Blog

On Rachel Held Evans and Losing a Fellow Traveler

I grieve deeply that we lost an outspoken Millennial woman who was not afraid to grapple with hard questions and admit doubts. I had taken for granted that we would have her so much longer. That, unlike those of prior generations, she would still be around when I was old and we would both be growing and changing and grappling with hard questions.

Running on Fumes: One Snapshot of Adjunct Life and Commuting

For the first 8.5 years of our marriage, my husband spent his life as some combination of grad student/grad teacher/dissertation writer or adjunct professor. He worked nearly constantly—writing his dissertation, doing course prep, grading, writing articles, applying for jobs, and driving. We lived on the border of Washington, DC, with its high cost of living, to be close to his school. Fortunately, I found work along the nearest metro line and eventually began my own graduate program.

Encountering Bigfoot in Children's Nonfiction, or, a Crisis of Taxonomy

Not much from 001 makes it into the children’s non-fiction. Intellectual life, research, etc., are a bit dry for that set. So right up front? 001.9, “controversial knowledge.” A choice, for sure. Bigfoot and Nessie and some kind of devil which lived just over the Jersey border!

My (partial) 2018 reading list

A summary of books I read in 2018. Subjects include the anthropocene, race, white supremacy, nuclear war, pacifism, and more.

How (and why) I Redacted 488 PDFs Using Image Magick and Paint

A step-by-step on PDF redaction using Imagemagick and Paint as tools for a foolproof process. Also a look at the Goddard News historical project.

Tutorial: Setting Up a Traject Project on Your Windows Machine

A tutorial intended for folks whose institutions may be using traject to index their MARC records and want to be able to test fields/subfields locally. It’s also another way you can engage with and understand your MARC data.

On the Unironic Singing of 'This Land is Your Land' at Rallies/Protests/Demonstrations

A reflection on the powerful history of Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land is Your Land’ along with concerns about how its use may unintentionally reinforce settler colonialism.

On Getting and Using Contraceptive Insurance at Notre Dame

Reflections on the process of obtaining contraceptive healthcare when working at the University of Notre Dame.

Bai Jia Bei: the One Hundred Families Quilt

A beautiful Chinese quilt found in a Connecticut thrift store. The colorful pattern echoes traditional textile work, though the quilt was made for tourists.

2018-04-22

I am an information scientist. Wolfram Alpha, tell me how many days my mother lived. I am the young woman in a fairy tale. Wolfram Alpha, tell me the day I’ll die.