Roof Beam Reader
Adam Burgess
I Have Been…
I saw Allie post this on her blog A Literary Odyssey. It’s cute and fun and I haven’t had the time/energy to write any reviews lately (sorry!), so I thought I’d have a little fun with this instead.
I Have Been:
{writing}
Essays. Lots of them. Over the past few months, I’ve had at least a 5 or 10-page essay due almost every week. I had a 5-page paper (and a presentation) to do two weeks ago, before Thanksgiving break. Got a tiny bit of respite, then it was another 5-pager due this week, a 15-pager due next week, and another 10-pager due the week after! But, at long last, I can finally see break-time on the horizon…. two more weeks until winter break! Of course, I still work full-time, but it’s something.
{reading}
Lots of scholarly articles and narratology/narrative theory books. Some E.A. Poe and some 20th Century American Lit. Not very much pleasure reading, though. I try to sneak in a short story from Poe once a week (originally, I was trying to do one a day – but that didn’t last long. 3 Days, maybe?). I’m also reading Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White for our Green Carnation Prize Reading Project.
{listening}
To lots of talk radio (I drive a lot and spend about 90% of my drive time listening to 92.7 WCPT – Chicago’s Progressive Talk). Also some of my own personal mixes and, yes, Christmas music!
{watching}
Weeds (Season 4? 5? Whatever the newest season on Netflix is) and some other shows that are in season, like The Big Bang Theory (love!), The Office, Cake Boss, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Glee, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Hot in Cleveland. Yeah, I watch too much t.v.
{looking}
At Christmas wish lists for my family members… dreaming of all the things I wish I could buy them, and thinking about what I’ll actually end up getting ’em. HAH.
{learning}
I’m learning all the time – I do that on purpose. I don’t understand the point of drifting through life living through rote and closing one’s self off to new knowledge and new experiences. I know that sounds preachy and pretentious, but seriously… why get up and go out every day if you’re not going to get anything new from it? But, more specifically, I’ve been learning a lot about narrative discourse, narratology, and various aspects of 20th Century American Lit. I’m working on a research paper for Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, so I’m learning quite a bit more about that particular book as well.
{feeling}
Exhausted, tired, kind of ambivalent about things, to be honest. Everyone warned me that pursuing a Ph.D. in English would be, well, trying. And they’re right. You’re not supposed to work (and certainly not full-time) while pursuing a Ph.D. but, unfortunately, I don’t really have a choice. I’ve also been weighing a few decisions, waffling on certain things, and letting my life get a bit disorganized and out of control. Not in any extreme way, but enough to make me feel anxious.
{anticipating}
The three-week winter break that is coming up soon! I can’t wait to take a little breather from all this schoolwork and from all the driving (it’s a 75-minute drive each way, twice per week, right after a 9-hour work day). I’m also hoping to get some extra workouts in during this time, since it’s been impossible (okay, highly difficult) for me to exercise regularly while I’ve been working and in school full-time.
{wishing}
I would finally win the lottery so that I could concentrate 90% of my energy on my doctoral studies and the other 10% on world travel. 😉
{loving}
My partner! We are celebrating our 6th anniversary today! Also, my family and my friends. I’m loving my new car, but not the payments that come with it. And, as always, I’m loving my books and my music – they keep me calm and sane(ish).
Roof Beam Reader 
Congrats on the anniversary! Six years is a long time at your age. 🙂
Sorry to hear that you’re so busy, but… you probably should (and do) look at in from a positive point of view: you have the chance to do a PhD and hey, that is fantastic. Take that chance, and do what you can to make it a success!
I hope you have a really relaxing break. Even if you have to work, not having to go to school will make a big difference.
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Congrats on the anniversary!
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Happy Anniversary to you and your partner!! And get some sleep. 😉 x
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Happy anniversary!
I adore your answer to LEARNING. It’s like you plucked the words right from my head, ordered them around and made them make total sense.
Good luck on winning the lottery, I’ll cross my fingers for you 😉
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Congratulations on your 6th anniversary! I hope you hit that lottery. 😉
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Happy anniversary, to another 6 years more! I’ve been really enjoying your pics over Twitter, thanks for sharing 🙂
You remind me so much of my senior year. There was this week when I had to write three essays and I ended up sleeping four hours a day, having three to four coffees a day to stay awake and attending lessons from 9 to 4. But I survived and even nowadays find myself proud that I did and knowing that I could do it again. I’m pretty sure you’ll reflect on these months in the same way 🙂
Good luck with the lottery.
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Happy anniversary! I am in awe of your ability to get all that done! And to still blog! Very impressive, but I do hope things calm down a little for you. Enjoy your break!!
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Adam, keep pushing and fighting the good fight, my man. It’s a season of life that is tough, yes, but it will pass and look at what you will have accomplished! You’re so so so inspirational! And you’re so capable. You have everything you need to succeed RIGHT NOW residing inside of you, so push through the discouragement when it comes and keep dancing! Ha! –Janie (one of your biggest fans)
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