Goannatree

Anna Blanch_Gill Gamble [Flickr]

2012-02-12T12:19:26-08:00

Goannatree. posted a photo:

Anna Blanch
Photographer: Gill Gamble.

Western Highlands [Flickr]

2011-10-22T08:47:44-07:00

Goannatree. posted a photo:

Go West, young man! It's about mirror like reflections off expansive Scottish lochs.

Western highlands [Flickr]

2011-10-22T08:47:09-07:00

Goannatree. posted a photo:

Scottish loch.

mallaig [Flickr]

2011-10-22T08:46:14-07:00

Goannatree. posted a photo:

Mallaig Man

Academic dressing [Flickr]

2011-10-22T08:45:00-07:00

Goannatree. posted a photo:

a photoshoot in a library

Lovers

2011-05-29T16:15:16Z

This is my offering for Valentine Day. A Nesbit poem from her 1888 collection, “Eastertide.”

Lovers

E. Nesbit

With Springs first breath of scented air

Come vague sweet thrills of memory —

Remembrance of the days that were,

And that again shall never be.

Dear ghosts of days for ever dead,

When we were young, and young the year —

Of all the foolish things we said

When you and I were lovers, dear.

Pale ghosts of days that could not last,—

Youth is so fleet, and time so strong —

Yet, oh, be glad that from our past

One treasure has been held so long.

The years have come, the years have fled,

With gain and loss our hearts to fill.

And youth’s sweet rose its leaves has shed,

Yet you and I are lovers still!

Lovers, although my hair is gray

And all your gold is turned to snow,

Lovers, thank God, as dear to-day,

As in the Spring-time, long ago !

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Anna Blanch is founder of Goannatree, and a PhD candidate in the Institute of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews, Scotland where she’s presently writing her PhD on E.Nesbit. She is also a regular contributor to Transpositions.

Evolution of an Itinerary

2012-02-11T22:25:51Z

I started with something like this:

Then I modified the Eastern European leg of the trip, in a post titled Krakow for the win…

But the latest changes are the most significant and some of them deserve posts of their own. Before I get to that I’ve put together a snazzy animated map, and have included my current itinerary below.

Here’s the play by play for those who prefer the linear approach:

Expect a post or two about the decision to go with the mongolian branch of the trans-siberian and the current state of play as far as travel in and around Japan by ferry (typhoon season, anyone?). I’ve also broken through a wall when it comes to the singapore to Australia by sea prospect which has me thrilled my decision to hold off on the trip until that could be explored as a real option. Between the intrepid travellers of the interwebs I’ve learned much about travelling in the darkest wilds of south east asia (cue the music from Heart of Darkness right about now).Listening. Observing. Participating. Writing. Photographing. Reflecting.

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Traveller. Scholar. Photographer. Writer. Dreamer. Teacher. Anna Blanch is founder of Goannatree, and a PhD candidate in the Institute of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews, Scotland. Overland to Oz is a crazy adventure marked with photos and word and inspired by the incredible women in Anna’s family, especially her late grandmother, whom she knew as Nan-Nan.

Ghosts of Steel: Creativity from the Ruins

2011-12-10T13:26:04Z

Though I am familiar with the Hunter region as a consequence of spending some time there and Newcastle being a metropolitan city bigger than Tamworth (the region I’m from), I still have alot to learn. I don’t have rose-coloured glasses about the struggles that a post-industrial city faces. What is inspiring is the creativity that the city seems to be nuturing and its own desire to reinvent itself.

With a Soundtrack from Soundtrack by: Max Richter (Waltz With Bashir),”Ghosts of Steel” is part of “an ongoing campaign to shed light on the bomb-effected like state of Newcastle.” No longer a coal mining town with a steel works, Newcastle struggles to reclassify itself. Traveling means VIKTORIA often returns to her hometown, each time exiting the F3 freeway feeling another brick has quietly fallen from the sandstone edifice. Asked to present a talk on her vision for her hometown, she first established THE VISION of that town.

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Yarning with an artist: Andy Mort @atlumschema

2012-02-10T09:41:06Z

This week I’m yarning with Andy Mort. Andy Mort is a UK based musician and writer, also going by the moniker, Atlum Schema. I first met Andy at Greenbelt in 2011 when we were thrown onto the same panel talking about faith and creativity. He is funny and talented, and quite humble and I’m extremely glad to be able to share this interview with him here as part of this series on emerging artists. Atlum Schema are very enjoyable live (and if you’re in the UK you should take up that opportunity should it arise for you). He has just released the final part of a year long tetralogical album/novella, which can be downloaded via his website www.atlumschema.com, where he writes about creativity, art and many of the things that confuse him about the world. He has a new single, Empire of the Soul, coming out in March.I’m glad that you get a sense of Andy in this interview – especially his love of creating and his enjoyment of his pursuit of his craft.

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When did you first realize you were artistic/musical? 

I’m not sure it is something I have ever realised per se. I guess it’s one of those things that has just been with me through my life. I have been into music for as long as I can remember and loved drawing and writing stories when I was a kid. My interest in these things just led me to evolve my creative endeavors. My parents bought me a drum kit from a toyshop when I was three or four and that really got the ball rolling. I am a drummer at heart but have managed to muddle my way through other instruments as I’ve gone along. So, yeah I guess it’s something that I’ve always done and been into so it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember – I’ve never known anything different so there has never been any tangible realisation.

Could you tell us some more about your work? What are you working on at the moment? 

I am first and foremost a musical artist and produce most of my work under the moniker Atlum Schema. I am very much out of the independent DIY mould, and have self-produced three albums in the last five years. My last project was a four part album, which I released along with a 55,000 word novella throughout 2011. It was my first real venture into writing so that was fun and as far as I can guage, pretty successful too. This year I will be putting out a few singles (first one in March), gigging lots and writing as much as possible for various projects. I have so much I want to do so we shall see.

Describe yourself as a sandwich/lunch. 

Hmm, that’s a hard one. I reckon I’d be the seeds on the bread. You don’t notice them but they can sometimes make a big difference. Without them the bread can be kind of bland, they just add a little bit of something without drawing too much attention to themselves. I think I see myself as potentially playing a small but important part in a bigger and more bready picture.

What is it that inspires you to write about a particular subject? 

It’s a really interesting question and one that is quite difficult to answer. I often write without meaning to, out of passion or as a response to something that has pulled at my heart. Broadly speaking I am moved to write when I hear and read about some of the peculiarities of human behaviour. I love taking my own assumptions about life and questioning them through my writing. Questions are everything to me, and I suppose the things that baffle me, both in myself and in the world more generally, often act as the stimulus for my output.

What famous artists/musicians have influenced you, and how?

All sorts. At the moment I am really inspired by alternative comedy, I suppose for reasons explained in my last answer. I love the way artists like Bill Hicks, George Carlin and currently Stewart Lee deconstruct our assumptions about things. It is a really important thing that we should all be doing, but I find the way they use comedy to make such serious points truly inspiring and massively impressive.

Musicially I have been influenced by different people throughout my life, although I can pick a handful of those that I always return to when in doubt: Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Blur. They are all examples of artists who generally put their artistic integrity before the requirements of business. You can witness evolution throughout their histories and there is an obvious process of seeking, rather than a product oriented model of creation. I like the idea that albums (or any artistic output) are just points on a map and not just churned out for financial reasons.

What about an artist/creative person I may not have come across but that you think the world needs to know about? 

One of the most important and life changing things I have come across in recent times is the series of three ‘Money as Debt’ films by Paul Grignon. They are very simple yet profound animated outlines of the way our financial system works and provide some alternatives for how we could structure our economy. I was amazed at how much I didn’t know about the most important structural part of our world. I would love for everyone to watch them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3sKwwAaCU

What do you do for fun/other interests besides make music? 

I guess I spend a lot of my time reading, writing and other similar things, which often lead to the music making – it’s all very much an intrinsic part of who I am and what I enjoy doing. But I suppose when I’m trying to disengage my mind I’m quite partial to a round of golf and a nice cup of coffee.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio? 

I guess I have covered the first half of this in question four. I create because I have to, I don’t know anything else and when I have tried not to it has been simply impossible. I very much respond to that urge and rarely have a problem of not being able to create when necessary. Because I have so many different projects going on I always feel compelled to contribute to one of them so if I’m struggling for inspiration in something, I try to work out what I AM in the place to contribute to and switch to that. For me, being malleable and having the ability to be spontaneous and not necessarily stick to plans is a big key to keeping motivated. I guess I’m quite lucky in this respect.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist/musician/writer? 

I suppose I have a fairly mixed response to this question. I love coming up with new ways to package my work and enjoy the fact that I am around during a time when content creation online serves as both a creative outlet and a marketing tool. I have done alright in respect to merchandise sales, but I’m not very good at keeping myself organised and am dreadful at selling myself. Self-promotion has never been my strong point. Fortunately fans enjoy doing it, and the internet is again great for allowing others to play this vital role.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

I have absolutely no idea.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?  

Just create create create, and don’t worry about the future. Enjoy the process and find your voice. It takes time to do this and there is no need to rush. Don’t let others talk you into places you don’t want to go, and question every assumption that people make about art and what you are up to as an artist. But most of all, enjoy and don’t let money dictate what you do.

What/Where is the most inspiring place in the world for you?

Weirdly enough it is probably at my desk where I can unjumble the messes in my mind and turn them into something tangible. I do very much like Copenhagen though.

Thanks Andy for such an honest interview! I look forward to hearing your new music in March!

For more of Andy’s music and writing, take a look at his website: www.atlumschema.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/atlumschema or Facebook: http://facebook.com/atlumschema

I’m wondering…

2012-02-03T00:36:11Z

It’s 6 weeks until I give up the cottage-by-the-sea and head out to Australia. I’ve been keeping a little list of things I’m wondering about in advance of my next big adventure. Don’t expect anything earth-shattering. This is mainly miscellanea:

Will I burst into tears when I see my sister?
Will I start to drink coffee again? (I’ve long missed the Italian and Greek inspired flavours of Australian coffee).
How will I feel about not being an ex-pat for the first time in 5 years?
How long will it be before the ache I have now for the sun and the light fades and I start to take them for granted?
Which friendships and relationships will survive the move and which will naturally fall with the ending of the season?
What food will I realise I’ve really missed, but didn’t notice how much?
What will people say about my accent?
How long will it take me to swim in the pacific ocean after I arrive?
How long will it take my sister and I before we ask each other ‘what were we thinking’?
Will I be able to work well in my new home?
How long will it take me to find a bottle of ketap manis and add it to my pantry? (I have missed this ingredient lots)
How much of the ‘stuff’ I’ve had stored for the last 4.5 years will I look at and wonder ‘why on earth did I keep this?’
Will I manage to make it to see my brother play?
How long will it take me to find a church home?
Will I be able to submit my PhD thesis by the beginning of July?
Will the sun have the magical healing properties I hope it does and my immune system be strong again by the time I return to scotland in May?

Maybe I’ll write a post responding to these once i’ve been back in Australia for a couple of weeks!

Why don’t you tell me what you’d be wondering if you were me?

Connect with Anna on Academia.edu, Linked In, facebook page, & Twitter.

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Pondering Nepal

2012-02-06T10:05:17Z

I’ve been thinking alot about changing or adding destinations to the overland to oz itinerary – it is still very much a work in progress. In light of discussions with a development organization the idea of adding Nepal came up. I hadn’t really thought about how that would look on a map – so the first port of call was to pull it up through google maps and plot out the most logical route. Logic in this case being oh-so-relative.

As you can see….Moscow to Nepal would involve travelling through pretty much every one of the -stan countries.

Yeah, no. I’m thinking that this wouldn’t be the best route for a woman travelling on their own.

So, I took a long from the other side:

This is markedly better, of course. The prospect of Burma, Bangladesh and Bhutan is much better…but given that the larger premise is to travel overland from Scotland to Australia, this is really 2000km out of my way. It’s definitely one I’ll file away for the future though – maybe a trip from Asia across the sub continent to Turkey or something like that?

I’m very interested in hearing from development or missions organizations about visiting projects during this trip. My interest is both personal and one of wanting to photograph and write about life and culture as I travel. Email me on anna(at)goannatree.com and we’ll talk some.

Listening. Observing. Participating. Writing. Photographing. Reflecting.

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Yarning with an artist: Richard Stott

2012-02-03T15:29:09Z

In the first of a new regular series on Goannatree, which I’m titling Yarning with an Artist and which will feature emerging artists, I bring you an interview with Ric Stott. Revd Ric Stott is a Methodist Minister, Artist and Art Psychotherapist. He has a studio in Sheffield UK where he works for the Methodist Church as a Pioneer Minister. In this role he is exploring ways in which creative arts can enrich peoples lives and communities – Spiritually, emotionally and socially. For more on recent work, Ric has written posts about an environmental installation piece he made for Lent 2011 on his website.

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When did you first realize you were artistic?

Someone else asked me the same question recently and I hadn’t really thought about it before. I studied medicine at university and had always been going down the science route at school and so I assumed that art was a more recent development for me but now that I reflect more deeply on the question I can recall the intense urge to create as a child – that desire from deep in my soul that feels at once uncomfortable, inspirational and energising – and I realised that it’s the same feeling I have now as a 36 year old. As a child these adventures usually ended in frustration as I could never get what was inside me out on the paper in a manner that I found satisfying, now I’m more at peace with the idea that the process will always produce something that falls short of the idealised vision in my soul, but that that imperfection is part of the beauty. So I guess I’ve always been an artist at heart but have taken a detour via medicine and then theology before ending up here.

Could you tell us some more about your work? what are you working on at the moment?

I used to just paint with oils and acrylics but over the last year or so have been working on installations, environmental art and street art. I’m interested in how art can inspire and bring life to communities and so more and more am working outside, particularly in urban areas so the work isn’t mine – it belongs to the community and is a result of my listening and being in that place. It’s important to me to seek beauty and the sacred in ordinary places, places that people would often dismiss and give up on: the day to day concrete spaces of offices and multistory parks and council estates. I’ve been profoundly changed and challenged by making art in these places and have been overwhelmed by the way passers by open up to me and talk about quite intimate aspects of their lives. So the process of art making somehow opens up a space where people can be in a different way – I would call this sacred space. [you can read about Ric's street art here]

At the moment I am working with a group of artists in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on a project to explore the stories of the people and communties that make the city and how they relate to the place. We have found a large open plan office and, over a couple of months, will be inviting artists, community groups and passers by in to help build a model of the city as well as recording soemthing of the participants stories. The model will be huge and sometimes I worry about this being one of those creative endeavours you set out on not knowing whether or not it will be an amazing success or a glorious failure! But as the process and journey of creation is more significant than the end point I’m not sure that failure is possible, whatever happens we will have embarked on an adventure with a creative and inclusive community. The project is called ‘Soul of Sheffield’ and you will be able to follow our progress on my blog: www.iaskforwonder.com

Describe yourself as a sandwich/lunch.

Something that’s messy and a strange mix of different flavours but (I hope) ultimately satisfying.

What is it that inspires you to make art about a particular subject?

Seeing deeply, experiencing deeply and seeking beauty in unexpected places. So often though my laborious schemes and careful plans are overtaken by that moment of inspiration when half asleep in bed or in the shower* and an idea emerges fully formed as if the universe is pregnant with creative potential, with amazing things that will burst into being if we allow ourselves to be receptive to them. I do, however, think that the initial long and winding detour probably puts me in the right receptive mind to find the idea that is more full of life.

*fully awake rather than half asleep

What famous artists have influenced you, and how?

Maybe these are obvious choices, but there’s no point in being willfully obscure to try and look clever!:

Mark Rothko: For showing me how art can open up new ways of seeing and being. Sitting in front of one of his paintings in Tate Modern for half an hour was a genuinely life changing experience.

Antony Gormley: For the way he explores the relationship between our bodies and the space we inhabit. For me coming from a Christian perspective this has lots of powerful resonances with the idea of incarnation and a God who is present in physical reality rather than floating around as an ethereal, unearthly spirit.

Gerhard Richter: Whose recent exhibition in London has made me fall in love with painting again and inspired me to make 2012 the year when I get my paintbrushes out and see how deep I can go in exploring the role of artist as contemplative.

What about an artist/creative person I may not have come across but that you think the world needs to know about

Keri Smith, whose book ‘How to be an Explorer of the World‘ really opened my eyes to the potential for art to engage with the world around us and enrich our communities in ways that are whimsical, surprising and bring a different way of being in mundane places. She inspired me to open my eyes and see something wonderful right in front of me wherever I might find myself.

What do you do for fun/other interests besides make art?

Have fun with my two children. enjoy good films and eating out. meditation and yoga.

And I love going on holiday somewhere warm and peaceful – walking down a sandy beach into a warm sea is such an exquisite experience but can’t be done in Sheffield.

What inspires you to create and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?

I can’t escape the desire to create – it wells up like a fire that can’t be kept in. For me that creative energy comes from a deep place of silence and contemplation.

When things get tough in the studio the pattern is usually the same: procrastination; distraction with mundane tasks; frustration and annoyance sometimes leading to despair and wondering why I bother at all. In the end I need to sit quietly and wait for that still small voice that says ‘Go create’ and then I have to just put my pencil on the paper or fingers into the clay and see what happens – most of the time it’s dross, but once that’s out of the way more exciting things start to happen. I often have to tell myself to trust the process of creation and stop fretting when things seem to be going nowhere.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

Very badly. I do feel a sense of both elation and dread when someone offers to buy one of my pieces – thrilled that they like my work, trepidation at having to put a price on it. I am, however, very fortunate to be paid by the Methodist Church to be creative and to explore what creative spirituality means for individuals and how it can enrich communities so I’m not dependent on making a living solely through producing art (which I’m not sure I’d be able to do).

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I can barely envisage 10 weeks time let alone 10 years!

But if I was working with a vibrant creative community, making art and inspiring others to do the same as well as enriching lives as an art therapist and a spiritual director then I would see that as time well spent.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out

Make sure you have some other strings to your bow so you don’t have to rely on it for your income, then go for it – put the paint brush in the paint, put it on the canvas and see what happens. Don’t worry about producing dross or feeling uninspired or hopeless – that’s bound to happen – keep going even if you’re just scribbling on scraps of paper, once you enter into the creative process something exciting or interesting will happen sooner or later if you take the risk and stick with it.

What/Where is the most inspiring place in the world for you?

So many I cant choose: The cathedral in Santiago de Compestela after I’d walked the Pilgrimage, the grubby pavement on the estate where I have been doing street art, a cliff top overlooking the Arctic Ocean as the midnight sun touched the horizon.

I love places of transition. So, for example, Estuaries and salt flats that are constantly changing with the tides are inspiring to me – the transition between land/river and ocean. the interface between different spaces is the place of creation.

And I could spend forever gazing out over vast expanses – the view from a hot air balloon over the Sahara desert, countless miles of nothing until the Atlantic, brought me to tears. One day I hope to stand on the edge of the Pacific with half a world of Ocean in front of me – I would be overwhelmed.

Thanks so much Ric. I’m really glad to have a chance to chat with you and share your work with the blogosphere!

All image are used with Ric Stott’s permission. You can find more of Ric’s work on his website: www.iaskforwonder.com

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This artist spotlight interview is part of an ongoing series of interviews with emerging artists. It is about celebrating artists and the work they are creating and sharing. If you have a suggestion for an artist to be featured in this series, send an email to enquiries@goannatree.com

Connect with Anna on Academia.edu, Linked In, facebook page, & Twitter.

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Pin Pricks and Pennies

2012-02-02T15:03:19Z

No matter how happy you are for the success or happiness of life milestones of others, and believe me, I am…I am happy and joyful for them..sometimes they still act like pin pricks, or knives, or red even hot pokers, reminding you of what you haven’t done, where you’re not at.

Let me be clear though, I’m not comparing apples and oranges here.

I’m well aware of my own choices and the consequences of those choices. I’m not yearning after something I’ve forgone nor am I regretting my path. I’m not wishing I stayed in my home town, or country, or wished I’d continued to wear a uniform or sought after clerkships with the intensity of a gale force wind.

I promise, I’m not trying to have my cake and eat theirs too…

It’s no secret that the last 12 months have seen challenges I didn’t expect the PhD would bring. And the days of feeling utterly exhausted or unwell haven’t helped. But all of that seems like excuses. It still stings a little when, as they are well and truly entitled and I want them to do, friends and colleagues celebrate the completion of their PhD drafts. I am excited for them, but it weighs upon me that I’m not where I wanted to be at this stage. (to put it in perspective, i’m only 2.5 years in….so i’m aware that my expectations are high).

I say all of this to be transparent. Even when I genuinely am excited for others, it doesn’t stop it being a huge motivator to be where I really want to be.

I have to say though, that I have much to be grateful for, and the kindness and encouragement of others has much to do with that. It’s the little things: like the lady who enquired if i needed some pennies to make up change for my bus fare (when i handed the driver a fiver), the friend who’s been checking on me via text message, or the colleague who made a point of asking whether i’m sleeping better in an email about a project we’re working on together. Then there was the incredibly thoughtful gift of a sweater sent by a friend’s mom – someone who has quite a knack for choosing things which suit me and finally, and possibly most importantly, there was the encouragement – via twitter of all places – from a wisened professor that much of what i was feeling in relation to this stage of my PhD is in fact normal – and that there is an ending to this beginning!

On days that the writing is difficult and the editing painful and the reading obscurant I remind myself I’m one day closer to being able to hold the final hard bound copy in one hand and -to mix metaphors relating to my ex-pat homes – a dram of texico’s finest in the other. On that note, I better get back to work on the chapter that I had planned to send my advisers last Friday.

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Sleepless in the PhD wilderness

2012-01-30T12:00:59Z

They say that going without sleep for 17 hours is equivalent to being under the influence of alcohol to the tune of .05.

Lately, sleep hasn’t been easy. It has either come very slowly or been interrupted. The hours between 0100 and 0400 feeling interminable as I toss and turn. Ocassionally, I just give up, turn on the lamp and write in my journal. Sometimes it is my thesis that is swirling around in my brain, sometimes it is the knots in my stomach where the stress my body is feeling betrays the fragile order my mind convinces itself I’m holding onto. I’ve grown in my love (if it were possible) for freshly laundered sheets and the comfort of the unbelievably-comfortable-and-worth-taking-to-3-continents merino wool underlay.

If it were possible, the last three days were almost the worst of all. Compounding the anxious lack of sleep was a malfunctioning smoke alarm, that consistant with its utility but not meeting its telos, has variously chirped between 2 and 6am. After changing the battery 3 times in 5 days, I finally called my landlord this morning to share my tale of sleeplessness. He was kind and came straight over acknowledging that the chirping of these hardwired alarms is nigh impossible to sleep through. We discovered that two of the alarms weren’t working properly. It was a slightly embarrassing moment for me, but my landlord shared that in sleeplessness we loose our orientation a little, and that he too would have stayed fixated on the one alarm.

Either way:

The sweet sweet sound of silence (apart from my tapping on the keyboard) fills the cottage. It is beautiful.

I must admit, though, that my temper is frayed. I feel overwrought. I want to sleep and yet have so much to do. Like the deadlines that have been and gone. Some self-imposed. Some for others. I don’t miss deadlines. Except, it seems I do.

There is a tunnel and there is light at the end of it, I have to keep walking. writing. kneeling.

I feel the eschatological tension of now, but not yet, in a way I’ve never really understood it before. It is the stuff of existential crises.

It is so easy to feel sorry for myself; to be self-absorbed.

This interrupted sleep seems to be fairly common among my colleagues lately. I see comments about insomnia on facebook. We all wax lyrical about good night’ sleep (so it follows that good sleep is not as common as we’d like it to be). Admittedly many of my colleagues have small children. I am grateful almost everyday that I’m free to pursue the craziness of the last stages of this PhD with only my own lack of sleep, hunger pains, and needs to take care of. Of course, that means that loneliness is a close companion right now.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so lonely. Yet, I have colleagues around and friends here and elsewhere. I love my church, yet, I feel the frustrations that exist in every church are getting to me more than usual. and then someone sends me a kind message or calls or drops by or gives me a hug and I know I belong.

The lack of sleep and the loneliness. And the lack of light.

Three things that have surprised me about this stage and this season.

Yet, I was grateful this morning (in the midst of the sleeplessness addled haze) as I reflected on all of the wonderful opportunities and the crazy adventure that is my life, that I get to do this.

*This* is my thesis. I get to do this.

This is a choice. Not a punishment.

Now, if I could just get a good night’s sleep, I might be able to knock out the rest of this draft and get it done in the next 6 months!!

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This my third Life Unmasked post for 2012. In addition to my second for this year, A naked theologian, you may find my last life:unmasked post for 2011, A journeywoman, and my first for 2012, I’m an inbetweener of interest. All my 2011 Life unmasked can be found on this handy list. You can thank Joy of Joy’s Journey for pushing me to get involved in this weekly foray into ‘writing naked.’

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Weird but true fact: in my time in the UK I’ve not once yet come across what we call in Australia, a ‘european’ pillow. that’s what we call the square ones. I remember that they weren’t easy to find in the US either. But, in the mist of this seemingly miscellaneous communication of bedding conventions around the world, I miss my boomerang pillow the most. They are self-explanatory: they look like boomerangs. Thankfully, they are soft and soft of mold to your body. did i mention that i haven’t had enough sleep lately.

Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School: Your Work Space

2011-11-05T17:50:03Z

Have you made the Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School? Contemplating your fate?
Watch now for more on what your office space might look like ….

Read the book, Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School, by Adam Ruben, Ph.D!

Learn more about the book at Random House

What does your office space look like?