Being a Detroit Lions fan by birth (yeah, I know), I've never rooted for Brett Favre, who was both a Packer (boo!) and a Viking (hiss!). And the annual melodrama that we've endured the last few years of "will he or won't he come back" was a little hard to take.
But Favre and I are nearly the same age. He is a year younger than me. And watching a 41-year-old play quarterback in the NFL fills me almost with awe (even though he has frequently been awful this year). Some may think that watching him hobble around on a broken foot is pathetic. I agree. But I also find it--I'm not sure what. I wouldn't call it inspiring. But it is interesting. I guess I can identify with him for the first time.
Watching him get pummeled by a 26-year-old defensive end, I can't help but imagine myself taking that hit (at which point I would be airlifted straight to the hospital, if not directly to the morgue).
Injuries I can relate to, since I seem to hurt myself anytime I try to do anything athletic.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Back to blogging
O.K. Grading papers has definitely kept me away from the blog over the last week. Did anyone notice? So I feel some sympathy now for my students who I require to do this every week. Some weeks, life makes it difficult to get to the keyboard. (That doesn't mean I'm changing the requirement!)
But now I'm all caught up. Grading is up to date. Soccer season ends this week. I have my costume picked out for Saturday. And I have some ideas of things I want to write about. (Stay tuned for my pics of costumes from Halloweens past.)
But now I'm all caught up. Grading is up to date. Soccer season ends this week. I have my costume picked out for Saturday. And I have some ideas of things I want to write about. (Stay tuned for my pics of costumes from Halloweens past.)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Coaching soccer
So I coached my first soccer practices this week. I volunteered to be the assistant coach for my 9-year-old's soccer team, meaning I would run practice one day a week. It ended up being two days this week, because the coach was sick today. I've managed to avoid coaching for about eight years, but finally decided to help out.
Keep in mind that I know nothing about soccer. I played little league when I was a kid, but I have two soccer-playing girls and no baseball players. It's at times like these when I am glad to be living in the age of the internet, where I was able to google some ideas to keep a group of 4th and 5th graders busy for an hour and a half. I kept them busy; they were active; no one got hurt. If they learned anything, I'll consider it a bonus.
Keep in mind that I know nothing about soccer. I played little league when I was a kid, but I have two soccer-playing girls and no baseball players. It's at times like these when I am glad to be living in the age of the internet, where I was able to google some ideas to keep a group of 4th and 5th graders busy for an hour and a half. I kept them busy; they were active; no one got hurt. If they learned anything, I'll consider it a bonus.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
How to fight procrastination
A recent article in the New Yorker about procrastination mentions the following strategies:
1) Write naked! Victor Hugo, the French novelist who wrote Les Miserables, used to have his valet hide his clothes while he wrote. That way, he figured, he would be far less likely to go outside when he should be inside writing.
2) Turn off the internet. Freedom software allows you to turn off and lock your computer's access to the internet for a period of time that you set. The idea is that you'll get a lot more work done if you aren't chatting on Facebook or downloading Katy Perry songs. If you change your mind, you can turn the internet back on, but you have to reboot.
1) Write naked! Victor Hugo, the French novelist who wrote Les Miserables, used to have his valet hide his clothes while he wrote. That way, he figured, he would be far less likely to go outside when he should be inside writing.
2) Turn off the internet. Freedom software allows you to turn off and lock your computer's access to the internet for a period of time that you set. The idea is that you'll get a lot more work done if you aren't chatting on Facebook or downloading Katy Perry songs. If you change your mind, you can turn the internet back on, but you have to reboot.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The best advice I wish I had received about college
Op-Ed Contributors - Ditch Your Laptop, Dump Your Boyfriend - NYTimes.com
I came across this article in the New York Times. I definitely didn't follow the advice of the title. I married my high school sweetheart, so I can't personally say that dumping your significant other will necessarily lead to personal growth. It is probably true though that having a serious girlfriend in college kept me from seeking an active social life. It turned out to be worth it in the end. For us.
I did explore a lot of the happenings on campus, but I stayed away from parties. I was pretty studious. I had this image of college of spending a lot of time sitting around in coffee houses talking about philosophy. Wearing a black turtleneck, of course. I never did any of that, but I always aspired to it. I did sit in a bar once talking about religion.
If I had been given the above advice, would I have followed it? Maybe. But I doubt it. I might have wanted to follow it, but I probably wouldn't have followed through on my good intentions.
What was the best advice I ever got? "Learn to type." My dad told me that when I was in high school. And it came in pretty handy.
What was the best advice anyone gave you about college? What advice do you wish you had gotten?
Take classes in many different subjects before picking your major. Try lots of different clubs and activities. Make friends with people who grew up much poorer than you, and others much richer. Date someone of a different race or religion. (And no, hooking up at a party doesn’t count.) Spend a semester abroad or save up and go backpacking in Europe or Asia.
I came across this article in the New York Times. I definitely didn't follow the advice of the title. I married my high school sweetheart, so I can't personally say that dumping your significant other will necessarily lead to personal growth. It is probably true though that having a serious girlfriend in college kept me from seeking an active social life. It turned out to be worth it in the end. For us.
I did explore a lot of the happenings on campus, but I stayed away from parties. I was pretty studious. I had this image of college of spending a lot of time sitting around in coffee houses talking about philosophy. Wearing a black turtleneck, of course. I never did any of that, but I always aspired to it. I did sit in a bar once talking about religion.
If I had been given the above advice, would I have followed it? Maybe. But I doubt it. I might have wanted to follow it, but I probably wouldn't have followed through on my good intentions.
What was the best advice I ever got? "Learn to type." My dad told me that when I was in high school. And it came in pretty handy.
What was the best advice anyone gave you about college? What advice do you wish you had gotten?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Blogs with a theme
Student bloggers, some of you despair of finding something worthwhile to write about. Some of you worry that you have to think of something new to say. You wrote about the game, or the movie, or the roommate last week--what to write about this week? Must you pick something entirely new.
Well, not necessarily.
I wanted to point you to a couple blogs to you to suggest that you can write about the same topic every week. In fact, a lot of people create blogs to write about a particular topic they know a lot about or care about.
Say you want to write about fashion. Tavi, a 13-year-old blogger, does that on style rookie.
Maybe you wrote about the Colts last week. You can't write about them again. Why not? Did you know that ESPN has an AFC South blog?
Do you watch a lot of movies? You could blog about what you've seen recently, like this guy. Read a lot of comics? Play a lot of video games?
Do you eat?
Chances are you do something, know something, think about something. Something that you could blog about.
Well, not necessarily.
I wanted to point you to a couple blogs to you to suggest that you can write about the same topic every week. In fact, a lot of people create blogs to write about a particular topic they know a lot about or care about.
Say you want to write about fashion. Tavi, a 13-year-old blogger, does that on style rookie.
Maybe you wrote about the Colts last week. You can't write about them again. Why not? Did you know that ESPN has an AFC South blog?
Do you watch a lot of movies? You could blog about what you've seen recently, like this guy. Read a lot of comics? Play a lot of video games?
Do you eat?
Chances are you do something, know something, think about something. Something that you could blog about.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Shuffle
I have 4,051 songs on my ipod, so I sometimes forget about what's on there. I tend to listen to the same music over and over, then switch to something else. Today, playing songs on shuffle I made a fun discovery: "Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" by the Flaming Lips.
Patrick,
You see I'm growing a mustache
And though I know, I must ask you,
Does it really make me look like a man?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Woke up this morning . . .
Here is the reference for Wednesday's random comment: "I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer." So, students, please don't write on your course evaluation, "He drank before coming to class."
Don't call me a cat lover . . .
We have three cats: Murray (the black one in the background here), Sunshine (pictured), and Sunshine's sister, Tiger. My daughters picked out Sunshine and Tiger when they were kittens. But my 9-year-old insists that she is not a cat lover."I'm a cat liker. Cat lovers are lonely. And I'm not lonely."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Revising means more than running spell check
This week we are working on revising our memoirs. What do we have to do when we revise to actually make our writing better?
We have to step back and see the writing differently. Revising, as Adrienne Rich famously said, is re-seeing. (Revision as re-vision.) What's the best way to get this new vision? Have someone else read your draft. They may not have any advice for you on how to make improvements, but they can tell you how they respond as readers: how it made them feel, what it made them think, what parts had the biggest impact, what parts were the most confusing. They can ask you questions.
Another way to get another look at your writing is to simply put it away for awhile and come back to it later (hard to do when you're under a deadline--that's why it's important to give yourself time to write). Time can give you the distance you need to see your writing more impartially.
With practice, you can learn to read your own writing as a reader. But all writers, at some point in the process, benefit from feedback and time.
Here is a good handout on revision.
We have to step back and see the writing differently. Revising, as Adrienne Rich famously said, is re-seeing. (Revision as re-vision.) What's the best way to get this new vision? Have someone else read your draft. They may not have any advice for you on how to make improvements, but they can tell you how they respond as readers: how it made them feel, what it made them think, what parts had the biggest impact, what parts were the most confusing. They can ask you questions.
Another way to get another look at your writing is to simply put it away for awhile and come back to it later (hard to do when you're under a deadline--that's why it's important to give yourself time to write). Time can give you the distance you need to see your writing more impartially.
With practice, you can learn to read your own writing as a reader. But all writers, at some point in the process, benefit from feedback and time.
Here is a good handout on revision.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The most important rock albums of ALL time
Not really of all time, but of my time. These albums are important because they are the first ones I ever bought, the ones I first listened to over and over, the melodies and lyrics that burrowed deep into my brain. I haven’t listened to any of these albums in a long time, 20 years at least, but I could probably sing along to every word if I heard them today.
I owned all of these albums on vinyl, of course. Never upgraded any of them to CD.
#5 REO Speedwagon, Hi in Fidelity
“Take It on the Run,” “Keep on Loving You”
#4 Journey, Escape
“Don’t Stop Believing,” “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms,” “Stone in Love”
#3 Styx, Paradise Theatre
“Too Much time on My Hands,” “The Best of Times”
#2 Queen, The Game
This is the first album I can remember buying with my own money. “Another One Bites the Dust” was my favorite song. It was also the theme song for the Detroit Lions in 1980. That was when Billy Sims was the star back. They went 9-7. The song also gained notoriety for backmasking. If you played the record backward, it “clearly” said, “Try to smoke marijuana.” I tried it, of course, but never heard the message all that clearly.
#1 Kiss, Alive
This was THE album of my childhood. My brother and I used to play Kiss with other boys in the neighborhood. I was usually Ace Frehley with the smoking guitar. All the sexual innuendo in the lyrics went right over my head.
I owned all of these albums on vinyl, of course. Never upgraded any of them to CD.
#5 REO Speedwagon, Hi in Fidelity
“Take It on the Run,” “Keep on Loving You”
#4 Journey, Escape
“Don’t Stop Believing,” “Who’s Crying Now,” “Open Arms,” “Stone in Love”
#3 Styx, Paradise Theatre
“Too Much time on My Hands,” “The Best of Times”
#2 Queen, The Game
This is the first album I can remember buying with my own money. “Another One Bites the Dust” was my favorite song. It was also the theme song for the Detroit Lions in 1980. That was when Billy Sims was the star back. They went 9-7. The song also gained notoriety for backmasking. If you played the record backward, it “clearly” said, “Try to smoke marijuana.” I tried it, of course, but never heard the message all that clearly.
#1 Kiss, Alive
This was THE album of my childhood. My brother and I used to play Kiss with other boys in the neighborhood. I was usually Ace Frehley with the smoking guitar. All the sexual innuendo in the lyrics went right over my head.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Everything you think you know about studying is wrong
Mind - Research Upends Traditional Thinking on Study Habits - NYTimes.com
Actually, not all of this advice sounds so revolutionary. Still, the article has some good advice, especially for you nursing majors, or anyone who has to memorize a lot of material.
Does any of this research on studying apply to writing? Well, some of the "bad advice" that we give for studying we also give for writing. We tell writers to find a quiet place to write. You need the room of your own ( impossible in college). You need a desk that you always write at.
However, the research on writing suggests it might be better to write in a different place each time. Or, if you are writing and you get stuck, try moving to a new location. Maybe the activity or a change of context could get your brain moving again.
It's also better to write often, to space out your writing sessions, rather than to do the equivalent of cramming and write everything in one long session at the last minute the night before paper is due.
Idea #3 for blog post: Write about something you read online. Quote from it and give a link.
Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall students, their video-bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set goals. Set boundaries. Do not bribe (except in emergencies).This is all wrong, according to a story in the New York Times. Instead, you should do the opposite. Instead of clearing a quiet workspace, you should vary your study location. Instead of sticking to a schedule, you might try varying your schedule. Try mixing the content of your study sessions instead of immersing yourself in a single subject for hours. Give yourself practice tests.
Actually, not all of this advice sounds so revolutionary. Still, the article has some good advice, especially for you nursing majors, or anyone who has to memorize a lot of material.
Does any of this research on studying apply to writing? Well, some of the "bad advice" that we give for studying we also give for writing. We tell writers to find a quiet place to write. You need the room of your own ( impossible in college). You need a desk that you always write at.
However, the research on writing suggests it might be better to write in a different place each time. Or, if you are writing and you get stuck, try moving to a new location. Maybe the activity or a change of context could get your brain moving again.
It's also better to write often, to space out your writing sessions, rather than to do the equivalent of cramming and write everything in one long session at the last minute the night before paper is due.
Idea #3 for blog post: Write about something you read online. Quote from it and give a link.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Zero Draft
Writer's block. Who needs it? Not you, I bet. Writer's block comes from thinking too hard, putting on too much pressure to be perfect now. You stare at the blank page/screen and no ideas come. You write something down. It sucks. You get stuck. You figure you're better off playing Halo or baking brownies.
But what if you actually want to write and not just get carpal tunnel and cavities? The zero draft comes to the rescue. What's that? Weather stripping? Well, yes, but, I'm talking about writing, not home improvement. Stay with me here.
The zero draft, also known as the shitty first draft, is a jedi mind trick. A way of tricking yourself into writing by lowering the stakes. You're not really writing a first draft, or even a real draft. You're just writing a zero draft. It doesn't have to be any good. In fact, it's even better if totally sucks. You can write the first draft later. The zero draft is like a scrimmage, or a pre-season game. You're going to rest your starters and see what Curtis Painter can do. Who cares if you win?
Just write. Get it down. See where it leads. Don't look back. The key is to give yourself time. Write for an hour straight. Or if you aren't up to that, write for a half hour. Chances are you won't really be keeping track of time anyway, once you get into it.
But what if you actually want to write and not just get carpal tunnel and cavities? The zero draft comes to the rescue. What's that? Weather stripping? Well, yes, but, I'm talking about writing, not home improvement. Stay with me here.
The zero draft, also known as the shitty first draft, is a jedi mind trick. A way of tricking yourself into writing by lowering the stakes. You're not really writing a first draft, or even a real draft. You're just writing a zero draft. It doesn't have to be any good. In fact, it's even better if totally sucks. You can write the first draft later. The zero draft is like a scrimmage, or a pre-season game. You're going to rest your starters and see what Curtis Painter can do. Who cares if you win?
Just write. Get it down. See where it leads. Don't look back. The key is to give yourself time. Write for an hour straight. Or if you aren't up to that, write for a half hour. Chances are you won't really be keeping track of time anyway, once you get into it.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Idea #2 for blog post
Write a list. 10 things I miss. 5 reasons the Colts won't win the Super Bowl again this year. 8 things I love about breakfast.
Fish Tank
Every year the local elementary has a Spring Festival, with bingo, a cakewalk, ring toss, and all of those games you only play at a school. When I was a kid, we had the same thing, but we called it a carnival. The idea is to raise money. At one of these festivals, my daughter M won a goldfish. She brought him home in a plastic bag filled with water. We bought a plastic fish tank, colored pebbles, a fish net, and fish food, and created a nice little plastic home for Goldie.
He died the next day.
So much for that. We emptied out the tank and stuck it on a shelf in the closet. Eventually, the tank made its way down to the basement, where it sat undisturbed for at least four years.
This weekend the tank made its way out of the basement for our yard sale. It lasted about ten minutes before being rescued by my nine-year-old daughter L.
"We can't sell this!"
She took it up to her room where it is now home to fish of a more durable nature.
Idea #1 for Blog Post: Write about a picture.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Why do I have my students blog?
Last year, I had my students create blogs for the first time, but I did not have them blog. Instead, I had them post assignments, such as reading responses and maybe their multigenre essay, to their blogs.
How is blogging different from that? Blogging requires regular posting. Blogging requires readers. Blogging requires the author to make choices about what to blog about. That is, a blog needs a blogger. Not a student posting a few random assignments.
Why am I making them do this? Here are five reasons.
5. Blogging gives students a chance to write for real readers. And to get feedback from readers.
4. Blogging allows students choice over what they write about.
3. Blogging gives students a way to get to know each other through their writing. It could--maybe, hopefully--foster a sense of community in class.
2. Blogging allows students to incorporate different media, especially images (see above), into their writing.
1. Blogging is fun. I won’t kid myself into thinking that everyone is going to love doing this. But it will give everyone a chance to write in a forum that is not graded. It will give everyone a chance to write for the sole purpose of communicating.
My main motivation for this was the feeling that last year I missed an opportunity with my students, that we just didn’t get that much out of the blogs because we didn’t really use them as blogs. This time I’m trying something different. We’ll see how it goes.
Note: Photo by Pascal. Source: Flickr.
How is blogging different from that? Blogging requires regular posting. Blogging requires readers. Blogging requires the author to make choices about what to blog about. That is, a blog needs a blogger. Not a student posting a few random assignments.
Why am I making them do this? Here are five reasons.
5. Blogging gives students a chance to write for real readers. And to get feedback from readers.
4. Blogging allows students choice over what they write about.
3. Blogging gives students a way to get to know each other through their writing. It could--maybe, hopefully--foster a sense of community in class.
2. Blogging allows students to incorporate different media, especially images (see above), into their writing.1. Blogging is fun. I won’t kid myself into thinking that everyone is going to love doing this. But it will give everyone a chance to write in a forum that is not graded. It will give everyone a chance to write for the sole purpose of communicating.
My main motivation for this was the feeling that last year I missed an opportunity with my students, that we just didn’t get that much out of the blogs because we didn’t really use them as blogs. This time I’m trying something different. We’ll see how it goes.
Note: Photo by Pascal. Source: Flickr.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Go for a walk after class
And leave your ipod, cell, and laptop at home. You'll learn more:
Your Brain on Computers - Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime - NYTimes.com
“Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.”
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to all of you in my English 103 sections this semester. I'm going to re-start this blog this semester. I plan on being more active with it than I was last year. Partly, that will depend on whether I can make it something you will want to read (and maybe have to read). You all will also be creating and writing blogs yourselves. You can go ahead and create one here in blogger if you want to get started right away. Otherwise, you can wait until I introduce them in class next week.
I'm looking forward to this semester with a lot of excitement. I've been working on the syllabus and the class wiki for the past couple days, and I'm getting excited about the things we are going to be doing. I'll meet you all on Monday.
I'm looking forward to this semester with a lot of excitement. I've been working on the syllabus and the class wiki for the past couple days, and I'm getting excited about the things we are going to be doing. I'll meet you all on Monday.
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