tenure, in the littoral zone

[trochee]

I am about to go to a congratulations-you-got-tenure party for a faculty member. The theme is the Sea Cucumber.

When I asked "why a sea cucumber?" the answer I got was:

The sea cucumber, in its larval stage, has a notochord (a rudimentary spine) and central nervous system (CNS), with which it propels itself through the ocean, finding food where it can and seeking one thing before it grows too old: a good place to stop. Having found such a place, it attaches itself firmly and permanently to that substrate, consumes its notochord and CNS, and filter-feeds for the rest of its life.

Comments

[trochee.livejournal.com]

It was fun -- would have been more fun if I didn't have so much to do. I'm sorry you weren't there; you would have enjoyed it. I think R. kinda screwed up the invites; I only found out about it via EE folks and most ling grad students somehow didn't know about it.

I'm trying to work out how vomiting out your organs is like tenured faculty.