The Sonikcycle Syndicate

On Sunday, May 18, 2008, I followed the time-honored UVa tradition of walking the Lawn. I thoroughly enjoyed the pomp and circumstance as I reveled in the ritual of UVa’s Final Exercises. Admittedly, I didn’t have high hopes for the commencement speech, but Hunter R. Rawlings III came through with a well-crafted bit of oration befitting the occasion.

I particularly enjoyed the conferment ritual whereby the dean of each school presents the candidates to the university president who then orally confers the degree and challenges the candidates to do good in the world (he actually makes remarks relevant to each field, e.g. to the MBAs and Commerce grads he said, in essence, “be ethical and don’t steal”). There was something powerful in all of that, I think it has to do with the power of words. It’s one thing to receive a piece of paper that says one is now this, that, or the other, but when combined with the power vested in a verbal proclamation by UVa’s President and Board of Visitors, there’s simply more meaning, at least to me ;o)>>>

Without a doubt, pursuing a doctoral degree was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m thankful to all who helped me achieve my goal, especially Dr. Who, a.k.a. Steve Whitaker who went well beyond the call of duty as co-chair of my committee!

I do not intend to pursue any more degrees, nor do I intend to blog about this subject ever again, cuz I’m DONE!!!

Alhamdulillah, by the Grace of God, it’s done-done. My dissertatin’ days are over! After a successful defense plus some substantial revisions, I have finished my dissertation. Earlier today, I tied up all of the loose ends and took it to UVa for publishing. Needless to say, I am elated ;o)>>>

For the interested, nay, foolhardy souls among you, feel free to download and peruse the manuscript…

The Impact of Weblogs on the Affective States and Academic Writing of L2 Undergraduates

In the thick of the final crunch and in a procrasti-distracti-nating frenzy, I created a mess o’ loops, here are three of my faves in commemoration of the whole scene…

 

 Bassy [1:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Slo-test [1:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Next [1:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As it happened, I did have my pants on, and the dark clouds of dissertation crunch have passed. I successfully defended my paper, last Friday, March 28, 2008, and I say “YEAY!!!!” I, like all other doctoral candidates before me, feel as though a tremendous weight has been lifted off my entire being. It’s hard to believe…

I am eternally grateful for the loving support and guidance of my family, friends, and, of course, my committee. Alhamdulillah.

I feel as though I just ran out of my house and onto a busy street, and that if I look down I’ll realize that I forgot to wear pants — I’m not looking down!

My gonzo run to Albany was smooth and eventful. I spent a wonderful day hanging out with the Free School folks as part of their internship application process. Suffice it to say, I am inspired and excited at the prospect of working in a free and democratic learning environment – one of my many dreams come true!

Now, back to the diss… ;o)>>>

I’ve turned the corner on my paper and I’m headed for the home stretch… I’ll be back on the new tack in a few weeks! But wait….I’ll be heading up to the Harriet Tubman Free School in Albany, New York, for an interview — there’s bound to be some blog bop on that trek, you betchum ;o)>>>

BTW, this is my first post using Ecto – I’m diggin’ it!

Technorati Tags: harriet tubman free school, albany free school, unschooling, ecto, sonikcycle

It was a beautiful day in Billysburg, yesterday: sunny with temps in the low 70’s that held into the evening. Long about midnight, I stepped out for some fresh night air. As I stood jacket-less in bare feet on the deck, I was delighted by ethereal waves of large chimes carried on symphonic swells of big wind swooshing through the barren trees.

الحمد لله

I spent the day out on the Mattaponi Indian Reservation repairing rotted walls and floor joists in the house of Chief Webster “Little Eagle” Custalow who passed away in 2003 (I think). It was a good day’s work and we got a lot done, but the subject of this post is not community service, rather, a wonderful immersion in regional dialects.

I’ve traveled the U.S. extensively, and I’m quite familiar with the broad speech patterns found throughout the land. But American dialects are so very diverse and rich, one doesn’t have to go far off the beaten path to hear the unusual — the good stuff! I’ve long been fascinated by language and the way people speak, and whenever I have the privilege to hear very localized regional dialects, I get all giddy (inside) and I make mental field notes as though I were an anthropologist or linguist. Today was one of those days!

On the work site, I met Chief Carl “Lone Eagle” Custalow and his brother Leon. Being new to the area, I can only presume these gentlemen were speaking what is known generally as the Tidewater dialect, which is quite similar to the Virginia Piedmont dialect. However, there was something noticeably different… an unusual blend like I’ve never heard. Interestingly, there were two other fellows, both native to the Virginia Peninsula region, who sounded as different from one another as they did from the Custalow brothers. What’s more, none of them sounded like any of the 5 speakers from Virginia on the International Dialects of English Archive ‘Twas a linguistic field day, to be sure! I could’ve sat and listened to those guys, especially the Custalow brothers, all day long ;o)>>>

Oh yeah, I just remembered, everyone smiles in the same language…

Technorati Tags: mattaponi, virginia peninsula, tidewater, piedmont, dialect, linguistics, idea, sonikcycle

I just had a couple of those drop-everything-and-attend-to-a-forgotten-deadline days—the kind of days that drive the Type A, uber-organizers absolutely buggy, and makes those who sweat bureaucratic bullets most anxious like. The short end of a not-so-long story is that the day before my Application for Graduation was due, I noticed that I didn’t have enough dissertation credits to graduate! Last Spring, when I thought I had registered for 12 credit hours, I had in fact only signed up for 1. Since my Application packet included a transcript that shows I have fulfilled the coursework/credit requirements, something had to be done, namely drop everything, scurry about, fill out forms, track down professors, interrupt them for signatures, sign up for more credits, and then work the system and its caretakers.

I almost want to say that I live for such days, but I don’t, really. However, there is something about the thrill of making a “deadline” after successfully navigating unforeseen obstacles that suddenly emerge. It’s not like I set these situations up intentionally, but this happens frequently enough in my life that I’ve come to appreciate the game-like tenor of such activity. I think it might have something to do with the amount of focus required… There is something uniquely satisfying when everything but a single series of tasks falls away leaving nothing but a pure sense of primitive purpose.

I also think such activity somehow reaffirms my laid-back, loosey-goosey style—there’s a time and place for everything… if it needs to get done, then done it shall be!

READY ABOUT!… COME ABOUT!
Okay, we’re now close hauled on a new tack…

To date, this syndic has posted only whimsically and as the spirit moved. I now find myself wanting to blog more purposefully, if only for kicks and giggles, and to add a different dimension for my posterity to ponder come the distant future.

I shall attempt a more diary-like & Twitteresque approach…

I am now in the final phase of my dissertation: data analysis and discussion. I’m geeked & giddy because I have something to write about, and because I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel… well, maybe not THE proverbial light, as that would mean there’s an oncoming train about to deliver a crushing blow, or that I’m passing on to the other side… no, it’s the other light, the light that represents the end of a very difficult task.

At the same time, my excitement is tempered by the mild sinking feeling I get as I thumb through my statistics notes and peruse the pages of the SPSS Brief Guide… oh, how quickly we forget! Fortunately, that sinking feeling is mild enough to be more motivating than panic inducing, and the challenge of it all is just right ;o)>>>

I registered an account with seesmic, today, so I got one more web-based conversation social thingee to be mindful of and to play with… we’ll see if it clicks eh!

Technorati Tags: sonikcycle, dissertation, seesmic, twitter