Hello, everyone! I just got into BPAL--my first two imps are somewhere in the mail system, making their way to my front door even as I type--and I'm interested to see what more experienced posters would recommend...
I'm a 3rd year PhD student in history, currently studying for quals (which is, of course, why I'm procrastinating here! ). I focus on questions of economic justice and immigration in the 20th Century US. I consistently test as INTJ and it feels accurate in a lot of ways. I can be terribly focused on my own mental systems and I have to work to keep the, er, intensity of my opinions to myself sometimes lol. Fortunately, feminist theory is a major part of my work and life which--anti-feminists would be incredulous to hear--has made me more easygoing in a lot of ways. I've been strongly influenced by trying to incorporate an ethic of care into my life and worldview.
I enjoy digging around in archives and "hearing" the voices of people long gone. There's a rather gross idea in academia that there are reseachers and there are teachers and you have to pick one (with teachers being considered inferior), but I actually really love TAing as well; students tell me they appreciate my enthusiasm and caring approach. I really love the formality of the set-up; how you can care for people in a more cerebral way, figuring out how to communicate complex ideas, and joke around about stuff too, and let other people take care of the more touchy-feely side of contributing to the world lol. I'm queer (bi) and few things make me happier than getting to explain queer history, social justice movements, and the social construction of race to students in a way that might help them open up to new ideas rather than shut down. I've found that my obsessive focus on my interests are finally in a forum where it's good rather than weird to have all that info stacked away in the old brainbox.
Um, what else? Taurus, "Gryffinclaw," insomniac night owl. Fan of a random assortment of music, from Big Band to Metric. I'm currently working on Urban Fantasy novel with a friend and I recently fell headfirst into Bioware games like the Mass Effect series and Dragon Age, which have made me very happy. And provided plenty of opportunity for procrastination!
