Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Chicago Convention and nose surgery
So this last weekend I went to the CCCC convention in Chicago. I was worried about doing this presentation since I was asked way back last quarter. In the end in wasn't really a big deal. I spoke for ten minutes, a short narrative about my experience coming to Irvine as a new teacher and having to teach college for the first time, along with learning the writing studio, which is a web based work studio we use with the composition students.
I got into Chicago on Thursday. The presentation was Friday afternoon. There was a great party Thursday night in the Fields museum, which was throw by one of the publishing companies. Free food and free booze and dinosaurs. Friday night another book company threw a party at the House of Blues. More free food and booze. Saturday the lot of us went to Buddy Guy's Legends, and had a blast.
What was really nice about the convention was the free books. I got three fiction craft books. I've been reading this one from the NYC Gotham Writer's series which I really like, and I think I'm going to ask if I can use that as a text when I teach fiction next year, in addition to the unnecessarily huge anthology that's mandatory. I don't know why. I'd rather teach less stories more in depth and hands on than cover a lot of broad things. It's not a literature class. Well, I'll be focusing more on craft.
I returned to Cali Sunday night. I had surgery on Monday. I had a deviated septum (that's in my nose) and had to have my this stuff on the insides of my nose sucked out so I could breath right. So I've been recovering the last two days. I'm sitting here typing gassed up on codeine with two gigantic tampons shoved up my nostrils. The blacks strings are taped to my face. Here's what I look like:
I know I'm pretty. Hopefully the doc'll yank out my nose tampax and I'll be a little more human. Aside from that, I'm done. Grades are handed in, the interview with Brad is done (the first draft, at least) and the surgery is over too. Hopefully I'll recover in time to relax before class starts up again next week.
And I've got to get working on a new draft, and even though I shouldn't be, I 'm worried about impressing Geoffrey on my first submission.
I got into Chicago on Thursday. The presentation was Friday afternoon. There was a great party Thursday night in the Fields museum, which was throw by one of the publishing companies. Free food and free booze and dinosaurs. Friday night another book company threw a party at the House of Blues. More free food and booze. Saturday the lot of us went to Buddy Guy's Legends, and had a blast.
What was really nice about the convention was the free books. I got three fiction craft books. I've been reading this one from the NYC Gotham Writer's series which I really like, and I think I'm going to ask if I can use that as a text when I teach fiction next year, in addition to the unnecessarily huge anthology that's mandatory. I don't know why. I'd rather teach less stories more in depth and hands on than cover a lot of broad things. It's not a literature class. Well, I'll be focusing more on craft.
I returned to Cali Sunday night. I had surgery on Monday. I had a deviated septum (that's in my nose) and had to have my this stuff on the insides of my nose sucked out so I could breath right. So I've been recovering the last two days. I'm sitting here typing gassed up on codeine with two gigantic tampons shoved up my nostrils. The blacks strings are taped to my face. Here's what I look like:
I know I'm pretty. Hopefully the doc'll yank out my nose tampax and I'll be a little more human. Aside from that, I'm done. Grades are handed in, the interview with Brad is done (the first draft, at least) and the surgery is over too. Hopefully I'll recover in time to relax before class starts up again next week.
And I've got to get working on a new draft, and even though I shouldn't be, I 'm worried about impressing Geoffrey on my first submission.
