Day 196, Sept. 28, 2020
Strange Fascinations
Today's soundtrack: David Bowie, Live in Berlin, 2002
When I was in high school I had one of those all in one plastic stereo units with a dual cassette deck, radio tuner, turntable, and chipboard speakers. The whole thing weighed maybe 10 pounds, but I didn't know any better except that I knew the temperamental tonearm caused me to scratch a generation of records... but that may have also been my temperamental teenage angst and physical awkwardness.
There were a couple of records and cassettes I used to listen to on continual repeat. Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars accompanied me through countless nights of insomnia, countless dreams of reinventing myself, as if my true self was just waiting to be revealed.
It is amazing that my parents tolerated my late night music marathons. I don't recall being particularly attentive to how loud or quiet I was playing the stereo, and yet I was largely left alone. It was a time when I could not imagine existing with out music playing out of some kind of speaker whenever I was on my own, whether that was through my 8 D-battery boombox (that got stolen at a party out in the woods), through my stereo with the flimsy tonearm, or the lightweight walkman headphones that were like strapping telephone receiver speakers to your head. There was something innocent about that time that we never realized. How easy it is to become distracted now with our phones, the internet connected televisions, everything else. Back then, one could wallow in pubescent misery all alone... accompanied by no-one except David Bowie. You could build a relationship with music in an intimate way that is lost when all the world's discography is at one's fingertips. That is not to say that our current reality isn't marvelous, but it changes the relationship.
Changes.
I find myself contemplating changes like that teenage self, imagining that everything would be different once I left home, once I grew big, once I lost my virginity, once I could drive, once I learned how to play guitar, once I was cool... I did have a full door size poster of Jim Morrison in my room, along with an Iron Maiden Trooper poster. There may have also been a Times They Are a Changin' Dylan poster too. As my boss at the UMass Fine Arts Center said, when she looked through my resume, "You are an eclectic person." She's the one who told me I could take co-captain of the wresting team off my resume, now that I was in graduate school. Haha.
It is amazing to see how someone like Bowie reinvented himself countless times, and how he fully embraced each incarnation. To see someone who can embody each moment is amazing to witness, and inspiring. Regardless of what lies ahead, I hope I remember to embrace each moment, every role, as fully as can inspire that teenage Leo lying in his little twin bed sandwiched between a tall bookcase and short tower of stereo speakers.
"Time may change me
but I can't trace time."
Leo
From Our Friends:
From Academic Impressions:
Why the Loss of the Residential Campus Experience is So Detrimental for LGBTQ+ Students
Article | CBC
For many LGBTQ youth, a campus might be the first time they can truly be out. A queer student journalist at the University of British Columbia describes the loss of this experience and its impact. Read more.
See all more reads and trainings on DEI topics.
How Can Community Colleges Weather Enrollment Declines?
Article | Education Dive
Community college enrollment fell 7.5% year-over-year this fall - the steepest losses of any institution type. To curb further dips, higher education experts say college leaders should target resources to vulnerable students, as well as prioritize funding for instruction and academic support services. Read more.
From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:
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From the Five College Center for East Asian Studies:
Afro-Asian Ties: Sino-Black Relations, Dr. Keisha Brown, Middle Tennessee State University, Oct. 8, 7-8pm ET. Register here.
Nagasaki: Life after Nuclear War, A Conversation with author Susan Southard, Oct. 14, 7-8pm ET. Register here.
Implementing Peace, Sarah Campbell, Ketchikan High School, Nov. 4, 7-8pm ET. What does it mean to be a "peace teacher" in this moment? Why is peace education so important moving forward? Register here.
From NISOD:
From the UMass Arts Extension Service:
Creative Women Leading Climate Action
Keynote Lecture by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m.
Free. Online. Open to All.
Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From NISOD:
From Academic Impressions:
September 28, 2020 | Webcast
Recognize the warning signs of student distress and understand how to take appropriate action.
Virtual Training Recording
Learn how to build engaging digital communities to sustain your co-curricular activities online.
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