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With school finishing up, all my emotional energy has been going into grading and writing (and preparing for the changes soon to come). But here's a video post I found rather uplifting. This race has gotten quite tedious of late, but there's some fresh energy here.
At our church small group last night, I found out that one of our local coffee shops, the Bean Scene, had shuttered up for good. The Bean Scene opened up about four years ago in a former Burger King--fitting for north Minneapolis. They offered award winning coffee and passable food. More notably, it's been a community center of sorts. I've seen most of our local and national politicians there (Councilman Don Samuels, Representative Keith Ellison, and Mayor R.T. Rybak), it's hosted community events like poetry slams, and in general it was just a good place to network and meet people. For me, it was a spot to hang out with a few guy friends on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, it seems like the market for a $3.50 latte in the 'hood ain't good. It almost closed six months ago, but the city stepped in. Whatever was offered must not have been enough.
This is business, and in a sense it's no great loss. In the food business in particular, the chances of success are quite low--something like 20%. And opening up an upscale coffee place in a poor urban area doesn't help that rate. Still, there's a part of me that wants to see my neighborhood as the type of community in which spaces like the Bean Scene can exist. I recognize that my desire reflects my background: north Minneapolis has other neighborhood "centers," like buses, convenience stores, and barber shops. But the Bean Scene to me was a place community activists could use to connect. In my academic research, I'm sure to be talking about the negative affects of gentrification. And certainly I don't want to see a Starbucks on every corner here. But a little of it wasn't a bad thing.
The Bean Scene recently opened a second location a few blocks down the street, and that one survives. Yet it will never have the "charm" of the hamburger embossed door handle. And I have my doubts about it's long term future as well. Other coffee shops may come and go, but this one had a special place in my heart. So forgive me if I feel a little sentimental looking back over the short life of this modest enterprise.
This is a little too biased for me, but it definitely captures the core of my reasons for not supporting Hillary. All politicians play this game, but it seems like she does it more than most. I'm not sure what I'd do in a general election, yet. McCain doesn't inspire me either, especially economically. In any case, enjoy:
This one by a geography major trying to understand the rapper Ludacris' romantic attachments is rather illuminating.
Caution: long post ahead!!!
For a variety of reasons, I set this weekend as a deadline for my decision on my grad school future. It was about two years ago that Sarah and I walked through the state fairgrounds and began talking about whether my waiting for her to finish her own degree would really be worth it. Since that time, I’ve been trying to figure out both the best timing and fit for my future schooling.
Here’s what I know right now: I’m broadly interested in urban studies, more specifically gentrification, spaces of consumption, and the everyday ways in which people and groups adopt and contest what is labeled “capitalism� and “urban development.� That will need to be further refined, but it’s a relatively good place for me to start. Food studies is still in there somewhere—certainly urban food consumption sites are one of the primary markers of neighborhood identity. But it’s not the essential piece I once thought it might be.
Given these interests, Geography is the best fit for me here in Minnesota. Since Sarah still has some years to go, we’re not moving anytime soon. So it’s been a matter of finding where here at the U works best. There’s several people looking at urban issues in the Geography department here, far more than any one place elsewhere at the U. It’s also a department with a long history and prestigious reputation.
And so last fall, I applied to Geography as a Ph.D. student. That application was accepted, and I’ve also received a three year fellowship from the U of M graduate school. I won’t have to work as an RA/TA during that time and will be reasonably well compensated—though it’s still a large drop from my current salary. It’s the first time a student in the department has been offered three years, which is an honor. And professors I’ve talked to there have been enthusiastic about my prospects.
Now I decide. There are risks, of course. Choosing grad school means a good deal of financial hardship. We’ll be earning somewhere between $10-20K less than we are currently, and we’re just breaking even right now. We’ve got a second child coming in late May, so our expenses won’t decrease. It will probably take four years before Sarah finishes up—I could conceivably be pretty close to being done then myself. By the end of that time, we could have somewhere between $100-$140K in student loan debt. That’s like a second mortgage to pay off. Assuming both of us get jobs, though, we’ll be earning about twice what we are now. Even if one of us ends up in a lecturer position, we’ll be making decent money. If we make reasonable lifestyle choices, there’s no reason why we couldn’t pay that off in 5-7 years. It’s not something to take likely, but not an issue that I think is decisive. In this case, the debt will be offset by increased earning power. That’s not bad debt. We also have family who support us. We won’t end up on the street (just maybe in somebody’s basement…).
There’s also just the risk of doing grad school at all. I think this is what I’m interested in, but realistically, this is my career choice for the next twenty years or so. That’s a big decision, and not one that feels very comfortable. I’ve never been a dedicated researcher, so I don’t know exactly how I’ll take to that. I also still have doubts about the importance of academic work. It’s not always as practical as I’d like. I had another prospective student ask me just last night how my research would actually help people, and I couldn’t give a direct answer. But I do have some: teaching, influencing policy makers, partnering with neighborhood organizations. As Paul says in Corinthians (more or less), a hand shouldn’t be upset that it’s not a foot. I’m an academic, and I can’t try to be something I’m not.
Still, this is a unique opportunity. The department is going through some transitions in faculty right now, which makes the future there somewhat unpredictable. But I’m sure that I’ll still have several people to work with. There’s no guarantee of that once Sarah’s done and we move on to a different university. I like the students I’ve met in the department, though some of them won’t be around for more than a year or two. If I were to wait, I would be doing school while Sarah works toward tenure, which is a much more stressful stage of life than doing dissertation research. Our schedules are just more flexible now. We’re already comfortable here in Minneapolis and have support systems with both church and Sarah’s family. And I certainly have no guarantee of a three year fellowship if I wait for another option. The flexibility that allows me both to contribute at home and focus on my scholarship is nothing to take lightly. It will probably be easier to have two kids and be in grad school than to continue working. There may never be a better time to do this.
Not doing grad school now also means another three to four years of teaching first year composition. While I like my current job, I’m emotionally ready to move on. There’s only so much that can be done with these classes—people are going a variety of different directions, they’re required to take the class, and they’re relatively new to college. I love freshman, but am ready to work with a broader range of students. I feel competent in my current job, but I’m not passionate about writing. I am about urban studies. When I came to Minnesota, it was to work in General College, whose core mission was providing access to historically excluded student populations. After a memorable protest, GC was closed two years ago. I appreciate the work of my new department, but I feel nowhere near the investment in it that I felt at GC. If other factors made staying in this position seem like the practical choice, I could do that—I have for the past three years. But aside from finances, there’s no real reason to stay right now. And as I’ve said, finances alone don’t really justify staying.
For these reasons, I’ve decided to make the change and become a grad student here in Geography. It’s not an easy decision. I’m not sure exactly what lies ahead, especially when the department is undergoing changes in faculty. But certainty is always elusive in this kind of situation. Faculty leave and arrive all the time. I feel satisfied that I’m making the best decision I can now with the information I have. More than that, I feel called to life in the academy. As Frederick Buechner famously said, vocation is where our joy meets the world’s needs. This is that space for me. Despite my doubts about the utility of academic work or my fears about finances or the department’s future, this is where I have felt most used by God to bless others and the world. It’s who I am. All I can do is have faith in that and walk forward into the darkness. I may not know what I will find there, but like Abraham leaving Ur, I trust that it’s a better land.
The Star-Trib published this map today of properties owned by a local firm responsible for many of the foreclosures in my neighborhood. The city of Minneapolis is suing the firm, T.J. Waconia. One of the open dots ("not in foreclosure") is right next door. It's been unoccupied for the last two years and has received only basic maintenance, maybe three lawn mows a summer.This story is the first I've seen it linked to Waconia. This map shows the extent of the damage well, I think.
In any case, while the violence in my neighborhood is often unexplicable and deeply tragic, a scheme like this has its own tragedy. The people behind this firm made cold, calculated decisions that have damaged hundreds of lives--property values have tanked here in part because of them. Not good. Not good.
The Star-Trib published this map today of properties owned by a local firm responsible for many of the foreclosures in my neighborhood. The city of Minneapolis is suing the firm, T.J. Waconia. One of the open dots ("not in foreclosure") is right next door. It's been unoccupied for the last two years and has received only basic maintenance, maybe three lawn mows a summer.This story is the first I've seen it linked to Waconia. This map shows the extent of the damage well, I think.
In any case, while the violence in my neighborhood is often unexplicable and deeply tragic, a scheme like this has its own tragedy. The people behind this firm made cold, calculated decisions that have damaged hundreds of lives--property values have tanked here in part because of them. Not good. Not good.
I've become quite interested in gentrification over the last year or two, and it's refreshing to see that America's finest news source has finally taken up the issue. It's time that yuppies get the justice they deserve!!
Than here's the map for you:
It's from Richard Florida, a professor who's specialized in what he calls the "creative class" and their affect on urban development. Young, single professionals are a key demographic for him, so this map certainly fits right in. The census data is probably fairly reliable, so it's interesting to see.
Months of waiting came to a quick closure today. Within the space of a couple of hours, I found out that both external fellowships I applied for (one from the National Science Foundation and the other from the Department of Education) had chosen other, and doubtless better qualified, candidates. Still, I do have a fellowship offer from the U of M Grad School for three years, which isn't bad.
And so now it's time to decide, which is the really hard part. I've had some time to think this over, but going from 90% to 100% certain on a change like this isn't easy. I've been a composition instructor for nine years, and at this point I have a fairly comfortable niche for myself. To leave that behind for being a student again, acquiring a substantial amount of debt, and not knowing what life will look like on the other end of all of it requires some courage and faith. I hope to make the decision this weekend--I'm using a recruiting weekend by the Geography Dept. as a deadline. At this point, I can't see any reason to say no, unless for some reason the financial offer falls through. But I'll have to sit down and burn a candle or something to make it official.
My cousin's daughter (cousin once removed?), Bryn, is featured in a recent Volvo ad. She's the youngest blonde girl. She and her twin sister have also had brief spots on the CBS series Moonlight. Enjoy: