Floor Basten

Independent scholar, cat addict, tattoo lover

If it smells cheesy, rethink your priorities

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Life and work of an indy scholar part 7 – In 1933, the Flemish author Willem Elsschot published the novel Kaas, later translated into Cheese for the English market. The hero of this story, Frans Laarmans, works at the docks of Antwerp. He doesn’t like his job, so he accepts the offer of a friend … Lees meer

Recognize the carnivalesque as normal life

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Life and work of an indy scholar part 6 – On Friday the 13th I moved to the south for a couple of days—the main reason why I skipped last week’s blog. My brief remigration was caused by carnival, that outburst of festivities that Catholics traditionally use to bolster themselves for a period of 40 … Lees meer

How university delayed my indy scholarship

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Life and work of an indy scholar part 4 – Last week I announced that I had planned a shut-up-and-write day and I’m sorry to say that I failed to deliver. I shut-up-and-wrote on two late afternoons for a few hours, but I advanced far less than I had hoped to. Sill, having many irons … Lees meer

Me in a getting-things-done mode

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Life and work of an indy scholar part 3 – How to summarize this week? I guess it would be with ‘tying some loose ends’. Some days-in-a-row-off lend themselves perfectly for a mini sabbatical, that time off from work to get work done, and I seize those opportunities to finish things. I had a few … Lees meer

Many ups and one down for this indy scholar

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Life and work of an indy scholar part 2 – It’s been a week with high professional ups encircled with a deep down in my private life. Literally encircled in time, as last Sunday I heard the sad news that one of my closest friends had suddenly lost her beloved husband the day before, and … Lees meer