Thing # 6

I have found a new world--one that realizes my best daydreams--Flickr Color Pickr. I was enchanted to play with the colors arranged like a mandala, and to see what images come up. I tried to make a mosaic, but had a little trouble. I also did Warholizing of pictures of my granddaughters but learned that the pictures which work seem to have more contrast. Also making a mosaic of pictures of my granddaughters did not work well--I will have to find pictures that translate well--maybe ones with more pixels? one of the most gorgeous pictures of Anaëlle split into pixels when I put it in a mosaic. But I love this site and can think of uses for it in class to spur writing and to elicit imaginative responses from my students.

Thing # 5

I have been playing with Flickr while my students are writing their final exams this morning. Moving around in it has been so much fun--I had visited the site to see a student's photographs once, after she carefully wrote out the link for me, but I had no idea of the rich possibilities of the site. I found the picture of Emily Dickinson in a quilt, and I posted on my blog a picture I found when I typed in Shakespeare.

Objection!!

I don't find any avatars for a woman in her sixties! what can this mean? I thought we were through with the decades in which the older woman in the movie was always a comic character!

Thing #3 Joys and Difficulties of Learning

I am highly motivated to learn. I am easily bored, so I want to find out about all sorts of things which picque my interest to keep far away from that dreaded state of ennui. I learned this year that I love yoga, so I want to do more of than. I am always reading about new things--from biographies to new fiction.

My greatest obstacle in learning is that, when I try something new, if I am not immediately good at it, I don't want to try anymore. This is especially true with physical challenges--which is why I am so happy I loved my yoga class. I am trying to learn to be patient and work harder on something which is difficult for me. However, I do like so many other things, I can always rationalize that I can do something else instead.

Thing #2 Lifelong learning

I cannot imagine not being a lifelong learner--I never want to stop learning something. I love teaching because I learn new ideas from my students--I love to see their reactions to the literature we read and to notice the changes in each generation's attitude to something like The Great Gatsby or the King Arthur stories.

My companion, Hu, and I are interested in learning to draw or to play with art in some way. We just took a class in using colored pencils to create effects. We loved it. We love traveling and reading about new places before we visit them. We have been reading about Germany and learning some German words and phrases before we go.

I continually work on French so I can understand people better when I visit France--and so I can comprehend my five year old granddaughter who understands English, but who speaks in French.

I have read two new books about technology's effect on the brain and on brain skills needed for the new century. I also look for fiction writers to enjoy. Right now I love Haruki Murakami.

Last week of school

I am in the nether world between beginning finals and the actual last day of school--finished grading for the day and am waiting for more finals to be written tomorrow---Hu and I spent the weekend with my son and his family in Oklahoma City and with some dear friends who live there as well.

My friend Marianne and I re-lived lots of wonderful memories of our childhood homes and of our grandmothers who were each very dear to us. Both of us want to re-create those feelings of intimacy and of being cherished with our own grandchildren. I love this phase of my life...time to daydream and to see the connections between all the phases of my life and this moment.

last day before finals

today I am daydreaming about what I am going to do this summer--besides a bunch of medical appointments and housecleaning---free to go out to lunch for a change--to randomly run do an errand in the middle of the day--and then I am anticipating a river cruise down the Rhine River--ending in Amsterdam--and then riding in a train to Paris to see my son, his wife, and my two little granddaughters--I hope to walk Anaëlle to school every morning--and meet her to bring her home in the afternoon--she will be in school until July 3rd--then play with the ten month old, Elise so her maman can do errands and have her own lunches out.

Hu and I are driving to Nashville to a wedding in July--we want to see what Tennessee is like--after all that excitement I may have to settle in to being a little lonely until school starts again--and I have to gear up to learn new names and faces--and another school year will begin--