...but certainly not dissertating.
I am getting used to failure. However, I need affirmation from somewhere, and it is certainly not coming from my profession. So here are my plans.
Baking
I love to bake. I am not particularly detail-oriented, but I can produce a good cookie. And an excellent lattice-topped pie, as I discovered over Thanksgiving. And as Alison has said, I love the positive reactions I get from baking. Last year I made Valentine's Day heart cookies for people at UNC. They were poppyseed sugar cookies with a clear sugar frosting and candied lemon peel. I am *still* living off the high I got from people's reaction to my candied lemon peel. That's right, I did it myself, bitches!
So anyway, my plan this year is to perfect some recipes of my own. I decided that I would hold off on cookies (except for the near future...more on that in a sec). Instead, I am going to work on cupcakes this winter. Why? Cupcakes are really only one item, rather than cookies which offer unlimited possibilities. And yet, by concentrating on perfecting a cupcake recipe, I can create some interesting combinations of cake & icing. Of course, pre-Christmas, I need to focus on Christmas cookies. I am baking the first batches tomorrow. But starting in January, get ready for the cupcake onslaught!
Blogging
I'm not good at blogging yet. The best blogs focus on a single topic, but I'm really more of a lazy generalist. I have added the Arianna Huffington blogging book to my amazon.com wishlist.* So maybe I will get some ideas. I do know that she says to blog your passion, but sociology is quickly losing steam for me. I do love baking, but I'm not sure I can bake often enough to blog about it. And I love politics, but there are better sites out there written by people who are paid to blog. I am a mere amateur. So I'm still seeking ideas. Because my life is...well, boring. I need a topic. Or at least a muse!
* I just discovered the most wonderful thing ever: the global amazon.com wishlist. Why did no one tell me sooner? Amazon.com, you are a genius.
P.S. I added a "followers" link to my sidebar, because I have delusions of grandeur. Actually, I was looking for a way to create those "after the jump" links, and came across the followers widget. I'll probably delete it if no one uses it, but I thought I would try it out for now.
Cranberry Sauce with Candied Oranges
5 days ago
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1 comment:
i think your template got messed up - your blog is loading very funky.
i was going to give you a "you're so awesome!" pep talk, but then realized that i think you don't need it. well, you sort of do, but you're totally right not to count on your profession for affirmation. not because you're not good enough (which you are), but because the nature of this business is that no one gets affirmation.
the very fact that our annual meeting includes "author meets critic" sessions is proof of this. you can do such good work that it gets published in a book, and there will still be people lined up to criticize your work in front of your peers. i recently read a journal that included an entire series of articles framed as a symposium to critique a particular book. whether or not critique is what leads to better science is debatable, but it is the nature of the beast. and having something that gives you the positive affirmation you'll never get in sociology, whether it is cupcakes or a personal relationship or running or (in my case) renovating an old house, is a good idea.
having said that, you ARE successful! you landed two grants, which is two more than i ever have. and if i could claim an R&R success rate of 1/7, i'd be thrilled! but more than anything, you are doing research that is meaningful and important. which means a lot.
when i have those down days (and i do - i mailed out 49 job applications after all!), i remind myself that some of the most successful sociologists even in our department have failed comp exams, had papers rejected over and over, and been turned down for even the smallest grants.
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