OK, so the title is a bit hyperbolic.
Here's the setup. A friend on Facebook recently opined that she misses blogging, and her circle of blogging friends (of which I am happy to say I am a part). But she also challenged us--let's get back to blogging. (Here's a link to her blog....heh heh, that will get her back to blogging!)
Another Facebook friend, and blogger (her blog) threw down the proverbial gauntlet by providing a prompt to get us bloggers back to blogging. The prompt: think and write about why we STARTED blogging in the first place.
So, here goes.
The first several blogs that I wrote were about a trip my husband and I took to Spain, in 2006. By beginning to blog, I took a new approach to the traditional travel journal. I try to write a journal on any long vacation trip, to capture some of what we saw and did, and to save place names and events so I can identify photos. Blogging provided a nice intersection of the two--write about it, and show some pictures of the trip.
Very quickly, my blog became a vehicle for writing about my childhood, my family, my past.
Writing is a bit like breathing for me. I majored in English Literature in college, and loved READING (the companion of writing). I spent the first 8 years and the last 7 years of my working life teaching college composition. So I cherish writing. Grammar matters to me. Knowing how to craft a well-written sentence matters to me. Knowing how to write in different tones--formal, informal, narrative, humorous, etc--matters to me.
When I was teaching writing, students would ask--how do I get started in writing? That was always a tough question for me to answer, because as soon as my fingers touch the keyboard, the words start flowing.
Now, given that free-flowing of words, you might wonder why has my blogging slowed down. I have not stopped blogging, but I acknowledge I have ... shall we say, slowed down. Oh, lots of reasons. Part of it I explained in the blog post immediately preceding this one. Part of it just plain being distracted. Too many frittery things to do--read Facebook, played Scrabble or Words with Friends, play a game or two of Free Cell, take photos, walk the dog, work in the flower garden. And on and on.
But I am up for the challenge--so there you have it. I write because I must. And I began writing my blog because...well, because it seemed more accessible than writing a book.
By the way, I can guarantee that those of us who want to get back to blogging won't run out of prompts. I have a whole file full of them from when I was teaching!
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2016
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
On This Day
I love the Writer's Almanac. While it can be heard daily on NPR, I usually miss that brief broadcast, so a while back, I signed up for daily emails. Now, I get a dose of poetry and a reminder of some noteworthy event or birthday each day.
Yesterday, for example, I learned that July 19, 1848 was the day that the first women's rights convention was convened in Seneca Falls, New York. While women in the U.S. at that time did not have the right to vote, could not serve on juries, were barred from most institutions of higher learning, generally could not work outside the home, and in most things were entirely bound by their husbands in any decision, the Seneca Falls convention is regarded as the beginning of the women's "liberation" movement.
On the same day, but centuries earlier, in 1692, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes were hanged for witchcraft. While the Salem witch trials have been much debated in history, one thing emerges with clarity--too many of the victims were women who had been marginalized in early colonial life in Salem.
Yesterday, for example, I learned that July 19, 1848 was the day that the first women's rights convention was convened in Seneca Falls, New York. While women in the U.S. at that time did not have the right to vote, could not serve on juries, were barred from most institutions of higher learning, generally could not work outside the home, and in most things were entirely bound by their husbands in any decision, the Seneca Falls convention is regarded as the beginning of the women's "liberation" movement.
On the same day, but centuries earlier, in 1692, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes were hanged for witchcraft. While the Salem witch trials have been much debated in history, one thing emerges with clarity--too many of the victims were women who had been marginalized in early colonial life in Salem. See why I like the almanac? How else might I have known about the serendipitous confluence of the opening of the first women's right convention and the Salem witch trials? The shared date provides an occasion to contemplate an aspect of society: the role of women in society. True, there is no other link other than the date between these events. Yet, in content, there is a connection.
One of the assignments that I have used with my students in writing involves me telling them a story. I tell them that on February 13, 1945, Allied planes took off bound for Germany. Their mission was to bomb Dresden, which up to that point in the war had escaped being bombed. By the time the bombing raids were done, two days later, Dresden had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Some 1,300 bombers took part in the bombing, 3,900 tons of bombs were dropped, 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) lay in ruins destroyed by the fire storm caused by the bombing, and some 25,000 people were killed.
One of the assignments that I have used with my students in writing involves me telling them a story. I tell them that on February 13, 1945, Allied planes took off bound for Germany. Their mission was to bomb Dresden, which up to that point in the war had escaped being bombed. By the time the bombing raids were done, two days later, Dresden had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Some 1,300 bombers took part in the bombing, 3,900 tons of bombs were dropped, 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) lay in ruins destroyed by the fire storm caused by the bombing, and some 25,000 people were killed.
About this point in my retelling, I pause and ask students why I am telling them this story. I never get the actual answer. The reason, I tell them, is because that day--February 13, 1945--is also the exact day on which I was born.
Now, I tell them, your writing assignment is to do some research and find out what IMPORTANT historical event occurred on the day you were born. Hmmm--it's always an interesting assignment. Some students get into it completely; others root out some rock star event and ask if that is "important" enough. Um, no.
So, why on this day? Well, not of earth-shaking significance, I grant you, but 4 years ago, I wrote my first blog. I'll give it another whirl for a year.
Cheers, all!
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Painting of Witch Hill by Thomas Slatterwhite Noble, and photo of bombed Dresden from Wikipedia. Both are under the Creative Commons reproduction license.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Creating Community
When I began blogging more than 3 years ago, I was thrilled to find an outlet for my yearning to write. As an English major in college, and now as a teacher of English composition to college freshmen, I am an enthusiastic advocate of writing. It is, after all, one of the principle ways whereby we humans have retained history.
In the space of the last three years, I have probably written a book's worth of thoughts. And I am profoundly grateful for the few readers I have, who stop by here and who occasionally leave a comment.
What I had not expected to find is a community of friends. Now, I am sure somewhere there is a sociologist who is cautioning my presumption that I can find communal solidarity with people whom I have never met. But I do.
Years ago, there was a wonderful sitcom--Barney Miller. Maybe you remember it.
I recall one show where a very distraught woman came into the police station. She proceeded to tell the officers about scenes of domestic violence and mayhem that she had witnessed. They probed, and after a bit it became very clear that what she was watching was not a window, but the television. She had mistaken an earlier version (TV) of cyber reality for ACTUAL reality.
That episode is at the back of my mind as a kind of caution for me not to confuse virtual cyber community with face-to-face community. But, I still care about the people I have met through blogging (and, of late, through Facebook).
Just as with our close-by friends, our cyber friends can be open and sharing. People whose blogs I read, and who read mine, know some of what I am involved with. For example, my blogging friend Philip knows I teach--so he sent me a very interesting article on the dangers of over-using computers in the classroom.
Or, I can share with my blogging friend Christine our mutual love of elephants, and support for the wonderful place The Elephant Sanctuary.
These are just two small examples of how we share communally through cyber-space.
And then, today, I received a comment on a blog that I had written so long ago I had quite forgotten it. Entitled Unauthorized Stories, I had written about telling tales on my children--who then called me on telling the tales. This comment came from a new reader--here, you can read what Curtis said.
In the space of the last three years, I have probably written a book's worth of thoughts. And I am profoundly grateful for the few readers I have, who stop by here and who occasionally leave a comment.
What I had not expected to find is a community of friends. Now, I am sure somewhere there is a sociologist who is cautioning my presumption that I can find communal solidarity with people whom I have never met. But I do.
Years ago, there was a wonderful sitcom--Barney Miller. Maybe you remember it.
I recall one show where a very distraught woman came into the police station. She proceeded to tell the officers about scenes of domestic violence and mayhem that she had witnessed. They probed, and after a bit it became very clear that what she was watching was not a window, but the television. She had mistaken an earlier version (TV) of cyber reality for ACTUAL reality.
That episode is at the back of my mind as a kind of caution for me not to confuse virtual cyber community with face-to-face community. But, I still care about the people I have met through blogging (and, of late, through Facebook).
Just as with our close-by friends, our cyber friends can be open and sharing. People whose blogs I read, and who read mine, know some of what I am involved with. For example, my blogging friend Philip knows I teach--so he sent me a very interesting article on the dangers of over-using computers in the classroom.
Or, I can share with my blogging friend Christine our mutual love of elephants, and support for the wonderful place The Elephant Sanctuary.
These are just two small examples of how we share communally through cyber-space.
And then, today, I received a comment on a blog that I had written so long ago I had quite forgotten it. Entitled Unauthorized Stories, I had written about telling tales on my children--who then called me on telling the tales. This comment came from a new reader--here, you can read what Curtis said.
Well, such a thing could only happen in this cyber community. I can't imagine someone I have never met overhearing a conversation I might be having--and then stepping up to say what Curtis said. Face to face, we simply don't do such a thing. But this space--cyber-space--allows us to make connections--to create community--in ways that we cannot or will not do face to face.I stumbled upon your website through trying to find the words to Crosby, Stills and Nash's song, Teach Your Children Well. How I got here, only the good Lord knows but it has been a delight to me. Reading this story reminded me of being with my son two weeks ago (he is my baby and is 34) and going through a divorce. Telling him of how important my wife, his step-mon, is to me and that she has been really the only mom to him. I played the song of Foster and Allen "After All These Years." After listening politely, he said matter of factly "That's nice."
I realized he is not in the same place I am. When his children were toddlers, he said to me, "Dad, I am glad you have grandchildren because now, in your sermons, you will give me some rest. I assured him that was not the case, I only had more unauthorized stories.
Thank you for your blog, Peace, Curtis
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Drum Roll. . .Please
When I began writing this blog in the summer of 2006, I had no particular destination in mind. The first item that I posted was part of my travel journal from our trip taken that year to Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
We have gone on a trip to Europe almost every year, since 1997. On our first trip, to the UK, I wrote a daily travel journal, and have kept up the practice on every trip since that one. At first, I used the journal to accompany photos that I carefully placed in albums when we returned home. Now, with digital cameras, and blogs, I have used the travel journals as a basis for blog material.
So, I started blog writing with no particular destination in mind. What has come of this venture? I am grateful for any audience that I have, but if I really try to decide who I intend my writing for, I would probably say "my children." Notes from Mother sort of thing. And of course I write for the sheer pleasure of writing.
Now, here is the drum roll part. This post is my 400th. Along the way to no particular destination, I discover I have written the equivalent of a book. Oh, the joy of writing. And of course that is exactly what I am writing for--the joy.
Blogging has given me an outlet for writing, and it provides a kind of discipline. Writers write--and having a place to share that writing helps give me the impetus to keep writing. And blogging has introduced me to various wonderful people--my fellow bloggers. I can't read every blog ever written, so I have settled on a circle of people with like interests. It's a great little cyber community.
So, to celebrate my blogging milestone, I hereby announce my intention to repay the "Pay it Forward" challenge that I responded to when fellow blogger Ruthie asked her readers if they wanted to participate. I gleefully said--me, me.
And, about a month ago, a lovely hand-made treasure arrived in the mail. Made by Ruthie's hand (she is a knitting fiend), it is so gorgeous I scarcely can think of actually
wearing it. But I will--come winter. That was Ruthie's Pay it Forward gift to me. You can read about what she received here. 
Now, dear reader, here is where you come in. I make the same pledge--here are the "rules" as Ruthie stated them: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days; that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
There are no restrictions on who can respond--friends, family, anyone who wishes to. I will be in touch with you.
We have gone on a trip to Europe almost every year, since 1997. On our first trip, to the UK, I wrote a daily travel journal, and have kept up the practice on every trip since that one. At first, I used the journal to accompany photos that I carefully placed in albums when we returned home. Now, with digital cameras, and blogs, I have used the travel journals as a basis for blog material.
So, I started blog writing with no particular destination in mind. What has come of this venture? I am grateful for any audience that I have, but if I really try to decide who I intend my writing for, I would probably say "my children." Notes from Mother sort of thing. And of course I write for the sheer pleasure of writing.
Now, here is the drum roll part. This post is my 400th. Along the way to no particular destination, I discover I have written the equivalent of a book. Oh, the joy of writing. And of course that is exactly what I am writing for--the joy.
Blogging has given me an outlet for writing, and it provides a kind of discipline. Writers write--and having a place to share that writing helps give me the impetus to keep writing. And blogging has introduced me to various wonderful people--my fellow bloggers. I can't read every blog ever written, so I have settled on a circle of people with like interests. It's a great little cyber community.
So, to celebrate my blogging milestone, I hereby announce my intention to repay the "Pay it Forward" challenge that I responded to when fellow blogger Ruthie asked her readers if they wanted to participate. I gleefully said--me, me. And, about a month ago, a lovely hand-made treasure arrived in the mail. Made by Ruthie's hand (she is a knitting fiend), it is so gorgeous I scarcely can think of actually
wearing it. But I will--come winter. That was Ruthie's Pay it Forward gift to me. You can read about what she received here. 
Now, dear reader, here is where you come in. I make the same pledge--here are the "rules" as Ruthie stated them: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days; that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
There are no restrictions on who can respond--friends, family, anyone who wishes to. I will be in touch with you.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
It Takes a Village.. . .
This post reflects my thoughts on the degree to which blogging creates a kind of community. Oh, I know that blogging should not take the place of being in contact with friends day to day. And, of course, blogging should not take the place of face to face conversation, just as email should not take the place of personal contact.
But, let's be honest, cyber communication has changed the way we communicate. When was the last time you sat down and wrote a LETTER? OK--Christmas letters don't count. Email has made written communication a daily thing, but a very different thing than a century ago.
Even telephoning has changed. True--most of us have cell phones, but depending on your age, you aren't using that phone to make CALLS--please--you are using it to text your friend. Oh, make that--txt ur bff.
(No wonder it is getting more difficult to teach students to write.)
Anyway, what got me cogitating upon the nature of community is that I find blogging has created a cyber community. No, I am claiming no cutting edge observation here--no doubt sociologists are already written doctoral dissertations on how people connect even in a wired way.
First, we have our cyber friends--I, like many people who blog, try to check up on my cyber friends periodically. As we read about their lives and observations, we begin to care about them.
Second, we become invested in their lives. Over this past year, I have worried about the health of cyber friends--Pam, and Cathy. I have mourned when Mary lost a family member. I have thrilled with good news from Delia.
I have gone hunting with Ruthie, traveled with Julie and Ginnie, watched AC play with his first grandchild, smiled at Laura's stories of Luka's antics.
I have been inspired by the gentle words of Nina, by the great work Beth does, by Tom's inspirational teaching of youth, and by Jean's loving devotion.
I could go on. . .there are many other blogging friends who I have not mentioned who are no less interesting, inspiring, adventurous, courageous, and caring. Some of them are along the sidebar of my blog.
And now I am worrying about Philip--usually a loquacious poster, he has been silent for nearly two weeks. I find myself checking his blog every day, even though I have signed up as "following" him, so I get notices if he posts. His silence is uncharacteristic. I hope all is well.
So, it takes a village--a cyber village, sometimes, as well as a literal village.
John Donne captured it is his famous meditation XVII--
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
We are all part of the main.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
'Tis a Puzzlement
I suppose I am like many bloggers--I am curious to know who reads my blog. When I first began writing it, I intended to record observations, musing, even mumblings on various subjects. I expected that my family might be the readers--although there is no requirement that they read it. I also began reading other blogs, and commented on some. These people were kind enough to return the favor, and so began the creation of a small corner in the cyber community.
I deeply appreciate all those who read my blog, and even comment from time to time. I find blogging has forced me to hone my writing skills, which is an all together good thing when you teach English!
Perhaps in a stroke of vanity, or just plain curiosity, after a bit of time blogging, I added a site meter. I check it from time to time, mostly out of curiosity. But lately I have been noticing something totally strange. I first caught on to my observation when I clicked on the "world map" feature. I thought it would be fun to see where those who read my blog live. What I found really surprised me. I had readers in U.S. and Canada--no surprise there. I have one faithful reader in England. And then I noticed--I have a reader in Indonesia, in Singapore, in Taiwan, in China, in India, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Germany, in Italy. What on the earth is going on?
Since I just can't imagine that I have attracted readers in all these countries, I next clicked on "views by entry pages." And, while that gave me more information, it deepened the mystery. Out of the last 100 people to visit my blog, almost 50 have looked at one page: The Mouth of the Lion.
Well, I can't figure it out. Why on the earth would people around the world be looking at that entry. They are looking at the images there. So I scratch my head and try to figure it out. Are people consumed with curiosity over what a lion's mouth might look like? Do they all want to see dandelions (dent de lion, French for tooth of the lion)? Or is it some weird code for who knows what?
As I said, 'tis a puzzlement.
I deeply appreciate all those who read my blog, and even comment from time to time. I find blogging has forced me to hone my writing skills, which is an all together good thing when you teach English!
Perhaps in a stroke of vanity, or just plain curiosity, after a bit of time blogging, I added a site meter. I check it from time to time, mostly out of curiosity. But lately I have been noticing something totally strange. I first caught on to my observation when I clicked on the "world map" feature. I thought it would be fun to see where those who read my blog live. What I found really surprised me. I had readers in U.S. and Canada--no surprise there. I have one faithful reader in England. And then I noticed--I have a reader in Indonesia, in Singapore, in Taiwan, in China, in India, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Germany, in Italy. What on the earth is going on?
Since I just can't imagine that I have attracted readers in all these countries, I next clicked on "views by entry pages." And, while that gave me more information, it deepened the mystery. Out of the last 100 people to visit my blog, almost 50 have looked at one page: The Mouth of the Lion.
Well, I can't figure it out. Why on the earth would people around the world be looking at that entry. They are looking at the images there. So I scratch my head and try to figure it out. Are people consumed with curiosity over what a lion's mouth might look like? Do they all want to see dandelions (dent de lion, French for tooth of the lion)? Or is it some weird code for who knows what?
As I said, 'tis a puzzlement.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
We Interrupt this Series. . .
I was going to do another post on the problem of suffering (in fact, I have part of it written and ant-like stowed away), but another matter has grabbed my attention.
For all those of us who have pondered from time to time what can come of blogging, here's a wondrous use of blogs. While speaking with our daughter today (yes, we get to have regular phone conversations with her with she is in the UK. . .technology is wonderful), she mentioned that her fiancé is enjoying the blog of the woman who outed the White House plagiarist. The news broke in the NY Times on March 1, 2008 when the blog site Nancynall.com uncovered the story about Tim Goeglein, of late an advisor in the Bush Administration in the White House. The blogger's name is Nancy Nall, and she had been reading Mr. Goeglien's guest columns in her home town newspaper, and. . .oh, it gets complicated. Read the Times story here.
I absolutely loved this story. Here's Nancy's blog entry uncovering the plagiarism. I read through her account with something close to envy. You see, every semester I try and try to impress upon my students the need for absolute academic integrity. I use several examples of famous people who have been accused of plagiarizing--e.g. accusations made against J. K. Rowling (settled in her favor), against Doris Kearns Goodwin (who indicated that the plagiarism had been inadvertent due to a careless assistant), and against Stephen Ambrose (proven). I even used an essay for a while written by Anna Quindlen about Wayne Newton plagiarizing her, until the students said--who's Wayne Newton, so I abandoned that example. The latter instance caused me to write a blog about the generational discovery that people famous to me are not famous to my students, thereby losing any hope of impressing on them the ubiquity of plagiarism.
I had another recent personal experience where someone whom I know plagiarized in his professional capacity. When it was discovered, the plagiarizer lost his job (just as did Tim Goeglein). But, in a larger conversation talking with people who were affected by the person plagiarizing, one young woman said--what's the big deal; people borrow stuff from other people ALL THE TIME. My response--it is a big deal. At the very least, it is intellectually dishonest; at the worst it is stealing.
And now, we have Nancy Nall and her marvelous research uncovering the plagiarism of Tim Goeglein. The best part of this whole story for me is that the news was first published in a blog, and THEN picked up by the New York Times. Oh, there is some small measure of justice in the world.
So, for all those of you who wonder at the rewards of blogging, remember Nancy Nall. And take your hat off to her, and give her an "atta girl." Nancy, you rule!
For all those of us who have pondered from time to time what can come of blogging, here's a wondrous use of blogs. While speaking with our daughter today (yes, we get to have regular phone conversations with her with she is in the UK. . .technology is wonderful), she mentioned that her fiancé is enjoying the blog of the woman who outed the White House plagiarist. The news broke in the NY Times on March 1, 2008 when the blog site Nancynall.com uncovered the story about Tim Goeglein, of late an advisor in the Bush Administration in the White House. The blogger's name is Nancy Nall, and she had been reading Mr. Goeglien's guest columns in her home town newspaper, and. . .oh, it gets complicated. Read the Times story here.
I absolutely loved this story. Here's Nancy's blog entry uncovering the plagiarism. I read through her account with something close to envy. You see, every semester I try and try to impress upon my students the need for absolute academic integrity. I use several examples of famous people who have been accused of plagiarizing--e.g. accusations made against J. K. Rowling (settled in her favor), against Doris Kearns Goodwin (who indicated that the plagiarism had been inadvertent due to a careless assistant), and against Stephen Ambrose (proven). I even used an essay for a while written by Anna Quindlen about Wayne Newton plagiarizing her, until the students said--who's Wayne Newton, so I abandoned that example. The latter instance caused me to write a blog about the generational discovery that people famous to me are not famous to my students, thereby losing any hope of impressing on them the ubiquity of plagiarism.
I had another recent personal experience where someone whom I know plagiarized in his professional capacity. When it was discovered, the plagiarizer lost his job (just as did Tim Goeglein). But, in a larger conversation talking with people who were affected by the person plagiarizing, one young woman said--what's the big deal; people borrow stuff from other people ALL THE TIME. My response--it is a big deal. At the very least, it is intellectually dishonest; at the worst it is stealing.
And now, we have Nancy Nall and her marvelous research uncovering the plagiarism of Tim Goeglein. The best part of this whole story for me is that the news was first published in a blog, and THEN picked up by the New York Times. Oh, there is some small measure of justice in the world.
So, for all those of you who wonder at the rewards of blogging, remember Nancy Nall. And take your hat off to her, and give her an "atta girl." Nancy, you rule!
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Rate This Blog
Hmmmm--while cruising around some blogs site, I came upon a feature called Rate This Blog--as in movie ratings.
You know me, I am always curious about such little online ratings. You can discover what kind of book you are, what kind of bird, flower, song, etc.
You can discover the IQ of your blog (or your readers? which was it?).
So, I clicked on the Rate This Blog button, and I learned that my blog is:
You know me, I am always curious about such little online ratings. You can discover what kind of book you are, what kind of bird, flower, song, etc.
You can discover the IQ of your blog (or your readers? which was it?).
So, I clicked on the Rate This Blog button, and I learned that my blog is:
I was mildly bemused by that, but then just underneath the rating was the explanation.
In the however many blogs the little rating machine "read," it found three references to DEATH and one to GUNS. Really? That's why "Parental Guidance" is needed to read my blog?
Well, I think I will just have to label this blog "guns and death" just to increase my blog rating.
I suppose all those blogs labeled "recipes" or "soup" didn't help either. Speaking of soup, I am taking a break until after the holidays. I have an inkling that those of you who are preparing food right now are NOT making soup, but rather baking cookies.
Closing note: if you decide to rate your blog, and if you cut and paste the HTML text to include in your blog--beware. As with some previous snippets of code that I have used, this one includes a tag line to direct you to a site for "cash advance." Why do these sites have to try to sneak unwanted ads in? I just snipped it out.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
A Reader in Search of a Book
Did you hear the drum roll when you opened this blog? (Not really, just a metaphorical drum roll!) Well, that was in recognition of my 200th blog entry!
That's right--200 blog entries.
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Do you remember that play Six Characters in Search of an Author? Well, I have a variation on that title—I am a reader in search of a book.
Today, I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and now I am roaming the house looking for my next book to read. That search should prove fruitful as we have at least 500 books in the house! Many of them I have already read, but there are a few I bought and squirreled away for future reading. It’s just a matter of my deciding what kind of a reading mood I am in.
Memoirs of a Geisha is an unusual book. Set in Kyoto, Japan, just before the start of World War II, and then continuing into the 1960s or thereabouts, the novel gives you a glimpse into the highly ritualized stylized world of old-style geishas. The plot line of the novel is frequently chatty, shimmering on the surface. I found myself interested but not really invested on the lives of the characters. Thankfully, the novel was a quick read—contrast that to Simon Winchester’s A Crack at the Edge of the World, about the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Winchester is my kind of author, though I tend to be exhausted after reading one of his works.
So, now what do I want? Do I want something meaty? Something that will stir my blood? Or a good mystery read that engages my brain? Or a wonderful friendly novel that puts me in the mood for a cup of tea? What to choose, what to choose?
Watch the right hand side to see what I am currently reading, and you will know what I chose.
That’s all for now, dear blog friends. The semester is winding down, and in one week I will get some 40 research papers to read. And in a week after that, I will have the final exams to grade. THEN, and only then, I will be able to give you the sequels on some of the people you met from my classes—e.g. Ms. Mac Cheese.
Today, I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha, and now I am roaming the house looking for my next book to read. That search should prove fruitful as we have at least 500 books in the house! Many of them I have already read, but there are a few I bought and squirreled away for future reading. It’s just a matter of my deciding what kind of a reading mood I am in.
Memoirs of a Geisha is an unusual book. Set in Kyoto, Japan, just before the start of World War II, and then continuing into the 1960s or thereabouts, the novel gives you a glimpse into the highly ritualized stylized world of old-style geishas. The plot line of the novel is frequently chatty, shimmering on the surface. I found myself interested but not really invested on the lives of the characters. Thankfully, the novel was a quick read—contrast that to Simon Winchester’s A Crack at the Edge of the World, about the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Winchester is my kind of author, though I tend to be exhausted after reading one of his works.
So, now what do I want? Do I want something meaty? Something that will stir my blood? Or a good mystery read that engages my brain? Or a wonderful friendly novel that puts me in the mood for a cup of tea? What to choose, what to choose?
Watch the right hand side to see what I am currently reading, and you will know what I chose.
That’s all for now, dear blog friends. The semester is winding down, and in one week I will get some 40 research papers to read. And in a week after that, I will have the final exams to grade. THEN, and only then, I will be able to give you the sequels on some of the people you met from my classes—e.g. Ms. Mac Cheese.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Joy of Cooking
From the title of this post, you might not realize that this is intended to celebrate my one year anniversary of blogging. (Drumroll heard distantly in the background!) But it is. Exactly one year ago today, we had just returned from our vacation in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Since I had for the past ten years written a travelogue of our trips and accompanied those with photographs, it seemed like a natural: combine something I am already doing with a new medium. Hence my first five blogs were about that trip.As this year of blogging has gone by, I find what I most enjoy in blogging is really akin to cooking. Mix a bit of this with a bit of that, stir in a couple other ingredients, cook it a bit, and see what comes out! Now, I could have used the analogy of weaving—blogging is like weaving a fabric: select these yarns, mix with other colors, etc. But that would have been silly, since I really do want to write about cooking.
The first recollections I have of doing anything with cooking were in the kitchen at Matopo Mission. We had an honest-to-goodness wood cookstove there. While I didn’t really do much cooking, I did help my mother and sometime the African house girls with some chores. But I always enjoyed telling people I learned to cook on a wood cookstove! (Here’s a scary aside—when I went looking for an image of such a stove on the Internet, one site that came back was called End Times, a group that is preparing for apocalyptic living when all of civilization breaks down—well, it is comforting to know that I will know how to cook then.)
Photo of wood cookstove from
The next phase of learning the joy of cooking came from the aunt I lived with during my parents’ time in Africa, while I stayed in the US. My aunt was an excellent cook, and specialized in pastries. She made the best pie dough, and taught me how—although I am not sure that is quite accurate for two reasons: 1) my mother was also an excellent pie maker, and I am sure I learned some tricks from her, and 2) making pie dough is something you can just do or not! This aunt also taught me how to make Scottish shortbread, which has become a family tradition for Christmas time. I make batches of shortbread and give them to my children, to my dad and step-mom, to friends, and I mail them to my brother and to my sister.
My learning to cook took a giant leap forwards when I landed what was then the highest paying student job on campus when I was a college student—I was the weekend cook. I attended what was at that time a very small college—since many students went away on weekends, there were usually not more that 200 students on campus for weekends. But, I was in charge of planning and preparing three meals on Saturday and three meals on Sunday. Oh my! Cooking in quantity is a different kettle of fish—hmmm, perhaps I should not use food sayings. All I really remember from this year is being dead tired on weekends, and always smelling like cooking oil. Yecchhh!! Since those days, I have never again had to cook for 200 people—thankfully.
As my children were growing up, I tried to make sure they had some rudimentary cooking skills. It wasn’t important to me for either of them to be gourmet cooks, but it was important to make sure they could survive by preparing their own food, if they needed to. One summer, when my son was staying home on his own for the first time, he called me at work and asked—Mom, can I make myself some eggs for breakfast? Sure, I said and hung up. A bit later, the phone rang and it was him again. Mom, what kind of pan should I use? I suggested the small frying pan. OK—and he hung up. A little bit later, the phone—Mom, how do you cook eggs? I think I suggested scrambling them. He must have learned something as he enjoys cooking now.
I recall one time when my son and daughter in law were visiting, I suggested going shopping. My daughter, at that time a young teen, was going along and wanted to know where we would go. I suggested a kitchen store. My daughter thought that sounded incredibly boring—and of course it was for her. But I just replied (wisely) —just wait until you have your own place; you will enjoy going to kitchen stores. Fast forward about 10 years, and she was setting up her own studio apartment in Manhattan, and we had fun provisioning her first kitchen. She is (I hasten to add) an excellent cook—as far as I am concerned, she has surpassed my cooking abilities!
When it comes right down to it, I am a simple cook—nothing fancy, nothing exotic. How could it be else when I come out of a Pennsylvania Dutch background, and married a man with like background? Even so, I am still a sucker for a kitchen store. When we would visit our daughter (and her fiancé) when they were in New York City, we loved going to Zabars! And when we visit our son and his wife in Pittsburgh, we love to go to the Strip where there is a wonderful kitchen store and many food vendors.I have two favorite kitchen items that come from such trips—a mixing bowl with a handle, and a set of mini-prep dishes. I can’t imagine cooking without these items.
Here's to the NEXT year of blogging! Cheers!Donna’s Recipe for blogging
Ingredients:
1 personal activity
1 childhood recollection
1 treasured memory
1 or 2 references to family
A sprinkling of self-deprecation (if that is not available self-promotion may be substituted)
Several well selected photographs
Mix all these together. Set aside for a while. Run a grammar and spell check.
Serve liberally.
Wait for compliments, if any.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
COGITO, ERGO SUM
It has been ages since I played tag—many reasons for that, of course. 1) I am not consistently around little people; 2) my knees; 3) I am too slow; 4) I have put away childish things. . .hmmm, probably not true. Anyway, I have been tagged by Mary of Mary’s View. Mary was tagged to pick 5 thinking bloggers (which means she was identified as a thinker before me!). She picked a sterling group of 4, and also me. Chuckle.
Now, it’s my turn to tag 5 thinking bloggers. First, a word. If you are tagged, and you would rather not tag 5 others—please do what you want. I am not a mathematician (by a long shot) but my son is, and he once cautioned me that exponentially speaking, it doesn’t take long before 1 person tagging 5, who then tag 5, etc. You get the picture. So anyone named can just say—I’ll sit this one out.
A while back, Cathy of Looking Up challenged me to pick my 5 desert island books. Groan. . .Grimace. . . Pain. . . Agony. . . That was hard.
But picking 5 thinking bloggers—that’s easy. Even though many who have been picked before would have been among my picks (cf. above Mary and Cathy).
My first choice would have been Kris, who occasionally comments on my blog. But she isn’t blogging right now (pout). She wrote wonderful blogs from a recent trip she took, and I loved reading them. But until she travels again, no more blogs. And maybe not even then.
My next choice would have been the very first blog I read: Natural Notes 3 but she is on a self-defined sabbatical while bird-banding season is at its height. I can’t wait for more encounters with the creatures, from birds to bears to beavers, all told by LauraO. It seems, however, that this sabbatical is regularly broken, so you can stop by and check out this site.
So, here goes. (Ahem, ahem DRUM ROLL) And the nominees are--
1. Vaughn and His Life. Why, you might ask? Well, you may have to ignore the occasional silly blog (although they are great fun). But if you want to read about international issues, mathematics (who would want to), or people doing public service, this is the spot.
2. Ocean and Forest Walks . Visit this blog daily (as I do) and be entranced with lovely views of Vancouver Island. Or learn about using digital cameras, or a touch of history. Visitors from around the world stop here; you can too.
3. Beth at Look What Love has Done. Beth writes from a very personal point of view, exploring issues such as living out one’s faith, or the challenges of parenting. Her honesty is unmistakable—she shrinks from nothing, but handles all topics with gentility.
4. Mon@rch at http://monarchbfly.com/. Were you hoping to go on a nature hike, and ran out of time? Let Mon@rch take you along on his hikes. Need a little brushing up on biology? Try here. If these hooks don’t get you, just stop by for the photography—it is superb.
5. Liza Lee at The Egret’s Nest. I am a relative newcomer to the Egret’s Nest (so apologies if she has previously been tagged). But, if you want a Ruby Tuesday fix, a bird fix, or joie de vivre fix, try the Egret’s Nest.
So what have you won?
Congratulations, you won a THINKING BLOGGER AWARD!
Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.
The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Lend Me Your Ears
Oh, the vagaries and vicissitudes of blogging! Herewith a tale of the frustrations we bloggers encounter.
I feel better already!
So, how do you all feel about comments on your blogs? And would you keep writing if no one read? Neither of these questions is meant as an in-your-face challenge. I really want to know.
See, here's what just happened. My prior blog was on a series of loosely connected ideas--partly a concern for over-use of one of earth's resources: oil. Partly an observation on our national need to increase the amount we walk.
I got wonderful thoughtful comments on what walking means to you. AND I got a quasi-spam comment. Since I have chosen to moderate comments on my blog, that means I get an email when a comment is made, and I have to choose "publish" comment or "reject" comment. Well, after all the comments from my friends in the blogosphere, I got one late last night that began thusly:
I find that going out for a walk clears my head when I've been typing for too long - there is fortunately a little park with a track near work so that I can go for a stroll and take phone calls and still be close by.
Great--I thought--a new reader who came upon my blog due to a shared appreciation for walking. Oh , I couldn't have been more wrong. For the comment went on to say--you might be interested in. . .and then proceeded to pitch something. Turns out this "reader" trolls blogs and looks for key words to which to link his websites. Here's what the description on the web says of this "reader": Mr. XX is Feedback Loop and Director of Social Media at XXXXXXXX, a Google Adwords Qualified Company and search engine marketing firm based in Ann Arbor, MI.
AHA! I have just been had. My initial excitement of discovering a new reader is replaced with the sinking realization that commerce strikes again. I begrudge no one his need to earn a living, but not through my blog, please.
And I was all in a good mood, waking up this morning, thinking about new subjects to tackle, etc. etc. etc. GONE--all gone. Now I am stewing (oops--must not do that) and wondering how to select label words most cagily so blog trollers can't hitch a free ride. Oh, heck with it! Never mind--let them try. I will keep on moderating comments. So Mr. XX, should you look for your comment, it was rejected.
I love writing too much, and am deeply grateful for my thoughtful readers. Genuine comments are inspiring and motivating. And in turn, I enjoy visiting the commenters' blog sites and leaving the occasional thoughtful comment.
Now to get out of my bad mood, how about a few photos from last night's stroll?
I feel better already!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Why Blog?
I have been mulling the fascination with blogging, and have come to the conclusion that I blog (maybe many of us blog) because it is instant publication gratification. (Parenthetically, I would say that posting photos is also instant gratification--sharing photos that I am proud of having taken.) Blogging is certainly a discipline for me--when I first began blogging, my daughter read the early posts and then warned me that I had better keep posting or she wouldn't bother to read my efforts.
Talk about pressure. No mother wants purposefully to disappoint her daughter.
What I found is that the more I blog, the more I think about things to blog. I find my thoughts organizing themselves into sentences that would sound appropriate in a blog. And the discipline of writing blogs, not necessarily daily, but with enough frequency, helps to sharpen my writing skills.
My writing style is no different in blogging than it would be in most anything I might write. Oh, I might be more formal were I writing a piece for publication in a professional magazine. Certainly I would be less personal. But as far as the reach of vocabulary goes, I would try no less hard to phrase my thoughts just so in a blog than in any other piece that carries my ideas out into the world.
In addition to the instant gratification that blogging brings, reading blogs appeals to the voyeuristic tendencies that many of us have. Over twenty years ago, I read a fascinating work called Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose. Rose's thesis in part is that we are all fascinated by the intimate details of famous people. She held up for public scrutiny the marriages of Jane Welsh and Thomas Carlyle (not a good one), Effie Gray and John Ruskin (even stranger), Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill, Catherine Hogarth and Charles Dickens (controversial even today), and George Eliot and George Henry Lewes (the only normal marriage in the lot). Rose argued that we all want to know what goes on in people's private lives.
I am not sure that I go quite that far on why we read blogs, but since I am reading blogs of people unknown to me, I have pondered what the fascination is. Of course, I am struck by convergences between my interests and the interests of the blog writers I am reading. Perhaps I am drawn to the blogs I choose to read because they are writing about things I would inherently find fascinating. In a way, I consider these bloggers to be my friends--living at a distance from me, and people I will never meet, but nevertheless people about whom I care, enough to check out their writings on a daily basis making sure, yes, they are still there, still thinking, still caring, still blogging.
Talk about pressure. No mother wants purposefully to disappoint her daughter.
What I found is that the more I blog, the more I think about things to blog. I find my thoughts organizing themselves into sentences that would sound appropriate in a blog. And the discipline of writing blogs, not necessarily daily, but with enough frequency, helps to sharpen my writing skills.
My writing style is no different in blogging than it would be in most anything I might write. Oh, I might be more formal were I writing a piece for publication in a professional magazine. Certainly I would be less personal. But as far as the reach of vocabulary goes, I would try no less hard to phrase my thoughts just so in a blog than in any other piece that carries my ideas out into the world.
In addition to the instant gratification that blogging brings, reading blogs appeals to the voyeuristic tendencies that many of us have. Over twenty years ago, I read a fascinating work called Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose. Rose's thesis in part is that we are all fascinated by the intimate details of famous people. She held up for public scrutiny the marriages of Jane Welsh and Thomas Carlyle (not a good one), Effie Gray and John Ruskin (even stranger), Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill, Catherine Hogarth and Charles Dickens (controversial even today), and George Eliot and George Henry Lewes (the only normal marriage in the lot). Rose argued that we all want to know what goes on in people's private lives.
I am not sure that I go quite that far on why we read blogs, but since I am reading blogs of people unknown to me, I have pondered what the fascination is. Of course, I am struck by convergences between my interests and the interests of the blog writers I am reading. Perhaps I am drawn to the blogs I choose to read because they are writing about things I would inherently find fascinating. In a way, I consider these bloggers to be my friends--living at a distance from me, and people I will never meet, but nevertheless people about whom I care, enough to check out their writings on a daily basis making sure, yes, they are still there, still thinking, still caring, still blogging.
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