Hard at Work?
January 18, 2010
Over winter break I traveled across three states to visit family, taught a winter course, revised and resubmitted a journal article, completed and submitted a book manuscript, finished half of another book manuscript and submitted a proposal for it, and worked on a journal I help to edit. And I still feel both 1) behind in my work (I’ve got a mountain of stuff still waiting for me to do, like my spring syllabi!) and 2) like I haven’t done enough.
No wonder my partner feels neglected.
I probably shouldn’t compare myself to Roland Boer, who puts out a new book like, you know, every month.
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Missives from Marx 
Self-flaggelation is not a role you wear well! Your life is busy and you don’t have enough hours in the day…welcome to the human race and stop constantly feeling sorry for yourself!
If I ever become like that I hope I get a disabling disease so I can have a break.
I must admit you do whine a bit.
You feel that way because you let the bosses – venal and mortal – get in to your head, maaaan. You’re the perfect self-policing, self-abusing liberal work-bot.
The best way to dismantle the pressure to overwork with teaching is to lay your sins at the feet of your students. Have a discussion about the nature of work and education. You’ll find that your job isn’t a whole lot different from the jobs they’ve done in the past at McDonalds and the like.
And don’t compare yourself with Roland because Roland is a full time researcher. You teach as many classes in one semester as he has in the last decade or so. If your positions were reversed, so would your output.
Nah, bad move to compare yourself to me, since then you’d want to smoke all the time but know you can’t and so get your frenetic energy out in some other format.
… and that outlet is either porn or writing. I prefer to write …
Larry, you made my wife laugh!
Roland, you made me laugh!
Sophia and VM: I think you’re right.