A Class Log: Stardate-02:17:09ce

 

James D. Dyer

Dr. Kim Devries

ENG 5870

Spring, 2009

 

Class Log, Stardate: Febuary, 17, 2009CE, 1800-2100 Pacific Time, Earth Prime.

Location: California State University Stanislaus, Library Building, Room L162.

Purpose: Rhetoric and Ethnography, Meeting One, Observe them in their Natural Enviornment.

 

Getting Started: General-Professor DeVries enters the room at approximately 1804 according to my wrist chronometer, which agrees with my communicator, but not with the clock on the wall. Up until that moment, he natives have been discussing the practice and the perils of teaching or writing to ignorant savages, and commiserating about the state of the economy, which makes employment in their chosen field more difficult and less rewarding every day.

 

Upon the Professors entrance, I, ever the annoying one, ask the professor a question relating to the preference of one savage over another in a group I am teaching at this time. I manage to occupy another six or so minutes of the classes precious time with this balderdash, even though I expected the answer I got.

 

We, as a group, lead by the professor, then discussed the general nature of the pursuits with which we would be engaged over the next thirteen weeks, the requirements of that work, the Starfleet regulations regarding such work, and so forth, for about an hour. Excerpted below is a brief quotation from this portion of the discussion:

We will be talking about the process of transforming yourselves into teacher-researchers, and the process of transforming your observations into narrative.[…] This is not primarily a writing class, but about the ideas that we are discussing and becoming a teacher-researcher. DeVries.

I was quite taken by this part of her speech to the class, and started to think that this would be an interesting course (which I had alread surmised from the fact that De Vries was leading it) rather than just the last graduate course in Rhetoric at the Starfleet academy that I had not yet taken, and so felt obligated to sign up for when I decided not to graduate just yet because of problems with the economic environment mentioned above.

 

When discussing the standards for observation to be observed in our research, Teacher-Lieutenant Adam Russell asked for clarification regarding the note taking process. Russell had come late to the meeting of minds, and I had been allowing him access to my materials and whispering what he had missed to him periodically as the session went on, as he was sitting immediately to my left. The notes were explained clearly by General-Professor De Vries, and the discussion moved forward. Shortly thereafter, Adam and I were called to account for carrying on a side conversation while General-Professor De Vries was speaking. Both of us apologized forthwith.

 

 

Soon after that, we introduced ourselves to each other, and gave some of our histories and backgrounds, along with our names, ranks and serial numbers. It is most unfortunate that a glitch in my programming causes me to store names in an inappropriate file more often than not, so I do not have all of the names associated with the following descriptions, but I can give you a brief comment on each of the other Teacher-Research-Lieutenants in the class, and some of the names have been associated with the correct files through repetition.

 

First, a lady of indeterminate name who is a college registrar, and if I remember correctly, said that she has been working on her Master’s degree for a number of years, taking a class when she could spare the time from the rest of her life. She seems like a nice person, and had several interesting things to say during the discussion.

 

Next, a Gentleman, also of indeterminate name, who had been an accountant for twelve years before taking up the profession of rhetoric, and is now an English teacher, possibly in the fifth grade, though that could be a storage glitch as well.

We spoke briefly at break, between the classroom and the waste disposal facility.

 

The next, a gentleman also, also of indeterminate name, who coaches Baseball at, I believe, Merced College.

 

Next was Adam Russell, a high school teacher of both English and Film. His name has been stored to the appropriate files through several years acquaintance,

also, he is the individual that I paired with for the partner observation of Kirkwood video, and gives me a ride home to my mother ship if asked to do so.

 

Then there is me, James D. Dyer, Warrior Rhetorician, student, and sometime teacher of composition, who is also a virtual Rockstar, and will be competing with his family at the RockBand2 battle of the bands here on campus the evening of March 18th.

 

Next, to my right, a lovely woman who may be Named Tina Bell, I have known her briefly, on and off, for years, but the name file is somehow confused with the name Patricia—Though that may just be the fact that I have been trying unsuccessfully to upload an essay by Patricia Hampl for several days now, so the name attached itself to a familiar face. She is a teacher, I believe, and has been for quite some time.

 

Next, a young lady who also teaches, lives in a tiny town known as Hornitos—after the tequila I suppose, who is the weekend bartender in her towns one saloon.

 

Then the young Gentleman with no couch and no TV—the barbarian—who also tutors in the writing center here at Starfleet academy. My storage file is associating the name Ned with his features, but that could just be an impression.

 

Then Amble Hollenhorst, who’s name is unique enough that it actually stored itself in the correct file the first time I heard it two or three years ago. She teaches college, is a substitute at local school districts, rides a skateboard around campus, and plays video games in her copious free time. She is also married, has a couch and a television.

 

Next the lady, also with an indeterminate namefile, who has been teaching for years, was pleased to find out that she would not be terminated due to the budget, but nervous about having to teach (5th grade I think) math to fill gaps in her schedule, and told the gathering that she stands on her head for the class the last day of each year—she claims to wear pants that day.

 

Last but by no means least, there is Faye Snowden, who’s name file has been imprinted by familiarity, also the fact that she has published three novels, and works at a school though I cannot recall which one. I have to remember to look up her books, I have been meaning to for quite some time now. Faye, are they Published under your real name? The answer is that they are, and here is a link to her page http://www.fayesnowden.com/the_work.htm Next question Faye, what is your agents name and number, I have been looking for one.

 

After the introductions we took a break, then did a partnered observation of an item of the room. Myself and the two beautiful women to my immediate right were the only threesome at the table I think, the rest of the Teacher-Researcher-Lieutenants were partnered in pairs with General of Composition De Vries observing the observers.

My observation read as follows:

The watch, like a circle of silver traintrack lying on the brown veneer institutional table catches my eye at first, but it is shamed and made insignificant by the large purple anodized aluminum canteen beyond it. This lordly and magnificent example of a container stands tall and shiny, phallic, and disgracing its smaller plastic cousins and short Styrofoam relatives of varying sizes.

 

It is the color of Imperium, bears interesting and ornate golden designs on its sides, and is topped with a black crown representing the iron of its lordship—it’s skirts are lavender and also decorated.

 

To think that this uncommon object probably cost less than twenty dollars American at Safeway or some sporting goods store is to be flabbergasted by the wealth and waste of the world we inhabit. I could have bought a govenorship, and most of Brittania from Gaius Julius Caesar for its like, two thousand years ago, and I could probably trade it for a Chi-Com AK-47, the one with the triangular bayonet, in Somalia today. If I bargained well, and was well armed, I might get 500 rounds and a broad brimmed hat to go with it. This is a beautiful thing—and worth nothing to me in this time and place.

 

After writing up these observations we compared them with those of our partners, and needless to say, they were all different, with mine diverging quite widely from those of the ladies. This is neither a bad thing, nor a good thing, I am just odd. All my Crèche mates would agree. Following that small group discussion, we spent some further time on business and then closed with observations from General De Vries and some Lieutenants on how the different observers of each object put different levels of importance of different details of the thing observed.

 

I agreed to type this up and bring it to the next class session, but alas, I was stricken by a fever, so I am putting this small message into a bottle and casting it adrift on the web of time and space, hoping that it will someday find its way home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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