Closed off in this cave of mine.
A slave to glory, fortune, and time.
I squint my eyes to see
The too-bright screen staring back at me.
The dusk outside is calling me
To see with my eyes the closing day.
I pull back the blinds, I was correct
The sun is waving its last goodbyes,
And I nearly missed it, but for this work.
I nearly missed nature's calming wave,
Its reassurances as we fade into night.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Just Upload the Grading Rubric
What my teacher wrote:
Additional Comments on the Multicultural Authors Chart (Due in
Week 3)1) Information
on the chart comes from the stories assigned in the textbook only. We will
be reading many more stories than you can include on the chart.How do you
decide which stories to include? Choose stories you like or can relate to
in some way, but be sure you are satisfying the requirements of each
“category.”2) The
“Categories” column has 4 categories you are to consider: “Historical
Periods, “ “Geography,” “Social Issues,” and “Other” (authors’ biographies as
evidenced in the stories, dialogue, political or religious elements in the stories,
or writing style – YOUR CHOICE.) As you read the stories in the text, take
notes on which historical period is covered, what geography is represented,
which social issues are discussed and any other issue you find
(“other”).Keeping track of these specific elements in each story is important –
take notes!3) After
you have read a good number of stories (we have three week’s worth of stories
to consider by the end of Week 3 – a total of 18 stories), you will see in
your notes how different stories cover different historical periods,
different geography, different social issues, etc. START PAIRING
STORIES for the chart categories. The minimum number
of stories to be included on the chart is 8 (two stories per category). Don’t
use a story more than once if possible.4) For
the “Historical Periods” category, select TWO stories from the 18, each
representing a different historical period. In
the “Comments” column, record your observations, insights, about the stories –
compare/contrast them based on their historical periods.5) For
the “Geography” category, select TWO more stories from the 18, each
representing a different geographical
location. In the “Comments” column, write about how each location
is presented. What details / information does the author give and how does
the information help you “see” the place better?Does one story do a better job
than the other?6) For the “Social Issues” category, select
yet TWO more stories from the 18, each dealing with the same social issue. In
the “Comments” column, discuss how each social issue is covered – the attitudes
of the writers toward these issues and any other insights you gained by seeing
the issue through these writers’ eyes.7) Finally,
for the “Other” category, select TWO final stories from the 18 on whichever
basis you choose (authors’ biographies as evidenced in the stories, dialogue,
political or religious elements in the stories, or writing style.) In the
“Comments” column, compare/contrast how each issue or element is discussed . .
. or share any insights you have gained by looking at the stories together.Perhaps
the instructions from the Syllabus make more sense now…o The first pair of stories must represent different historical
periods, either of the setting of the plot or of the date of composition—for
example, one story from the 19th century and another from the late 20th
century.
8) To present your chart in Week 3, you will simply post a copy of it in a
thread I will create in Week 3, and we will discuss the charts as a class. I
AM NOT REQUIRING a PowerPoint presentation on this. The completed
chart will be sufficient. Make sure your “Comments” section on the chart
is clear and well-developed. I will grade the chart individually and
privately, and your score will be included in Week 3 feedback.
How
she could have written this more clearly and succinctly, thus not wasting my
time:
Fill
in the chart.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Pledge
I pledge to myself that as soon as I receive my idea, that I will run with it.
I will not push it off to the dusty recesses of my mind,
Along with all the other, "I'll do it laters."
No, I will process the idea immediately and begin to translate into the reality we see all around us.
I was driving through the city yesterday and was amazed.
Gas stations, flower beds, cars driving by. Each of these things was once an idea
That someone took and made a reality
Everything you see around you, do not take anything for granted.
You can produce reality if you have the balls to.
I will not push it off to the dusty recesses of my mind,
Along with all the other, "I'll do it laters."
No, I will process the idea immediately and begin to translate into the reality we see all around us.
I was driving through the city yesterday and was amazed.
Gas stations, flower beds, cars driving by. Each of these things was once an idea
That someone took and made a reality
Everything you see around you, do not take anything for granted.
You can produce reality if you have the balls to.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Afternoon Rainy Day Musings
I'm taking some time out of my day right now to make a blog post because I simply do not make enough of them. I want to make sure that I leave as many mementos as possible to remember this time in my life because I know what a treasure it is. I just started my English class yesterday. The reading that I have to do for it weighs on me, but I have already gotten most of it done and I feel a little better about it. Isn't it funny how we can build a task up in our minds as impossible until we just buckle down and do it? Suddenly it becomes manageable as your mind breaks it up into easier, manageable tasks. The power of the mind is overwhelming.
Andy and I cannot wait to get into our new house! It is all we think about, and the topic comes up quite a lot. We'll be hanging out, trying to keep our minds on something else when someone will blurt out, "I can't wait to get into the house!!!!" Emma keeps asking to go to Mommy and Daddy's house and I have to explain to her that someone else is living there and we can't go just yet. She is a good girl and is learning to be patient. Lizzie, in her own way, says, "House!!!"
I am enjoying this class more than I thought I would. What originally started as a class that I had no interest in, I am now looking forward to the reading. It reminds me of my days as a child when I was a voracious reader. I still love to read, but I hardly ever read fiction on my own. I feel like I am wasting time when there is so much "knowledge" to be gained in other types of literature. I think that as I get older I will be able to find more time for fiction, for there is a different type of value in well-written fiction.
I don't know if anyone reads this any more, and if you do, thank you! Emma and I just uploaded a video on Youtube that you can watch if you want. It's us seeing "See the Light" from Disney's Tangled. It's nothing fancy, just something we did on the fly. It's not percet, but I like the way it turned out. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGBk4TuYZs
Andy and I cannot wait to get into our new house! It is all we think about, and the topic comes up quite a lot. We'll be hanging out, trying to keep our minds on something else when someone will blurt out, "I can't wait to get into the house!!!!" Emma keeps asking to go to Mommy and Daddy's house and I have to explain to her that someone else is living there and we can't go just yet. She is a good girl and is learning to be patient. Lizzie, in her own way, says, "House!!!"
I am enjoying this class more than I thought I would. What originally started as a class that I had no interest in, I am now looking forward to the reading. It reminds me of my days as a child when I was a voracious reader. I still love to read, but I hardly ever read fiction on my own. I feel like I am wasting time when there is so much "knowledge" to be gained in other types of literature. I think that as I get older I will be able to find more time for fiction, for there is a different type of value in well-written fiction.
I don't know if anyone reads this any more, and if you do, thank you! Emma and I just uploaded a video on Youtube that you can watch if you want. It's us seeing "See the Light" from Disney's Tangled. It's nothing fancy, just something we did on the fly. It's not percet, but I like the way it turned out. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGBk4TuYZs
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Great Day
You know that Crest commercial that says, "Life opens up when you do?" I've known this is true for a long time, but it's funny that "trying" to open up at the wrong time just doesn't produce the results I wanted. Anyway, it was as simple as taking a walk.
It was gorgeous today. Upper 60s, sunny, everyone was out taking a stroll. We take a slightly different path than usual (you know how changing the little things can make things refreshingly happy?). We stop at our usual stopping place, when a runner comes out from behind us and pulls off at the same time. Awkward, I think, and slowly start walking away to give her her space. Apartment complex has these different "fit stations" along the way. Station 18 is a balance bar that the girls always like to walk on, so we make a point to stop there. Anyway, so I'm walking away when Emma starts saying, "Please don't go! I want to go there," and, who could say no to that? So I turn around, and we end up meeting the nicest girl. The runner was using an app called Global Cache where you can find things. She pulled out a tube from a hole in the wall, opened it, and there was a paper with people's names on it who had found the tube. She signed her name, and put it back, but not without showing Emma what she was doing first. It was like finding a secret treasure! She showed me the app and we talked about it for a little while, so cool that there are things like that!
Anyway, so she runs off eventually and then a mom with her 2 1/2 year old daughter walk on by. We start talking, too! (I must have been sending off "talk to me vibes" today - not complaining!) Turns out she is from Germany and she was friends with other moms from Europe, but they recently moved. :( We talked about how there really aren't any activities for moms and parents in our complex, all of the events seem steered towards the single crowd, which is interesting because I see a LOT of parents and small children walking around when we take our walks. She told me that she asked the management if they were planning on getting a playground or anything and was told that they weren't because they didn't want people who weren't living in the apartment complexes to use it. (?) That seems ridiculous to me, but I suppose if you're paranoid...
Anyway, so the kids will keep "sliding" down the wooden incline intended for crunches and walking on the balance beams.
Then the bird man came! The "bird man" is an older gentleman who dries corn kernels and brings a grocery bag full of them every day to feed the ducks, geese, and pigeons that live in our complex. He gives other people food. It's amazing how the birds will land on you and start eating out of your hand! He let me do this several times. Lizzie was laughing the whole time because he threw a bunch of kernels to where she was standing and the birds landed all around her. The pigeons were so graceful and synchronized. They would land, eat up the dropped kernels, and then, as if rehearsed, all take the sky in a loud cocphany of fluttering wings. They would fly in a circle around the gentlman, and then land together. They did this several times. I had a pigeon startle me because it landed on my shoulder from behind, so I didn't see it. It was amazing to just stand there and let these pigeons land on you and eat from your hand and to fly all around you. It took a little bit of courage and a lot of peace. There is something about letting other forms of life coexist with you peacefully. Pigeons aren't really something that I usually pay attention to a lot. Emma was a little scared of the birds, but she was playing with her little playmate "Eva" the entire time.
I later learned the name of the mom we had been talking to and whose daughter Emma had been playing with. It was Veronica. I hope to see her again. It was amazing how natural and seamless interacting with her was.
It was also amazing to see all the passer-byes who waved or said hello to the bird man. He is definitely a local celebrity!
It was gorgeous today. Upper 60s, sunny, everyone was out taking a stroll. We take a slightly different path than usual (you know how changing the little things can make things refreshingly happy?). We stop at our usual stopping place, when a runner comes out from behind us and pulls off at the same time. Awkward, I think, and slowly start walking away to give her her space. Apartment complex has these different "fit stations" along the way. Station 18 is a balance bar that the girls always like to walk on, so we make a point to stop there. Anyway, so I'm walking away when Emma starts saying, "Please don't go! I want to go there," and, who could say no to that? So I turn around, and we end up meeting the nicest girl. The runner was using an app called Global Cache where you can find things. She pulled out a tube from a hole in the wall, opened it, and there was a paper with people's names on it who had found the tube. She signed her name, and put it back, but not without showing Emma what she was doing first. It was like finding a secret treasure! She showed me the app and we talked about it for a little while, so cool that there are things like that!
Anyway, so she runs off eventually and then a mom with her 2 1/2 year old daughter walk on by. We start talking, too! (I must have been sending off "talk to me vibes" today - not complaining!) Turns out she is from Germany and she was friends with other moms from Europe, but they recently moved. :( We talked about how there really aren't any activities for moms and parents in our complex, all of the events seem steered towards the single crowd, which is interesting because I see a LOT of parents and small children walking around when we take our walks. She told me that she asked the management if they were planning on getting a playground or anything and was told that they weren't because they didn't want people who weren't living in the apartment complexes to use it. (?) That seems ridiculous to me, but I suppose if you're paranoid...
Anyway, so the kids will keep "sliding" down the wooden incline intended for crunches and walking on the balance beams.
Then the bird man came! The "bird man" is an older gentleman who dries corn kernels and brings a grocery bag full of them every day to feed the ducks, geese, and pigeons that live in our complex. He gives other people food. It's amazing how the birds will land on you and start eating out of your hand! He let me do this several times. Lizzie was laughing the whole time because he threw a bunch of kernels to where she was standing and the birds landed all around her. The pigeons were so graceful and synchronized. They would land, eat up the dropped kernels, and then, as if rehearsed, all take the sky in a loud cocphany of fluttering wings. They would fly in a circle around the gentlman, and then land together. They did this several times. I had a pigeon startle me because it landed on my shoulder from behind, so I didn't see it. It was amazing to just stand there and let these pigeons land on you and eat from your hand and to fly all around you. It took a little bit of courage and a lot of peace. There is something about letting other forms of life coexist with you peacefully. Pigeons aren't really something that I usually pay attention to a lot. Emma was a little scared of the birds, but she was playing with her little playmate "Eva" the entire time.
I later learned the name of the mom we had been talking to and whose daughter Emma had been playing with. It was Veronica. I hope to see her again. It was amazing how natural and seamless interacting with her was.
It was also amazing to see all the passer-byes who waved or said hello to the bird man. He is definitely a local celebrity!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Career Confusion
Ok... I am slightly freaking out at the moment. The reason? I don't know what career path to follow. I have been reading up on the 100 Best Jobs of 2012, 2013, the 10 Best Jobs of 2012 by a different magazine... blah blah blah. The bottom line is that the medical field and IT jobs will be getting a nice boost in the years to come. I looked into becoming a pharmacist, but it seems like the only School of Pharmacy nearby is Texas Tech and I have to go to some god-forsaken campus for the first two years, and then the Dallas-Fort Worth campus for the last two (I thought a Pharmacy School only had to be 2 years?) Plus, I would have to change my major from English to a science-related field which means most of the work I have done already will be wasted and I'll have to redo my pre-requisites = waste of time. It is a good job, though, once you finally get it. It has one of the highest median salaries. Unfortunately, the bachelor of pharmacy degree is no longer being offered. :(
Web developer. This tickles my fancy. It has the best of both worlds, creativity in a structured environment. I believe that my English skills and attention to detail could fit in this field. The cons are that to get a job you have to be pretty good at networking, and, let's be honest, I hardly know anyone where we are living right now. I think that if I could overcome this, though, it could be a very good job. I would also have to change my major from English to an IT related field. University of Phoenix offers an online degree in IT with a focus in Web Development, which would be perfect for me.
Bottom line - any of the jobs worth having have a steep training curve and I feel I am wasting time with an English degree, even though that is where my current aptitudes lie.
I just did a search for job prospects of a copywriter (what I was planning on doing with my English degree bc teaching is such a joke), and, guess what? That entire field will soon be extinct. Sold to the cheapest bidder in India. Great.
The entire point of me getting my degree online while the girls were young was so that I could stay at home with them while preparing for a career once they got in school. Right now, I am on a short path to teaching. No offense, but our society does not attract the cream of the crop to this profession, which is a real loss for our children. But, unfortunately, I cannot change society. Web development offers flexibility, but so does pharmacy. Web development, though, has the training in a format I can pursue.
We shall see what I choose. I really don't want to delay my degree another year by doing more pre-requisites, but I also don't want to be wishing I had done this in 2 years when I get my "worthless" English degree.
Web developer. This tickles my fancy. It has the best of both worlds, creativity in a structured environment. I believe that my English skills and attention to detail could fit in this field. The cons are that to get a job you have to be pretty good at networking, and, let's be honest, I hardly know anyone where we are living right now. I think that if I could overcome this, though, it could be a very good job. I would also have to change my major from English to an IT related field. University of Phoenix offers an online degree in IT with a focus in Web Development, which would be perfect for me.
Bottom line - any of the jobs worth having have a steep training curve and I feel I am wasting time with an English degree, even though that is where my current aptitudes lie.
I just did a search for job prospects of a copywriter (what I was planning on doing with my English degree bc teaching is such a joke), and, guess what? That entire field will soon be extinct. Sold to the cheapest bidder in India. Great.
The entire point of me getting my degree online while the girls were young was so that I could stay at home with them while preparing for a career once they got in school. Right now, I am on a short path to teaching. No offense, but our society does not attract the cream of the crop to this profession, which is a real loss for our children. But, unfortunately, I cannot change society. Web development offers flexibility, but so does pharmacy. Web development, though, has the training in a format I can pursue.
We shall see what I choose. I really don't want to delay my degree another year by doing more pre-requisites, but I also don't want to be wishing I had done this in 2 years when I get my "worthless" English degree.
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