Collie's Bestiary

I don't know why, but I have been bedeviled with typos during my graduation process! This is not something I've had such problems with previously… so in the spirit of finding the positive in my life, I'm adding this as an amusingly undesired first, to my list of new things I've experienced this year, in […]

Woohooo! It's up! It's accessible! It's here! My dissertation, as finally published by ProQuest! "Everyone Gets Lifted Up": How Matrifocal Families Can Enhance People's Lives and Reduce Systemic Patriarchal Oppressions

In specific, let's talk about student loans — especially since I'm graduating, so the start of my repayment is coming up soon, woot! So, I've had people ask me how I can, in good conscience, support any sort of student loan forgiveness — when my doing so is clearly really just self-aggrandizement on my part. […]

OMG, peeps! I just received the feedback from my third committee member – 3 days early! When I read her report I was so thrilled I was almost hyperventilating! Her first sentence was:

I'm so excited! Yesterday my committee chair told me she thought my dissertation was done enough to send on to the rest of my dissertation committee! So today I pieced all the chapters together, filled out all the paperwork, and sent it all on — woohoooo! Hard to believe it, but I'm getting ever closer […]

WOOHOOOOO! Dissertation is COMPLETELY written, yeah! :-D I'm going to take a couple of days to just relax, run around like a mad thing, play with Goldie, and do the laundry… and then I'll settle down and start working on the NEXT batch of things which need doing! Stuff like, ohhh…

OMG, I am SO excited! The first three (of five) chapters of my dissertation are completed and reviewed by my Chair! Here's what she had to say:

My household uses the garage mostly for storage. Some of the electrical equipment that runs our computers is kept in there. When our computers started fizzing out — but only on rainy days — we discovered our roof had leaks. The previous owner apparently had the "Character Disad: Believes he's a handyman" — since when […]

Writing up interviews is not easy! From an anthropological perspective, there's always the worry that I'm committing the ethical crime of appropriating someone else's subaltern culture. Racially I'm white, and I don't want to even accidentally appear to act like I'm either stealing the words of, or attempting to speak for, any of the minority […]

Author: Maya Angelou Review first posted April 2004 It took a while to decide to review this book. There is an unfortunately strong current societal meme which says if you are: (less victimized, &/or more financially secure, male, white, privileged, whatever) then you don't get to comment. I understand it's a natural reaction to the […]