Fashion Passion

Of the many things I am interested in, fashion is definitely among the top of my list. I am fortunate enough to have Tiffany Diane (of austinisburning) as a good friend who is associated with a lot of efforts to make Austin more of a fashion epicenter. Among the great things that are happening is FashionLeak, a website that showcases 12 designers to be "featured online in a cinema verite vignette highlighting their artistic vision and creative process." Every year the designers will be invited to a three day fashion event put on by the website.
This month they featured John Renaud, a talented designer from Midland, TX. They had a great video launch party last week at buydefinition, a wonderful boutique right across the street from St. Edwards university on South Congress (unfortunately they only sell woman's clothing like most clothing stores, something the modern man interested in fashion eventually has to accept and move past).
Fashion is probably only something that I will participate in from a distance, only through the treads that I choose to assemble on the daily. But, I will always be something that inhibits my desires and dreams, and who knows, maybe someday some kind of opportunity may come my way to explore my interest further.

This is only one of the looks from his magnificent portfolio, the photo taken from his myspace website.

Small Confession

Although I exude the pretense of being a die hard intellectual, committed to a career in academia or some kind of job involving the literary, I have to admit, my dream job looks something more like this.
This is Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist blog (for those few who may not know who he is by now). He is one of the most influential (if not most) street-fashion photographers, mainly shooting in New York but also internationally in fashion epicenters such as Milan and Paris.
Although there are a few photographers that generate half as much buzz as he (notably his girlfriend Garance Dore`[that accent is suppose to go over the -e-, I've forgotten the keyboard stroke in order to make it do that :/]), he still reigns supreme.
Seriously, you travel around the world, and take pictures of well dressed individuals (not to vilify or simplify what he does, he has a great eye for aesthetics, thus why he, out of a sea of fashion bloggers, is prominent). That sounds almost as great as Anthony Bourdain's job with his show No Reservations (the only reason that I put his higher is because even more than clothes I love to eat...no wait, I'm not sure about this one, I'll have to get back to you on it).
Is there a job I can have where I travel around the world and eat great food, take fashion photos, and still have time to write (like fiction write)? I think that no human could sustain with that kind of lifestyle. I think I would explode with happiness if that's all I ever did.
O, by the way, Scott just published a book of his favorite photos (he came to Dallas for his book tour, which I couldn't make it to! Ahhh!!) which is one my long list of books to buy. It looks like it would be a great coffee table book for sure.

Dinner at Eight essay

I've just run into this sight called Wordle. I often look at a blog called ProfHacker that post "Tips & Tutorials for higher ed." Mostly a bunch of professors contributing to a conversation about pedagogy and productivity (at least that is what their word clout suggest). The application creates word clouts that according to the blogger, could be utilized for textual analysis. Just finishing my essay for one of my English classes I decided to give it a try.

Can you guess what the topic was about? (Click for larger view)
Well this essay is one of the major reasons I haven't posted lately (sorry) among other things (laziness, lack of motivation, and all those other nasty words and terms).
Hopefully next week I'll have an interview with some new people that are outside of academia??? :O I know!
Until then.

Interview with Sean McCarthy

For my latest interview I met up with Sean McCarthy, my graduate mentor, for a quick interview over what it is like to be a graduate student and to gain some insights into the experience.
Sean is currently teaching a class at UT called writing in digital environments that, as the name suggest, explores ideas in and around writing in the internet age. His research area is also focused on the same subject. Besides teaching the aforementioned course, he is also the assistant director of the Digital Writing and Research Lab and just last month won the DIIA Graduate Student Instructor Award.
Sean has done and seen many things and lived quite a life before landing here at the University of Texas here in Austin. After getting his undergraduate and masters degree at the National University of Ireland, Galway in 1994 he got certified in ESL and taught in Australia for a year. When he got back to Dublin he got a job at a academic publishing company writing abstracts for academic journals but growing weary of the tediousness of the job after a year and a half went on to get a job at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) were he taught business communications. He did this on and off for three years, taking a year of in the middle to work on an online start-up company that developed online educational resources for K-12. After the online company and while still working at the DIT, he attained a 40,000 euro grant to make a documentary with a friend on Irish culture and history and the Irish language. Getting restless with his career up to this point, in 2003 he saved up some money and sold his car and traveled the world for a year, eight months in Asia and about two months in Australia and to Minneapolis to meet a friend that was currently undertaking a Ph.D program and then he had an epiphany. He saw graduate school as a good opportunity to keep on traveling but to make it more of an intellectually invigorating experience. He then started applying to graduate schools and got accepted into Tulane University but after Hurricane Katrina was placed here at the University of Texas where he's enrolled in the doctoral program. Like I mentioned before, Sean has done quite a bit and if you get to know him at all you will quickly find that he is ambitious and will take on as many projects as any human can handle.
I apologize for teasing out his career history for such an extent but I just wanted to make the point that graduate school isn't the next logical step after ones undergraduate degree. In a later question to Sean, asking him to give advice to potential graduate students, he said to wait at least a year. He's not the first one to tell me this for everybody, and I mean everybody that I've spoken to about graduate school has given me the exact same advice. Graduate school is an expensive endeavor and from what I hear more than a little rigorous. When asked what a day in the life of a graduate student is like, Sean simply replied, "busy." I can attest to this for I have about a thirty minute to an hour slot with him on Mondays after his class. I've heard/read horror stories from people who have gone to graduate school and either quit or finished only to learn that their Ph.D wasn't necessary for their career. Not to say that you shouldn't go to graduate school, because by all means if anything you gain immense amounts of knowledge and meet great people in fields you are interested in but as I'm learning through this experience with IE, it's a decision that should be well informed and well thought out.
There was more on my conversation with Sean but these were the major point really that I wanted to point out for this post. If time, and my knowledge allows, I may put up the audio file from our conversation sometime soon.

Interview with Melba Garcia

It may sound kind of strange but growing up I always wanted to be a server at a restaurant. Not for a career mind you but just something to do in my teens and through college. Currently this is what I do to help me pay my way through college but my interests have evolved past being a server to being an proprietor of a fine dinning establishment. Of course I would have to run the front of the house, for although I love cooking, I am no chef.
My grandmother (like many many others) always offers me food when I go back home. It's always right after my hug and kiss and before "how are you." There's something comforting and antiquated about having someone offer, make, and serve you food that probably goes back to when fire was first discovered. Dining out to me is not just eating but it's an experience (if done right at least) from the ambiance, the service and most importantly the food. I love being able to be apart of that feeling, the experience, that people have when at a nice restaurant, bloated but jovial and above all satisfied.
This is why I sought out to interview a woman that has been dedicated her life to being apart of the food industry, Melba Garcia, chef/owner of Sao Paulo's Brazilian Restaurant. I have so much respect for this woman, not only because she is my boss, but because of the enormous talent and vigor she has brought to opening and keeping her restaurant (an achievement in it's own right). One can find a list of her awards on the restaurant's website and of course other information about the restaurant such as location and menus.
What are the different routes one can take in order to own a restaurant?
Well first you have to have a working capital. Like if you're a woman Latina there are avenues you can take through the small business administration in which you would have to have an initial deposit or percentage of the start up cost and they would sign a form that backs a loan that says that if you default that they will take care of it. Of course you have to have draw up a business plan and have credentials for them to back you but that's one avenue.
For me, I had a partner and she and I had enough working capital to start this place ourselves.
So in order to open a restaurant you just need working capital that you already have, or get a loan, or go through the small business administration.
What particular route did you take?
Well I got my chef certificate and opened my first restaurant when I was 23. It was a Bistro at South Padre Island and I also worked at the Hilton as a chef. Eventually my partners and I sold the Bistro and I became executive chef at the Hilton. After that I worked for a company called Fired Up Inc. and did some training for their cooks until I had enough working capital to open up this place (Sao Paulo's).
Hardest part about starting a restaurant?
The first day, sitting in an empty restaurant not knowing if you're going to be successful. We started the restaurant in 2001 in the wake of 9/11 and it was really hard. There was an economic downturn and people were scared and confused and obviously not wanting to spend money. Obviously we've gotten past that but it was a rough few years.
Also, not seeing business coming through the door. As an owner it's really stressful when it gets slow or when people aren't eating out as much.
Hardest part about keeping a restaurant?
Keeping a steady flow of clientele. It's very multi-fauceted and so easy to lose a customer from a singular bad experience. Like if the service is really bad or they have to wait too long to be seated. For the most part though people will be willing to come to your restaurant if you have good food. Having quality food is the most important part of keeping a steady flow of people come in your door.
Myths about owning a restaurant?
The three year hump. People say that if you can make it three years then it's smooth sailing after. And that is not the case at all. Your business flow can slow if there's bad weather or if the economy is bad like it is now. You never know what outside forces are going to act on your business.
Also there is an uprising of social media and reviews like Yelp or Citysearch that can really affect your business. We are lucky that both websites give us mostly good reviews but now more than ever people are going to sites like these before they go out to restaurants because it helps filter out bad restaurants.
Advice to aspiring any chef/owners?
Don't (I think I see a motif starting to appear, even though like Allen she immediately smiles and laughs after saying this). I'm just kidding. I would tell anyone that opens a restaurant to be proud of what you do. If you take pride in the food you prepare and the service you give you're that much likely to succeed and put out a quality product.
Also, I think a lot of it's karma. What you put out is what you get back. What people are looking for when they come to a restaurant is a kind of instant gratification and if you can do that then you will see rewards.
And just have a passion for it. It's an impossible job to do if you don't really love what you are doing and people can tell.
Picture taken from Sao Paulo's website.

Cooking Collaborative

Starting only a few weeks ago two of my friends decided to make homemade tamales after an interesting conversation with one of their mom's who was in town helping her move-in. She, Alex, had just arrived, freshly transferred from UT's sister school UTA. Her mom seemed to have doubts that either Alex or Kristine, our other friend, would be competent enough to live on their own and sustain themselves.
Out of that conversation we decided to start a cooking collaborative that brought together our friends every Sunday to make a dinner from a specific country all from scratch.
This past Sunday, French. Tomato mozzarella salad and mushroom soup for appetizers. For our entree dish; quiche, boeuf bourguignon, goat cheese and basil puff pastries, parsley mash potatoes. Lastly, nutella and banana crepes for dessert.
I had to list everything out because I like to brag about my friends, they make up most of my readership after all. Also to prove that college students aren't wholly lazy and uninterested in self-improvement. Although I have doubts about my generation, like Alex's mom, I don't feel that we are totally incompetent.
That's what I like about the cooking collaborative. It's a group of students trying to gain a skill that according to a New York Times article, people of my generation are losing more and more.
Also, the fellowship involved in the collaborative is priceless. A large amount of students go to colleges in new cities and the prospect of making new friends can be daunting. Events like this help create network of friends by bringing together weak links/secondary links or acquaintances. Also, if you change up some of the people that come every week it creates even larger friend circles.

I mention this as I said, partly to brag about my friend but the other to preface my next interview with my boss, chef/owner Melba Garcia.
The extent of my mother's culinary skill lie within around a weeks worth of dishes and the best restaurants in the area I grew up in consisted over chain restaurants like Johnny Carinos and Texas Steak House. When I moved to Austin and started to explore the culinary scene I was blown away. Not that Austin has the most impressive one but it definitely was a major step from where I came from. Also the service was at a different level that made dinning more of an experience.
I applied to a Brazilian restaurant, Sao Paulo's, where the owner Melba hired me. After actually experiencing the restaurant industry first hand and seeing the joy that you bring to your patrons, it was very gratifying.
My next interview with Melba then, is about being a chef/owner and how she got there and how you can too. I have a passion for food (that may just stay with me dining out rather than owning...we'll see) but later this week her interview should be up.
Photo's taken by Alex Webster

Interview with professor Alan Friedman

I am very rarely intimidated my another human being but the first time I met Dr. Alan Friedman I was tripping on my words as if I were on a first date with Natalie Portman. He’s not intimidating in the same way that one would be intimidated by Hulk Hogan or the Thing but when he speaks, it is with a certain gravity that commands attention. His speech is thoughtful and controlled and gives him an air of affluence and intelligence. It is no wonder though, for his accomplishments would most likely be longer than your weekly grocery list. He’s been teaching, researching, writing, and been involved with several boards for his long career at UT. He has reached the highest level of being a professor which is professorship (which I will go into more later) and published five books among several other publication.
Earlier today I was honored to conduct my first interview for my blog with him. He helped detangle a little of the intricate web of the world of academics.
First was the issue of what exactly his position at the University was.
“An English professor,” he stated simply.
Of course there are several different levels of professorship that one can gain but I didn’t really know what they were or the differences so I had him explain.
At the ground level as far as tenure track professors go, is the Instructor. They call these professors ABD-All But Dissertation-since they are tenure track but have yet to get their Ph.D. These professors are currently undertaking research to finish their dissertation and thus getting their Ph.D.
Next is the Associate Professor. The most obvious difference between the Instructor and the Associate Professor is that the Associate Professor has his Ph.D. The most important difference though is that the Associate Professor is advancing the work s/he did before through research and turning it into multiple articles and ideally a book. Most of what the professor is trying to do at this point is join in the academic conversation and publish work that contributes to the conversation. With these contributions, the professor ideally will make a name for themselves on a national and possibly international stage. If a professor is successful at making a name for themselves and publishes an adequate amount of work (this varies between departments and even universities), at the max of six years time, they will be up for tenure (for those who don’t know what tenure is, it is the backbone of academia. Tenure secures their jobs so that they have the academic freedom to pursue their intellectual interest and contribute in the larger conversation in a way that their voice is heard [there are a few cases though in which tenure professor can be let go but I’ll save that for another post]). This is a very stressful time in professor’s careers because if they aren’t promoted to tenure they have to move to another university. A board decides if the candidate is qualified for promotion based on several factors, mostly their publications and contributions to the department. There are no strict guidelines for this process but there is a certain amount of gradient that goes into the decision making process. Such as if you publish a book it has more pull than editing a book (there is gradients in this process as well) or publishing articles. If a professor doesn’t attain tenure then they have what is called a terminal year to find work at another university.
If a professor does get tenure then they become an Associate Professor with Tenure. This is where most professors stay. They publish work and still do research but just on a less rigors scale than people who attain the next level of promotion that comes about 6 to 8 years later.
That is, a Full Professor. A full professor is still doing the same thing but has just done more prestigious things and is probably more involved with the department and boards (Alan told me it varies but he said usually there is about one book publication between each promotion).
The last promotion is to Professorship. Professorship is when you are endowed by an outside source to further your research. It’s like you get an expense account. I have money in an account that I can spend on things that pertain to my research (conferences, printing paper, computer etc.) but I have to account for all the expenses so they are justified.
Also at universities there are lecturers. Lecturers are in a different category because they are not on tenure track and they are on a as need basis for the most part. Their contracts are anywhere from a semester to three years and they can be not rehired at any point. Some universities give them a year-similar to the terminal year-in which they can find a new job but it is not the universities responsibility to do so.
I know, I know, a lot of information on one question. If you are interested in more information on these issues you can go to MLA’s website (yes, the same people that in your freshman composition class you had to buy the book for) or if you’ve gotten into graduate school for English you no doubt have heard of the ADE (Association of Department of English). The ADE’s website looks like it is very informative but unfortunately you have to be a member to look at any of their publications and you can’t be a member unless you are a graduate student or professor (unlucky me!). When I have more time I’m going to look into both of these websites and hopefully will be able to give you some more numbers and statistics pertaining to being a professional academic.
How important is networking for getting into graduate school or getting placed at a good university?
As far as graduate school goes from my experience (he proceeds cautiously since he’s only been involved on the other side for quite some time), I thinks that it’s not very important. Since graduate schools are able to pick out candidates from a large pool and competition is so rigorous it allows universities to choose based on quality. It’s not an institute that takes much stock in your connections since it is the students work and drive that is going to make them successful in graduate school.
It’s pretty much the same in trying to get a job at the university but possibly a little more important. Assuming you’ve done well in graduate school and if you’ve had the chance to work under certain people it is something that gets weighed in as you apply for a job as a professor (he explained further that if you’ve worked under a predominate figure in your field and they write you a convincing recommendation that your application gets taken as a serious applicant, although he says that all applicants are taken seriously). In all, networking doesn’t necessarily give candidates an edge.
Are there any popular misconceptions about being a professor?
That we don’t work very hard. They think that since we will spend about six to twelve hours in a classroom a week that that is all we do. And that can be frustrating. It’s like saying that a surgeon is only working when he is doing surgery or a lawyer is only working when he is arguing a case in court. It omits 90% of what we do from putting together classes to doing research to contributing to the department.
Any advice for anyone that is interested in pursuing the same career as you?
Think twice, Alan said and a big smile came over his face. Of course I’m only joking but really, it’s something that you have to make sure you really want to do. You have to have a real passion for whatever subject you’re researching. It something that you have to feel is very important and you would regret it if you didn’t.
To “think twice” is a common thread as far as speaking to my professors about going to graduate school and trying to aspire to become a professor. As one of my favorite professors Jonathan Lamb put it, “only do it if you couldn’t see yourself being happy doing anything else.” It seems so daunting but I appreciate their honesty. I much rather hear how they truly feel rather than have it sugarcoated-this is after all, not your childhood breakfast cereal. Although I am unsure as their career path is one that I will follow, I appreciate their craft and devotion to not only education but to their students. They get to impact young lives in a transitory period and I know that I have been changed by men like them. I admire and respect their profession and I will be so lucky if I one day achieve similar success.
Photo taken from the University of Texas's website, http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/english/faculty/profiles/friedman-alan-w.html