Life Log #01: My Back Isn’t Broken and Media Consumed
Currently Reading: IT by Stephen King (pg. 380 of 1184) Currently Watching: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 1) Mood: Pleasantly Unperturbed I had an appointment with a physical therapist today — the first of two. For the past two weeks, I’ve been out of commission from some sort of exercise-induced back injury. Nothing serious. Just a little localized pain and noticeable tightness. Rather than ignore it, I used the free healthcare options I have on hand to get expert advice on what is going on. And the verdict? My back isn’t broken, my spine is in working order, and all I’ve done is sprained the lower back muscles. This is partly due to general weakness in the core, back, and thigh regions. That means I need to do more focused exercises to build those areas up so they aren’t being pulled about by all the other bits. Or something like that.
On Academic Brain and Compartmentalizing
As an academic, it is often very difficult to shut off the faculties I’ve spent the last fourteen years building. Since I spend almost every day of the week analyzing literature, reading or thinking about theoretical/philosophical texts, I generally use my brain in a very particular way. Turning that off is a chore, but a necessary one. In fact, it is often so difficult to turn off that even some of my colleagues have expressed dismay at the inability or unwillingness of other academics to turn those faculties off just long enough to have a “regular conversation.” It’s a problem I’ve seen, too, and it sometimes results in a distancing effect between those who can’t turn it off and those that can. Since I’m so often engaged in everyday sf/f fandom, the exercise of flipping that little academic switch is, in my opinion, crucial. One such exercise occurred last Sunday when I went with a friend to see Ant-Man, the last entry in Marvel Studio’s Phase 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if I can muster the words to say something intelligent about the film, I’ll write a review for Totally Pretentious. Discussing the film on Twitter eventually prompted a brief discussion with David Annandale and John Stevens about the impact of “academic brain” on one’s ability to enjoy a creative product.
I’m Reading: June 2014 (Week One)
The title tells you want you need to know. Here’s are the physical books I’m reading: And here are the ebooks I’m poking at: And here’s what I’m reading for my new Mass Market Paperback Bingo feature: Why did I pick this book from the suggestions? I realized that my “I’m Reading” pile is heavily populated by men. That, and I have liked stuff by Bear before, so I figure it would work out in the end. I’ll read it, review it, and throw out another snapshot of my bookshelf for readers to choose from. Now back to reading… ———————————– What are you all reading right now? Let me know in the comments!