Winning Season(!)

Thursday night, the False Consciousness, our departmental softball team, completed our first winning season. We did it by beating a team with a better record than we had (they were 4-2 coming in and we were 3-3) and knocking them out of the playoffs. Rather than composing my own narrative, I will repeat Greg “Coach” Taylor’s:

With a graceful catch from Jeremy Morris at third base, the False Consciousness first ever winning season came to an end last night with a convincing 19-6 win over a team that was actually ahead of us in the standings. We played the spoilers and eliminated them from the post-season.

Not only did we have a winning season (4-3) but we finished only one point out of the playoffs.

There is no doubt the story last night was the debut of Aysha Mawani. She took the position of catcher to artistic heights. On the very first pitch of the game she caught a foul ball for an out and proceeded to do that four more times during the game (five really, but we were nice to them). This almost never happens, much less four times in a game. The rest of us in the field were unnecessary for more than an inning.

Also notable was the welcome return of Jonathan Sterne, who may have proven that jet lag can be a performance enhancer.

Thanks for a great season everyone. As usual, we never fielded the same team twice.

Please check out the department facebook page for some photos soon.

There is a post on the virtues of softball over at Midnight Poutine, and I would certainly agree with the assessment, though I had no idea that baseball was of interest to hipsters. But it shouldn’t be lost that ours is a departmental softball team. Summer has a double meaning for those living on an academic calendar, and I like the softball as a totally social mode of togetherness during a time when departments traditionally don’t come together. That we have a common project that places us in completely different roles from our academic lives is an added bonus (okay, coach Taylor did play a role in organizing the grad student association and the softball team, but my point is made).

Phenomenology of the International Date Line

but first, this:

There is something uncanny about flying for more than half a day and landing in Vancouver 3 hours earlier than when I left Sydney. UPDATE: I forgot to mention that we met someone who flew over the day before his birthday and when he arrived in Australia, it was the day after his birthday, so no birthday this year. Ew.

Coming for fall (and late summer), an Australia series. Wherein I discuss all manner of things Australian: cultural studies, tenure systems, vegetarian food, sights, animals, plants, national politics and expressions.

What you almost missed

Hopefully I’ll have something more insightful to say about Australian culture after 3 weeks there. We leave tomorrow.

I had hoped to entice a Francophone friend to take over the blog in my absence, to chronicle her attempts to get service in French at chain coffeeshops in NDG and Westmount (it’s funnier than it sounds), but she wasn’t ready. In the meantime, if you really have nothing better to do, it’s never too late to get in on the world’s biggest inside joke at I Can Has Cheezburger. I’ll be thinking of this one as I fly over the Pacific:

Update: in linking to their post, I used the google form in Firefox to type in “cheezburger pelican”, which has an autofill feature. After I typed in “cheezburger” it finished the phrase with the following captions: cats, cat, .com, lolcats, lol cats, cat pictures, network.

Network?

Blooper or Freudian Slip?

Names omitted to protect the innocent; otherwise copied verbatim:

Dear Dr. Jonathan Sterne:

Thank you so much for agreeing to participate in reviewing the tenure and promotion documents of —–. As you know, excellence in research activity is one of the most important areas of evaluation for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor and the ranting of tenure.

This year’s search

As with last year’s search, I’m making an exception to the “I don’t post ads here” policy for the home team. Pass it along to anyone you know who fits the bill. We are looking for someone doing cool, innovative, theoretically sophisticated work.

——

ART HISTORY — The Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Art History with specialization in Early Modern (before 1600)/Renaissance or Medieval art and visual culture, beginning in August 2009. Although the appointment is expected to be made at the Assistant Professor level, applications from more advanced candidates are also invited. The specialization is open to all geographical locations and media. The successful candidate will be asked to teach and advise at the undergraduate and graduate (MA and PhD) levels, and to conduct scholarly research. Participation in committee work and other aspects of University life is also required. Candidates should hold a completed PhD and have teaching experience. Knowledge of French is an asset. Applications should include statements of research and teaching, writing samples, course syllabi and evaluations, curriculum vitae and two confidential letters of recommendation. Deadline: October 31, 2008. Visit http://www.mcgill.ca/ahcs for more information about the department and its programs.

McGill University is committed to equity in employment and diversity. It welcomes applications from indigenous peoples, visible minorities, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities and others who may contribute to further diversification. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. Please address paper applications to: Art History Search, Professor Jonathan Sterne, Chair, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University, 853 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2T6. Electronic applications will not be accepted.