Snow Day

Classes were cancelled, school was cancelled. But what did I accomplish?

I lay on the sofa and tried not to throw up. Mostly I succeeded.

Tonight we're watching John Houston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040897/). This is an odd movie... Bugs Bunny borrowed/parodied a number of elements from this movie.

Olivia got a big kick out of playing in the snow. Meleah is over at NaDean's for the day. Walker played outside for a couple of hours and made me soup to make me feel better. Olivia is copying words off of packaging and having Todd read them.

My head hurts, so I am not being very interesting...

Honors College Alumni

Ed Tanguay has an eclectic website. Info ranges from parenting info to book reviews to tech tutorials.

Students

I can't decide if my students are cynical or apathetic.

I am having a harder time connecting with my "best and brightest" than with my "regular" students. Aarg.

I'll figure something out.

Weekend

Love the three day weekend.

I started tiling the kitchen counter-top. Twelve inch tiles with one inch accents. Lovely. Now if I could only get the dishwasher installed so I could finish installing the tile and grout and so forth. Cutting the cement board was honestly the hardest part. Stumbling on the John Bridge tile forum was a godsend. There I learned about carbide blades and learned that no one really can cut cement backer board with a utility knife. If you see it done on television, it is evidently a special knife or a camera trick.

I really should be reading for my assignment tomorrow. At least I have the class I am teaching tomorrow planned out.

I have almost finished adding the affiliate ads to the website that I have been building. I did the style sheet, the graphics and everything.

Being social

We laugh that we are anti-social, but really, we are just insanely busy. Tonight, however, we went out with a bunch of my friends and friends of friends. I guess there were ten of us all together. We had so much fun. We don't get out without the kids all that often. Usually just for functions that are mandatory, like an office party. But Meleah had all region jazz band practice (she made second band) and NaDean was having Olivia over tonight anyway, so we asked if she could take Walker too. And, bless her heart, she did. Afterward, everyone went over to Mike and Amanda's to play games, but we picked up the kids and came home. Sometimes it stinks to be a grown-up.

Women, piano, karate and camera

The plight of women in Afghanistan continues to horrify me. I suppose it is better than when the Taliban was in charge, but they are still treated badly enough.

Meleah went to piano last night-- first time for the new semester. She is back with her old teacher, which she loves. It is quite the drive. Meleah has agreed to pick up some jazz music in addition to the classical.

Speaking of firsts, the kids took a karate lesson tonight; the first one in years. They really liked it. Well, Meleah liked it. Walker is up in the air. Todd may start taking lessons with them next week.

I fixed my camera today. Well, sort of fixed it. The mode indicator fell off of my Camedia 5050. I was horrified. This camera takes fabulous pictures and I love it. But I was not sure if I loved it enough to pay a couple hundred dollars to fix it. But I found this site that assured me that I could fix it myself with a nylon bolt. It worked. The indicator is now a little picky, but it is on and it still takes pictures. And that makes me happy. I would try to find a #4 bolt instead of a #6 if I could do it over though, to see if that would work. The bolt is almost a little thick for the circuit paper thing that actually sets the mode.

I was reading student blogs to see if any were interesting enough to refer to here. The one that probably would have been was shut down. I'll miss "Slouching Toward Bethlehem."

Charlie linked to this article which disturbs me. A town in New Jersey is shutting its public library down after school because teenagers are running amok in there. And one person they interviewed for the article had the nerve to criticize them for doing so because now the teens don't have a place to go! How on earth is that the library's problem??? Maybe the parents should consider taking responsibility for their children? I have an 11 year old and a 13 year old and I make sure that I am available when they get home from school. Shoot, I pick them up from school! I can't imagine just leaving them for hours to find their way home, or not. I understand that some jobs are not as flexible as mine. But one reason I have my job instead of one that pays better is so that I can supervise my children.

Catch up

Today has been a catch up day. Yesterday we were without water. Not because I forgot to pay the bill this time, either. We were installing the new cabinet and nicked the water line and it was the next day before our plumber could get here. That was fun (not). All three kids and no water. And it was a wasted day because we couldn't do any more work on the cabinets. And I could not do laundry.

I did, however, work on my web portfolio. It looks kind of nice now, and needs to be translated to a brochure. A guy at one of the computer shops in town was asking me if I had one...

My cousin Joshua gave me the address of his Myspace where he has a couple of awesome songs that he has been working on. It always shocks me when someone I have known forever does something so cool...

I still need to work on the annotated bibliography that I have promised, and work on my syllabus for spring. And find a reading for my lecture for Core II.

And on a related note, I discovered that I am requiring over $100 worth of textbooks in my classes. More like $130... For real, I am going to look at using the Wiki text books. I just need readings. I could probably find readings online. I tried putting readings on reserve at the library, but students stole the hard copies and could not figure out how to use the online ones. That was frustrating. But $130 is excessive. I think the book for my Comp II class was $24. Granted that was a *long* time ago, but I can't see why those have increased sixfold in 15 years...

I did get the Christmas tree taken down before we ripped up the kitchen. I guess that is something. And I did get Olivia's defective FurReal pet returned. She spent the money on a bike helmet and elbow and knee pads. She is a happy as she can be. She *loves* riding her bike. And Todd loves riding with her. He has so much fun with that.

Christmas

The kids are happy. Right now, Todd has taken Olivia out to ride her new bike. Her FurReal pet was not as happy an experience, though. It died. One day old. So sad. I guess I'll fight the crowds tomorrow to return it.

My best Christmas present was early. I got an A- on my paper and a A- in my class. I survived my first PhD class. Considering my masters degree was in Education, it feels pretty good to survive a PhD level class in English.

When I was young, and realized that the choices I had made precluded a top level graduate school, I really wondered what I had done. So I went back and got my post-bach teaching certification, and a masters in Instructional Technology (school library). Then I *was* a school librarian for a year. Then I taught English for two years. Then I took a year off (freelancing). Then I added part time writing teaching to my freelancing. Then I went full time teaching writing. With a M.Ed.

It has dawned on me the last two years that I cannot continue in the university setting with just a masters degree. But I still have the results of my choices from years back. My husband and three kids, who have attachments here. So I found an online course of study from a real university.

So back to Christmas. Instead of kicking back and relaxing, though, we have work to do on the house. I need to paint the trim in the dining room. And I need to put together a portfolio for my freelance web design. And take down the Christmas tree. I am feeling overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Done

My paper is done.

Of course, now, I am wondering about whether or not I even made the right argument! It really does not matter as it is turned in.

I'd like to write more about the folklore of the Ozarks. Really, since Randolph died, not much has been done. Nothing much since Ong, Foley, etc. have made their contributions to orality.

Vance Randolph

For my paper on Ong, I am reading Vance Randolph's works that he collected in the Ozarks.

What is striking me today is that I may be asking the wrong question (not what I want to know when my paper is due on Wednesday). Should I be looking at the self conscious way the Ozarks informants talked about orality as something people "used to do"? I am finding, juxtaposed in between Chaucerian stories and Beowulf variants, stories about people with "book learning" or without it.

Orality

Cosmic Thoughts was reading Ong and reflecting...

I am still working through Ong and applying his work to Randolph's. And the thing that drives me to distraction is that I *really* need to see Randolph's transcripts. I need to see *exactly* what his informants said... I need to *hear* the recordings (when they exist). For far too many of the stories, Randolph relies on his memory and his own mid-west dialect instead of what the informants actually said.

So how can I know if they are copious or use formulaic language???

Update

The semester is winding down, thank God. I am so over-committed this semester. Teaching four comp classes, Honors Core I, Vino, plus three tutorial students was just too much. But what could have I possibly cut out? Each was important to me, either personally or professionally (or both).

I have a nervous breakdown scheduled for next week. Copious amounts of adult beverages would probably make this more fun, but alas, I don't indulge...

If I had a dollar...

If I had a dollar for every book/article I've read on organization, I'd be wealthy enough to *hire* someone to organize my home.

Yet, some how, I am inexorably drawn to these pieces. I seem to really unable to avoid the self-flagellation of reading about some who always has socks in the morning for her children. (Don't get me wrong, I always *eventually* find socks for the kids. And if they are white, and underneath their pants, they don't have to have exactly the same kind of cuff, right?)

Why is the image of neatly folded clothing neatly placed in drawers the image of perfect motherhood? Isn't it more important that I take my kids to listen to the visiting author series at my workplace? I make them think, but the house that we live in is definitely not company ready.

Rendezvous

Today was the Honors College Rendezvous. It is the new combination of Freshman Family Day, Orientation Banquet, and Parents Day. Bunches of students were there, and families, and a few alumni (actually, very few, but that's okay).

The Vino was ready for today, so we were able to give it out to the families of the students there. I heard a lot of nice things about it. That class really outdid itself putting it together. I am so proud of them.

We took the kids over to Cindy's tonight... Six kids in one house may just be too many :)

I actually started looking at my paper tonight. I have five pages, out of the needed twenty. If I could manage to turn out a page a day, I would be in business. (I may actually try that. That would almost be like not procrastinating.)

Mom and Dad came late last night and spent the night. But of course, since today was Homecoming, the only Saturday for months that I am committed, I hardly got to see them. They spent the morning with the kids, though, and dropped the girls off at the Rendezvous on their way out of town.

I am toying the idea of pitching an article on scrapbooking. I need to work on it a little more, though...

Presentation

My presentation tonight went well, except I spent too much time talking about Amodio, and did not apply his work to my project. Dr. Whithaus was telling me ways to approach integrating Amodio, but Beth and (I think) Andrea suggested that I drop him, for the most part, other than just mentioning that his research supports the idea that primary orality can survive in a literate society.

Overall, I think it went well. (Well, except when the computer hung up on me, in the midst of Dr. Whithaus's comments). I didn't realize that it was supposed to be an outline, rather than a summary of findings. Or maybe it just turned out that mine was more that way since I have been working on it so much. The last revision made it more of a whole.

There is a horrible delay from the video conferencing system. I move, then I see my self move. Like I take a drink and set down my cup, then I see myself move. That is odd. It makes it REALLY hard to participate.

The best part is, we got done in time for me to take the kids trick or treating. We went to Craig's, but no one was home. Craig was probably at work. But, still. Then we went to NaDean & Joe's, then the kids just went around to our nearest neighbors. The had fun, and had PLENTY of sugar, so all is good.

I need to grade some papers, so I'm off.

Orality Continuum...

So I promised academics in my description, and here they appear...

Mark Amodio comes lately to the discussion of orality. Walter Ong and Eric Havelock are the fathers of orality as we understand it today, but Amodio is making in-roads in the field (but he does not have a wiki, yet).

I am reading New Directions in Oral Theory, which he edited. His essay, "Introduction: Unbinding Proteus" has some important implications for my study.

He first discusses how "profitably" orality can be applied to a "wide range of verbal art, but they have also begun to free oral tradition itself from the bonds oral-formulaic theory's formalist emphasis unintentionally placed upon it" (2).

"Orality and literacy, we are coming to understand with ever increasing clarity, exist not in conflict with each other but as constituents of a continuum whose termini, what we might label 'pure orality' and 'pure literacy,' exist only as theoretical constructs. These termini are useful heuristics in that they provide us with touchstones against which to situate various cultures
and their practices along the oral-literate continuum, but they do not reflect real world states" (4).

I love the quote above. He articulates a problem I have had with Ong. That is, how Ong can contend that Primary Orality could have disappeared with the printing press. My thesis is that Primary Orality survived in the Ozarks up through the middle of the 2oth century and continues to have a great deal of influence in the rural areas there. While better education is creating more of a literate culture, it has been slow to come. And possibly, Primary Orality has simply been replaced by Secondary Orality rather than Primary Literacy.

Now I just have to write the paper...

Misc.

Firefox 2.0 is *fixed* which makes me happy. Not only did all the old bookmarks appear, but I was able to import my bookmarks from my laptop *and* 2.0 has spellcheck which makes me incredibly happy! (You might say "well, that doesn't take much" but spelling is really a struggle for me, and I am really self-conscious about it. So there.)

Today

Todd is watching a dog show, which inspires me to blog. Heaven knows I don't want to watch the dog show.

Today, we wrote in class. It was nasty wet outside, so I decided it would be a good writing day. So we wrote (I only wrote in one class...) about a place that was important to us.

It never ceases to amaze me that students will come up and THANK me for giving writing days. Of course, there are a few who treat it as punishment...

A student came in today with a jacket and tie on. I commented on it, even though it didn't fit all that well, it was "dressed up" for first year comp. Turns out, that was a Clark Kent costume and he had a Superman suit underneath. I've never had a student come to class as superman before.

Becky cleaned out her closet and brought us a huge garbage bag full of clothes. Part of me feels bad for taking them. I really don't want to be her charity case. But part of me just can't turn them down... She had *nice* clothes.

I lost my bookmarks when I upgraded to Firefox 2.0 on the living room computer. I am so vexed. I had found Todd a bunch of Social Studies teaching links and now they are just gone.

Fun at Silver Dollar City

We LOVE Silver Dollar City. It is a little hokey, but not all that much more than any other theme park. Fall is my favorite time of year to go, too, as long as the weather is not too cold. We like it a lot better when it is cooler. We probably are not getting season passes, though, next year. We've discovered that we have too much going on to get up there as often as we like. And the World Fest was not what it used to be. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it is more geared toward Central and South America, rather than Europe (which we are more interested in). And what they had from Asia was only China, not Viet Nam. And they had nothing from Nigeria. (And they should, just because Fumni is from Nigeria, and he is way cool.)

Oops...

If I wrote any less often, I'd be Craig. Two months.

Not that anything really has changed. We are living in our unfinished house. I did get the hardwood floors refinished, after Todd had to rebuild about 15% of the living room floor.

With my overload money, I bought a new computer to do graphics. Now all I have to do is buy the software. The software I want may cost more than the computer did...