Sunday, December 19, 2010

Random Thoughts

While this is not one of the best pictures, it is typical of my kitchen table. My dining room table and kitchen counters are not fit for documentation and possible viewing by anyone. When I look at this kitchen table, I think, I cannot be a blogger because my home is not photogenic. It is cluttered. My dog is not photogenic either. Despite her graying coat, she is basically black which makes her appear as a blob.Blobs are not cute. I may have to get a different dog. Don't tell Cocoa.

Other than work, I have not had many creative or interesting thoughts. Which is probably the real issue. I keep hoping that “when the semester ends,” I will have a moment to recharge but it appears that this semester will not “end.” Grades are almost “in”’/posted, but I have to totally rearrange next semesters classes or at least schedule 21 students so that the classes, “work out.” (Way too many quotes here, but it is either quotes or italics and I think that quotes are the lesser of the two evils).

My hopes for Christmas break (keep in mind that we are talking about eleven days)

1. Spend a day in prayer. It has been a while since I’ve done this. I’m not sure where this would happen, or even how it will flesh out; but it would definitely be a great way to refocus and recharge. I would love a place by a river, on a sunny day, with a great view where I could pray out loud, sing, cry, and journal. A place on a sunny, WARM, beach would be better but less likely to result in prayer. Imagine this place (Silver Lake) with less leaves on the trees and snow.

2. Finish or at least restart my knitting project. I’ve lost my way with the socks and hope that if I have some time to focus, I can figure out where I am, recapture my interest and commitment, and at least finish the heel of sock one. (Talk about setting the bar low). I would love to write, “finish the pair of socks,” but that seems a bit unrealistic given my average knitting speed and project completion rate.

3. Select a knitting project for in-service. We have several scheduled faculty in-services per year and for me what makes them exciting is that I select a project that I can knit without paying too much attention (to the project that is). For a couple of in-services, I knit hats for the Save the Children, charity knit, which includes a donation, and a letter to the President. I’ve already done that for this year and while they can use the hats, the Save the Children organization has indicated that they would rather we spread the word to increase awareness than each person knit a large number of hats. So I need a project that uses yarn that I already own.

4. Get ready for next semester. Refresh 3 syllabi, get a jump on hand-outs, and lectures, load the courses on the course management site. Put away this semester’s courses in a way that will help me for next year.

5. Continue cleaning up the basement. I hope to do 5-15 minutes per day.

6. Exercise! Yoga, walk, and make a decision regarding joining the fitness center or a yoga class.

7. Make the schedule (January – April) for Children’s Church and finalize the calendar of events for Children’s Ministry. Clearly this should be done soon after #1.

8. Write. Set a writing goal and stick to it. It seems that I do my best reflection on Sundays: either in church or when I should be doing something work related. Maybe I will take this time or trend and make it formal.

Okay, I need to stop. This list is getting too long. Considering that family is coming to visit, that one day is Christmas, and that I am a part of a family which means that # 2 should actually read: Spend time together as a family.

You can tell that it has been a bad year what type of year it has been by my reluctance willingness to write a Christmas letter. Right now, I am just not in the mood. On a scale of 0 – 10 (with 0 being not at all willing and 10 being it’s probably half written already if only in my mind), I am at about a -2.

Only 6 days until Christmas! The tree is decorated, the nativity scenes set up (I have 2), and I am beginning to think about Christmas dinner.






Enough ramblings. Clearly there is nothing of substance to add so I will close.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Why not?

It seems as good a time as any to try my hand at a blog. I am, literally, about to embark on an adventure. Life may never be less busy or even more interesting. Who am I to think that anyone but myself would be interested in the details of my life and my scrambled thoughts? At the very least I can test the waters with a blog that is more like a travel journal and then possibly follow-up with reflections on life in mid-west America by a wanna-bee writer.