obvious Land. I am so walking down the aisle in a splint.

The entire world has linked to this already, but I really enjoy the lesson this guy gives, that plagiarism is wrong. I'm thinking of sending it to my students as a cautionary tale.

institutional analysis

I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets completely subsumed by the perspective offered by one certain class each semester. Last semester I saw collective memory in everything I watched or read. This time around, it's institutional structures (thank the double shot of classes on comm institutions and the structural power of business). I look for the institutional structures in everything these days. In fact, I can relate both of those links from my last post to institutional structures. The structure in academe is still the "publish or perish, slog through to tenure" model. I've occasionally floated the idea of trying to get a think-tank type of job when I am done, and I frequently get accused of "selling out." (Oh, how it reminds me of my sanctimonious self discussing indie rock in the early and mid 1990s.) Well, I've got a shitload of loans and a desire to influence policy outcomes. A think tank may be the way to go instead of slogging away at Mediocre State U. because I'm not schmoozy enough to get a job at a "real" college. I struggle with this frequently. I need to stop worrying about it.

In terms of the "Hollywood Clique" article, Stiller, Wilson, Ferrell et al are praised for working outside of the studio system by offering up a full production to the studio. Um, hello. They are still operating within the structural constraints of the film industry. The only thing that has afforded them that luxury is that they have made the studios enough money by doing things the "old-fashioned" way. They are able to "rebel" within the constraints of the structure. The structure still stands.

Read Kieran's post on another American Institution. I, like her, want to hear other perspectives on the Greek phenomenon. I feel as if it's too easy to dismiss them as lame sheep.

After all my academic wallowing the other day, a colleague forwarded me this article from the Chronicle about being a "Ph.D. and a failure." The culture of academia is one that seems to fueled by success = tenure track at a Research I. I see people like Kieran and realize that there are other choices. You're right girl, I need to get out with my degree ASAP for my own sanity.

In fluffier, less introspective news, the New York Times has an article on my Hollywood boyfriends. Yes, some of these movies have sucked, but I still love me the Gangs of New York sequence in Anchorman. And don't get me started on my love of Old School.

I should elaborate and write something more about both of these topics, but my brain is fried.

kitty cat in a box

kitty cat in a box, originally uploaded by heathalouise.

Maybe things will improve with a really cute picture of my kitty cat. Yup, I've become That Person.

I'm in a mood. I've been in one for the past week or so. It's not bad, but it's definitely not good. It's a mood. Moody, that's me.

I mean, I find it really depressing that right about now the only thing I can manage to post is a photo of me humping a high-tech, stylishly designed vacuum cleaner. That's pathetic. Remember when I used to have zippy comments about trashy pop culture? That was fun, right? I feel like I'm disappointing the dear reader who stumbled upon this place by searching for "eddie vedder sexy vh1."

Alas, I'm in this mood. It's one of those patented graduate school "what the fuck am I doing? I'm a fraud" moods," a "I can't believe how consumed* I am with this wedding bullshit" moods. I just feel my head is barely above water. I'm tired.

I guess I'll watch my DVRed episode of The OC. Maybe the snarkaliciousness will bring the old zippy Heather back.

*in all of its meanings

adventures in consumerism

adventures in consumerism, originally uploaded by heathalouise.

My bridal shower was this weekend. The Dyson animal was a gift from my parents, as Mike and I have been coveting one for years. Several of my friends noted that it looks as if I want to hump the vacuum cleaner in this photo. Yes, it's consumerist, but I love the thought of getting rid of years of cat hair from the couch and rugs.

The Red Sox are going to be on Queer Eye. Johnny Damon will not be cutting his hair.

this is the story of my black-and-blue left ankle

I got up dark and early at 5:30 this morning to trudge over to the hospital for an MRI on the Ankle That Won't Stop Hurting Three Weeks Later. I've never had an MRI before, so I was a little freaked out. It went OK, especially since I didn't have to go all the way into the Claustrophobic Tube of Death. I did figure out, however, that I would probably freak out immensely if I had to have one on a part of my body that required going all the way in the tube.

I spent a good 20 minutes in there, with my ankle strapped into some weird holding thing (for lack of a more elegant term) and a sandbag on my leg. Unfortunately, the position was one that made my foot quite uncomfortable. The technician gave me some headphones to block out the noise. The noise sounded like a typical summer day at 370 State, when the city decides to tear up the street and jackhammer outside the window. The noise did not bother me much, but about halfway through the procedure, the friendly technician felt the need to start pumping Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits into the headphones. I was much, much happier with the jackhammering. At that point, I started cracking up.

Oh, and the technician asked me what area the doctor wanted to concentrate on, and I showed her my ankle and pointed to the tendon. "Wow, that's still bruised!" she said. This does not bode well for me wearing heels any time soon.

Things got a little, um, heated in the neighborhood last night. Mike and I were walking down the block just an hour before. I saw the helicopters circling around and figured something was up. Then, of course, the "MURDER ON SOUTH STREET" business started on the 11 O'Clock News.

good things

Since we got my new powerbook, Mike has inherited my old iBook, albeit with a new hard drive. Mike's old "toilet-seat" iBook is now our designated music computer, even though it only has an iPod mini's worth of space. So, now we can listen to KEXP on our stereo without actually living in Seattle. Woohoo.

In other, much more more exciting news, I am finally going to see the Red Sox! Granted, it is not at Fenway, but here in Philly. I still can't wait though. I will be screaming my head off for Papi and Johnny D.

What next?

Yesterday when I was getting my hair cut, I was explaining to my hairdresser about how stressful my week has been with school, wedding planning, etc. You know, the typical chitchat. After relaying the various (not so) crappy things that have occurred, Joe cracked, "The next thing you're going to tell me is that your favorite TV show got canceled." Well, actually...

NYPD Blue ended its 12-year run the night before. Mike and I didn't watch it because we were hanging out with this guy, who is back from Germany for a few short weeks, but we DVRed it. Now, as Slate notes, it was not the best cop show in the world. It was, however, a mainstay of my TV-watching life. This is mainly because of my crazy family. You see, when I was in college, my mom would always tell me how concerned she was about "Andy" when she would call. "Andy's drinkin' again, Heath..." she'd tell me. At first, I thought she was telling me about some random relative I had forgotten. She was talking about Andy Sipowicz. Since then, Dennis Franz's portrayal of Sipowicz has been my favorite TV cop, followed only by the incomparable Jerry Orbach (RIP) as Lenny Brisco on Law & Order and Andre Baugher as Frank Pembleton on Homicide. So yeah, I lost my favorite TV cop to Court TV reruns. I wish The Simpsons country club episode aired this week, where Homer is chastised by Marge for wearing a short-sleeve buttondown with a tie. "But Sipowicz does it!" Homer protests. "Sipowicz!" It would have been a sweet tribute.