Sleeping Sickness
One of the greatest pleasures of being done with coursework is the ability to take time to process things rather than simply layering in a dozen more potential things to think about. But old habits are hard to break, and every time I encounter a text that has references that I’m unfamiliar with, I still feel compelled to read half the things listed in its bibliography—a time consuming, and perhaps nonsensical reaction. I mean, what have I got to prove to anyone? It’s absolutely impossible to have read everything. I wish I could fall back on Derrida’s tongue in cheek response when questioned if he had read all the books in his house— “oh no, I’ve only read about four or five of them. I’ve just read them very carefully.”
There is always the feeling that I haven’t thought things through carefully enough. I used to use sleep to think things over in a more relaxed manner. That hasn’t been happening as much as it used to, I think because of the increased level of family stress. I used to write a lot in my sleep, and wake up and try to get it down. There’s this sort of magical clarity when you’re in that sort of drifty half-waking moment between things. There is less pressure, less compulsion to make immediate sense as the ideas sort of arrange themselves in a non-object driven format. I was watching a Walker Evans biography the other day and someone mentioned that he just couldn’t get up and motivated before around 11am each day. I can empathize. It might have been that he was hung-over. I prefer to think that he was just using the time to think.
I read a story about the impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive abilities this morning and was struck by this part:
Convinced by the mountain of studies, a handful of school districts around the nation are starting school later in the morning. The best known of these is in Edina, Minnesota, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where the high school start time was changed from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30. The results were startling. In the year preceding the time change, math and verbal SAT scores for the top 10 percent of Edina’s students averaged 1288. A year later, the top 10 percent averaged 1500, an increase that couldn’t be attributed to any other variable. “Truly flabbergasting,” said Brian O’Reilly, the College Board’s executive director for SAT Program Relations, on hearing the results.
Another trailblazing school district is Lexington, Kentucky’s, which also moved its start time an hour later. After the time change, teenage car accidents in Lexington were down 16 percent. The rest of the state showed a 9 percent rise.
October 15, 2007 10:49 AM | Comments (1)
Don't Ask
Clinton, Missouri
I’ve been off the road for a week now, and I haven’t felt like posting much around here. The blur of two academic conferences in a row sort of did me in. And my mother is ill, adding to the complicated feelings just now. But silence quickly becomes a habit, if I let it. I suppose I should try to break out of it by at least stringing together some sort of nonsense.
On the second leg of our travels, I found it an odd coincidence that we passed through both Clinton, MO and Clinton, AR. The two places had some common features, but it was the Missouri version that had “Just Ask” pet grooming. I thought that Missouri was the “Show Me” state, not the “Ask Me” state. I’m just saying.
Alexandria, MN
It's nice that they have a platform so that you can frame your picture to match everyone else's picture of Big Ole.
Fergus Falls, MN
“Why are you taking pictures of that?”
“For the heck of it… I’m visiting from out of town and just looking around at the sights.”
“Oh” she said, sounding disappointed. There was a long pause. Then she said: “You know, there’s a story about that spot. I thought you might be here because of that.”
“Really?” I said. “If you don’t mind telling it, I’m curious about the story.”
The woman then proceeded to tell me the story of the collapse of several feet of the tall building above the lot. “See there where the unfinished wall is? That is the only trace left of the old beauty shop that used to be there. A woman was killed in the collapse, and every time I pass this spot the unrepainted section of wall reminds me. I hate it. I’m going to petition the city council about it.”
Rothsay, MN
United Teachers of Music
I was glad to find at least some time to take pictures on a trip to Fargo, North Dakota. I wish I had more time to write about it; but from here it's teach for a day and then off to another conference. There were some interesting papers at the LCMND conference that deserve discussion. I was happy to be at a conference that had such a strong Canadian presence. But Fargo is really an "All American" town, as this tableau might suggest.
I've known a few music teachers. I really wonder how anyone managed to get them "United."
Talkin' Fargo Blues
Fargo was an interesting and eclectic little town architecturally. Walking past this little gem, a guy came mumbling by. “Excuse me, I can't stop talking to myself. I just moved here from Duluth and it takes some getting used to. . .”
I noted the fifth-sized brown paper bag and didn't give it much more thought.
Fargo, ND
I kept waiting for Shaggy and Scooby to pull up in the Mystery Machine at this pizza joint in Fargo, ND.
