Cell Phone- lost
Directions- sketchy
Sleep - minimal
Workshop- priceless (I hope)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Time with the Grandbaby
This is the accumulation stage of talk for toddlers and we are happy to comply with verbal interaction! The toddler and I are walking all over DC seeking out new experiences and words. We take the Metro in the morning to our first stop. He sees all sorts of people- listening to languages and trying to communicate. He speaks "hi" and "bye" very well.
I love to surround him with art and talk about it. He sits quietly and listens. OK- we stroll by the paintings and he listens to my commentary because he is strapped into his stroller:>) When we go in next week, we will look for more discovery rooms.
Yesterday was the carousel. It moved quickly and he held on tight. It was questionable on the "like it" meter.
Today is Ford's theater and the American Art Museum. Tomorrow I head to a conference at Yale. Wish me luck on the roads!
I love to surround him with art and talk about it. He sits quietly and listens. OK- we stroll by the paintings and he listens to my commentary because he is strapped into his stroller:>) When we go in next week, we will look for more discovery rooms.
Yesterday was the carousel. It moved quickly and he held on tight. It was questionable on the "like it" meter.
Today is Ford's theater and the American Art Museum. Tomorrow I head to a conference at Yale. Wish me luck on the roads!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
A New Primary source
Since it is not a book - I don't know if a certain reader would consider it a primary source.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html
A new encyclical. I am slowly working through it.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html
A new encyclical. I am slowly working through it.
Singing, Spinning and Chatting
Toddlerhood is the most blessed time of life. Life consists of kisses, new words, going down the slide without help, naps, singing, Blue's Clues, stroller rides, helping birdies, dancing, clapping hands, spinning, and just chatting. Foods are yogurt, milk, fish sticks and whatever else comes your way! Anyone have any ideas on feeding a toddler veggies????
Life is good!
Life is good!
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
What does it mean to be informed and involved
A rude discussion on another blog has spurred me to thinking about "informed and involved". In Washington DC, access to excellent CSPAN radio is easy. I can only get snippets of it at home so I am soaking it in while I travel.
Yesterday CSPAN was the "close of the court" chats with several of the Justices. Those people are amazing. "We do not see ourselves as you do. We are simply the trustees . Ninety- five percent of our work is reading briefs. Five percent is the argument." Primary sources are extremely important to knowing the difference between what people think is going on and what is actually going on.
At home finding primary sources is more difficult. Listening to CNBC has been a surprising place to listen to lectures on the economy. They "step into" their program for Bernacky, Newt and Geitner. The best speaker is Bair of FDIC. She is a whip- and more Conservative than the rest. You can also catch the heads of most major companies at one time or another.
The News Hour(PBS) is pretty good about going through the news and choosing three important areas to delve into. Balancing that with BBC the World helps me see the more global view. In DC you can get news from almost any part of the world.
Reading the New York Times and Wall Street Journal is a way of getting "print news". Cruising them regularly I read some great articles written by Conservatives and liberals alike pleading their cases on the editorial pages. Both papers are some of the few who still have reporters on the ground, so their regular news is pretty decent.
Last are people whom I have known for years, and some immigrants I have just met. We talk about what is happening and our experiences in the past. When we were young these talks were theoretical. Most of them have moved on to being in positions where theory now meets the reality.
I do pick up an occasional book. Most of the ones I read are on Afghanistan and Iraq. Doctors without Borders put out a great one not too long ago.
It takes over a year to publish unless it is simply a long editorial (which politicians and talk show hosts are famous for). They are good for historical perspective, but not current. You have to admit, most of what is happening in the US and world economy is unprecedented. If you are one of the few still comparing it to the Great Depression...oh well, read away. This time will be titled the time of "great greed of many". If you are smart, you simply continue to live life carefully when it comes to finances.
Blogs, they are fun, but often they are talking heads from broadcast news who simply want to be talking heads on a computer screen. I don't like the screaming on either medium. Who are they sponsored by, where do they get their news, I check it all out and rarely bother to read more than my "friends' family news".
Involvement has been my weak link. I get back here and think," I would love to go into public health." There are so many ways of helping. Alas, I am lazy and willing to limit my involvement to reading my emails from my Congressmen, writing them back and working at school. I suppose that working to form the next generation of leaders is involvement.
Today will be spent finding more objects to take pictures of for classes that I will be teaching. Time for more involvement will happen when I am sixty!
How do you get your information to stay informed?
Yesterday CSPAN was the "close of the court" chats with several of the Justices. Those people are amazing. "We do not see ourselves as you do. We are simply the trustees . Ninety- five percent of our work is reading briefs. Five percent is the argument." Primary sources are extremely important to knowing the difference between what people think is going on and what is actually going on.
At home finding primary sources is more difficult. Listening to CNBC has been a surprising place to listen to lectures on the economy. They "step into" their program for Bernacky, Newt and Geitner. The best speaker is Bair of FDIC. She is a whip- and more Conservative than the rest. You can also catch the heads of most major companies at one time or another.
The News Hour(PBS) is pretty good about going through the news and choosing three important areas to delve into. Balancing that with BBC the World helps me see the more global view. In DC you can get news from almost any part of the world.
Reading the New York Times and Wall Street Journal is a way of getting "print news". Cruising them regularly I read some great articles written by Conservatives and liberals alike pleading their cases on the editorial pages. Both papers are some of the few who still have reporters on the ground, so their regular news is pretty decent.
Last are people whom I have known for years, and some immigrants I have just met. We talk about what is happening and our experiences in the past. When we were young these talks were theoretical. Most of them have moved on to being in positions where theory now meets the reality.
I do pick up an occasional book. Most of the ones I read are on Afghanistan and Iraq. Doctors without Borders put out a great one not too long ago.
It takes over a year to publish unless it is simply a long editorial (which politicians and talk show hosts are famous for). They are good for historical perspective, but not current. You have to admit, most of what is happening in the US and world economy is unprecedented. If you are one of the few still comparing it to the Great Depression...oh well, read away. This time will be titled the time of "great greed of many". If you are smart, you simply continue to live life carefully when it comes to finances.
Blogs, they are fun, but often they are talking heads from broadcast news who simply want to be talking heads on a computer screen. I don't like the screaming on either medium. Who are they sponsored by, where do they get their news, I check it all out and rarely bother to read more than my "friends' family news".
Involvement has been my weak link. I get back here and think," I would love to go into public health." There are so many ways of helping. Alas, I am lazy and willing to limit my involvement to reading my emails from my Congressmen, writing them back and working at school. I suppose that working to form the next generation of leaders is involvement.
Today will be spent finding more objects to take pictures of for classes that I will be teaching. Time for more involvement will happen when I am sixty!
How do you get your information to stay informed?
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
And now that I have settled in- it is time to leave home
Yesterday the fireflies bouncing gleefully through the trees and grasses of our pasture. Horses from the back pasture were out for a walk to the river with their masters. Trees were swaying to the gentle breeze. Down came the temperature, to a more traditional 90 degrees for the fourth of July. My homes is a place surrounded by beauty.
Packing
Thursday I head out to DC for most of the month. There are two conferences and a grand baby to play with. For the first time in many years I am not looking forward to traveling.
Packing
Thursday I head out to DC for most of the month. There are two conferences and a grand baby to play with. For the first time in many years I am not looking forward to traveling.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Settling in
All of my life I have been looking forward to the next move, the next job, the next minute. Moving to Kansas was one of those adventures. I was fortunate enough to be teamed up with a Science teacher who was married to a man with the same sort of moving background. My first few years teaching with her conversations often went to where to teach next. What was this job was preparing me for? She would listen and nod. Then she would encourage me to stay- just one more year.
Stuff happened. My father passed away. Several in laws passed away. Our son graduated from University. Our daughter married and had a baby. The school rolled with the punches and was there when I returned.
After my husband's terrible year last year he slowed down to smell some flowers. Since then we have both had time to reflect on our lives. Yesterday we sat and chatted about the future. He is 59 and I am 52. What does that look like? Where do we see ourselves in five, ten and fifteen years? What impact should that have on what we are doing today.
My husband is definitely set on retiring at 62. This has more to do with the distrust that social security will be there in the future and the federal government so often "grandfathers" those who have already started in a system. Retiring to my husband means playing full time with wood and building furniture for our kids. He doesn't "need" me to be hanging over his shoulder.
Our kids need us sometime- but not full time. They will stay in that pattern for years to come. This is their time to shine and move forward. They will call . We will visit. Again- no hovering needed.
Where does that leave me?
My position. It is the best teaching position I have ever had. I am working with kids who need me, in a field I enjoy. The work is more mind taxing than physically taxing. My thoughts today are to discontinue talking about where else to teach or what else in my life to do. The long Kansas days and the wonderful school that I teach in will be very fulfilling for the next ten years.
To my favorite Science teacher- I am going to settle in. Hope we can teach together for at least a few years. The call of western Kansas is there for you, but until then!
Off to finish my Masters application.
Stuff happened. My father passed away. Several in laws passed away. Our son graduated from University. Our daughter married and had a baby. The school rolled with the punches and was there when I returned.
After my husband's terrible year last year he slowed down to smell some flowers. Since then we have both had time to reflect on our lives. Yesterday we sat and chatted about the future. He is 59 and I am 52. What does that look like? Where do we see ourselves in five, ten and fifteen years? What impact should that have on what we are doing today.
My husband is definitely set on retiring at 62. This has more to do with the distrust that social security will be there in the future and the federal government so often "grandfathers" those who have already started in a system. Retiring to my husband means playing full time with wood and building furniture for our kids. He doesn't "need" me to be hanging over his shoulder.
Our kids need us sometime- but not full time. They will stay in that pattern for years to come. This is their time to shine and move forward. They will call . We will visit. Again- no hovering needed.
Where does that leave me?
My position. It is the best teaching position I have ever had. I am working with kids who need me, in a field I enjoy. The work is more mind taxing than physically taxing. My thoughts today are to discontinue talking about where else to teach or what else in my life to do. The long Kansas days and the wonderful school that I teach in will be very fulfilling for the next ten years.
To my favorite Science teacher- I am going to settle in. Hope we can teach together for at least a few years. The call of western Kansas is there for you, but until then!
Off to finish my Masters application.
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