Comments on: What Now? http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/what-now/ falling indelibly into the past Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:28:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: KF http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/what-now/#comment-1524 KF Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:37:42 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=696#comment-1524 <p>Ah, Marcus, my sage friend… you’re exactly right.  Letting go of the idea that I’ve got to be working toward *something* needs to precede the rest and rejuvenation for the rest and rejuvenation actually to work.  That letting-go is hard, though, and I find (based on conversations with various colleagues and other pals) that it can be particularly hard for youngish-but-no-longer-junior academics, especially in the moments following tenure:  we’ve just gotten past a series of intense hurdles (coursework, exams, dissertation, job market, contract renewal review, tenure review), each of which required particular kinds of focused work and an overall sense of forward movement; having gotten past the last of the hurdles, it’s hard to realize that such focus and forward movement are no longer, strictly speaking, necessary.  There are no more necessary hurdles—so the momentum can let up. </p> <p> So yes:  accumulation of scraps of real desire.  I like that. </p> <p> That connects, I think, to Francois’s notion of thinking through the not-worth-sharing… </p> <p> So I’m off to curl up with my novel again.  And feeling better about it already. </p> Ah, Marcus, my sage friend… you’re exactly right.  Letting go of the idea that I’ve got to be working toward *something* needs to precede the rest and rejuvenation for the rest and rejuvenation actually to work.  That letting-go is hard, though, and I find (based on conversations with various colleagues and other pals) that it can be particularly hard for youngish-but-no-longer-junior academics, especially in the moments following tenure:  we’ve just gotten past a series of intense hurdles (coursework, exams, dissertation, job market, contract renewal review, tenure review), each of which required particular kinds of focused work and an overall sense of forward movement; having gotten past the last of the hurdles, it’s hard to realize that such focus and forward movement are no longer, strictly speaking, necessary.  There are no more necessary hurdles—so the momentum can let up.

So yes:  accumulation of scraps of real desire.  I like that.

That connects, I think, to Francois’s notion of thinking through the not-worth-sharing…

So I’m off to curl up with my novel again.  And feeling better about it already.

]]> By: marcus http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/what-now/#comment-1523 marcus Thu, 10 Jun 2004 10:44:37 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=696#comment-1523 <p>sometimes I find I elevate the know-what-i-want-to-do into a way too important goal in and of itself.  And then I just concentrate on the small things--read this, scratch that, nibble here and rest there--and let the scraps of real desire and pleasure accumulate, take me someplace, anyplace, instead of demanding that my wants want something big, ambitious, and worthwhile.  So what if I waste some time and energy in stupid things (don’t even ask about the last shit fantasy novel--in bad french translation to boot--I curled up with...) it’s one method I’ve found to help get me out of times of gloomy paralysis. </p> sometimes I find I elevate the know-what-i-want-to-do into a way too important goal in and of itself.  And then I just concentrate on the small things–read this, scratch that, nibble here and rest there–and let the scraps of real desire and pleasure accumulate, take me someplace, anyplace, instead of demanding that my wants want something big, ambitious, and worthwhile.  So what if I waste some time and energy in stupid things (don’t even ask about the last shit fantasy novel–in bad french translation to boot–I curled up with…) it’s one method I’ve found to help get me out of times of gloomy paralysis.

]]> By: Francois Lachance http://www.plannedobsolescence.net/what-now/#comment-1522 Francois Lachance Wed, 09 Jun 2004 17:16:04 +0000 http://www.new.plannedobsolescence.net/?p=696#comment-1522 <p>Cathected. Such a nice word. Points me to this question: what about contemplating what you feel is not worth sharing and then figuring out a story as to why you think it is not worth sharing—just might be a reverse engineering way to help clarify the values you do live by and a route to finding what is you want or wanted to share. Enter the Beatles ... a long and winding road. </p> Cathected. Such a nice word. Points me to this question: what about contemplating what you feel is not worth sharing and then figuring out a story as to why you think it is not worth sharing—just might be a reverse engineering way to help clarify the values you do live by and a route to finding what is you want or wanted to share. Enter the Beatles … a long and winding road.

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