I don’t date sociology majors

I went to see New Moon this weekend but beyond the “vampires and abstinence” storyline the most sociologically interesting aspect came before the film.  One of the trailers that preceded New Moon was for Robert Pattinson’s upcoming movie, Remember Me (which also stars Pierce Brosnan and Emilie de Ravin of Lost).  The trailer is below (pay particular attention around the 1:10 mark):

Here is a summary of the relevant portion:

de Ravin: I don’t date sociology majors.

Pattinson: Lucky for you I’m, I’m undecided.

de Ravin: ‘Bout what?

Pattinson: Everything.

Because of the popularity of New Moon, this means that a large number of young people have now heard the line “I don’t date sociology majors.”  I suppose this could be a deterrent to potential future sociologists.  On the other hand, a large number of young people have now heard of sociology.

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Small fish in a small pond

After a few interactions with my school’s media relations people I’ve concluded that if you are interested in serving as a source for the media (local or otherwise) but you are a small fish in terms of research productivity you are probably much better off making your home in a small pond where even your most insignificant publications and presentations will get the attention of the media relations folks.

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Fellowship at the Overlook Hotel

Wanted:

Winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel.  Duties include upkeep and minor repairs.  Perks include large amounts of free time.  Perfect for ABDs.

I’ve previously noted some of the ways that works of fiction (such as Candide, The Lord of the Rings, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) are related to graduate school and the job market.  Settling down to watch a scary movie on Halloween night, however, I found what may be the best dramatization I’ve seen about working on one’s dissertation (especially when on fellowship): The Shining.  For example:

As a graduate student there were many times when my wife would come home from work and ask me how my work went during her time away.  Typically, I would respond to this with some vague statement intended to disguise the fact that I had gotten up at 10, read things on the internet, taken a shower at 12:30, eaten lunch, opened a document to work on, read other things on the internet, taken a nap, and then read some things on the internet until she got home.  If she ever called during the day and needed me to bring something to her, the disruption to my “work” had the potential to frustrate me to no end.  It wasn’t so much that I was working but that I had the potential to work and may actually start doing so at any moment.  Any interruption was thus an interruption of my potential to actually accomplish something.  All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

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