New radio

It's the last Saturday before the new term starts and I should be getting ready for the new classes I am teaching Monday (What AM I teaching Monday?) But instead I was out buying a new car radio. Last semester my beloved Samantha Jones (white Sebring Convertible) was pronounced terminal by the mechanics. I had to buy a new car in a hurry because I was about to have surgery and then wouldn't be able to get in a car soon. After a frantic weekend of shopping (under 12,000 and a convertible were my requirements) I was able to find a new car. Now I had figured I would probably end up with another Sebring but they had made some changes after my year and I didn't really like the later Sebrings. And then, there on the lot, was another car. A different car. A car at which, if you had described it to me, I would have turned up my nose. But sitting there, with the top down, called to me. An eclectic blue PT Cruiser convertible. With the top down it looks like an old jalopy. I expect Archie and Jughead to climb in or for Frankie Avalon to put his surfboard in the back. I handed over my cash and The Blue Bomber became mine.

So far, despite my lingering sorrow over my beloved Sammy, the Blue Bomber and I have been getting along fine. Our relationship growing deeper and closer with each hair raising drive down I95. But what the Bomber lacks is a good radio. And by good radio I mean one I can play my Ipod on. In Sammy, I had installed an FM transmitter. I plugged it in, flipped a toggle switch under the dashboard (I love toggle switches) and all 9,875 songs were at my fingertips. But The Bomber had no aux input, no way to play my ipod (The LEM). Then to compound the problem, the CD player hasn't been working properly and the CDs kept skipping. I spent the entire Christmas holidays with the one CD that wouldn't skip in the player. I may never listen to Croon and Swoon again. My life has been a musical nightmare.

But for Christmas, my parents gave me an IOU for a new car radio. After two days shopping with my Dad and many trials and tribulations (why don't the Circuit City and Best Buy boys ever just admit they don't know what something means?) I now have a new stereo with Ipod controls BUILT RIGHT IN! I am in heaven.

Christmas is a good thing.

Happy Twelfth Night all.

Did anyone comment on my blog, Did anyone comment on my blog?

type type type enter password. scroll down. no comments! sigh.

This is the scene at my computer every time I go to check my email. (which is everytime I pass my home office because I have an addiction) I think it's time for the semester to start up again because I am clearly becoming one sad and pathetic puppy!

Thoughts about teaching

If there are teachings, instructions or corrections to be given, always give them with a lot of love, and no trace of anger.

This was a quote I got during Christmas break from the Peace Village. I saved it because during break the last thing I wanted to think about was teaching. But I knew if break went well and did what it should, when the semester started, I would be refreshed and ready to think about my teaching again. I like to spend a little time at the beginning of the semester and during the summer thinking about teaching as a global concept. My teaching philosophy and ways to put that into my classes. During the middle of the semester it's all I can do to remember I have a teaching philosophy! But if teaching is to be more than just an administrative activity I do for a living, then it's important to me that I remember the fact that I truly believe that it's more than that. That it is in some ways a calling and that for me, because I love learning and love my subject, its a means of sharing something I love with others.

During the semester it is so easy to get caught up in the pile of stuff to do and the aggravation of students for whom learning is not a calling. Who make self destructive academic choices that I do no understand. And then to get angry and frustrated by that. But I think that that is really me projecting my own desires on students and becoming frustrated that they are not what I want them to be. Which is not there purpose. I must remember that they are all individuals who are in school and my class for a variety of different reasons that are not my reasons. I may be able to show some of them what I think is a better reason to be there and a better way to be as student, but probably not if I am angry and frustrated. Few people will change in the face of anger. They instead get defensive. Even if I am right, if the person I am interacting with (be it students of faculty or administrators) is on the defensive, I am unlikely to get through to them. I may have a brief cathartic moment of release at venting my anger and frustration - particularly if it is justified. But I will not likely achieve my real goal. Which with the students, is to show them how learning is fun, how it enriches their lives and that working hard and mastering something brings a deeper pleasure than the obvious pleasure of Friday night on South Beach and that it's worth going for. But if i can stay in a place of love and peace, I think I am much more likely to be successful. Surely, even if I am not successful, I will end the semester less frustrated! :)

Traditional German Breakfast

Miss Kitty asked in a post about our Christmas morning's traditional German breakfast and since Miss Kitty not only reads my blog and posts comments but has also put me on her list of good blogs to read, I feel I must comply. I mean she is clearly my number one reader. (Possibly my only reader but on that I will not dwell! :)

So our Christmas breakfast when I was young was Eggs Benedict. At some point, Mom figured out that helping Santa til the wee hours and then getting up at 6 am with kids who wanted to see what Santa brought then preparing a big breakfast of Eggs Benedict and then cleaning the house for the deluge of relatives and preparing a big Christmas dinner and then packing up that night to take kids to in laws in another state the next day was clearly too much work. So out went the only thing that could go - the Eggs Benedict. Instead our new tradition became fried egg sandwiches - much easier and we all love them. Then one year my sister got egg cups and egg scissors for Christmas so Mom planned, as a surprise, a traditional German breakfast so she could use her new gifts and it was such a hit it became a new tradition. (or T as we call it in our house. Anything we do more than twice in a row at Christmas becomes a T. Mom complains that all new t's involve more work for her and has been trying to divest the family of T's for years. Now that she is 70 with no son-in--laws to help with all the T's I am afeared that we are going to have to let them go or - gasp - I might have to start doing the work.)

We lived in Germany when I was a kid and my sister (who did not get to do the Germany living as she was still a gleam in fathers eye at the time) is a big...what is the German equivalent of an anglophile? A germophile?...that can't be right. And one of the things we love love love about Germany is the German breakfast. Fruhstuk. When you are staying at a hotel in Germany you come down in the morning to a breakfast of Salomi, cold cuts, cheese, braunschweiger (liverwurst) crusty rolls and this delicious flat dark bread with seeds and nuts. Butter and jam and soft boiled eggs. And if your lucky, Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread). Since I do not like most American breakfast foods (cereal is NOT real food) and will often make a sandwich or have a cheeseburger for breakfast - I am in heaven with a German breakfast. That's food you can start a good day on! hmmmm now I'm hungry.

Another German breakfast staple that I think is so clever is a small swing top trash can on the table to put in your refuse - like used better pats and jelly holders and empty sugar packets. It elements the piles of trash on your table that I always think is so unappetizing.

Okay now I'm thinking of all the things I love about Germany. Gluhwhein (a hot spiced wine) wursts and schnitzel. Oh and the mountains, cute towns, Kris Kindle mart. There are other non-food-related German things that I love.

Happy 2008

Maybe I don't want a Happy New Year, he said. Maybe I want an intense New Year with a lot of growth experiences

& I had to admit I'd never thought of that



I thought this piece by my most favorite artist Brian Andreaas was an appropriate thought for this new year. Happiness is really a fairly shallow concept when you think about it. What I really want for myself is joy and peace and gentleness and exhilaration. And someone else might want something totally different. In fact, a hard lesson for me to learn has been that there are people who don't want to be happy. So I wish for them and you whatever it is you want/need in this upcoming year to lead to your movement toward your highest self.

People are always into resolutions for the new year. I always make the same ones and have yet to achieve any of them! I really like Profgrrrrl's idea of having a theme for the news year. (It seems somehow gentler and more "Eastern" or more probably a western concept of Eastern!) So I have been contemplating that idea since I first read it and I have decided my theme for 2008 is health. I am not going to make specific resolution/goals but rather will try to focus my energy on making choices that lead to greater health. One of the reasons I like the theme of health is that it incorporates so many aspects of life. There is physical health. I have had several health problems this last year and some health scares are still hovering and they are mostly things that could be solved (if I take action now) with lifestyle changes so that is an important issue. But health also includes mental health, and spiritual health. I have not been as involved in my spiritual life as is good for me and a better balance of work and personal life as well as dealing with issues in both of those areas in a more healthy way would definitely benefit me. So there it is ...2008 ...a year of healthy choices, healthy lifestyles.

(Next post is on traditional German breakfast per Miss Kitty's request)

About My Christmas

It occurs to me that with all the spirit/no spirit posts, I have not actually blogged about my Christmas day yet. It was extremely nice. My sister made it in from Pakistan, which we were keeping our fingers crossed on as it looked like she might have her leave canceled. She has been staying with Mom and Dad so Christmas Eve I loaded up everything I could think of and drove over there (next town 30 minutes away) We followed all our traditions. We had pizza and watched a Christmas movie and then went to our traditional 7 p.m. mass (because we all get tired too early to go to midnight mass) and then drove around looking at Christmas lights and caroling and playing Christmas trivia. During the light looking, we cruised by my house so I could give the cat her meds (insulin and Prozac - gotta love the kitty) and pick up all the gifts that wouldn't fit in my car earlier and the various things necessary for an overnight visit that I had forgotten. 4 bags to spend the night. Sheeesh!

Christmas morning I was awoken by the traditional sound of reindeer bells and we went down and opened all the gifts. There were so many that we had to take a break half way through and have our traditional German breakfast and go back for more. Then, after a short nap, we prepped for Christmas dinner. Mom's table was set with her Christmas Spode china and Christmas Crackers and decorated eggs for everyone she brought back from Salzburg. I have two close friends who are single and they came over and joined us for the afternoon and dinner as did my cousin who lives in town. Around 8 p.m. everyone left and and we finished clearing up and I headed back to my house (because kitty needs her meds) It was a lovely two days and I got to have both friends and family there. I was truly blessed.

The semester that finally died

I think my earlier supposition about why I wasn't in the Christmas spirit was true. I kept having work to do. Now that I have put a moretorium on work activities (except for responding to a handful of grad students because it would really be cruel to make them sweat it out through vacation) until Jan. 2nd, I am getting much more festive. And since I am a firm beleiver in the traditional 12 days of Christmas (which begins on Dec. 24th and goes until Jan 6th) I still have some time left to enjoy (despite the fact that XM stereo removed the Christmas channels from my tv today....I'll have to break out the ipod and cds now)

Today I am picking up the photos I ordered to make my Christmas cards and I will try to write the first draft of my Christmas letter. Tonight I am going out with a close friend who recently moved away but is back for Chiristmas. Meanwhile, I am playing around on my computer trying to figure out how to do some stuff on itunes so that my sister can steal all of my music before she heads back to Pakistan on Saturday. Not a bad 3rd day of Christmas (or is it 4th?)

Well this is the last day. Christmas is tomorrow. I have about 3 hours to finish whatever needs to be done before Christmas day. (Due to the bizarre time lag here I only have a few working hours today. I am a night person and my family are all morning people. This results in some time challenges. For example, I have to be at the family domicile at 3:30 for the Christmas Eve activities. But I went to bed at 3 am and just woke up at 11a.m. So not alot of "day" in my day!) I'm not even sure what that is. But since I give myself until the end of Christmas (Epiphany Jan 6th) to get all "not in this location" gifts and cards sent, it shouldn't be to crazed! Happy Holidays to anyone who reads this blog!

Slow posting

Well, I haven't posted since the last day of class. Apparently, not having to post twice a week to keep up with my students has severely limited my posting! Of course, the fact that it is FINALLY VACA might have added to it. I have more time to post but much less inclination. I did hand in all my grades on time and have been alternating between Christmas parties, Christmas shopping and doing the work tasks that I put off the last couple weeks of class. In fact, I was going to entitle this post "The Semester That Wouldn't Die." I am not going away this Christmas, which is very rare for me, so I have had all this extra time to get ready for Christmas. And yet, I seem to keep having work stuff to do. Usually, the day I hand in grades, I am done working until prep week before classes start. But this semester there seemed to always be one more little thing, meeting, report to be done. I have to say, I think it has sucked alot of the Christmas spirit out. I don't feel bad, I just don't feel like Christmas is the day after tomorrow. My new plan is to not do any work until Jan 2. To give myself an actual break. I have found in the past, if I don't get a break, I don't come back refreshed and I burn out much faster. So now it is Christmas!

Last day

I thought this image expressed what it feels like to be a prof at this time of year. I of course, am the man fishing and the cats are my students. "Have you graded my paper?" "When will you post the grades?" "Are you in your office?" Now I totally sympathize. It hasn't been THAT long since I was a student and I was a student for a long time so I remember the anxiety as you are waiting to find out how you did on the projects you put so much time and effort into. I also remember the anxiety of please let me pass this course. BUT. Sometimes it does feel like being stalked by hungry cats. The pressure when you just want to chill for a minute and watch your TIVO and the cat is eyeing you with that stare, willing you to get up and fill the food bowl. Or the roawrrrs of the cat who will NOT SHUT UP until you feed it. So you sigh, get up, and do your duty.

But today is the last day. I just have to go to school to get one more paper slid under the door and then class number two will be done and I can submit those grades. And class number three ends tonight and since i am dong portfolio grading in class, that will be graded and done before I leave. So when I leave school tonight I will be done, free, finished for Christmas. (okay what that really means is free to work on my research and finish all those little department projects that got triaged to the bottom of the to do stack but I am not thinking about that now. In fact I am so overwhelmed with grading, that that stuff is looking good now!)

We gotta have a meme

Okay, we can't cover blogging in our course without doing a meme.

THE RULES:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


I can't find the blog who tagged me now but if I do I will link to it. It was one of the ones I read regularly that said, "If you haven't done this yet then I tag you."

1. I broke my arm once because I forgot I was in a tree house and walked off the edge.

2. I have had 24 broken bones...and no I do not have soft bones and only two of them took place from the same accident.

3. I have traveled all over the world and lived in two countries other than the U.S.

4. I earned all the Junior Girl Scout badges.

5. I saw a ghost once and remembering it now still freaks me out.

6. I sing in the car when I drive, with the radio turned up really loud so I can't hear my own voice.

7. When I am feeling insecure I sometimes pull out my GRE scores and look at them.

I tag my students...and since all the other blogs I read have already done it I will have to stick with those six.

Early Vacation

My mind has left for Christmas vacation, even though I keep telling it that vaca doesn't start until next week. I started finals going strong. I had nicely spaced out all my assignment's so I wouldn't get hit with several big ones at once. My first day of finals, I followed my plan and went to Starbucks, and once *bucks had closed moved to IHOP. But I didn't go home until everything was graded and final grades entered into the computer. But the next day...the plan was the same but when I got the Panera bread to read my students final papers. I. Did. Not. Want. To. And there is only so much you can do to make yourself grade. You can make yourself sit down with the papers. You can make yourself hold them. You can even force your eyes over the words. But if your brain is unwilling to process the words, what can you do? So I have been circling the pile of papers since Wednesday. There aren't even that many. circle. circle. I am going to try to do half today and half tomorrow. Otherwise I will be panicking on Monday, trying to get ready for my next class and totally stressing out. IT'S NOT VACATION YET. Do you think my brain heard that?

How do you know it's finals week?

It's beginning to look a lot like finals........

1. You get in the shower and think, "When was the last time I was in here?"

2. You wake up and the clock says 11 and you don't know if that is a.m. or p.m.

3. You start having nightmares about forgetting to hand in grades for a class. (A variation on the student nightmare of forgetting you were taking a class.)

4. It's becomes evident that no one else knows where their shower is either.

5. Students compliment you on how well you're dressed because you have no clean clothes to wear and are stuck wearing you best things.

6. You forget how to spell and punctuate as well as the words to your favorite songs.

7. You start fantasizing about shopping in a busy crowded shopping mall and it looks GOOD to you.

8. Students you have never seen before show up in your office asking what they can do to improve their grade.

9. The people at Starbucks feel sorry for you because you spend so much time there working.

10. Getting free treats at Starbucks becomes the highlight of your day.

11. You are able to offer a thoughtful and incisive critique of Starbucks holiday drinks even though you misspell your own name.

Final thoughts.

What a professor feels like at finals.


What students think we feel like.

This ones for Miss Kitty at Educated & Poor

finals

Things are going pretty well as far as finals are going. I mean I have stuff I have to do but I have enough time to do it all. In fact, I believe I will achieve a goal I have only ever achieved one time before - grading my finals and submitting thier grades the day they take the exam. I can't help but think I have forgotten something important!

I do have a life

Turns out what I needed was not a life but a good nights sleep! (And thanks for the post about the value of both my life and a good nights sleep!) Friday I went up and helped my Dad decorate for Christmas and then he took me out to dinner. We walked around the neighborhood that night with our after-dinner coffee and looked at the neighbors lights. On the way home, I checked in with my friends who were at Starbucks grading and went over to hang with them. We closed the Starbucks and stayed outside talking for about an hour more. I thought on my way home how that day was answer to my previous post. I am so lucky to have my parents healthy and living close by. and that I have some good friends here and that I am even luckier to work with them so that I see them everyday and that going into work is like hanging out with friends. (Actually- it IS hanging out with friends). Today I went up to do the Victoria Park home tour which I have been wanting to do for years. It was well worth the effort to get up there in time (I had slept in a wee bit late - til 2pm!) I stopped by another friends house on the way back. Now I have my Christmas tree up (although not yet decorated) and I have some grading to do while watching Will & Grace. Life is pretty good.

hmmmm

Bloggedy blog blog blog. One thing that is becoming apparent as I blog about my life is that...well...I don't have one. Not that I don't do anything. In addition to...you know...work, today I went to a conference on leadership through the arts. It was actually quite a cool conference and I enjoyed it. And I had a table where I was selling my photos and I got quite a few complements. Didn't sell any, but I like a good ego stroking as well as the next person. But the conference was, after all, part of work. And last night I went to a literary magazine launch...in part because they were publishing some of my photos. And I really enjoyed it. But it was actually for work.

Now on a good day, I would say, "Isn't it great that part of my work is doing cool things like going to art conferences and literary launches." But today it just feels like...I don't have a life.

But that may well be due to the fact that the semester is ending and we all are a bit tired out. I do get to sleep late tomorrow (which is an exciting event in my life) and then I am going down to help my Dad decorate for Christmas and out to a tasty supper with him (Mom is out of town) so that should be fun. I'll check in tomorrow and see if a good night's sleep makes a life appear.


Meanwhile, another cute photo for your pleasure.<

There is no mercy shown from students (I wonder where they get that from) so here I am posting again lickity split.

Had much fun last night. I left work a bit early (4 p.m. - okay - that's way early for me) and met my parents and some friends for Christmas at Los Olas.

We had a tasty dinner (Big City Tavern) and wandered around looking at all the decorated stores, listening to the live music and soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.


I even bought a Christmas present. One down, 47 more to go!










When it got too crowded to have fun, we retired to the Starbucks in Wilton Manors and had tasty beverages and much good conversation.

Bad blogger

Bless me blogosphere for I have been a bad, bad blogger. It's been one week since my last posting.

You would think with the holiday that I would have MORE time to post but that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, I got distracted by holiday merriment (and some migraines) and next thing I knew a week had flown by and I hadn't posted a thing. I read recently in an article on what makes a good blog that you should post daily. While my students are only required to post twice a week, I think I will attempt daily postings. I am more likely to remember something I am supposed to do every day. Not necessarily more likely to DO it - but at least to remember it. And that's a start!




As my penance, I will post this totally cute picture for your amusement.

Fun Weekend

Well I am getting my second post of the week in by the skin of my teeth. I have been having a fun weekend and have no time to do any work. A friend of mine has been in town visiting. We have been having much fun hitting various art venues, parks, resteurants and doing some cooking. Let me clarify - he has been cooking - I have been eating!

I have returned

So I am back to blogging. My students are required to keep a blog and post at least twice a week in my media techno trends class so I guess it's only fair for me to hold myself to the same standard. I don't have much to say at this piont. I am more of a blog reader than a blog writer. But I enjoy reading my bogs every morning over coffee so much that I will endeavor to be as interesting or witty or insightful as those other writers are. Right now I am just writing to an empty universe so that makes it a bit of a challenge. Is this just a journal online or am I writing to someone?

Blog humor

Okay, if use the word blog in your blog and spell check - the blogger spell check program doesn't recognize it as a word! Technology....sheesh

Comments

Does anyone know if it is possible to reply to comments on the blog? When people make comments (and so few do which is a bummer) it would be nice to be able to post a reply so they know you're reading their comments and if they ask a question you can answer it. Does anybody know?

Why am I majoring in computer science

So I followed the teachers instructions to upload my movie and it doesn't work. I burned the movie using idvd and it doesn't work. The whole point of majoring in CIS is so that these things won't happen when I am more knowledgeable about the computer....But if the teacher doesn't know why it doesn't work...What are the chances I ever will? Am I just wasting my time...Cause I could major is something easy like communications! ;)

multiple posts

Crap- I need nine more postings. I thought I had done many more of than that. Maybe I was thinking of worrying about it rather than actually doing it! What have I learned? That I really hate writing. If I could just talk and blogger recorded what I said I could do this every day but writing it.....this may explain my lack of publications!

lame blogs

Since I had some free time in class after I uploaded my movie, I thought I would get caught up on reading other people's blogs. I have to say, most of them were totally lame. Several people haven't posted anything and others just a sentence or two. There were a couple where people did real posts. I enjoyed those ... it was interesting to hear other peoples perspectives about what we were doing in class. I even commented on a couple - but not all blogs allowed comments. A couple people uploaded graphics - those were nice.

End of the semester

What I have learned recently is that you might get older but you don't really change. It's the end of the semester and I am frantically trying to get everything done...just like when I was first an undergrad lo so many moons ago. I did learn today how to find files on my lap top. That is going to be a big help. It's amazing how one little piece of information can make such a big difference in your regular use of the computer.

Word

In the beginning was Word...Well actually in the beginning was screenwriter which was the word processing software I first learned on the Apple II. Man have times changed! I enjoyed the Word lecture...I learned several important things...The most significant was how to make the table lines reappear as that is something that irks me to no end...And how to make the columns isolated to one section of the paper. Very important tools. I didn't learn why the border always disappears off the bottom of the page...But then I didn't ask.

Movie Creation

imovie is fun. I particularly like it's possibilities for Christmas and birthday presents. Being an underpaid academic, I am always on the look out for low cost yet extremely cool, personal and appropriate gifts I can give to my family and friends. imovie offers great possibilities for that. And since these will not be posted on the internet, I can use illegal music to make it even more special and appropriate In fact, my movie for this class is a gift for my best friend. I am making a movie of photos from our various roadtrips of the last few years and putting them to a Jimmy Buffett song (because we go to the keys a lot!) Although we have gone to the mountains quite a bit also...Maybe I should be doing it to Country Roads? :)

40 more years slipped away

Well, the first thing I have learned is how accurate Jimmy Buffett is...as he says in He Went to Paris...time just slips away. Each week I keep meaning to post and I get caught up in different things and just this once, I put it off til the next class and now it's half way through the semseter and I havn't posted! YIKES.
Another thing I have learned, and this just recently, is that class starts at 1:40! Who knew? (Well, apparently everyone else) I thought it started at 1:55 whidh explains why I was late each day. grrrrr
But all kidding aside, I really have learned alot. I have been wanting to learn about podcasting for ages, and in fact include it in my own classes, and just havn't had the time what with all the emails n stuff. And now I know!