Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk

As a former Starbucks "partner," the irony isn't lost on me. They shut down stores with little/no notice; some employees even showed up to work only to find out they'd lost their jobs.

Boycotts work: $12B loss for Target, $4B for Hulu.

Another reason to skip the bux? Here you go.

It definitely is. I think maybe a little different, and less defeating, but I still see it more so than any other semester for sure.

I agree. There's been an interesting, to say the least, shift in engagement where there is little interest in really connecting with the real world. I'm sure it's a coping mechanism, but 💯 terrifying.

Transitioning back to SD has been rough, but I finally visited @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social. I haven't been since they were in Clairemont (and been going since 2005.)

I took my kids & 2 good friends. It was a nice reminder of what community can look & feel like, even if you don't know everybody.❤️

Zainab's mother is dressed in a black hijab and mask and holds a printed photo of a Zainab lying on her back with her hands up by her face, dressed in a red and green outfit, resembling a strawberry with a collar of green leaves. Zainab has chubby cheeks and brown eyes.

Zainab's father holds her wrapped in a white sheet while her mother brushes parts the sheet to touch her face. Her mother is wearing a black hijab and mask, her father is dressed in a black shirt, and is looking at Zainab's face. The scene takes place outdoors with palm trees in the background.

🧵If we care about public health, how can we ignore the forced starvation and genocide of the people in Gaza

Zainab was 5 months old. She needed dairy-free formula for a milk protein allergy. There was none. She starved to death. She is one of thousands. Look at her face. Say her name. Take action.👇

Wild how the anti-mask crowd of 2020, a mask that helped save lives, suddenly became pro-mask in 2025 when the kidnappers of ICE started using them to conceal their identity during kidnappings.

It's almost like it had nothing to do with freedom or their ability to breathe. Shocking. 🙄

Somebody is helping me apply for tenure-track jobs.

#cats #cat #academia #phdlife #phdcats #academia

Remember when anti-DEI Target lost $12B? Paramount gets 67% from TV & 24% from streaming. If you're pissed they axed @colbertlateshow.bsky.social to focus on boot-licking & Trump foot-kissing, remember: when folks bail en masse, it hits hard. Just ask Target how that worked out.

If you're a student at SDSU and you're looking for a cool new class to take for fall, consider taking Sociology 496: Visual Methods with me.

A few things planned: photograph, picture books, and more. But! I need about 6 more folks to sign up.

Interested? Let me know.

#sdsu #sociology #fallclasses

I'm convinced Your Idol did its job so well, that now the algorithms are actually just reflective of Saja Boys' hold on all of us, so we just keep playing the songs and the movie on repeat.

And honestly, I'm cool with it.

#kpopdemonhunters #kdh #movie #sajaboys

I agree—it's all enough. I have a new class I'm supposed to be teaching in the fall, but need to prep still+ teaching 4 classes this summer, too. I want to get my AERA conference proposal in, too.

Best of luck! The juggle is a lot. But I hope you find time to breathe & relax, also.

I really should be writing, trying to take some pieces of my dissertation, finished a while ago, and turning them into articles, but instead I keep dancing to Golden, Soda Pop, and Your Idol, so I guess tenure-track possibilities can wait. 😅 #phdlife #kpopdemonhunter

For my async classes, I do a fun syllabus quiz with hidden questions. One I have is, "If you were a resident sociologist on a TV show, what would it be and your catchphrase?” The answers have me grinning. Small thing, but it’s got me so hyped for this summer class. Loving this!

#sociology #phdlife

This 4th I can't help but be reminded by Paulo Freire's work.

We should be reminded that one of the only requirements for the violation of a person or group of people is to dehumanize them, which means nobody is human. Even those who have internalized the oppressor's beliefs.

#paulofreire

In case you’re not up to date on your Constitutional Rights, betting eaten by alligators in a 100 degree swamp is absolutely a violation of 8th Amendment protections against “cruel and unusual punishments.”

ESPECIALLY for people who have not been found guilty of a crime.

I look forward to it in many ways and fortunately there are folks like you there! We'll definitely need to reconnect. :)

In some ways, I'm not thrilled about returning to San Diego.

In others, I'm ready. I've been gone for almost 6 months.

I look forward to connecting with folks & finding roots in my community, like going to writing groups and bookstores (shoutout @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social)

20 more days.

The NEH released its Public Scholars award last month.

Notice the mention of how ideals of democracy have consistently been met, while we have oligarchs running the show, and the emphasis on only economic freedom while the rich take away medical care & cut taxes on themselves.

#neh #humamities

Yet, this is the regime of government waste and economic prosperity, right? 🙄

Moved out of our flat in Spain 24 days ago. Been back in the U.S. for 15 days.

Living there was life-changing for me. Perhaps we were lucky with the neighborhood we were in, but Málaga captured.

I am missing Spain a lot, & have every day since we've left.

But for some reason today hits harder.

Here's one I took a photo of in Sevilla, as well back in April :)

The Spaces Between Belonging Why the Fulbright program matters and the spaces between feelings of belonging.

Here you go: www.perpetual-wanderlust.com/post/the-spa...

I’ve never truly felt like I belonged. On trips or in familiar cities, I still felt out of place. In Spain, that changed; it became home.

Fulbright made that possible. It is more than an award. With it under attack, I’m sharing my story. Want to read more? Check out the link ⬇️

#fulbright #research

My favorite thing about that insane Trump post is that he sounds like he was the matchmaker in a rom com who is so proud of the fact that the "opposites attract" warring couple that he set up for a blind date has now finally decided to get married after a tumultuous 90 minutes.

I honestly can't remember, but I do know it was very close to the city center. I'd say it was near Bachelor's Walk most likely.

Just a reminder that dystopian and anti-dystopian books are, in fact, cautionary tales and not handbooks for how to run a society. Just throwing that out there in case, as it seems is so, conservatives didn't know that. I mean, since they like banning books and all.

*It has been for a while

**For the record, I do know the word regime is a word about rules in a government, but context and culture matter and it carries a negative connotation. Just wanted to throw that out there since we all know the, "Well, actually" folks will come out in full force 🙄

Is now the point* where we stop calling this a presidential administration and switch to calling it a regime**?

Asking for a friend.

My dad's 1964 Impala he's been working on at the Teutopolis Cruise Night

#cars #carphoto #photos

If you're a #sociology student at #ucsd then consider taking my Sociology of #HigherEducation course! I cover topics including history, philosophies, outcomes, access, global views, & sociopolitical conditions & "why" through sociological lenses. It's #asynchronous with free, open access resources.