John Q's personal newsletter
Hi everyone,
I’m sending this personal newsletter to people who have asked to be included, and also to friends I’ve added myself. Feel free to ignore or unsubscribe if you don’t have time or inclination to read this, and to share it with anyone you think might be interested. Also, if you are in the overlap of our friendship group, subscribe to Maria Farrell’s newsletter supported by Buttondown.
I’ll start with a career update. I’m coming to the end of a three year fellowship in which I taught in the Politics, Philosophy and Economics program, here at the University of Queensland. That was fun, but, having passed what used to be retirement age, I don’t want to be constrained by having to teach classes in the future. So, I’m exploring a part-time option where I focus on research and public engagement.
With that in mind, Nancy and I are looking at moving to the Sunshine Coast. We’ve been there a lot for triathlons, and exploring the Coastal path and have really enjoyed. Mooloolaba and Noosa are a bit too busy for us, so we are thinking of Maroochydore or Marcoola. To try things out a bit more, we’ve rented a house for six months.
Talking of triathlon, I did the Sunshine Coast 70.3 (miles, made up of 1.9km swim, 90km cycle, 21.1km run). I started near the back of the pack and finished there, which is par for the course for me. But the wind was much stronger than usual, and picked up over the morning, reaching 30 to 40km by the time stragglers like me were finishing the second lap of the cycle leg. I was pretty tired by then, but managed to do the 21.1 as a walk/run. Time was a disappointing 7:33, but I was pleased to have finished at all.
With that effort behind me, I’m planning to branch out a bit, and try some hiking, trail running and perhaps mountain biking. More ambitiously, I’m hoping to take surfing and stand-up paddleboarding lessons, though I suspect that balance problems will stop me.
I’ve been looking for a new fiction genre following the passing of my favorite SF-ish authors Iain M. Banks and Terry Pratchett. Following some recommendations from Crooked Timber readers, I’ve decided to go for academic fiction, most of which (unsurprisingly, I guess) turns out to be set in English departments. (I read most of David Lodge a while ago and, many years ago, Lucky Jim (Amis) and The Masters (CP Snow).
In my recent return to the genre, I’ve enjoyed Dear Committee Members (Julie Schumacher) and Molly of the Mall (Heidi Jacobs). I’m now reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I had overlooked it before on the assumption that “plot” meant “conspiracy”, but it turns out to refer to the standard plot of the C19 novel. Interestingly, “intrigue” has the same double meaning in French. Further recommendations ar most welcome.
I’m currently in North Queensland (Mareeba/Atherton Tablelands). If anyone is passing this way in the next few weeks, look me up.
I’d be glad to read your thoughts either by email (john.quiggin@icloud.com) or using the comment button below
Best wishes
John