It's been a crazy busy semester this spring, and I'm in the middle of final grading right now...which explains why I'm posting, right? Some spring semester notes (teaching related primarily, but also a bit of a hodge-podge): Never, ever, ever will I ever agree to multiple independent studies in the same semester; I ended up... Continue Reading →
A giveaway from Plaid Barn
I recently subscribed to The Plaid Barn, which is a groovy DIY site that offers daily deals on a variety of craft-related items. They are currently having a giveaway, so I thought I'd share: click here to see how you can win a Fuji Instax 7, plus 5 twin packs of film. Good luck!
College taught me. . .
Due to snow, we rearranged the schedule for this week in my creative nonfiction class and spent some time just writing today. I put this idea generator up on the screen in class and we used it as a starting point. It was a rapid-fire kind of thing; I put a new prompt up every... Continue Reading →
Remember this
I posted this on my class blogs, but I need to keep these words in mind for myself, too. This has been making the rounds on Facebook since at least December. Ira Glass hosts "This American Life," a show on NPR.
First Meeting
The following narrative was written in response to a prompt I gave my creative nonfiction students: Develop a scene that describes an important event in your life. The catch? The event you choose has to be less than 5 minutes long, and the scene should be no longer than 700 words. For the record, I... Continue Reading →
Life in Oklahoma
Just because I like this whole "slideshow" option in WordPress, I thought I'd post some random pics I've taken of things unique to this region: I've included (not necessarily in this order) a working oil well next to a McDonald's in Oklahoma City; a gas well (which is much smaller than the huge oil wells... Continue Reading →
*tear*
I actually got a little teary-eyed when I watched this video. . .I'm such an obnoxious dog parent.
Commas DO matter. . .
Click here to see a magazine cover in desperate need of some commas. The copy reads, "Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog." Hmm. . .
Spring break, anyone?
Well. . .it's been awhile. As usual. This week is spring break: Dave and I went to Colorado Springs for a long weekend. We went up to Pikes Peak (no apostrophe, which frustrates me a bit--it should be Pike's Peak!) on a train; we visited the Garden of the Gods; we took a lantern tour... Continue Reading →
New year. . .
New semester. So far, so good, it seems. I don't feel too overwhelmed or out of place--yet--which means I'm already starting to see an improvement from my situation at the beginning of last semester. That being said, the grading hasn't really started yet, so we'll see how things go in about 3 weeks. Gulp. So... Continue Reading →
essaying the plains 