Posted Entries:

The quest for world domination (or part of it) Posted on Dec 22, 2019, 7:12 pm
Just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they want to do it. I really like picking fiction. I weirdly even like reading stories that I know aren't ready for publication. On some level, I feel like it makes you a better writer -- and it definitely forms your eye for fiction that you like, dislike and want to read. Besides, rule one of being a writer is to read everything all the time.

How I'm spending my winter break Posted on Dec 16, 2019, 12:12 pm
A look at the PhD completion process and a deep dive into my research areas, including my comprehensive exam book list! Interesting to readers and literary folks, maybe?

My favorite bog bodies Posted on Dec 16, 2019, 12:12 am
Bog bodies are fascinating people! They were usually murdered! They are way way way way old! While being very introverted (and sometimes squashed by millennia of bog vegetation), they really want to tell us what they know about life in the BCE. Here are my favorite bog bodies and what I admire most about them:

Women of a certain age Posted on Dec 3, 2019, 2:12 am
My graduate coordinator and beloved professor is six years older than me. She often grabs my cheek and says “How? How? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?” As she also is a head editor for the Norton Anthology, my skincare routine feels positively sanctified by the Powers That Be of higher literary education. I’m going to tell you how this is possible.

Bananas Posted on Dec 1, 2019, 10:12 pm
I did a few things that are kind of counter-intuitive, and if you know me, probably kind of self-damaging.

Put a little English on it Posted on Dec 31, 2017, 5:12 pm
A guest post by Esteban, showing the scientific process of making English Muffins by scratch and a peak into his way of optimizing techniques.

Half agony half hope Posted on Dec 21, 2017, 4:12 pm
Seriously, do you recall the name of the estate where Edward Ferrars met Lucy Steele? How about the name of the ship that Captain Wentworth sailed on for his first voyage and then the one he commanded right before reconnecting with Anne Eliot? How about the source of Charlotte Lucas’ father’s fortune? No, of course you don’t, because English majors are CRAZY and our final exams become like hyped up Extreme Jeopardy: Word Nerd editions.

Cold is a relative term Posted on Dec 14, 2017, 12:12 am
When we moved here, we noticed the huge saturation of Jeeps. We joked that we knew that we would have been true Nevadans if we suddenly felt the urge to buy a Jeep. Except now I test drove one and huh, turns out I like Jeeps.

Bix’s in-depth look at the fashion in “White Christmas” Posted on Dec 10, 2017, 4:12 pm
I almost forgot to talk about the finale outfits — like in which world does dressing head to toe in scarlet and white fur, swathed with sequins and not one, not two, but THREE giant berry and gold leaf brooches, and that outfit barely registers on my collective conscious about the fashion in this movie?

It matters what we name things Posted on Dec 6, 2017, 5:12 pm
This truth sinks in my belly like a stone, a weight that I can feel with every step, every movement. I no longer care what people think because they don’t. They don’t care what I think. I have nothing to lose because I lost it already.

The problem with looking too closely Posted on Dec 6, 2017, 12:12 pm
This is the last full week of classes so things are coming to a head — basically, everything is due, my students are freaking the fuck out (some of them rightfully so, as one or two were clueless or didn’t take the work seriously and now have skipped so many classes that the syllabus tells them they cannot pass the class).

Entitled Posted on Dec 3, 2017, 12:12 pm
Las Vegas is a city obsessed with VIP status. Many people walk around with the sense that they are a VIP, even when they are just normal people. This is so weird in comparison to Wisconsin, where you are reinforced from babyhood to be cautious of other people’s feelings, make sure that you aren’t taking advantage of someone’s generosity, and above all else, put no one through unnecessary trouble.

Drive it like it’s stolen Posted on Dec 2, 2017, 8:12 pm
We ended up having such a good discussion that we basically never got to the planned coursework for the day, which meant that I did my homework for nothing. Oh well, I guess I probably learned from it or something. Wisdom. Feh.

Old Year's Revolutions 2015 Posted on Dec 31, 2015, 2:12 pm
A return of the old tradition of the That's My Bix! Year End video!

Trigger Posted on Dec 14, 2015, 1:12 pm
I was seven- or eight-years-old when someone put a hand gun in my hand and propped a sick bird -- a sparrow that the barn cats had been playing with -- up on a fence post and told me to pull the trigger to put the bird out of its misery. I couldn't do it -- not because I felt bad about the bird (I did, I've always been a tender-hearted fool) but I physically didn't have the hand strength to pull the trigger, which was sticky. I'm not sure why this adult gave a kid a handgun and told her to shoot

An ode to fungus Posted on Dec 12, 2015, 5:12 pm
Esteban is a really social person and is an extravert. Second, believe it or not, I’m an introvert at heart. So if Esteban is relying on me to give him 100% of his social stimulation, that’s not going to go well for either one of us.

How to make new lasting friendships as an adult Posted on Dec 10, 2015, 11:12 am
Let's face it, as we get older it becomes really difficult to make friends -- REAL friends -- and the fact that you can just show up at Weetacon and instantly be approved as a Tribe Member For Life? That's some kind of magic. And we still have new faces every year, so the fact that the Tribe is still getting large? Amazing.

What it’s like to have Weetabix as your professor Posted on Dec 8, 2015, 11:12 am
I’ve been teaching night courses at our community college. This is the view from my desk. You’ll notice that all but two people in this photo are on their phones. This is because if they so much as touch their phones during class, they’ll lose points according to my mobile technology policy in the syllabus, so as soon as we take a break, everyone grabs their phones to check their email and text messages rather than talking to each other. Sad state of affairs, that.

Holly jolly Posted on Dec 7, 2015, 10:12 am
Any chance to slap on whorish amounts of eye makeup is a good time in my book.

Ho ho holy crap I overschedule myself Posted on Dec 4, 2015, 2:12 pm
If you know one thing about me, it is that I frequently overplan my time. Take, for instance, the month of November. At work, I had planned for a month of insanity. It was great for my revenue numbers but super not great for my mental health.

I don’t know how to bra Posted on Dec 1, 2015, 12:12 am
I’m pretty much hoping corsets come back in style for people who aren’t goths or Dita Von Teese. The worst part? I’m pretty sure this is because my skin has lost elasticity because of all the oldness I’ve collected. Until someone fixes that, I will just keep abreast of the situation, I suppose. Or finally invent a better bra.