Friday, November 14, 2008

dear future grad student,

i'm flattered that you wrote me to ask about possible grad schools where you can do supercool work like the work you read about in those 2 articles by Geoff Sirc. i too felt a near-religious high when first i encountered Sirc, so i can relate. but perhaps, in your euphoria and guided by your supercool mentor who encouraged you to write me, you presumed an intimacy between us that doesn't exist. and i do regret that in my response to you i felt it necessary to point out that your casual tone ("'sup!") was a tad inappropriate because who wants to be that crankity with a student who's all inspired and gushing and just aching to find someone who can ID and point her toward more of the supercoolness? but then, this morning, i realized: hey! i do some writing. and while it may not approach Sircian levels of joyful, fantod-inducing glee, you might have given me a shout-out. so i guess i'm not only regretting my comments about your tone but also recognizing that i might also have shared some pointers regarding audience consideration and how even though we don't like to admit it (especially if we are. actually. supercool), in the legendary words of Love and Rockets, "people [do!] like to hear their names ... i'm no exception ..." (No New Tale to Tell).

5 comments:

Unknown said...

SOmetimes I think back to the stupid things I did and said as a (pre)grad student. I wince. This person might realize it one day and also wince.

Shit, sometimes I wince at the things I did last WEEK!

Learning always happens too late.

bonnie lenore kyburz said...

i wince pretty routinely :)

bonnie lenore kyburz said...

... and because i wince so frequently, i worry even now that people reading this post will view me the crankity elitist. but i'm actually trying to have fun w/ it. earlier, i wrote the Sascha Baron Cohen-as-Ali G version of this post but worried that it would not be received well. that was fun and exactly how i heard the conversation in my head. but still. ahem.

Anonymous said...

sup!
- sammuel

bonnie lenore kyburz said...

SAAAAhhhhmmmm! DOG!