Rainy morning nite
05.09.2003So. I'm trapped at The Fourth Coast Café in the rain past 4am. I don't much feel like walking home in a monsoon — even if it's only a block. I'm quickly running out of things to do here. As good a reason to catch up on my blogging as any.
Last few days I've been working to crank out a website for Dr. Rhodes. I'm no Simon King, but I'd like to think that I can design & build a halfway decent website. So this is what I've gotten done so far. Much of the actual content isn't up yet. But the design elements are in place; she should be able to update it on her own. I'm showing her the site at our meeting tomorrow (er, this afternoon) at Waterstreet Coffee Joint.
I'm also working on another project on the role of theory in the discipline w/ Dr. Hauptmann. It seems a recurring theme of hers. She's looking at whether or not any rational choice theorists think of themselves as doing "positive theory" (e.g. William Riker). She tends to view political theory as derived from "the canon." Whereas I view political theory as empirically driven — a more "scientistic" view.
Aside from that, I'm also working my way through Methods of Text and Discourse Analysis by Ruth Wodak. I need a solid outline for how I want to structure the data collection — and perhaps also the analysis — of my archival work in Bolivia. I'll be going through 20 years worth of newspapers. No sense wasting time there on things I can develop here.
Fortunately, my friend Katia recently returned from Poland, where she did similar work — text analysis of elite public discourse — and can give me excellent tips (both theoretical and practical). Katia and her husband Kevin host one of their very delicious Russian teas Monday evening. So I get a discussion on methodology and scrumptious treats. It's a win-win.
One of my best friends, Corine, is also planning on coming into town on Monday. So this looks like shaping up to be a great week. I just hope I finally have the CD I was hoping to have for her birthday ready by then.
Finally, and I'm also now officially a comic book reader. So Wednesdays are now "new comics day" for me as well. If anyone's interested, this is what I'm reading:
Global Frequency. Most people I know read it and recommended it. And, yeah, it's that good.
Robotech. I used to wake up at 6am to catch it on TV back in 1986. It's an amazing story line. So it's more a "fun" comic for me than anything else.
Batman. Of course! He's always been my favorite character. I just wish Frank Miller wrote it more often.
Gotham Central. This one I picked up because it looked interesting. It's basically just cops in Gotham solving crimes. Batman hardly ever shows up — and you don't want him to.
Human Defense Corps. Another comic focused on human heroes. It's essentially a special forces unit that takes care of business on Earth when the JLA isn't available.
Superman: Red Son. It's no secret I don't like Superman. Mainly because I think he's sort of a gullible "gee-golly-gee" schmuck who'd be nothing w/o his superpowers. But a three-issue story that asks "what if Superman was raised in 1950s Russia, not the US?" should be good.
Posted by Miguel at 06:14 AM
Comments
I heard that "Human Defense Corps" described as "saving private Mulder". I thought that was quite funny.
I meant to pick up the Superman book. It is by Mark Millar and he is usually good...though disappointing lately.
I tried to go back to Batman a few months ago, but it just sucks now. There are, however all sorts of good Batman comics already out there.
Again, find and read Transmetropolitan. It is good. Between Bay and I, we have all the issues and trades. Get 'em.
Posted by: josh at May 10, 2003 01:21 PM
Hi Miguel,
it is interesting tor ead you're gonna empoy discourse analysis into your dissertation. Well, as funny as it may sound, i find that exciting, I am a huge "fan" of discourse analysis. Anyway, maybe you already know or not, but here are some suggestions, which books could help you, beside Wodak:
- Guy Cook. 1989. Discourse.
- Crystal, David. 1992. Introducing Linguistics.
- Foucault, Michel. 1972. The Archeology of Knowledge.
- Fairclough, Norman. 1989. Language and Power.
- Fairclough, Norman. 1995. Critical Discourse Analysis: The critical Study of Language.
- and the works of Theun van Dijk (he's THE man of discourse analysis).
Have fun, Nenad
Posted by: Nenad at May 10, 2003 09:25 PM
thanx for the great and long cd. Its quite poppy- not to hard or soft and thus great for listening to anytime. also I know almost none of the bands
Posted by: bil at May 11, 2003 10:40 AM
A note on Superman:
I felt exactly the same way about the big blue boyscout for years. However, what I learned (it was in the pages of JLA...the funny ones, not the newer ones...Josh has 'em I'm sure) is that Superman is cool when you look at how others react to him. He is mostly inaccessable in terms of being able to identify with him...he's just too super, but I always loved seeing characters like Guy Gardener bitch, "He's not so great. You should see what I can do!"
Josh is right about Transmet.
Read Josh's X-Men stash...one of the best stacks you will ever find.
BTW-Taco Night is moved back to next weekend, Sunday. Mark your calendar.
Love,
Micah
Posted by: Micah at May 11, 2003 01:07 PM
I was remembering something you wrote about Europeans not having any comic book heroes and that they are part of Americana as sort of our mythology. I've been thinking and I would have to say that the closest thing that the Europeans have to comic book heroes, or heroes in general, would be the France's Musketeers and Britain's legendary knights (Camelot, Lancelot, the love triangle). Both groups are pretty cool hero figures to look up to, but I have yet to see a movie about either group become the top grossing weekend box office attraction like Spider-Man.
Posted by: Kara at May 12, 2003 10:22 PM