Quick Life Update

Hey all!

A really quick life update for you.  Things are fun and exciting, but so so so SO busy. I'm in the middle of intensely over-researching my Kony 2012 paper, and I've finally settled on what the paper is actually going to be about.  It's going to be two-fold--the first half is going to be an analysis of the discourse Invisible Children uses to further their cause/posture themselves as "global."  The second half is going to be an analysis of the unintended consequences of Kony 2012's failure--namely, that it has opened the floodgates for the US to further militarize Africa.  Originally I had wanted to do an intense breakdown of why Kony 2012 failed so miserably in the first place (my theory is that digital activism only translates into the real world if the content is being produced by the same people it's supposed to benefit), but that would require doing hard-core research on other digital activism campaigns/human rights and social media, and I don't have time.

I've got to get this paper done this weekend at the latest, because next week I've got to start over-researching a paper on the US's militarization of the Pacific during WWII.  I think I'm going to go a linguistic route--I'm curious how the US justified blowing up people's islands.  Whatever I do, I have to get that done by the end of next week, so that I have at least a week and a half to prep for my 45 minute oral presentation on American politics in relation to Indian languages.

I love grad school!

In other news, it looks like I've landed a job correcting a thesis for the month of July, and if I do it well, there's a chance the department might hire me on a permanent basis, which would be brilliant.  Because I need money.

Also, I got a package from home today.  It contained, among other things, pink Old Navy flip-flops, the giant college ave creamery sign my sister and her friend stole from the frozen yogurt section of the Rutgers Dining Hall, and fish food for the as-of-yet unpurchased Storsjöodjuret, Second of His Name, Supreme Lord of All That is Wet, May Death Come Swiftly to His Enemies.  All of these things made my day.

Other stupidly exciting things coming up!

--Al is going to be in Berlin the month of August, and I'm debating going with him, if I can find some sort of job on short notice.  But even if I only go to visit, we're going to Poland for a weekend, which will be really really fun.

--Claire and I are going to Ireland for the month of September!  We're too cheap to pay for transportation though, so our new great idea is to buy bikes in Dublin, and then sell them when we make it back (if we make it back) at the end of the month.  We've tried to make actual plans, but...yeah, we can't plan.  I'm pretty sure we've both more or less made peace with the high probability that at some point we will sleep in a barn.

--Galway had the fun idea that the two of us should try busking in Göttingen and seeing if we can actually make any money.  We've had a couple practice sessions already, and thus far have produced some pretty kickass covers of such timeless classics as "Three Little Birds," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and "All the Single Ladies."  If we get video, I will put it up here, I promise.  I was freaking out for a while, but now I'm kind of excited about it!

That's all I got!  Sorry I haven't been particularly entertaining as of late, but I have some fun posts coming up, I swear.  I just have to get this paper done first!

I'm on it.