Serendib Teaching

One of the tricky things about ordering plants and bulbs online is that it’s often unclear whether you’re going to get plants in good condition. Some of the nurseries that look like bargains send sad little plants in poor condition. Some places are reliable — White Flower Farm has consistently given me great plants, but …

Garden Log 4/25/23 Read More »

Yesterday was Glasapalooza, the end of year celebration for Global Asian Studies. I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate my colleagues on everything they’ve accomplished in growing this program. Anna Guevarra has been a powerhouse directing it! Our students have been asking for GLAS for a long, long time — this year, we …

Glasapalooza Read More »

Faculty activity report due today, submitted. (There’s still the more detailed university one to do in a few weeks; this is the one for my department.) Mostly it’s a list, but they asked us to summarize at the bottom, so here’s my academic year-in-review, for your amusement. The positive part, anyway — the less positive …

My Academic Year-in-Review Read More »

Teaching outfit from yesterday; this is mostly just a note to myself that I like this combo, and I should remember it — dark blue sweatshirt with gold thread in a vaguely medieval pattern, my friend’s lovely gold and dark blue flower earrings, and my current silver-blonde hair. I’m not sure how long I’m going …

A Combo to Remember Read More »

The process of going up for academic promotion is definitely a little nerve-wracking. Talented, skilled people get denied, all the time. It’s inevitable that imposter syndrome will rise up, asking, “Do I really deserve this? Have I earned it? Have I written enough, published enough, become well-known enough? Should I wait and hope to publish …

The Process of Academic Promotion Read More »

Teaching at the Salam Award workshop, LUMS, plus Tuesday evening’s panel (I co-moderated, interviewing Liz and Usman) on “the uncanny.” Lahore, Pakistan.