Monday, August 3, 2009

Gallimaufry Monday

So like, I'm applying for a early career research thingy ("fellowship" is the technical term I believe). I've written aims, objectives, a research program, drawn up a colour coded table of activities, matched objectives with KPIs, used words like nexus, strategic, diversity, productive, collaboration, cross-institutional, stakeholders, leadership, networking and more. Somewhere in among all of that is what I actually want to research. My brain is tired with all the thinking up of the stuff to write and the using of the clever research application type words.

In other late-breaking Spiralling Shape news I have got the new Wilco album from iTunes and am listening now. Indulging in a little alt-country for a Monday. They will never surpass the brilliance of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but then who could?

This post is a bit of a gallimaufry really isn't it. I'll continue. Today, was funny thinking hat day in our lecture. I got to wear a peroxide blonde wig which was fun.

Oh and I had soup for lunch. Again. No surprises there. I highly recommend the campbells microwave slow cooked beef and tomato with cracked pepper.

(Gallimaufry was our first word of the week with our students. They love using it whenever they can now.)

Oh and last night I started watching The Devil Wears the Prada. What was the big fuss here? I turned off before the end because quite frankly I was bored.

That's all. (see the little Devil Wears Prada joke there. Is that postmodern? I'm just not sure anymore. If I have to ask does that make it post-postmodern. Do the posts cancel each other out meaning I am just modern? Do I even exist - in modern form or otherwise?)

See what writing grant application thingys does to you.

Or is it "thingies". I'm sure there's a nexus between Meryl Streep, postmodernism and writing applications, but I couldn't be bothered to even try and begin "strategically negotiating their diverse tensions". And how would I ever measure the KPI of this objective? What would it produce? Perhaps some kind of chameleon like, ironically reflexive soup made according to an annoying template? Would it have to be microwavable or is that optional like a timeline or gantt chart?

SEE!


(shuffling off to choir now...)

6 comments:

2paw said...

It is a fabulous word and you have illustrated it to perfection. I must confess I was a little sad that it was not Doctor Who related!!!
Glad the bargain soup is tasty.
I haven't even bothered Prada-ing!!
Sad there is no wig photo!!!

Wendy said...

sadly i think there could be wig photos circulating on students' mobile phones....let's hope that's where they stay!

yes great word...but isn't the doctor who version "gallifrey" - i'm no expert though...and I like to think they're related if they are different.

Jophesine77 said...

I'm excited about your fellowship thingy. What will be the topic of your research? Keep us informed.

I love you blog! :)

Wendy said...

Hey thanks!
I don't hold out high hopes of getting one. my institution likes science, engineering, technical kind of research...not quite sure if they are ready for a comparative study of televsion mockumentaries. Still, I won't know unless I try. We shall see. :)

Catriona said...

I admit, when I first read the word, I assumed it was a portmanteau word: "Gallifrey" and "maudlin."

I assumed you were talking about the relative absence of Doctor Who episodes this year . . .

I need to get out more, perchance.

Good luck on the grant!

Wendy said...

thanks...I'm going to need it!!

It's a great word...introduced to me by a colleague I teach with. Applicable in many situations!