It's a matter of time

Rest in Peace, Herman

2011-11-18T10:09:00.002-06:00

“In Florence, in the bell
tower of the cathedral,
there are seven wonderful
images made in the Middle
Ages by Luca della Robbia.
One of them shows an old,
bearded Plato face-toface
in argument with a
beardless young Aristotle. I
mean, they are really going
at it, they are so close that
their feet are touching.
Aristotle is pointing at a
book, as if to say, ‘What
the hell are all these errors
and contradictions in your
writings, old man?’ And
Plato is pointing to the
sky, and yelling right back
at him, ‘Forget the damn
text, man, think about the
big picture, think about the
big questions!’ I love that
image, it’s all about passionate
argument. And it
sums up for me what I love
about teaching at Chicago
— passionate argument.”
Herman Sinaiko

How does Molly like Mom's new puppy Bingo?

2011-09-26T12:41:00.002-05:00

Not so much....

Headed to Wimbledon

2011-09-13T21:16:00.002-05:00

For Beth

2011-05-14T13:20:00.002-05:00

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer (One of my personal favorites that was shared with me again this week)

2011-01-15T07:43:00.002-06:00

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer

From Tyra's FB page

2011-01-15T07:40:00.000-06:00

Comes the Dawn
-Veronica Shorffstall, 1971

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes open,

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your roads

On today because tomorrow's ground
Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have

A way of falling down in midflight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine

Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate

Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you can really endure,
That you really are strong

And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn ... and you learn
With every goodbye you learn.

Nothing portrays my little dog like this short clip

2010-12-26T21:45:00.002-06:00

Oprah to Serena Williams 12/15/10

2010-12-18T20:02:00.002-06:00

When Serena said, "love sucks", Oprah replied, "You cannot pretend to be any less than what you are. You cannot go around dimming your light just to be walking with someone else. You want to be completely full so your cup runneth over and you can give it to other people. Own your own power."

Something I want to not lose...so I add it to my blog

2010-12-15T20:51:00.001-06:00

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be.....It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for." - E. Jong, author

Interesting

2010-09-05T20:09:00.001-05:00

"If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. . . You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down."
Ray Bradbury

I adore this woman

2010-05-19T13:15:00.001-05:00

It was the best 20 minute lunch I have had in a while!

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Elizabeth-Gilbert-Talk-from-O-Magazines-10th-Anniversary-Video

My dog thinks she is a cat

2010-02-17T15:14:00.004-06:00

Also, no matter how much I make a nice nest of blankets for her, she HAS to get on the couch pillows and make her own nest.

T. Shutt on Aristotle

2010-01-28T09:29:00.003-06:00

Professor Shutt shared a one sentence paper her graded as an A on Aristotle and his ideas on the golden mean.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was titled:

"A Logical Critique of Aristotle's Doctrine of the Golden Mean".

I think this is a good idea, but Aristotle takes it to an extreme.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is one of those post it notes I wanted to be sure I never lost, ergo the blog post.

new life; new look

2009-07-14T20:29:00.003-05:00

I do whatever Hazel tells me to do, ever since 1996.
She wanted to see a new look so here it is.

Hey, Hazel--let's see a post from you soon!

PS Thanks for the chat tonight. Come visit Chicago soon!

Bucket list, or at least a list...

2009-07-11T20:28:00.019-05:00

P
Inspired by Beth's blog
http://queensfeast.blogspot.com

1. Teach at a major university (done)
2. Go to Rome (done)
2.5 Go to Rome again to see the rest of what I missed.
3. Ride in a helicopter (done)
4. Fly a helicopter (unlikely due to poor eyes)
5. Get an honorary doctorate (earning a real one is really hard!)
6. Volunteer at a food kitchen.
7. Volunteer at a pet shelter. (In progress 2011)
8. Go back to Greece and the islands with JJ and D. (done Sept. 2010)
8.5 Go back to Greece to visit Delphi and Agora and maybe the Odyssey cruise.
9. Own a beach property (done)
10. Visit Alaska
11. Visit North Dakota
12. Visit all fifty states (will be done after I complete 10-11)
13. Be a professional photographer (Tyra handles this one for me)
14. Write a book
15. Read my old journals (In progress)
16. Get my slides digitized
17. Graduate from college (done--twice)
18. Clean my office
19. Organize my office closet
20. Learn Latin
21. Learn ancient Greek (tried and bailed in Feb. 2011)
22. Learn Hebrew
22. Translate some ancient text (done Jan. 2011)
23. Publish an article in a journal
24. Make a difference in the life of others (in progress)
25. Love and trust someone fully (done)
26. Love and trust someone fully again
27. Giggle (always)!
28. Drive cross country with no time frame
29. Have a dog who I love like a child (done)
30. Pay someone to clean my house and mow my lawn (done)
31. Buy really nice sheets from Marshall Fields without looking at the price tag.(I tried to in 2009 but there were none I liked. Besides, Fields is now Macy's.))
32. Play like a 5 year old in the water.
33. Spend a week on the Vineyard.
34. Attend an authentic Passover seder.
35. Visit the wailing wall.
36. Walk out my door to the lake with a book and a cup of coffee.
37. Be important to kids.
38. Spend a weekend at a retreat in silence (The Cenacle?)
39. Read all the books on my shelf.
40. Volunteer in a literacy program or the pet shelter.
41. Have a scholarship fund in my name. (in progress)
42. Go to Esalen with Dorian. http://www.esalen.org/
43. Learn about Buddhism.
44. Swim with the dolphins.
45. Visit living history farms
46. Learn to play the cello (in progress 2010, started in May)
47. Rescue a dog.
48. Take crew lessons in Boston on the Charles River.
49. Forgive and forget.
50. Rent a villa on the Amalfi Coast for several weeks and invite my friends to visit.
51. Read the story of David.
52. Read every page of the Bible.
53. Be about something bigger than myself; pull others forward. (in progress)
54. Attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at temple.
55. Go to a supreme court session with Sarah.
56. Visit CA and AZ with Sarah.
57. Go to the opera and understand it.
58. Spend a month at Big Sand Lake.
59. Play a duet (piano and cello) with Sarah and have me sound 1/2 (ok--1/4) as good as she does.
60. Help JJ house hunt for his retirement home, like I did in Villa Park as Mrs. Nieman.
61. Find myself.
62. Have a fire pit. (done, July 2011)
63. Visit Mawee Ann in wuvwee Ashewille.
64. Find a new place to be my home away from home.
65. Be first. (done with JB)
66. Own a VW convertible bug. (done)
67. Have more Chicago based friends.
68. Finish my bucket list 100. (writing it and doing it!)
69. Read Walden.
70. Study Homer's Iliad. (fall 2011)
71. Rent Joe's Pond house from Gary and Chris for 3 weeks to reflect on life. (done Sept.2011)
72. Visit D.C. during the Cherry Blossom Festival (done April 2011)
73. Teach Homer's Odyssey (planned spring 2012)
74. Retire by 60 and drive an RV with JJ cross country.
75. Learn to play the Bachianas Brasileras and play it with Janene singing.
76. Go to Vienna with Janene.
77. Swing on a swing set with Sarie like little kids do. Just like I saw the two older women in September 2011 at Joe's Pond.
78. Have a monthly massage appointment for at least one year.
79. Attend a gospel church service on the west side of Chicsgo.
80. Research the canon. According to CB, there is a great literature on oral-to-written knowledge, including the processes of canon-formation. I also need to find Max Weber's paper, "The Routinization of Charisma."
81. Build my own labyrinth in the yard.
82. Spend more of my days reading, walking, working on class stuff. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired. (Just like at Joe's Pond in September 2011.)
83. Have comfy wooden Adirondack chairs.
84. Zip line down a mountain.
85. Spend January in AZ.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.

.
.
.only 13 more to come up with(includes 2.5 and 8.5)...

ok, ok...

2009-05-26T09:02:00.005-05:00

My friend Hazel keeps bugging me to write on my blog more. God only knows why because it is all random thinking. So here I am--writing a blog entry for the first time in months.

Not sure what to write, as most of my writing is done on scrap paper lately. Then the scraps get lost. Or they stack up in a drawer. Or shoved in a notebook someplace. Maybe I can try to gather them up and put them here. Or not.

I must say that my friends are my foundation these days, so when my friend Hazel says "Post", I guess I will post. This might be short but at least it is something. I promise to make it sooner than 4 1/2 months next time.

(Happy Hazel?)

xo

Something I wanted to be able to find again

2009-01-02T09:06:00.001-06:00

"Happiness is a function of accepting what is.
Love is a function of communication.
Health is a function of participation.
Self Expression is a function of responsibility."

-Werner Erhard

My hobble along baby

2008-12-10T22:04:00.003-06:00

Sorry this is sideways.

Narrative Assessment

2008-11-19T14:05:00.002-06:00

In last night’s CT class, I had the students write out the L5 narrative competence assessment. A few items are bobbling around in my head from that exercise that I wanted to share:

The materials, especially Tarnas, are not always pleasant for some students to read. (God forbid they have a dictionary at hand when reading!) However, they usually come around after the first section or two. I specifically wanted to share this line from the narrative assessment: “. . .I really liked the Tarnas book. I like things that talk to me as if I am smart. I think too many classes dumb down the material and I appreciated that it was college level.”

Another, quiet student wrote: “I learned that the way I think is the way that many people have thought before. I am reinforced and inspired to be my own seeker. It surprised me how advanced the thinkers of the past were.”

Yet another:
“My initial expectations of this class was basically that of an intro to logic. My initial expectation was thwarted when on the first night of class we were asked, “ What do you know and how do you know it? . . .that provoked me to open my mind.”

Finally, “It will remain active, as the basis for a liberal arts education is to better understand the world. Without exercising this competence, one cannot succeed in the liberal arts.”

Did I mention that I love teaching?

:)

Wow---

2008-11-05T06:36:00.003-06:00

I imagine this is what it felt like when JFK was President.

These are a few words that come to mind....

Pride.
Possibility.
Articulate.
Aspiration.
Historic.

If Obama can do this, I believe anything is possible.

Yes, we can do anything we put our minds and actions to

2008-11-05T06:07:00.004-06:00

"– tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope."

B. Obama, victory speech, November 4, 2008

I love teaching

2008-10-22T13:56:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this great insight from one of my CT students, as I am certain you will enjoy it. We just discussed Euthyphro. In the "Precision" part of the mind MAP journal assignment, we were defining terms and using them in a sentence. He chose the words scalene and isosceles (12d). It created an "aha!" moment of reflection for this thought-filled student:
"I was fascinated with how Socrates used geometry to try to create a
visual picture for Euthyphro so that he could better understand the
analogy and respond to Socrates' question. Since a scalene is a
triangle with three unequal sides, I see it poetically in my mind as
a symbol of Euthyphro's uneven response to Socrates' pointed questions."
I had to suggest he read Meno!

Bermuda really DOES have shorts!

2008-07-12T17:40:00.003-05:00

They also have beautiful beaches.

It has only been two weeks...

2008-06-24T07:11:00.003-05:00

...and I feel like my mind is already turning to mush. I need to read something of value. it is a good thing I have so many great books to read! I also need to figure out a way to write. Maybe I will do a PGAP with the Foundations class to figure out what to do.

:)

2008-06-13T07:10:00.001-05:00

"Hip hip hooray! It's Lori's graduation day!"

-MH

Sleepy, sunny baby

2008-05-25T12:08:00.001-05:00

2008-05-25T11:57:00.005-05:00

I have been wanting to clear out my closet of all my library books for a couple months to get some space back. I did just that last week. The crazy part: I actually got sad to the point of tears because it was like a chapter closing in my life. Ah, the bittersweet feelings…
Yesterday they went back to Hyde Park to be of service to someone else. (Let's not forget that it was 1968 since one of them had been checked out!)

Some of these books I have had since last summer.
(sigh)

Pebble in a Pond

2008-05-09T14:59:00.006-05:00

I am feeling a bit reflective so...

(I tend to reflect a lot during completion times in life such as graduation.)

In February 2005 (I write my date of purchase inside my book covers—geeky, huh?), my Research Seminar teacher, ongoing coach, and friend said to the class something to the tune of “If you want a readable volume of Western Civilization, go out and get Richard Tarnas' Passion of the Western Mind.” So I did. I take on good coaching.

I engaged in the text, not ever knowing that I would use it so much. I used it for my Advanced Project. I used it for my Paul lecture. I used it in almost every class and paper during my U of C degree. I use it again in Critical Thinking.

Fast forward three years.

Last night I was grading CT journals. Using the coach's journal assignment model, I came up with one of my own for Journal #3:

In Tarnas part II, we read about astronomy, astrology, Rome and the emergence
of Christianity. Please write 3 questions or 3 comments that reflect your own perspective on this section of Tarnas. Be ready to use these in class as small group and/or large group discussion.

In response, one student commented, “I really want to go to Rome!!!!!”

Another student commented, “When I began reading Tarnas, I thought it was very difficult to understand and believed I’d never make it through the text. Now that I’m starting to make some sense of it, I find that I really enjoy the historical perspective it offers. History has never been one of my favorite subjects but I find that I want to learn more about Alexander the Great, how the Romans conquered parts of the Mediterranean and Europe, and the influence the Byzantines and Moslems had on the West after Rome was defeated by the Barbarians.”

The moral of the story? Teaching is a pebble in a pond. I hope to make the same impact one day for students with a simple comment such as "Buy this book."

The last leg

2008-04-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

A few follow up items:

I got my advisor's feedback on 4/22/08. I am in total agreement with him. I wanted to work some of that in so I appreciate the challenge and prodding. Here is how I re-worked that section:

“However, the adult learner “wants to apply tomorrow what he learns today” (p. 58). This immediacy can create a sense of urgency and can also create a curriculum challenge in developing effective learning experiences. Similar to the example of the merger above, providing real-life situations in which the learning may be applied facilitates a bridge for learning. The issue that this causes for the adult educator is that many foundational curricula are not problem-centered; they can be subject-centered. Knowles uses the sample of first-year and second-year social work students needing “basic foundational knowledge about the field—history, philosophy, public policy, institutional structure, etc.” and then not truly focusing on field experience until the third year (p. 58). By reorganizing adult education around problem areas, the students become more involved and engaged in the spirit of their work. They were still learning the basics, only in a different structure, focused more on problems in each year of the program. Although there are benefits to this approach, I assert that overall education of a content area cannot be sacrificed for pragmatic training of skills. Theory and framework, in addition to problem-centered skills, is imperative to depth of knowledge and in fully educating adults.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regarding what I am trying to say about the ancients and problem-based learning, he was right on point with me! Defining terms in the Socratic methodology can prove to be an effective process to solving problem-based issues in the contemporary world. Often seen in the fast-paced world of today many people do not usually slow down enough to define the issue or the terms in the topics at hand. If adults did more of this (such as we see in educated adults that stem from higher ed environments) , and had a greater awareness of the productivity of Socratic dialogue, contemporary adults might think things through more before they jump to resolution.

From DW:

“Many of the ancient Greeks such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle used what we know today as the “Socratic dialogue” which is rooted in problem-based learning. Interesting! So now I’m thinking I’ve been selling “problem-based” short. What you’re saying here makes me think that the “problem” could be, e.g., the definition of piety or the question of how to live. Is that right? “

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so grateful for all of his and MGJ's assistance and thought-provoking questions. I worked in a few other changes; I will do one more scrub through (at least) and then off to final by 5/2!

Woo hoo! There IS light at the end of the tunnel!

At long last

2008-03-01T21:16:00.005-06:00

I finally got myself more megapixels! Sony Cybershot DSC W80. 7.1 (better than my old Olympus 3 MP).

But wait! There's more!

Who has the best baby? :)

2nd draft is upon me

2008-02-24T07:55:00.002-06:00

On 2/16, I got feedback from David:

"This is a fine first draft. I'm impressed. I encourage you to stake the strongest and clearest set of claims you can and argue vigorously for them. I also encourage you to find out more about the history of the University and of education. Does it matter to your argument that the University is an invention of the middle ages, a time when Europeans weren't reading Greek literature, even in translation? I've suggested some materials for you to look at. You'll find others as well. Talking more about your own sense of vocation as a teacher would strengthen your argument as well.

Excellent progress!"

I am now in progress of diving deeper into the questions he asked in his feedback. I got more books from the library yesterday to address the things, based on his recommendation. I also realized that the work on something like this can never truly be complete. At some point, good enough will have to be good enough.
Another tidbit is that I realized there is a theme in the area of my interest: Adult education. Maybe and Ed.D. would be ok to pursue? I prefer a Ph. D. in a content area but we shall see.

Today I am focusing on my paper for Tragedy since my Hinduism paper is done (draft 1). I also have Antony & Cleopatra to read so I better get busy instead of sitting here in my blog!

I also met with Arieahn this week (after my meltdown). I have 2-3 courses to propose, working up course descriptions and objectives. (Leadership Lessons from Literature, Communicating Across the Organization, and Implementing Corporate Training Programs). Time to get busy!

I turned it in!

2008-02-07T22:13:00.000-06:00

My cleaned up draft went to my advisor Sunday night 2/3 while the Patriots were losing the Super Bowl.

Next stop: Hyde Park to meet with David!

In summary....

2008-01-13T20:04:00.001-06:00

A colleague recently asked me what I have learned from the writing of this paper. I found it to be a very interesting question. I have learned a number of things and I have reinforced a number of things that I thought I knew and now have the history and the scholarship to support that knowledge. A primary lesson in this has been the reinforcement that my job is to facilitate learning. It is not to be the “sage on the stage” and impart wisdom to the students. I have learned that I can add my voice to the process, yet my voice will help students find theirs. Dialogue is a critical component not just to higher education and adult learning theory but also to life itself. The practice of dialogue builds relationships and it is a critical art. Rhetoric as a tool can be useful. When information that is logistic or process oriented in nature, rhetoric is a necessary tool. The use of rhetoric in teaching what I do when teaching the Learning Assessment Seminars at DePaul University can be both dialogue and rhetoric; it is not bad to be both.

I think this is it for draft one!

2008-01-13T19:54:00.000-06:00

Good lord, when did I start?!?!?

I cannot look at this anymore. I am too close to it. I have finished draft one and sent to MGJ for insights--all 32 pages. Well, 29 + bib. I even used some footnotes!

The last 2-3 pages seem anemic. That is because they are. I think I am missing some big holes but I cannot see them.

I also committed to my faculty thesis advisor that I would have a better draft to him by first of February. Guess I will!

Can it be?!?!

2008-01-06T21:31:00.000-06:00

It is January 6th and I have one last section to write on my thesis. Well, two if you count the conclusion...{+ the part on metaphors}. I spent the past three days with a headache so I ended up working on it for about six hours today. Those two sections, clean up and cite some sources, expand on further questions this proposes, proof it myself, and voila. I will be ready to re-write it after getting input! (argh)

I have to be done with my first draft by the time classes start this week. If not, I think I will be doomed. I was thinking I was going to be laid off in late January/early February and have the gift of time in Feb/Mar to write this. It looks like that will not be likely now. Ergo, I HAD to be in movement on my paper. I am up to 31 pages. That is 10 pages up from just 2 weeks ago! Woohoo! If I proof by this weekend, I can get it to MGJ and VG for feedback. Then to my advisor and the re-writing can begin.

It seems to be never-ending but really, I just started working on writing it 5- 6 weeks ago.

I dream of the June cruise and reading crap novels!

I love this shot from our trip to Rockport, MA

2008-01-01T08:32:00.001-06:00

The fun begins...

2007-11-18T14:33:00.000-06:00

Let the games begin!
My proposal was approved on 11/7/07.
I was assigned my facult advisor on 11/15/07.
I have plans to write sections between 12/1/07 and 2/1/08, giving myself various deadlines.

Here is what I am up to the next 2-3 months:

I will investigate how the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates and Plato) have influenced the teaching methods of adults in the 21st century.

I will also explore which methods are still effective in the adult classroom today.
My thesis research study will investigate adult learning theories.

After explaining a few foundational theories in adult education, I will address what teaching methods were used by the Ancient Greeks such as Socrates and Plato.

As a foundation to the ancients, I will also include some information on the pre-Socratics and the poets of the oral tradition.

I will then discuss which of these methods are still alive and well, 2,500 years later in our contemporary day of technology.

If I am not doing these items, then I am not focusing. As my buddy John H. says, "Stay focused on the end game."
Stay tuned!

Almost finished

2007-11-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

My thesis proposal is almost done! I gues the third time IS the charm. Currently, my research question is:
"How did the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates and Plato)
influence the teaching methods of the 21st century and which methods are
still effective?"

I may need to tighten the word "influence" to something more likely to prove....stay tuned!

New research question

2007-10-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

I attended a Thesis Proposal Writing workshop on Saturday. I was trying to do too much in my last question and I needed to narrow thing down more. If I may try out my new research question:

Which adult learning theories are of the highest impact when we align the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates & Plato) to the teaching methods of the 21st century?

I am still a bit broad but the areas I had previously were too WAY too big. This way I can bring in some samples of Plato and Paul if I need to and I can focus on only 1-2 adult learning theories.

From AM: The next idea is how we examine these constructs- either in a qualitative way or perhaps a mixed design - very exciting!

Darn it anyway...

2007-10-15T16:10:00.000-05:00

All that work and now I need to start over. I submitted my proposal. It was a "great start" but I was trying to do too much. I need to look at what is it that I truly want to try and do with this thesis. I never really wanted to do Paul anyway!

Back to the drawing board......

Refining the questions

2007-08-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

After some reading of the literature:

What is the foundational canon of Western higher ed, both oral and written, and how do these converge into a common theme across Plato and St. Paul?

or...

What is the change process for oral teaching to become written teaching, and how do the cases of Plato and St. Paul exhibit the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of this phenomenon?

More soon...

Wow!

2007-07-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

I spent two hours at the Regenstein Library in the caverns upon caverns of book stacks today. I left when my bag was full. All I have to say is, "WOW!!"

The literature search

2007-07-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

As you know, I have been stalled on progress towards my thesis, in large part because I did not structure my research question very well. After attending CB's research seminar last week, I have a revised question that may focus me better.

"What are the similarities between Plato being the mouthpiece of Socrates and Paul being the mouthpiece of Christ, and is one more significant to life in the 21st century?"

CB's feedback: "The "mouthpiece" concept is vague and implies that neither Plato nor Paul added anything to their masters' messages of originality or value."

I have shifted it from:

"What is the transmutation process for oral, charismatic teaching to become written, documentary teaching, and how do the cases of Plato and St. Paul reflect, and subvert, this dichotomy?"

to:

"What is the change process for oral, charismatic teaching to become written, documentary teaching, and how do the cases of Plato and St. Paul reflect (and/or overturn) this dichotomy?"

According to CB, there is a great literature on oral-to-written knowledge, including the processes of canon-formation. I also need to find Max Weber's paper, "The Routinization of Charisma." Both Plato and St. Paul contribute charismatic, intuitive ideas to the teachings of their masters, AND develop a formalized, static model.

I am headed to the library on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I am fine with it, however. I must keep moving forward. Documenting my progress is why blogging is helpful. Things may continue to shift on my question, but I love the links it has to my idea of including teaching and Socrates' impact on the 21st century adult educator.

A one hour search last night online gave me thirteen sources at the Regenstein. Off to Hyde Park I go!

From topic to question

2007-07-03T15:18:00.000-05:00

I have moved from a list of topics to a narrowed down list of possible research questions for my thesis. They are all in the same genre. I now need to find some literature, do an annotated bib, and revise my research question to one that is tightly hammered down so I do not sidetrack during the process.

My goal is to have my proposal finished by Labor Day. Given that today is the 4th of July, I better keep moving!

Here they are so far
• What was the impact of Plato to the Apostle Paul as mouthpiece to Christ?
• How was Plato significant to Socrates in alignment to the significance of Paul to Christ?
• Did Plato influence Paul in his carrying of the word of Christ?
• How were Plato’s dialogues of Socrates influential to the letters of the Apostle Paul?
• How can one perform a structural analysis of Plato’s Socratic dialogues and the letters of the Apostle Paul?
• How do the texts of Plato align to the letters of Paul?
• What is the impact of Plato’s dialogues to the message of Christianity shared by Paul?
• Was Plato as important to Socrates as Paul was to Christ?
• Did Plato carry as strong of an influence to Socratic philosophy as Paul carried to Christianity?
• Which is more significant to life in the 21st century: Plato’s message of Socratic dialogue or Paul’s message of Christianity?

Plato or Socrates

2007-06-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

In my Socrates class, I have read, written overviews, critiqued, and listened to lectures on the following dialogues: Euthyphro, Symposium, Apology, Republic, and Phaedo.

I marvel at the artistry of Plato. I also wonder who I was able to get to understand better this quarter. Do I now have a better understanding of Plato? Or of Socrates? I remember that we read about Socrates from his dear student Plato. It may be time to dive into Xenophon's account of the great philosopher. Xenophon reported and did not necessarily immortalize Socrates from the eyes of adoration and artistry.

Besides, in a number of the dialogues, Plato seems to be missing. In Phaedo, he was ill (59B).

My favorite line of the quarter is one from Apology (20D) that I shared with Stephen and Greg: "Tell us the explanation, if you do not want us to invent it for ourselves."

So much to learn; so much to dig into.

I'm finished

2007-06-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

My Cosmology course is over. I am pleased to say I learned a lot. I am also pleased to say it is over. From my paper:

"With all of the data we gather with the current technologies, one may ask, “So what?” The answer to this question is that it is imperative to our future. When one looks at the vast amount of knowledge and information we have gathered over the last 100 years, we can see that we have so many important new technologies and so many new discoveries.

The big question this opens up is how different will we understand the universe in the year 2047, considering the vast difference we see from 1932 to 1970. We must remember that the information we see on our graphics is not the edge of the universe; it is the edge of the data we are able to gather.

In addition to needing to understand the universe for the sake of the future, we also need to understand the universe because it potentially has a direct impact on the amount of available energy. We know that supernovae are brighter than a billion suns (Silk, 2006). A supernova is an exploding star that sometimes brings white dwarfs, or dead stars back to life. It is important to us to understand this as they consume energy, rather than produce energy (R. Kron, personal communication, April 14, 2007). The consumption of energy in the universe could have a negative impact to future generations.

Ultimately, what businesses and politics understand most clearly is money. Quantum mechanics are responsible for one third of our Gross Domestic Product (M. Turner, personal communication, May 5, 2007). It accounts for our world of technology. Without data storage, data transmission, tools to visualize findings, and technology to create and support business across the world, we would crumble as a society. Robert Wilson said it powerfully when he was testifying before a Senate panel prior to Fermi Lab funding. He was asked if the project would help defend our country. He replied that the project would not defend our country but would rather “. . . make our country more worth defending” (Peterson, 1994, p. 972). As the world looks to find the site to build the International Linear Collider, we remember those important words of Dr. Wilson."

The End (until next spring when I take Darwinian Medicine!)

What makes me crazy

2007-04-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

I think one of the main items of amazement in my academic adventure is the way that my best professors can talk for three solid hours about their subject matter. To make it even more amazing, they talk for three hours for 10 weeks! That is 30 hours of discussion they lead, and it comes across as natural language. I realize there is preparation, but the fluid nature of it is what keeps me wondering: What in the world could I possibly talk about smoothly for 30 hours? THAT is what makes me crazy!

How in the world?!?!

2007-04-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

I wonder how the heck I even wrote this, as I just do not find it to be very interesting. (Plato is way more fun!) I hope it does not bore you!

"There are so very many things we know about the universe. In this brief overview, I will focus on what I deem to be the most important items and how we know them to be true: age of the universe, light, redshift, expansion, dark matter, the Big Bang, geometry, composition, cosmic microwave background, and dark matter. First, I will summarize how we know these things. I can best say it in two words: measurement and light. Measurement is what allows us to understand the empirical evidence for the things we know.

Oversimplified, measurement is what helps us prove that we are a universe that is 13.7 billion years old. The distance we measure is measured by light. Stars play an important role in this measurement of light. Astronomers measure the colors of stars, as they come in red, blue, and yellow, like our Sun. Redshifting, the process by which the frequency of light waves decreases as the universe expands, tells us this.

The universe is expanding. In 1900 it was understood that there was only one galaxy: ours. Today, just one hundred years later, we know there are at least 100 billion galaxies. We also know this from measurement. We must recall that expansion is not an explosion into space, but an explosion of space.

The expansion started with the Big Bang, approximately 13.7 billion years ago. The reason we know this is the 1964 microwave echo of the Big Bang discovered by Penzias & Wilson. Starting with quark soup and the laws of physics, these very hot quarks stuck together. These neutrons and protons made lithium. Lithium, added to the already existing helium and hydrogen created a nuclear reaction, known as the Big Bang.

Einstein shows us three types of geometry: un-curved, curves back on itself, and curves like a saddle. The universe is un-curved, therefore infinite. We know this from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). WMAP is what we have learned since COBE. Mathematical analysis is used to measure the atoms, degrees, and the amount of matter. WMAP also gave us the composition of the universe, showing us it is 4% atoms, 21% dark matter, and 75% dark energy. With an infinite, un-curved area, the universe can keep expanding.

Prior to WMAP, we had COBE, the Cosmic Background Explorer. COBE discovered ripples in the Cosmic Microwave Background which taught us there are lumps in the flat universe. This is important to understand because it led us to higher resolution telescopes and tools such as WMAP.

There are those things that are not light, called dark matter. Dark matter is not the absence of stars but they are particles of matter left over from the Big Bang. We know this from understanding gravity. Gravity is the evidence for dark matter.

In summary, it is difficult to summarize such a vast amount of ideas, theories, experiments, and discoveries. The things we know for sure are measurement and light. We start with measurements of light, distance, and temperature. It allows us to measure speed, distance and time. These two simple ideas allow us to understand many complex ideas and structures of our universe."

Did I mention?

2007-04-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

This quarter is a Cosmology course. It is a physical science requirement in my MLA program. I am TRUDGING painfully through the text. Thank God for Plato and the mental floss it provides. ("Socrates and the Greek Mind" is my Wednesday night fun class!)

Plato, Pleasure, or Cosmology?

2007-04-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

This week is Provincetown vacation week. We are spending time in our condo for the first time since we bought it in June 2006. We have had a LOT of reading opportunities this week since it is chilly. This is a good thing because I have a lot of reading to do. I have been flipping from Plato to pleasure to Cosmology texts. First up: James Patterson's "Step on a Crack". Then "The Infinite Cosmology". Then "The Road". Then Plato's "Euthyphro" (during a beach sunset!), followed by "The First Three Minutes". Toss in 8 LAS autobiographies, and some dialogue critiques and overviews for Plato, Michael Sugrue's notes from his lecture series, perusing other dialogues, finishing "Symposium", and catching up on my back issues of "The Chronicle of Higher Ed" and I have a full week!
Life is good!

2007-03-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

I must say I am chuckling my way through Euthyphro tonight! I can
just see these guys in their togas, bantering back and forth, walking
on the porch with the columns. Socrates opens his mouth and Euthyphro is hooking in on him. These are fun and engaging, especially after "loopy Exodus"! I laugh out loud at Socrates in Symposium when he says "Bah! Zeus!" I just might be a Greek geek...

Missing

2007-03-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe how much I miss class the past two weeks during break! Tonight I start the class called Socrates and the Greek Mind with CB. Saturday I start The New Cosmology with M. Turner. Can't wait!

Again, I love it when things align, as they appear to be in my pre-work on Socrates...

Last Class for M&M

2007-03-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my last class in Meaning & Motive of Social Life. The text was Young Man Luther by Erik Erikson. I like Erikson the best of all the authors this quarter. Maybe that is because I like the story I read about his wife, Joan. A Walk on the Beach is one of my all time favorite books. Lots of golden nuggets of wisdom in there from someone who lived a large life. Again, I am feeling a bit bittersweet at the ending of this. I remember that all endings create a new beginning. Next up: The New Cosmology. Starts in two weeks. I guess one needs physical science too!

The Apostle Paul and My Athena Within

2007-02-28T23:25:00.000-06:00

Can I even begin to tell you how great of a night I had ?!!??!!? I (finally) had my guest lecture and led the 3 hour lecture/class discussion for Corinne's Advanced Elective class at DePaul's SNL on Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul's letter to the Romans tonight. It was everything I had imagined it to be! The students were engaged...I had prepped well...it was great to work in info on the Stoics and on Homer...I was on a cloud. The second half of the class took on a life of it's own, yet it revolved around the text too!

The best part was when I debriefed with Corinne after class about how it went from her perspective and she said, "I absolutely trust that when you are in charge of the class that what needs to happen will happen!" She also said, "You should feel really great about how it went tonight!" That was so great to hear from my mentor!

The process of preparation was lengthy. I have been studying up since July in an on-again-off-again fashion. It was so fulfilling to have the group participate and share and engage in lively discourse! I love being in school and I think I love being in the front of a classroom more than being in the seat!

My "Athena within" was front and center tonight!

I continue to be amazed....

2007-02-19T09:55:00.000-06:00

I think most everyone has heard the phrase, "If not now, when?" For some reason, I thought this was some 20th century self-help, take action, coaching phrase.

In my recent listening to some lectures on CD by New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine, I learned that this quote is from the famous Pharisee Hillel, back in the days of the early first century C.E.:

"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?
And if I am only for myself, then what am I?
And if not now, when?"

I just love this stuff!

Speaking of Victor...

2007-02-16T20:32:00.000-06:00

From my paper for this quarter: "I assert that if we did not have language, the word “different” would not have multiple meanings. For example, in the case of Levi-Strauss, “primitive” could have a negative connotation, but he is clear in stating that the others are simply without the function of writing their language. In addition, it is careful use of language that has Levi-Strauss define that primitive simply means ‘without writing’. Only when man begins to understand that there are differences in things through communication, there is the issue of property, material possessions, and the importance that they play in the inequalities of life. We also see this in the Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein."

Just for the record....

2007-02-12T22:17:00.000-06:00

I HAVE indeed noticed that all of the authors for my course this quarter are old white men with beards..... Nothing more for me to say about that right now! (Especially after reading two weeks of Freud.)

The meaning of life is on p. 131

2007-02-12T06:04:00.000-06:00

I pulled my Viktor Frankl book off the shelf the other day after having lunch with the wise professor that led my course on the Holocaust two years ago. The line I love so much is on p. 131: "One should not search for an abstract meaning of life.
Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment." I think I might be starting to discover that for myself...

Oopsie Daisy

2007-02-06T06:16:00.000-06:00

Claude Levi-Strauss is an anthropologist. We had two texts from him to read. I mistakenly thought it was two texts across two weeks. It was both texts for ONE week. That would bave been LAST Saturday. Uh-oh! I missed out on his trip to Brazil in Tristes Tropique. Bert went through it fairly well so I feel like I had a reading vacation last week. Next up: Sigmund Freud. (Two texts across two weeks...I asked!) If I were to miss one, I am guessing this was the one to miss. (I wonder if it was a Freudian slip?!?)

Week 4= Emile Durkheim

2007-01-25T21:48:00.000-06:00

Meaning and Motive in Social Life is the name of this course. It is a blend of sociology, psychology and anthropology.

This week's book, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life is by Mr. French himself, Emile Durkheim. The canon of sociology is written by Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Durkheim and Marx, both collective in nature, are segregated from Weber, Mr. Individual-Religion-Man.

However, I was amazed to see the biblical book of Job come to life in Durkheim! Page 202 shares "the basis of religious thgouht. . . definite powers and anonymous forces". Emile continues that "Zeus is in each drop of rain that falls, just as Ceres is in each sheaf of the harvest". It always comes back to the Greeks, doesn't it?!

Next week is Levi-Strauss, so stay tuned. I must get back to looking up the big words for this week before class on Saturday! (Things like corroboree, protean, animist, Wakan, etc.)

This week....Max Weber!

2007-01-17T06:39:00.000-06:00

I am in utter disbelief at the amount of reading I am doing this quarter. Max Weber wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. He is bringing me back to my Lutheran roots and helping me understand the impact that religion has on the economy, even in the early 1900s!
I love these early thinkers.....it makes me think larger.

BTW: Max is MUCH easier to digest than Karl!

Imposter syndrome

2007-01-07T17:49:00.000-06:00

I am reading Karl Marx this week. After being in my first classroom session of my 2nd class at the University of Chicago, I am struggling with the "imposter syndrome" again, meaning that I doubt if I really belong in this program. I cannot make head or tails of Karl Marx. I am pushing myself to read the words and underline any phrases that might happen to resonate with me. There are very few. The words are so --well-- not sure how to describe them-- that I can barely push myself to read.

I guess I should take some satisfaction in that Bert C. even said that Marx needed an editor. He also said many struggle with Marx. I will trudge through, but I am looking forward to Emile Durkheim...

"Oeuvres completes" or eggs

2006-12-30T08:43:00.000-06:00

One of the reasons I love school is the depth it brings to my mind and to my conversations.

I have started reading one of my eleven (yes, ELEVEN) texts for my winter course. The first night of perusing Jean-Jacques Rousseau and The Discourses and Other Early Political Writings had me need to understand the phrase oeuvres completes. Liz, knowing French, was my side-kick. We collectively chuckled about my book having something to do with eggs. Come to find out, egg is ouef, with no 'v'. (Plural is ouefs)

Digging a bit deeper, "oeuvres" in French translates to art or work, as in a piece of work. "Completes" as you can probably guess, translates to complete.

I am not sure, but I am guessing I may have further use for the French phrase "complete piece of work"....LOL!

One of my favorite things

2006-12-17T12:51:00.000-06:00

Last night, the Barbra Steisand movie "Yentl" was on PBS. It was so great to see this 1983 film. It is truly one of my favorite movies of all time. It was even commercial-free! My favorite line (s):

"Nothing's impossible!"

"The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn the more I realize, the less I know."

I even stayed awake until 11:30 to watch it!
:)

Ho Ho Ho!

2006-12-14T20:36:00.000-06:00

In the Spirit of the Holidays, I was recently asked to share my Holiday Tradition(s) and or a Holiday Recipe. The request from a remote colleague was: "It would be nice to hear about how you spend your Holidays and what foods are near and dear to your heart or stomach. Of course this is all optional, but it would add some personal touches to the Holiday Season."

Here goes:
Ever since I was a kid, we have had Christmas Eve at my Mom and dad's. We still do that today and my dad always makes up a big batch of shrimp cocktail. Everyone brings a dish.
After eating some, we unwrap gifts, youngest to oldest, so the kids can go first. (Poor Mom--always last!) A few years ago we dumped the gifts and only did stocking stuffers. Made it less spendy now with all the grandkids and great grandkids.

We also have this YUMMY easy dip for pretzels:

Pretzel Dip
2 packages of cream cheese
1 bottle of Western Salad Dressing (use about 1/2 of it)

Using an electric mixer so there are no lumps, mix the two things together until it is a dip-like consistency. Great for the salty pretzels!

Christmas Day is very low key: Jammies till noon and go visiting to the nursing home to see Grandma. She passed last year so will likely do a visit to my brother's house

What do you do as a tradition?

Ancient Greek Influence

2006-12-04T18:37:00.000-06:00

From my recent paper on the ancient Greek influence on the Apostle Paul:

"There is no doubt that the Apostle Paul influenced Christianity. One could argue that Paul was influenced by Stoicism; ergo Christianity had a Stoic influence. I believe the bigger question is truly who influenced whom? Odysseus came first of the three men discussed. The impact that Homer’s Odyssey created on the ancient world, as well as on Western Civilization, could be the beginning of life as we know it today. Did Aristotle influence Stoicism? Did Stoicism truly influence Paul? Ultimately, did Aristotle indirectly influence Paul? Or did the gods on Mount Olympus and the adventures of Odysseus have a direct impact on the world of Christian beliefs and on the Bible itself? These questions pose an opportunity for additional research and examination. I look forward to taking some action to further investigate these. As I continue to study, I look to Aristotle: “For the pleasures arising from study and learning will make us study and learn all the more” (Aristole, Nicomachean Ethics, p.116)."

Books

2006-12-04T18:16:00.000-06:00

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
- Arnold Lobel

(Let's hope I don't have a beard! --Lori)

Lesson 642 in the book of life:

2006-12-03T17:36:00.000-06:00

If something is weighing on you, be sure you share with your partner in life.

The longer you wait, the harder it is to remain nice in the day-to-day. I had a very deep and thought-provoking conversation with my dear friend Dorian last week. I abstained from having a similar conversation with my partner, as I was afraid to share the burden, thinking it would send her down a similar road of feeling burdened. As the days clicked by, I became passive aggressive in my ‘way of being’ around Liz. I also was short-fused; she could do nothing right. We were jabbing verbally at one another. This morning, out to breakfast we go. Jab-Jab-Jab. “What is going on with us?” I asked. She shared a bit of what was so for her and then I totally let loose.

Bottom line: All is fine now!

The moral of the story: Never make them guess....

Decision and Action

2006-11-30T10:04:00.000-06:00

Aristotle has a lot to say about decision and action. Primary to his discussion is that decision is essential to virtue. Important to my own life, I find that action is where things truly happen. My experiences in life have shown me that good thoughts are fine, but unless acted upon, they only exist in the mind. By taking actions to create an existence in the world, I find that life is fulfilled in the delivery of the actions one takes. Regarding this insight, one of the most powerful passages I have read in Nicomachean Ethics is as follows:

The remaining possibility then is some sort of action of the [part of the soul] that has reason. One [part] of it has reason as obeying reason; the other has it as itself having reason and thinking. Moreover, life is spoken of in two ways [as capacity and as activity], and we must take [a human being’s special function to be] life as activity, since this seems to be called life more fully. We have found, then, that the human function is activity of the soul in accord with reason or requiring reason. (Aristotle, ed. Irwin, 1999, p. 8-9)

I Love Athena!

2006-11-28T08:30:00.001-06:00

And Athena, eyes flashing in the dark: “Let it go, Odysseus. Some people trust their puny human friends more than you trust me. And here I am, a goddess, protecting you in all your trials. To put it plainly, even if there were fifty squadrons of armed men all around us, doing their mortal best to kill us, you would still be able to run off their cattle! Now get some sleep. Staying up all night will only sap your strength. All your troubles, Odysseus, will soon be over.”
(Homer, translated by Lombardo, 2000, p.310)

Even the dog likes Thanksgiving

2006-11-28T08:20:00.000-06:00

Maybe this is cheating since it is last year's photo, but I love how much the dog likes turkey!

A random thought/idea

2006-11-28T08:14:00.000-06:00

I had an idea for a course to develop down the road:

The Paul/Odysseus comparison could be a theme! I was listening to Andrew Ford recently (same CD series as Michael Sugrue) and he is speaking of Exodus and the alignment of Moses and Oedipus:

Moses raised by Pharaoh’s daughter; Oedipus by shepherds in similar fashion.
1) They both have obstacles (Pharaoh/Sphinx).
2) They both return (Promised Land/ Thebes).
3) They both have unknown graves and mysterious deaths.
4) They have similar communities (Religious/political).

It can fulfill a "two perspective" requirement…The Bible and Greek Literature! (This could be a whole class since the Bible is so immense in its own right…maybe it has been done already.)

Other comparison ideas are welcome!

Gobble Gobble

2006-11-21T06:38:00.000-06:00

It is Thanksgiving week. The house is getting clean and the shopping is getting done. The Neblung gang appears tomorrow for 3-4 days of hanging out, watching movies, playing games, eating, and shopping. We have 17 people sleep here--I am still in disbeleif that it happens every year--now in the 7th year. The sleeping here is not as big of a problem as taking showers with one hot water heater. It all seems to work out though!

I wonder what others do for Thanksgiving?

SN by SBC

2006-11-15T19:32:00.000-06:00

Social networking (SN) is the topic of interst with my friend Stephen B Carman (SBC) these days. (http://snitwp.blogspot.com)
I have been fascinated with the questions du jour on how we use the web space to communicate, relate, and most recently how friendships take shape.

He asked me an interesting question today: Would Aristotle have had a blog?

I wonder....

Happy meal days

2006-11-14T20:24:00.000-06:00

I had a headache this afternoon. I wonder if it was the meeting that would not end that gave it to me. Or maybe it was the technical issues that I could not fix for a customer. Or maybe it was the plethora of email I came back to after one day off. Whatever the case, a McDonald's Happy meal (cheeseburger no onions) was the analgesic of choice.

What do you take for a headache?

Minnesota chilly

2006-11-13T07:42:00.000-06:00

I am in Minnesota right now at my friend John's. It is quite chilly here, say 20-something. We had a great weekend of hanging out, eating, and shopping. Today Sarah will pick me up and I will do more hanging out and eating.

Being with good friends causes me to stop and ponder the question of time: How do I choose to spend my time and with whom? I see there is some freedom in not having work to tend to today. But that is why they call it vacation time. Or "Paid Time Off". "Time off" of what? Time off of working I guess. Similar to when I take "time off" of school, or from taking Landmark seminars...I see that as "time off" of living.

I think I need to take some time off the computer, so that is all for now.

The beta goes on...

2006-11-11T07:09:00.000-06:00

I had some issues with the beta version of blogger, as those "in the know" know. I did want to share that after I got re-engaged with the beta version, I must say: I like it better. The navigation and the editing functions are simple and intuitive. If you choose to move to it, just be sure you do not delete the original version. I think it points to files on the original if you migrate.

Why I feared blogging

2006-11-10T19:48:00.000-06:00

Today, after proudly announcing my blog to my friends Tyra and Stephen, I lost my blog completely! I thougth I should move to the beta version before I got too far along. I did; then I deleted the first version. Voila! It was gone all together! But I am back! I was in fear of the technical snafus but it all worked out.

I was told....

2006-11-10T19:30:00.000-06:00

...by a friend of mine a year ago, that starting a blog was "just a matter of time". I guess she was right. Here I am!