It's a two-fer!

Yea. I haven't been on the blog in a long time...but it came up in a conversation, so here I am, writing a second post for the night! I was stumbling and came across Jim Carrey's website. It's a feast for the eyes so I was happily clicking around to watch things glow and move. Then I clicked on a link that opened Mr. Carrey's twitter page. I skimmed through it and thought, how funny it would be to read a Jim Carrey tweet. And then I felt dirty.

You see, I'm not fond of celebrity watching nor most of the celeb-reality shows out there. That is not to say I don't watch any reality TV. Oh no! Shows like Hoarders inspire me to live my life better. Survivor, American Idol, Project Runway, and The Amazing Race give me someone to cheer for. Oh sure, I went through a phase and read all the entertainment rags, watched The Osbournes, and obsessed forever about all things Bon Jovi, but I realized I would much rather live my life than watch someone else live theirs! Shows like Sweet Sixteen, Housewives of... series and The Kardashians don't hold my interest at all. I have absolutely no desire to watch their supposedly fab lives and their drama.

And that, quite simply, is why I decided not to follow Jim's tweets. He is a very funny man, and I'm sure his tweets would be giggle-worthy, but I just can't do it. There will be no celebrity tweets for me, thank you.

Love it!

Cutist damn library I've ever seen. I want one of my own. Who is going to donate a red brit-style telly booth for me to get started? I'll put it on the corner where my elm used to be, and you're welcome to visit it!

Reasons to be on your cell phone in class

• You spot a fire or other campus hazard that has not yet been reported.


• You are texting your personal banker about your plans to wire massive funds to your instructor's retirement fund.


• You have a rare hearing impairment that is rectified only through the use of Verizon's 3G network.

Any additions, dear readers?

eeeeEEEEKKK!

School is starting? ALREADY?

I've been "off the grid" in my own way this summer. Not much has happened on this blog, clearly. I have been avoiding Facebook and MySpace as well.

Now it is time to dust off the books, purge the emails, sort the files, edit & copy syllabi. I'm looking forward to getting into my new office space and getting all that set up. Time to refocus, re-energize, and get to work!

6 days. 40 in-car hours. 2400 miles. 8 states.

McKenna and I took our first summer road trip. We left Thursday and returned Tuesday. It was, overall, uneventful. We encountered tornadic weather near Kansas City, Missouri, and the Jeep quit just as I entered the exit ramp in Moorhead. Somewhere near Uniontown, in southern Indiana, the echoes of a 4-year old's meltdown are probably still reverberating in the trees and hills. But that was it.

States we drove through: ND, MN, WI, IL, IN, KY, MI, IA

We pretty much drove all day, got to a hotel, ate, swam and slept. Still, we drove by interesting places; the scenery around Louisville, Kentucky, is pretty. Fort Knox and the Patton museum sounded intriguing. In St. Louis, we drove around the Arch. St. Charles, Missouri is probably worth another look! In fact, St. Louis definitely looked like somewhere I would like to visit.

I highly recommend the KOA in Oak Grove, Missouri, as the cabin was super clean, the grounds inviting, and the people friendly. The Comfort Suites in Albert Lea also deserves a nod; i was quoted $98 a night for either a smoking/Queen room or a non-smoking/King. The gal at the desk then offered us the jacuzzi executive suite for the same price. However, when she printed the invoice, it was actually $84! Whoohoo!

1994-2009

As much as I grumbled about the cat in recent years, today was a sad day. Cody had to be put to sleep. We're still not sure how we'll break it to McKenna.

No title is forthcoming

I was cleaning the kitchen this morning and decided it was time to wipe down the fridge. Look for yourself:

McKenna has been practicing her smiley faces on our black fridge using Chalk Ink, one of the greatest inventions ever! I use it to make my shopping and to-do lists:

Generally getting to draw here keeps her occupied when I'm in the kitchen, and it can be wiped off pretty easily so she can start fresh each day. She often practices her name here as well, but clearly smiley faces were the them of this week. We're thrilled because she has not really seemed to like coloring in general.

The practice of letting our daughter doodle all over our fridge, however, has backfired. Twice. Once she took a permanent marker and wrote all over my mom's white fridge door. A few weeks later, she used crayon on her bedroom wall next to her bed. Both times, while we generally shook our heads in dismay and scrubbed like crazy, she cried in great distress because, in her words, we were erasing her "decorations." Oh, make that three time: she also "decorated" her pants with an ink pen.

Since then, though, she has learned to limit her decorations to the fridge, and we get to enjoy new colorful patterns and to watch her grow artistically.

Green Thumb

I do not have a green thumb. I have two houseplants I've kept alive for at least five years and one I've had for a little over a month (thanks, Jenyo). Today, however, with the help of the in-laws, we have a little garden patch in one corner of our backyard, tucked behind the hot tub. We have 20 strawberry plants, a row of corn, a row of carrots, 7 pepper plants, 4 or so cucumber plants, lil' pumpkins, a couple of beans, peas and tomato plants. We also planted a about a dozen perennials around the flowerbeds (2 sides of house anyways). The tulips on the south side are in bloom. We now only need to add wood chips to the beds and some under the tree by the garage, and that should be it for planting and landscaping this year. The weather was absolutely gorgeous as you know if you live in the F-M area. I hope you all got to soak up some rays today.

Front flower bed:

North side:

South side:

garden shot 1 (strawberries take up most of corner; start of corn and carrot rows that run along the fence are marked by the short trellis):

garden shot 2 (beans, peas, pepper, pumpkin and my clematis vines):

Part II

Tootsie under the lilac bushes. I love how they create a shaded archway for my old girl:
I have no idea what these are. It is the only surviving plant from the previous owners. It looks like a mini Vietnamese jungle, assuming I know what that might plausibly look like based on extensive movie viewing.

This is a snowball something or other shrub. I hope it perks up.

I love hostas. Low maintenance. Big Leaves. Simple.

Garish. That's why I picked this one:

Birth date of William Wordsworth

Happy Birthday to my favorite poet. The following poem has imagery appopriate for spring, and who couldn't use a little transcendentalism to start the day? This is the one that made me become an English major:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Close Encounters of the Wierd Kind

Because I have been somewhat distracted this past week, this morning I attempted to shake up my routine.

I don't have office hours on Tuesday mornings, but students tend to come in anyway. Normally this is desirable, as many have questions they need answered or just want to chit chat. I often come in Tuesdays to prep and grade anyway. Today, though, I had a stack of assignments I wanted to grade before my 11:30 class. I didn't want any distractions, but my office--a cubicle surrounded by a dozen other cubicles--does not have a door I can shut, which we all know is the universal signifier of "hey, these are not my office hours; I'm here to grade/prep or do other fascinating work." I knew it would be futile to work at my office, so I decided to find another place. I had the public library in mind as I set out at 8 this morning; however, I remembered that it does not open until 9.

On a whim, I decided to do my grading at a nearby restaurant, The Village Inn. I figured I'd get some breakfast, another highly unusual decision, and get some grading done at the same time. I do not usually like to go out to eat by myself, and I can probably count on one hand how many times I've done it, so I was definitely out of my routine.

After ordering my breakfast, I settled in with my stack of assignments and made quite a bit of progress before my food arrived. I ate, pausing now and then to grade another quiz, and was, in general, enjoying the productiveness of my morning. Then I glanced up and knew I was about to regret my earlier decisions.

A guy was standing next to my table. Not too close. He wasn't young nor too old. He wasn't an ogre, but he was hardly Hugh Jackman. He was...um...non-descript. Anyway, he smiled and said, "Do you watch Big Bang Theory?"

I politely said, "Sorry, no."

He laughed and said, "When I saw you I thought you were Leslie from Big Bang Theory."

"Nope. I've never heard of it. Sorry. I often get mistaken for someone else in town though; apparently I have a twin."

"Oh, no. Leslie probably lives in Southern California. But when I saw you, I thought what is Leslie doing in Fargo at a Village Inn?"

I give a small smile and shuffle my papers, clearly not knowing how to respond to this as i am just beginning to piece together that this is a TV show and that he might be a little unbalanced.

"Are you a regular here?" he asks.

"No. This is the first time I've been here in two years," I reply, fidgeting with my pen.

"I'm a regular. I come here a lot. I used to go to the Village Inn in Fargo, but I don't like what they've done with their steak and eggs, so now I come here."

I don't know what to say really. I want to give him a look that will send him scooting away, but I wasn't entirely sure it would register with him anyway. What comes out of my mouth is "Oh. Well, yea, I don't usually come here."

"You must be a teacher." (As I told this part to my colleague, she quips, "I would have been like 'OK, Perry Mason. You've done enough detective work for today.'" She cracks me up).

"Yep. I decided to come here this morning to get some grading done before class. It seemed pretty quiet."

"I work at ___ .I'm a ______" I will leave this a mystery to protect the not-so-innocent; well, let's just say it is computer-geeky and leave it at that."

"Oh."

"I suppose a teacher busy grading doesn't want any company," he says as he starts to turn away.

"Yea, I'm just wrapping it up here."

As he walks away, waving as if we are boon companions, he says something I didn't quite catch. All I heard was "Monday at 4." That must be when Big Bang Theory is on. Either that or we have a date.

I left the restaurant pleased with the amount of work I got done, but kind of disturbed by the unwanted attention.

Phi Theta Kappa

Our chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Beta Xi Zeta, is gearing up for a very busy semester! Our students have already mailed 350 letters to eligible members, have begun taking applications for new members, and staffed a booth in the commons for Student Organization Day.

In the next few weeks, we will hold two orientation session for prospective members, process more applications, organize an induction ceremony for new members, and plan our trip to Grapevine, Texas, for the annual international convention. We also have a Better World Books project in the works, and one of our students will receive recognition at a ceremony and luncheon for being selected for the All-MN Academic Team.

On top of all this, we need to hold two meetings a month, create an officer training session, find new officers, and organize engaging events/activities to fit our Honor's Study Topic and Service Project programming.

Flu Kitteh

As many of my students know, my house was visited by the Flu Kitteh two weekends ago. That cat is still takin' sips of my soda, I think. May you all escape his wrath.

Toddler's Thoughts

Today, my daughter, who will be four at the end of May, had two funny observations.



1. "Your eyes are very green, " she says as she chews her cheeseburger. She then adds, "Just like a pickle."



2. While discussing birthdays she comes up with these four thoughts one after another: "I like white cake. It is white like the snow. There could be snow on my cake. I like to eat snow."

I think she is pure poetry today.

Prairie Fire

I am co-editor of Prairie Fire, a campus anthology of student writing and art. I could not be more thrilled that, after numerous delays, the second edition is here! We are so excited to have a nice mix of short stories, poems, a speech, and art!

Students whose works were published in the anthology recieve a free copy, but it is also for sale in our campus bookstore. Isn't the cover lovely? It was created by Tabitha Andrews, one of MSCTC's graphic arts students. The layout was designed by our talented Kirsten Birst, another graphic arts student. Both put forth a lot of work to get this pulled together!

John Updike

Author John Updike passed away. Students in my online and hybrid ENGL 1102 courses have read his short story "A&P." The other section will be reading it soon. I had to read Run, Rabbit, Run in a novel course during my college years. Updike's unflattering depiction of Rabbit's wife, Jenny, was one of those descriptions that has stuck with me for years! I would quote it, but I do not have my copy here, and our library does not have one either! :(

Dissecting Literature

I really dislike the term "dissect" when students apply it to literature. A short story is composed of many parts: plot, characters, setting, etc. We can look at each element and appreciate how the author creates, manipulates, or portrays each part. We don't leave each part lying exposed on a table in a lab, though. What I want students to understand is that reading critically may require them to look at the parts, but the ultimate goal is to pull the parts of a story together to make the best sense of it. What good is it to discuss the characterization of Faulkner's Emily Grierson if we ignore the various settings that influence her character and our understanding of her situation?


A few weeks ago, a colleague who was preparing a "why do we need to read lit" sort of presentation for her own class asked me why I read. My immediate summary was "because it reaffirms what I already believe and it challenges me to explore new beliefs." I value both sides of that relationship. I don't want to be merely pat on the head and told I'm right all the time. I want to be challenged to think about issues in new, interesting ways. I'm dumbstruck whenever I'm confronted by others who are only interested in the head patting. Honestly, I often don't know what to do with these types.

Oh, and I don't have all the answers nor do I love all the literature we read in class. That's why I chose some of them!

No Frills

This weekend I was able to spend time with my mom, two sisters, niece and daughter in a cabin tucked away in Itasca State Park. We worked on our pictures and other various projects. This was all fun, but on the drive home I was thinking about my family and what I admire about each person. Many fine qualities pop into mind, but the one that I kept returning to over and over is that they are genuine. They are not obsessed with unnecessary frills. They are not high maintenance people, and this is a trait I value both in myself and in those around me.


Evidence of frills and excess abound. On my way to work yesterday, I was driving behind a Cadillac Escalade truck. It was, considering the amount of salty, dirty snow on the roads here, very pristine. The pearly white paint truly glistened in the early morning light. As we motored along, I wondered if the driver--a female--felt better about herself for driving that rig. Does she feel superior for having that particular truck and maintaining it in such a way? Is that what makes her happy? Honestly, maybe she doesn't think of it at all. I decided that even if I had the money to drop on an Escalade, I wouldn't want one. I've never driven one; it may have the best ride and amenities, but I don't want one just on principle. I am content to drive my little four-cylinder Compass, Blaze. She left a smudge of white road matter on my black pea jacket this morning. She is not high maintenance and we get a long fine. Truly, if I had the money right now, I would buy an older Jeep Wrangler before I bought anything else.


On such morning drives, I can't crank my music because my daughter is in the vehicle, so I have a lot of time to daydream on the way to "playschool." Yesterday, after the Escalade was out of sight, I started thinking about the uselessness, in general, of earrings. What is the deal with jewelry? In particular, have you considered the marketing for earrings? They are supposed to somehow frame our face or be an expression of our personality. If I don't wear them, then, do I have no personality? Have you ever heard of a girl who said her boyfriend/spouse asked her to dance or loved her because of her earrings? Probably not. I have a colleague who makes beautiful earrings, and I once picked out a lovely green pair, thinking how nice it would be to start wearing them again. I just can't seem to find time in the morning to remember to put on any jewelry. My sisters and mom also are not obsessed with jewelry. We don't typically get it for Christmas or Valentines. I currently have two quality necklaces: one pearl and one emerald. I have worn each only a handful of times. They will, however, one day be passed down to my daughter and that is reason enough for me to keep them.

Maybe all this stems from the fact that I hate shopping in general. I have not been to the mall since the weekend before Christmas. I don't have any plans to go there any time soon either. One reason is just that it's been too damn cold to go gallivanting about town, but primarily I just avoid those places at all costs. If I go shopping, it's pretty basic: I go straight for Eddie Bauer. Not frilly. Not excessive. I sometimes treat myself to something at Cold Water Creek (usually for school-related purchases), but that's once a year at most. Yep, take me to a thrift store or Kohls, and I am content.

Now, however, I have the urge to stop by the Boys' Ranch on my way home to see what kind of sweaters they have in stock. There are a few months left of winter, after all, and with the heat turned down in my office, I am in need of some thick, woolly warmness.

Random Reading

I was reminded today that I haven't posted in awhile. Since I taught 1102 tonight, reading is on my mind. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to read for pure entertainment lately. As the semester started, I was sort of shuffling between two books: Bliss by O.Z. Livaneli and Mayada, Daughter of Iraq by Jean Sasson. I haven't had time to finish either, though both are intriguing. I have been focusing on related readings for awhile.

Today, my mom gave me a book called by Immaculee Ilibagiza called Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. There is also a DVD, The Diary of Immaculee. I could barely watch Hotel Rwanda, so I'm not sure how much I look forward to reading this, but it's important, so I will. Just a few other books I have lined up:

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlossser
Affluenza (have skimmed snippets already) by John DeGraff, David Wann, & Thomas Naylor
Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David Shipler

The good news is that some of these also relate to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor's Study Topic and could be incorporated into our chapter activities. The bad news? Well, I probably won't get to these until summer!

Blogs

After some minor obstacles with invitations not going through, my students are getting on the course blogs and posting practice messages. Yay!

This semester, I have four classes out of five using blogs:

College Writing II Online (using them as a step up from journal writing; not quite as formal as an essay).

College Writing II On Campus (using them for journal writing)

College Writing II Accelerated/Hybrid (same as the online course)

College Writing I On Campus (mostly as journals, various short assignments such as topic proposals possibly).