Jess Rafalko

I’m entering the stage of my PhD program where I need to start thinking seriously about my dissertation, and the only thought I have about it so far is that I’d like to call it my Jessertation.

I did the new stupid thing that’s slightly less morally repugnant to me than the old stupid thing. See you on Threads, pals.

Roland Barthes out here looking like Jon Lovitz making a turn to Serious Drama.

Watching Golden Girls reruns and got to a moment that lives rent-free in my head: this fucking glorious outfit. The so-very-yellow blouse! The teddy bear sweater vest! Rose Nylund, fashion icon. 😍

My allergy-season workout regimen: Getting fucking shredded from this chronic cough. Building abs through bronchitis. Hacking away that belly fat.

Look, I know “explain” and “explicate” mean essentially the same thing, but I just feel so goddamn fancy when I claim to be *explicating* a concept rather than explaining it. This is my personal version of the “way in which” vs. “how” dilemma.

Back on my bullshit, AKA watching old episodes of “The Practice” and thinking I should go to law school to become an honorable (albeit morally conflicted and deeply self-loathing) defense attorney.

“Academic write one elaborative sentence without using the word ‘indeed’” challenge

Thrilled to share that I’ve won the 2022 Siegel McDaniel Award from the Philip Roth Society for an essay that explores the only thing I’m expert in: righteous anger directed primarily toward the self. philiprothsociety.org/single-post/co…

(Did I play it anyway? Why yes, yes I did. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Look: I play Wordle, I play Quordle, but today I was made aware of the existence of Octordle and, at the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I…I think that’s too many -ordles.

Happening next Friday: Really cool webinar on the true-crime media boom of the past decade (and I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm co-organizing the event). Lit/media studies folks, please consider attending!

Stopped at a Wawa in the Philly suburbs. Woman peeing one stall over from mine had a hacking cough—but kindly called over the wall to assure me that she’s not sick, she just threw out her voice screaming at the Eagles game. God bless Philadelphia, man.

The Tootsie Pop people made one commercial like 50 years ago, knew immediately it was a banger, and have coasted on the charms of that weird kid and that snooty owl ever since.

I'm impressed that Philip Roth foretold this moment when he wrote the words: "How could he leave? How could he go? Everything he hated was here."

Many thanks to @HesterBlum for sitting down with me to discuss her exciting work in the polar humanities!

What if we kissed at the Miller Lite floor display under the disapproving glare of the Voodoo Ranger?

@bdjansenphd I think SOP and PS are intended to describe different docs, but in my experience schools used the terms interchangeably/arbitrarily; I just tried to have one template statement that I tweaked for each school based on what info/framing they specified on the admissions website.

I am 30 years old and accident prone and yet still somehow consistently forget to buy band-aids. Fortunately wrapping a wad of toilet paper around a cut on your finger until it stops bleeding is a very good and professional look.

@horganmamill Your hate only makes me stronger.

@jessrafalko I'm cancelling you.

I’m entering the stage of my PhD program where I need to start thinking seriously about my dissertation, and the only thought I have about it so far is that I’d like to call it my Jessertation.