Sid is Gone

I research comic books. 

[crocodile-sock]

beach polaroids!

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Current Projects

1. Journal article. I was recently invited to submit to inks (a journal about comic studies). The article is based on my master’s thesis, and I’m excited that someone thought my research was interesting enough to invite me to submit. Women’s Studies is important. Women’s history is important. Comics Studies is important!

2. A chapter about superheroes, fashion, and comics! I’m particularly thrilled about this one because it will be my first chance to co-write something with a very talented friend of mine. We co-presented a paper at MSU Comics Forum, and afterward, someone in the audience got in touch about us submitting a chapter together. It isn’t based on our talk, but thematically and historically linked (super excited).  It is also a completely new topic for me (aka not romance comics).

3. I have two conferences to prepare for: one is going to be in the format of giving a paper, and the other will be a poster presentation (I did my first one last year, they’re not that bad, even if you are not a scientist). Both are about romance comics (yay), but the paper is on American romance comics, and the poster is on British romance comics. I’m very, very excited about both of these and hope to turn one of them into a journal article or a chapter for my future Ph.D. dissertation.

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Days 1 & 2

I have finished two days of the Clean program by Alejandro Junger. The first day was a bit weird feeling because I had just finished three days of soups, juices, and salads and I made the mistake of juicing the shepherd's pie recipe for my lunch (the Clean Eats cookbook is handy). It was a bit too heavy for me, and I felt sluggish. I have been counting the calories of my shakes and lunches because I was curious if this cleanse is calorie deficient and if my cravings were at all from low calories (surprise, they're not!).  You will def not starve on this cleanse! The cleanse approved lunch recipes have plenty of calories. Your smoothies can have a lot too. I've modified my portion sizes on some of the recipes because I felt like I was getting too sluggish.

Anyway, day one was pretty okay aside from feeling sluggish. My body temp seemed to vary some, and I kept getting cold, which started with the juice cleanse. I think it is all the cold beverages. I got tired much earlier than usual and headed to bed at an adult-approved decent hour (10:00 pm, am I old now?).

Day two I finally cut out the coffee. I was already really low on my coffee intake because I just haven't been wanting it. So the coffee headache was not that bad, but I was moody AF and tired all f*cking day.  I went to be around the same time as the day before and slept soundly for eight hours. I have woken refreshed, but am cautiously optimistic because it is only day three.

[sidisgone]

Renewal

I've been feeling crappy. I got pneumonia and then the flu (and that's not even counting all the colds and such I had earlier). I also gained about eleven pounds, eleven pounds (totaling 142) that seemed to come from nowhere. I wasn't eating more than usual, and I wasn't eating more crap than usual.

I decided to cleanse. I like eating healthy, and I have had success with cleanses in the past, but have shied away from them more recently in fear that I would trigger an eating disorder (I've struggled in the past).

I started with a three-day soup and juice cleanse from JUS by Julie. The soups were amazing, and some of the juices were good, but since they are blended, I had a massive problem with the texture (I have a tough time with texture, especially in liquids). I was feeling a bit faint, so I had egg whites with spinach on the first night and a salad for lunch on day two and day three.  

Overall, I lost 1.8 pounds (putting me down to 138 - I had lost a few pounds by pre-cleansing, mostly just cutting out fast food and sugar), which I imagine was water weight (I was feeling bloated AF). My aching went down. I also started falling asleep a lot earlier and while I still wake up slightly tired and I am nowhere near as exhausted as I was before.

I still have cravings for junk food, but mostly this only happens when I'm around junk food and people eating it. I am also craving healthy foods, which tastes better - fruit tastes a bit like candy. My sense of smell is better, which isn't always a good thing. My energy peaks (I can't believe I have energy again) and crashes some, but is no longer permanently crashed like before.

Perhaps most importantly, I've realized how emotional I am about food. If I can't have something I crave or that brings me some comfort I get sad or frustrated. I can control this better now, and if I wait it out for like fifteen minutes, it goes away (at least, mostly). The next stage is doing the Clean program by  Alejandro Junger, which I have had some success with before.

[sidisgone]

My vintage #captainmarvel / #shazam pin arrived. I’m just a geek now. https://www.instagram.com/p/Br_4bAynO8C/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xt2gbhxf6x6q

[shorpyfan]

 Princeton goes Co-ed, Class of ‘73 (Princeton, 1969)

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Moving on from my dissertation...

I finished my dissertation about three weeks ago. Afterwards, I promptly slept for 14.5 hours after five weeks of little sleep and constant stress. I miss it. Even though I have a lot to work on now (two book projects, one of which I am co-editing, a poster presentation, and a very long research proposal), I feel kind of empty. There is nothing quite like the rush of putting together a piece of work that defines your academic career thus far. 

It also means that I am moving on from Oxford. My journey here is done. I am leaving in eight days (??!?!?!!?!!). I have come to love the weird traditions (formals, balls, walking down the streets in robes, and latin prayers). I am afraid the ‘normal’ world will not only seem boring, but alien. Here, in Oxford, it is completely normal for research to be your life and to discuss it at any time, anywhere. Back in Cali, at least where I live, very little people want to hear about my ambitions and they pressure me about marriage.

I am slightly scared about how I am going to adjust.

[studiousmedic]

Professor: expert in their field, published many papers in high impact journals, secured hundreds of thousands of pounds of research funding, supervised many PhDs, teaching on several postgraduate courses.

Professor: *formats every presentation they give in comic sans*

[sidisgone]

In honor of the #independenceday here's an example of how Cold War romance comics portrayed anti-Americanism. You had to be communistic, against love, and against the domestic ideal. And having dark hair and wearing a red dress really helped too! Nothing more #American that being blonde and falling in love with an American soldier though! #comicbooks #romancecomics #comics #history

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#best @lukeymcgarry @joepopnoir #sadchewie

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Two of my favorite professors. I was so glad to see them!

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When one of your besties makes you the best hat in the history of hats. #cats #hats #handmade #knitting @grayrosy

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Random end to the night #boomtowncrooks #music #hollywood

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Singing to his wife #love (at The Study Hollywood)

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My Dad always said "Boring people get bored." Well I guess I'm boring because this road trip to LA has me BORED.

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It's time to bring #seaserpentawareness to the streets. End the terror. @clairelizlower @dithedo

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