kafka would be so sad about how kafkaesque the modern world has become
sometimes just talking to nice people makes me cry
at the end of class, a student said 'thank you! that was so fun'. this comment delighted me so much.
the first class i taught today was in a room where i had one of the best classes of my entire degree. we all loved that class so much that we would stay back at the end, asking questions, discussing. the lecturer would stay back too, often for a whole hour, and when he left, sometimes we would wander out into the now-dark campus, find a place to sit and continue talking. i couldn't create an environment as inspiring as that class was for me today, but i still felt something similar: each comment a little spring for a whole set of new and enriching ways of looking. that energy that i felt as student is still alive, and i was reminded of how important it is. it's scary thinking that it is now my responsibility to cultivate it, but also deeply exciting to have something so significant, for me sacred, in my hands. let me make something good of it, please!
what is one of the strangest aspects of our times?
is it possible to judge your own self-awareness?
omg yayyyy i got offered teaching work for my first choice unit!!
how much do you think about your life vs how much do you plan out your life vs how much do you live your life?
how often does the internet console you?
symbolicanimal reblogged
photos from one of the best summers ever with @hummingbirdhuman
symbolicanimal reblogged
just… learn to change the oil in your car, know how to darn a hole in your favorite sweater, take no for an answer sometimes, accept when you don’t know something, think critically, discern when to stand up for yourself and when to back down, possess integrity, hold yourself gracefully, be comfortable w eating alone and even more comfortable w being put in awkward positions, develop rituals and habits, observe as much as but hopefully more than you judge, talk freely but listen actively, if you offer unsolicited advice be willing to also receive it, apologize for interrupting I don’t care if you grew up culturally doing that it’s respectful to maintain awareness of the world you weren’t raised in, shop w a grocery list rather than by the seat of your pants, pick your friends up from and drop them off at the airport, have hobbies that hone your craft, speaking of honing your craft: take your creativity seriously by continuously challenging and sharpening it, this one can be endlessly trying but working to cultivate a healthy relationship w what troubles you rather than resorting to castigating yourself upon approaching that which is unfamiliar, never show up empty handed to someone’s home for the first time, and help them clean up at the end of the evening, but leave as soon as you start wanting to go home so you don’t tinge the otherwise enjoyable time you had w irritation, date yourself, do the dishes before bed, also make your bed every morning, and clean parts of your home everyday, always seek knowledge beyond traditional education, move your body as much as it allows so you may sustain some sort of secure relationship w it as you age, judge the capacity as much as you do the intent, have a curiosity-driven mindset, know that you and the world you live in are mutable, value different perspectives but remain steadfast in your principals and beliefs, write by hand as much as you type, take initiative without prompting, seek help when and where necessary, learn to be financially literate, have friends who are significantly older than you (some of my dearest friends are in their 50s and 70s), learn from failures and setbacks by acknowledging and growing beyond your limitations, be the friend you wish(ed) you had by building and maintaining meaningful connections, embrace opportunities for personal and professional growth, recognize both the importance of compromise and when to choose discord over maintaining the peace, express gratitude regularly
hello the australian book review published my attempt at talking eloquently about the brilliance of the new translation of lies and sorcery. you can read it here, but most importantly go out and read the masterpiece itself, lest it go out of print :)
symbolicanimal reblogged
Sharon Olds, from "Little Things"; Strike Sparks: Selected Poems, 1980-2002
i do find it fucked up when you tell someone that your grandmother passed away via a message that also has other information in it and they do not send condolences of any kind
after an extremely difficult year, i just had the thought that i want to suspend my PhD for six months. i just want to read and slow everything down a little. i don't want to go full steam ahead into the future.
symbolicanimal reblogged
literally though if you feel like your life is slipping through your fingers and every day goes too fast… try doing hard things, not just taking the easy route, like reading and making art and exercising and cooking a meal from scratch and journaling, doing these things without distraction, without being absorbed on a screen… the time will stretch and you’ll be reminded that life is long and beautiful if you make it so.