Thursday, December 30, 2004

Something Random

This is one of those silly email forwards about getting to know people. Not big on forwards, but it's a goofy thing for a blog.

What time did you get up? oh, about noon
Gold or silver? Silver
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Without A Paddle
What do you have for breakfast? Never eat breakfast
Who would you hate to be stuck in a room with? Dunno
What is your middle name? Gregor
Beach, city or country? City
Favorite ice cream? Cookie Dough
Butter, plain or salted popcorn ? Buttered and salted
Favorite color? Green
What kind of car do you drive? I don't have a license yet, but have a 93 Dodge Caravan
Favorite sandwich? A Burger
What characteristic do you despise? Stupidity
Favorite flower? Rose
If you could go anywhere in the world on a vacation, where would it be? Anyplace Fun
What color is your bathrobe? Green, but I usually wear pajamas instead
Favorite brand of clothing? Dunno
Where would you like to retire? Not Sure-Someplace warm maybe
Favorite day of the week? Friday
What did you do for your last birthday? cant remember
Where were you born? St. Paul, Minnesota
Favorite sport to watch? Don't watch much sports, probably basketball
What fabric detergent do you use? Tide
Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night Owl
What is your shoe size? 11 W
Do you have any pets? yes, 2 cats
Favorite alcoholic drink? Don't drink
Most frequented store? Target

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Weekend Update

No, not the SNL skit. What I've been up to since I last blogged...

Christmas Weekend (Fri-Sun)

As usual, pretty low key. We basically lounged around the house for three days, which was nice. Our relatives all live out of state, so it was just the 4 of us...with a couple visits from sister's boyfriend of course. All in all, a pretty relaxing weekend.

Gifts I got:

  • Foot spa and care products
  • Isotoner Slippers
  • Target Gift Cards
  • A photo album
  • National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on DVD
  • A letter opener
  • Far Side wall calendar
  • Candy
  • A sportcoat
  • A Jump Drive

Monday:

Went with Mom to see a screening of the British Television Advertising Awards put on by the Walker Art Center. This year's ads were OK...not quite as funny or dramatic as in past years, but still enjoyable.

Tuesday:

We all went and had dinner with some family friends. (A woman Mom went to high school with and her family). Visiting with them is always enjoyable...had been quite a while since I'd seen the two older of their 3 kids (both in their mid 20s). Son B is pursuing a Master's at a school in California, and daughter L has just returned after a couple years overseas working for Wycliffe. Youngest daughter R, the same age as my sister Jena, is starting at the U of M this spring after a semester off.

----

And tonight? Shopping I think...time to spend the Gift Cards.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Oregon Student: Grades are BS

Found an interesting link via JP's Blog...

Oregon Daily Emerald: Grading System Gets an F.

Granted, the author points out that Universities with no grades are only a fantasy. Granted, grading systems are somewhat imperfect...no professor can tell exactly what a student knows just by how they do on tests. However, grades are a necessity. Without them, how are we supposed to know what we do well or where we need improvement? How is a University supposed to determine who meets requirements and gets the degree?

Without some kind of grading, a BS degree (or BA, or Master's or whatever) is truly BS, and probably not worth the paper on which it is printed.


Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Should I Be Doing Something?

I really feel like I should be doing something productive. Hmm...sitting around is quite a departure from my usual activity-filled existence. Feels strange...no school, no Senate, no schedule to follow. I almost don't know how to function.

Monday, December 20, 2004

I Guess I'm Lucky

Apparently, Blogger has swallowed up a bunch of blogs. Luckily, mine is still here.

I don't want to lose my blog, my writing...any of it. Now I'm paranoid. Will it ever happen to me? Is it a reason to jump ship?

Home Again

I'm home. And glad to be here. Granted, by the end of Christmas Break, I'll be boerd as hell. But, for now, I'm glad to have some time off.

Friday, December 17, 2004

Reflections and Writing

For any interested readers:

My Final Reflection from Blogs and Wikis, the class out of which this blog was born.

The Electronic Version of my Advanced Writing portfolio.

Poof...Another Semester Gone

Yes, that's right. Another semester gone. Time goes by so quickly...I find it hard to believe I am halfway through my third year here. Seems like such a short time ago that I was just starting, but two years have passed...poof. Maybe it's because I keep so busy that I don't think about the passage of time, just live in the moment, taking things day by day.

Tomorrow I'll head home. And come January, I'll be back at it again. And if experience is any indication, Spring Semester will fly by even faster than Fall.

Where does the time go?

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Party!

Had the Senate Christmas Party at Nicole's house tonight. It was fun. We have such a goofy group. Everybody was really happy and having a good time...I think we all needed to decompress before finals start. It's a stressful week.

We did White Eleaphant gifts and I got a travel mug and a nightlight. I think Julie's prize, "Random Acts of Badness"--the biography of Danny Bonaduce, got the most laughs. I wonder if she will actually read it?

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Plugging Away

Well, I read my inaugural address in Advanced Writing. It was pretty well received. Overall, everybody wrote cool speeches. It was a fun project. I certainly will miss that class...and having Mark as a prof. I've had him for classes the last two semesters, so it'll be weird not to. I have English Methods to look forward to in the fall, which is nice.

Succeeded in getting my lab shifts covered next week, which means I get to go home this weekend YAY!

I still have a wicked cold-UGH!

Had a good conversation with Julie this afternoon about Senate stuff...communication is awesome

What's left to do this week:

  • Ed Psych final-Thurs AM
  • Comp European Politics final-Fri PM
  • Class Eval of Advanced Writing-email to Mark by Monday
  • Final Reflection for Blogs and Wikis-by next Wed, on Wiki
  • Clean my room a little

Almost there...3 days...



Sunday, December 12, 2004

Added to the Done List...

One Advanced Writing portfolio

With the exception of an Inagural Address, to be finished tomorrow.


Sun Sets on Blogging Class... But Not on Berne's World

Yes, that's right. The impetous for Berne's World is now over. Except for the final write up, of course.

I was reading this post on Jonathan's Webarchism blog, and I must agree...this was one of my favorite classes this semester. It's been fun, not that other classes aren't, but this one especially. It was a chance to explore a new form of writing...my writing grew and changed. Best of all, it didn't feel like work.

So, many thanks to Morgan and my classmates for a great semester. Fear not, readers, just because the class is over doesn't mean my blog is going to die. To the contrary, Berne's World will live on, in all it's glory.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll be lucky enough to make the continuing emeritus list on the Daybook too.

I'm Alive

After spending all day in bed yesterday, I'm at least functioning. Yes, all day in bed. Healthy virtually all semester, and it hits me right before finals. Go Figure.

Friday, December 10, 2004

A Long Week

I feel so disconnected. Over the last week or two I've kinda neglected this blog...and the other blogs I run. I've been so crazy busy. This time of year is not fun. Just a few of the things I've done this week:

  • Put finishing touches on my Intentional Teaching Project
  • Presented Intentional Teaching Project
  • Compiled notes for Blog Presentation
  • Gave Blog presentation
  • Completed Foundations of ED workbook
  • Wrote Philosophy of Education paper
  • Did more Advanced Writing
  • Completed Practicum Journal and turned in
  • Usual senate and work stuff

Needless to say, not much time to blog. I promise I have not disappeared.

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Cool Teachers-Expanded Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I saw a skit on Saturday Night Live that got me think. I believe it was titled “The Coolest Teacher at Benton Township High School” or something like that. From what I recall, the gist of it was that a once popular high school teacher was “out-cooled” by the new history teacher, who actually turned out to be the dorky science teacher in disguise. Crazy as it sounds; there is an interesting theme in this lame brained SNL skit. It was about cool teachers, but what exactly makes a cool teacher? And as an education major, I wonder: am I going to be a cool teacher or not?

The desire to be considered cool is pretty natural. Most of us would rather be cool than dorky. After all, cool people have friends, they get dates, and all that jazz. Society places a high value on coolness. We practically worship celebrities and sports stars, who are held up as the epitome of cool. Whether or not they live up to the icon status they have is highly debatable, but it exists nonetheless.

Many beginning teachers also fall victim to the desire to be cool. After all, they are not that far removed from their days as a student, and therefore may want to relate to students on their level. This is particularly true at the high school level, where the beginning teacher is likely only a few years older than his or her students. Undoubtedly, the temptation will be there to try and please students, make them like him or her, and treat them as friends rather than subordinates.

Relating to students is great, but acting cool is not a way to win respect. My best teachers have not been the ones who tried to be cool. In fact, those teachers who try too hard to win you over end up being the most nauseating. I remember one from high school, Mr. Williams…he’d been big man on campus, and he made sure we knew it. He was “cock of the walk”, and pretended he knew everything. In truth, he was probably the worst teacher I ever had. His smug attitude totally turned me off. He was definitely a cock, but walking had nothing to do with it, and I remember little or nothing from his classes, except that he was a jerk.

What teachers like Mr. Williams fail to realize is that it doesn’t matter if a teacher is cool in the conventional sense. What matters is that they can actually teach, and that their students learn something. A friend who is also an education major reminded me of something important: as teachers, our job is not to make students like us, it’s to educate them.

Whether or not I am cool is irrelevant. In fact, I’m pretty square, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of my instruction. If I can educate students; give them a reason to enjoy English, and make it relevant, that’s what counts. Only then will I be a cool teacher.

Monday, December 06, 2004

Hell Week (or Two) Begins

That time of year is here again...fall finals. Ugh. A shit-ton of papers, projects and exams. In a word, stress.

The conference this weekend didn't help matters much. It always seems like otherwise good weekends are clouded by BS at the end. It pisses me off pretty royally, but that's probably a rant best saved for another post (or no post at all).

Thursday, December 02, 2004

That Time Again...

The monthly MSUSA Conference is here. We're going to be down in the cities, at Metropolitan State. It should be an interesting weekend as always. More on this later, as I must finish packing and get some sleep.

Until Sunday, it's "goodnight blog".


Wednesday, December 01, 2004

It's Over

Well the last day at Middle School went just fine. Covered just about every subject under the sun. Bill was right...mixed reviews, although I think the student who claimed he was happy to see me go was being a smartass. It was just the way he said it.

I'll miss it...sometimes. For the next couple weeks however, it will be nice to have at least one thing complete. I've certainly got plenty of other classes and assignments that need my attention. Teacher said I'm welcome to visit anytime, and I might occasionally. We shall see.

In the Dictionary

Hey fellow bloggers--turns out we're Merriam-Webster's number one new word of 2004.

Rock on!

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Last Day Ahead...

I said a while back that I'd post practicum updates. Well, that hasn't exactly happened as I'd hoped. Guess I've been busy blogging about other things.

Basically it's been a good experience. Very interesting, sometimes fun, sometimes draining. It makes for incredibly busy Wednesdays. The classroom experience has been valuable, and I've seen good things.

Tomorrow is my 10th and final session. I'm not sure whether to be excited or sad. Maybe a little of both. I really wonder how the students will react to my departure. Will they miss me or be glad to be rid of the pesky tutor? I don't really know.

Here's looking forward to tomorrow...

Follow Up

Remember this post...

Well, after further reflection I have revised that piece. It now ends:

"The question I’ve asked myself is pretty open ended. Yes, I write a lot about many different subjects, and in many different genres. My writing varies based on the situation. I like to write, and I do it well. I don’t write for money or status. I don’t intend to write a book. If that means I’m not a “real writer,” so be it. In the end, my status as a writer can only be defined by me, and I view myself as a writer. Therefore, I am a writer."

So there.

About Time

After 74 games, and more than $ 2.5 million won, Ken Jennings finally lost on Jeopardy. About time someone else gets a chance. At any rate, it's a nearly impossible record to break, seeing as they usually "cap" you at five shows...guess that rule went away for the 20th anniversary.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Possibly the Dumbest Blog Ever...

Is right here.

An entire blog comprised of pictures of dishes. Harvard Law students must have more time on their hands than we think.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

The Holiday Season: Consumerism Gone Mad?

Joe and Jenny Smith wake up at 5 am on the day after Thanksgiving. Joe heads to the end of the driveway and picks up the paper before waking the rest of his family. They have a busy day ahead. The kids are piled in the van, and they are off!

Like millions of other Americans, the Smith family will go shopping on this Black Friday, as it is dubbed by retailers. They will visit department stores, electronics stores, and specialty retailers selling every item under the sun. Perhaps they will visit one of Minnesota’s many malls. If the Smiths live in the suburbs, their stops might even include the mother of all shopping fortresses: the Mall of America.

No matter where they go, the Smiths are likely to encounter long lines, crowded aisles, and a noticeable lack of open parking spaces. You see, the day after Thanksgiving is huge, a day in which a store can make 80 percent of its profits for the entire year. It’s do or die. Why? Because the passage of Thanksgiving means there is only a month to go until Christmas.
That’s right, Christmas. And Christmas means gifts, which means people will buy things. People buy more stuff in the weeks before and immediately following Christmas than any other time of year. Toys, clothes, even big ticket items like cars. If it’s made, it sells on Christmas…even worthless, gimmicky crap, like singing and dancing Santas and Billy the Big Mouth Basses (remember those)?

So Joe, Jenny and the kids go to the jam packed mall, where they encounter store owner Stan. Stan wants the Smith family to shop at his store. But how does he get them to choose his over the hundred others under the mall’s roof? Simple, he offers a free gift just for being one of the first hundred in the store. Then, he gives them a free gift with purchase. But Stan doesn’t stop there, he offers door buster deals and deep discounts on all his merchandise. The better the deal Stan offers is, the more likely the Smiths are to spend their hard earned cash in his store.

Stan and the Smith family are symbolic of today’s society; materialistic and consumer driven. We want stuff, and retailers will do almost anything to get us to buy it. It doesn’t really matter what the stuff is, because the same scenario could play out in any store in the USA. Don’t blame the retailers, it’s their livelihood. Don’t blame the Smiths, they’re just doing as most of the rest of us do. Shopping for deals is commonplace, and so is gift giving.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, a gift once in a while is nice, as a token of appreciation or a reminder that someone cares. I can’t help but wonder, however, if our consumerist and materialistic ways have gotten out of control. Stores undercut prices, and shoppers literally fight over merchandise. Every year, cameras catch footage of people being trampled as they attempt to rush into the just-opened door of their favorite store. It’s downright pathetic.

How do we fix this epidemic? I don’t know. Maybe we need to take a step back and look at what the holidays are supposed to symbolize. Last time I checked, they were about giving thanks and spending time with those we care about, not about making and spending dollars. Think about it.

BSU Email is Evil

The BSU student email seems to be out of commission...AGAIN! I don't realize how much I rely on my email until I don't have it. It is, after all, my main form of communication. What a pain!

They Should Offer...

A class called Cooking 101 for hall residents.

Cold Weather + Fire Alarm Caused by Burnt Food =NO FUN

Back in Brrrrmidji

I'm back in town again. Actually surprised by how little snow there is. No more, or possibly less, than in the cities. That's ok, because I hate the stuff.

Now, to do some writing...

Friday, November 26, 2004

Thanksgiving Recap

Our Thanksgiving was good. Pretty low key. We were visited by a few friends and neighbors and called the grandparents. My parents cooked two turkeys even though we only had 5 people (Me, Mom, Dad, sister Jena and her boyfriend Adam). Needless to say, there are lots of leftovers.

After dinner, went and saw "Without a Paddle" with Jena and Adam. It was ok, good for a few laughs. Worth the rate at the discount theatre ($2).

Also watched "Farenheit 9/11" last night after the theatre. It was alright...pretty much what I expected. Moore painted Bush as a bumbling fool with way too many ties to the Saudis. I don't like Bush, but wouldn't call myself a Moore fan either. I guess the movie is good if you're cogniscent of the bias that exists, and can take it with a grain of salt.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Home

I feel like such a slacker! I haven't blogged in TWO DAYS! What a shock!

Well, I'm home for the Thanksgiving holiday. The house is quiet, since they are both at work and my sister won't be home from Duluth until later this afternoon. It was weird...even though I know she's up there, my mind half expected her to walk through the door last night after having been at some friend's house.

Trying to get some work done today, although I don't have much battery power, so I better get offline and charge the ol laptop before it dies.

Don't know what else is in store for the weekend. Maybe a little more blogging...told Mom I'd show her what blogs are, since she's never seen one. That's right, never seen a blog.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Right on the Money

Once again, Julie has proven she's a smart one. Her comment on my previous post, "Cool Teachers," was as follows:

"I'd rather be respected than liked. My job is not to make people like me -
it's to educate them. "

She's exactly right. A teacher's job is not to be liked or popular. I can be successful at educating students even if they do not "like" me. I can earn respect if they do not like me.

If I have students who DO like me, it's an added bonus.

Cool Teachers

Saw a skit on SNL last night that's got me thinking. All of us going into education want to be well liked by students. But what exactly constitutes a "cool" teacher?

Wal-Mart

The other day I came across this scathing evaluation of Wal-Mart. Wow. Almost makes me feel guilty for shopping there.

And as he also points out, how in the world can K-Mart afford to buy Sears. Last time I checked, K-Mart was headed down the toilet faster than a dead goldfish.

Business will never make sense to me.

Saturday, November 20, 2004

So Much To Do

I need to be productive. I have so much to do. It's almost the end of the semester, and I am totally not ready. Papers, papers, and more papers. The craziness never ends. Hopefully, I'll knock a few more things off the old to do list tomorrow.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Swearing

I've often said Advanced Writing is a crazy class. It's also a place where colorful language is sometimes used in papers and general conversation. It's just the general makeup of the group. Not to mention that people cussing is a fact of life.

Today I said "shit" --Lindsi was surprised. She said it was the first time she'd ever heard me swear. I found this funny, because I actually do it fairly often, maybe it's just not in public. Who knows...

It got me thinking about the newest "game" in the office, which seems to be to get me to cuss. People think it's hilarious because I can never seem to get the words off my tongue without laughing...especially when I'm around people. Maybe it's because swearing implies anger and I'm not an angry person.

I did have to mention that my language goes downhill when the website isn't cooperating. You shoulda heard me when I was transferring pages...plenty of shits, damnits, and even the dreaded F-Bomb.

So yes, even I, swear.


Senate Website

Just in case you haven't clicked on the Web Team blog lately, here's an invitation to check out the new and improved Student Senate website! We've been workin our tails off. It is A LOT of work transferring web pages. Whew!

Check us out at http://www.bemidjistate.edu/studentsenate

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Real People

Senate had it's once-a-semester supper at Q's tonight. It was great. We all chatted and joked and had quite a good time. It's nice to see those people (President, VPs) out of the University "element" on occasion. We still talked business, but not as much or as formally as is usually the case. And they told us some hilarious stories.

Nights like this serve as reminders that these people are "real", not just stuffed shirts on 3rd Floor Deputy, but real, genuine people. It's great to see.

Small World!

By now, I've mentioned several times that I frequent the U of M's blog site. There are a few blogs on there I read pretty regularly. Every so often, I'll click on something random in the recent posts list just for fun.

Well, a couple weeks ago, I happened upon a blog entitled "Obst's Blog." It appeared to be a blog written for some kind of upper level writing course. There were links to blogs of other people in the class. I looked at a few entries, and it appeared to me that thse students are working as tutors in a writing center.

Sounds pretty run of the mill...just one of likely hundreds of class blogs being kept at the U. Except for one thing--I realized I had attended high school with someone by the same name as the blogger. Being that I am from the cities and a large number of people from my graduating class went on to the U, it was not beyond the realm of possibility, but still a long shot. I left a comment anyway for the sheer fun of it.

Well, as it turns out, they looked up my blog in class (Which in itself is rather cool) , and the blog Dan Obst IS the same Dan Obst who I went to high school with. Of 772 blogs at the U, I came upon one of someone I know, at random.

Proof that even the Blogsphere is a small world.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Funny Definitions

Something funny I saw on Lindsi's blog. And my Ed Psych prof showed it to us in class, I think.

Definitions from the Washington Post. Once a year they have readers submit made-up alternate meanings for words.

1. Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified demeanor assumed by a proctologist immediately before he examines you.
13. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions.
14. Pokemon (n), A Jamaican proctologist.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), the opening in the front of boxer shorts.

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Am I A Writer?

Have you ever asked yourself a question you weren’t sure you knew the answer to? I tend to do that a lot. Recently, I’ve had a new question going through my head. That question is simple: am I a writer?

At first blush, the answer to that question should be simple. I’m in Advanced Writing class. That alone should be an explanation, for why would one who is not a writer take a class for advanced writers? Isn’t being a writer at the very core of the course? And if it is, then why am I questioning my status as a writer?

Well, it’s simple. Obviously, most of my friends know that I’m an English major. To me, being an English major kind of automatically implies that you write. Imagine my surprise, when during a recent conversation about majors, one looked at me and asked “Do you write?” Initially, it seemed to me to be, well, a stupid question. Of course I write, I am an English major for goodness sake. Maybe Biology majors don’t think like me.

But then I realized something. Josh’s question was actually a very good one, and the answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. It really depends on what he meant by write. In truth, writing has many definitions.

If he meant academic writing, then yes, I write. I write papers for classes all the time—research papers, personal essays, projects, you name it. I write hundreds if not thousands of words on a daily basis to fulfill class requirements. Writing academically is a fact of life in college.

If he meant professionally, the answer is also an emphatic yes. In three years on Senate, I’ve learned to write bills, memos, reports, and letters to so-called important people. I can come up with countless well done examples of this type of writing. Again, it’s something I need to do on a daily basis. A huge part of being a good leader is having the ability to communicate well both in person and in writing.

If he meant personally, as in a journal, you bet I do. My new found addiction to blogging is proof of that. The blog is a great outlet for feelings, thoughts and musings on the state of my life and the world as a whole. That type of writing just works for me. I probably write as well, or better on my blog than I do anywhere else. I’ve been told as much.

But does that mean I truly write? I don’t write the things a “writer” is supposed to. No poetry. No short stories. No novels. No fiction of any kind. I don’t know why, I just never have. In fact, I rarely have time to do much writing for fun outside of my blogging, and that’s only come about in the last few months.

Yes, I’m an English major who professes to love writing, but doesn’t actually do it for fun. It makes no sense. I feel as if I should do more, but then it wouldn’t be for fun because I’d be forcing myself to write in all these mediums just because I should. And a writer who writes forced isn’t a very good writer.

Which still leaves the question open: What the hell does it mean to be a writer? It must be more than simply “One who writes.” And whatever that definition is, do I fit it?

New in Berne's World

Just in case you didn't notice, I thought I should mention that there are several changes to the sidebar on my blog that have been made in the last week or so:

About This Blog:
New section, contains a link to my copyright notice, and the new Creative Commons license now being used for the blog.

Wikis:
I thought two Daybook links were redundant, so I removed one. The former Blogs and Wikis section is now simply "Wikis"

Blogs I Read:
Three additions to the blogroll-

  • My Malleus Maleficarum- Michelle's blog. Lord knows where she came up with that name or what it means
  • BeaverFever- Angie's new blog.
  • Morgan's Log- It seems more than appropriate to recognize the guy whose class got me hooked on blogging.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

BlogBooks

So, I've got this one friend who keeps telling me that some of my more "profound" postings are really good, and that if I wrote more stuff like that I could get published. Frankly, I've always thought she was nuts...I mean, my stuff is not that good, and if we're talking blog posts, who the hell would want to read a blog in print?

Well, we had a discussion in class the other week, and Morgan mentioned that people have started to publish blogs in print. Still, it seemed odd to me. Isn't the whole point of blogging to be web based? Plus, I had never run across one of these blog-book conversions.

Tonight, upon signing into Blogger, I found proof in the Blogger News section, apparently, this man has published his blog in book form: Tea For One: Zen And The Art of Blogging.

Proof that BlogBooks do exist.

Holidays

Just finished watching Home Alone, which puts me in kind of a holiday mood. I like this time of year. On the other hand, it is hard to believe it is Mid November already. So much to do.

And... the prize for earliest Christmas tree putter-upper goes to: Michelle

(Yeah, I'm an English major and I just used the word "putter-upper")

Friday, November 12, 2004

Feeling Better

Well, the evil Ed Psych test and my observation assignment are completed and turned in. That feels good. I'm sitting in the office. Could go home but don't feel like it. Seems so quiet around here today, I think people took the day off. It's almost eerie on campus.

More profound post later...maybe :)

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Procrastination is a Bitch

So, I've gone almost 2 days without blogging. I didn't yesterday, and this post is just under the wire for today. I feel almost guilty.

Got up way too late today. Haven't been nearly as productive as I had hoped. It's almost midnight, and I am still working on Ed Psych take home test and observation assignment. I should have typed up the observation stuff when I did it, which was nearly a month ago, but I procrastinated. Typical college student I guess.

The exam's not due till 3 tomorrow, so if need be I can finish in the AM.

I'm hungry and have no snacks...ugh.

Back to work...


Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Another Humorous Political Graphic

Divided States

Gotta love em. Sad thing is, this is probably true right now. And likely will be for some time.

Good old USA.

One of Those Days...

Today was one of those days when I was stressed and just utterly ticked off. I have been frustrated the last two days to begin with, and this afternoon's cabinet discussion of the conference policy draft was kinda aggravating. I got mad, which I never do in meetings. It felt pretty crappy.

I'm human, I'm imperfect. I have bad days too.

Thanks also to Julie for convincing me to go home instead of to movie night. I'll watch "The Gathering Storm" some other time.

I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who look out for me on my bad days :)

Monday, November 08, 2004

Losing Touch

I was chatting briefly with a friend from high school on AIM tonight. I hadn't chatted with her in some time. Turns out she is now in school in New York.

This conversation made me realize something. I am in touch with virtually no one from high school. If it weren't for IM programs I probably would not be in contact with people at all. And most of those people I do hear from are from the classes after mine, not my graduating class. Mostly, I'm lucky to hear from people a couple of times a year. There are a few I send Christmas cards to, but that's it.

I'm reminded of this lost touch occasionally, such as last year when I was given the sad news that one friend had passed away following a tragic motorcycle crash...I hadn't seen, spoken or written to her since graduation.

Or, realizing that it's only since Nolan joined Senate that I've seen him for more than a moment or two at a crack while moving about between classes and what not. This campus isn't that big, and yet before this year, I'd probably only had a half dozen "hey, what's up" exchanges with him in the last two. Nothing wrong with that, but it certainly illustrates that losing touch is easy...even if you're in the same place.

So why have I lost touch with so many? I don't know, maybe it's natural. My life is much different than it was, and most of it is here, not back home. My good friends are here (or I met them here and they've moved on). So in one sense, it's sad to lose touch, but in another sense it's just part of life.

What a difference two years can make.

Some Political Humor

Check out this graphic.

Help For Blogaholics

Everyone calls me a Blogaholic. Michelle says I need Bloggers Anonymous.

She sent these links:

Central Vermont Blog Addiction Treatment Center

Are you a Blogaholic? Quiz

Strangely enough, the quiz claims I'm only a casual blogger. Even I admit that's bunk!

Doozy of a Sentence

"Sometimes in the past we've passed bills just to pass bills."

-Me, just now on MSN Messenger. And I'm supposed to be an English major?

Sunday, November 07, 2004

A Reminder

Had a great conversation on MSN with Julie tonight. One of those chats that reminds me why I do what I do, and how far I have come in the last couple of years. I'm on the right course, I can make a difference.

If only the rest of my existence would fall into place so well, I'd have it made.

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Helped cheer on runners at World Run Day with a few of the other senate folks. Quite a good time, and for a good cause.

Plus, it proves I actually did something worthwhile on a weekend.

Read more on the Senate Blog.

Midterm Reflection Done!

Ufda! That took a long time. Read it here.

Saturday, November 06, 2004

She's Where?

Mom called tonight. Apparently Jena and Friends road tripped from Duluth to Lawrence, KS to watch a friend in a KU Dance Team competition. And it's 90 and sunny...

Wonder how much class she's skipping for that trip?


Blogger Conspiracy

So I just spent about an hour fiddling with my blog template. I wanted to switch to "Thisaway Blue", but that template must've been messed up because not even my profile would show up on the sidebar. Thank god I saved the coding from this one so I could revert back.

Friday, November 05, 2004

The Blogsphere Claims Another

I must welcome another friend to the wonderful world of blogging. Nicole, one of our new rock stars on Senate, and a fellow Secondary English Ed major, has started a blog.

Check out her blog, Don't Burn The Day.

Yeah, I wondered about the title too. Guess it's a Dave Matthews song.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Politics...A 7th Grader's View

While I was at the middle school today, I had the following conversation with one of the 7th graders:

Student (Head down): I'm tired
Me: Yeah, me too. I was up till 2 am.
Student: Doing what?
Me: Watching election returns on TV
Student: Did you want Kerry to win?
Me: Well, yes, I'm fairly liberal
Student: Me too.
Me: Do you know what liberal means?
Student: Well, no.

Kids say the darndest things. More than likely, he'd heard parents or teachers talking politics, and copied them. I don't think ideologies form that early...still, I had to smile at a kid talking politics.

A future voter in the making.

The Day After...

So the election did not go as I hoped. Life goes on.

My fingers are crossed for the next four years...

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Election Day's Number One Quote

"Too close to call"

For Some, Election is More Than Just Politics

As I sit here, reading blogs and watching election returns, I am reminded that for some voters, this election is about more than war, the economy, or even politics. It's much more personal.

I came across this post on one of the UThink blogs I read fairly regularly, in regards to family values. An excerpt:

" ...the whole conversation started when i said why i wasn't voting for bush. bush's idea of family values is so warped and archaic, they would do much more detriment to today's family's than good. i see my survival and happiness as my main goal in life, and thwarting Bush is key to succeeding in that. What's worse, if he wins, I see it as reaffirming the policy of keeping homosexuality in the shadows, as something that is inferior and isn't talked about.

If Kerry wins, I'm gonna tell my parents."

For this particular blogger, the results of this election will be key to making a big decision in his life...be truthful, or stay in the shadows.

No matter what your beliefs, it's an awfully powerful statement about the difference who's in office can make for so many people. Mr. Bush seems to want to regulate the unregulatable...morality.

Morality and politics should not mix.

Monday, November 01, 2004

8 Hours and Counting

Well, it's nearly midnight, only about 8 hours to go till the polls open. Thank God! As much as I enjoy politics, this election has worn me down. Constant ads on TV and radio...almost impossible not to hear about it all the time. And there has been so much mudslinging, name calling and bad blood. Every candidate has been guilty, none innocent, even down to state and local races.

Soon it will be over and we can move on. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Finally, no matter your perspective, ideaology or whatever you want to call it...Exercise your rights tomorrow! VOTE!

Addiction

So, even Dr Morgan says I may be becoming a blog addict. Oh well, at least I'm not on crack!

Sunday, October 31, 2004

It's Only Homecoming, People

Warning...another post is coming in which Berne will occupy a soapbox...I seem to be posting more of those these days...

Yet another controversial issue has been in the air this week that I've been going back and forth whether to comment on or not. But I've been reading about it a ton, and it's even been on TV, so why not?

By now you've likely heard, read or seen that students at St. Cloud State did something very unusual last week...they named a male homecoming queen. Granted, a very unconventional move, but the controversy and anger this has generated is unbelieveable. In the past week, this coronation has been covered by the Pioneer Press, Star Tribune, St Cloud Times, WCCO TV, and others. It even made ABC national news.

My perspective: This is Homecoming for goodness sake. Within a matter of years,maybe even months, chances are nobody will remember who was crowned what without a trip to the university archives...it's not worth the hoopla.

Over the past week, I've read a multitude of articles and the comments they generated, particularly on the SC Times site. I offer the following assessment:

  • This choice was made, fair and square, by SCSU students. The voter turnout wasn't huge, but very few elections on any campus draw a huge turnout.
  • The nomination was not a joke. I can tell you from experience that SCSU Student Government, who nominated this man, are very serious people.
  • Yes, this does break "tradition", but aren't traditions subject to be broken?
  • This HAS happened before, as someone pointed out to me earlier this week, at UofM Morris I believe.
  • If this were an attempt for SCSU Student Gov't to push a liberal or radical agenda, they'd be asking everybody to endorse this or do the same thing in order to quash gender stereotypes. They have not.
  • Homecoming has NOTHING to do with the academic performance or mission of the institution. For a parent to threaten to remove his/her student from SCSU as a result of this would seem to be a gross over reaction to the situation.

Above all else, I find it absolutely disgraceful that people have actually threatened the lives of both the man crowned queen and the Student Government President over this. That is inexcusable, and really crosses the line, whether you agree with them or not. Seriously, if you'd sink so low as to threaten someone like that, you must have serious problems.

I'm not attempting to say this crowning was "right" or "wrong", but I think the hoopla is crazy. It's happened before, It'll happen again, and none of us has the right to judge the students involved. It was their choice. I wish the media, and society in general, would get a clue and move on to more pressing matters.


New on the Sidebar

You may notice some new links on my sidebar:

"Blogs I Manage"
I thought it was time I included links to the three Senate blogs I maintain:

New Additions to "Blogs I Read"


Studio Tours

Hello readers!

Are you curious to know what other people think of my blog? If so, then read the latest round of Studio Tours from class:

Jonathan's Tour

Aaron's Tour

Jeppe's Tour

Boo!

Happy Halloween! Mom's favorite holiday, always big around the Christiansen household. Wonder how many trick or treaters they'll see tonight?

Saturday, October 30, 2004

ANOTHER Chucky Movie?

For the love of Pete...just saw a commercial for yet another "Chucky" movie. Think I'll miss that one...those movies are so stupid, why do we need another one? Hopefully "Seed of Chucky" will not grow, and this movie will be the last in the series.

Another Useless Saturday

What did I do today...nothing. What did I need to do...a lot of things. Oh well.

On another note, I think Saturday Night Live is going downhill...these sketches aren't even funny. Except for the Robert Smigel cartoon with Bush and McCain...that was great.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Showing My Opinionated Side

Tonight I helped out with a voting discussion for the students in Maple. Justin, the MSUSA campus relations guy, came up to help. We had about 20 people there, a variety of perspectives both liberal and conservative. In addition to telling people how/where they can go in order to vote, we had some great discussion of issues, how people planned to vote and why.

I have a general rule I've set for myself that I stay pretty neutral in political discussions when I'm at a Senate sponsored event. We're a non partisan group, and we don't advocate for any candidate in particular. So, I usually keep my opinions pretty quiet.

Well, I broke my own rule. I knew it was going to happen when Justin told me on the walk over to Maple that he'd be asking for my opinion...political that is. When I realized that most people in the room knew me from Hall Council, I thought..."What the hell, they probably have figured out my leanings by now anyway" I said I was for Kerry, and told them why...mostly because I'm sick of Bush and the people around him, don't see a long term strategy for the war, don't like his education policy (NCLB=ALL children left behind), and am so sick of his push for a marraige amendment I could puke. I'm not necessarily for gay marriage, but it does not need to be part of the freaking constitution...when there are so many other things (like a war) going on, why is it such a big deal?

Afterwords, I said to Kelli and Pete (the PAAs who organized the thing) that I wasn't usually so politically open...it was a new side of me for them to see. Kelli said she figured I was more liberal, so I don't think anybody was too shocked.

And that's how a handful of Mapleites got to see Berne on Politics: Real, Uncensored, and Uncut.

Potluck for A Buck

HUPB's Potluck for a Buck event tonight looked to be a big success. There were a ton of people there, and the food was good. Only heard a little of the music, but that sounded good. I have to give some big kudos to them for putting something like this together in only about 2 weeks. Congrats to Lindsi, who was in charge of the whole shindig.

It was for a great cause (Hurricane Disaster Relief). Judging by the turnout, they should do this kind of thing again sometime.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

The Double Standard of Leadership

This post on Julie's blog makes me think. In fact, I have been thinking for a long time about this higher standard, or is it a double standard, that student leaders, all leaders are held to.

I am a student leader on campus. Great, but that does not mean that I don't have opinions of my own. Not everything I say will be in line with Senate's stances. Not everything I do is related to Senate. I have views on campus affairs, the world, and politics. We all do. We are 25 individuals, not a singular blob. None of us are perfect.

Why then, does it sometimes feel like we have to be? I've often thought twice before expressing a personal opinion, because I wondered what it might look like. I've even thought twice about what I post on this blog, because god knows how many people around BSU read it.(Hence the well displayed copyright notice) Now, I'm not prone to say controversial or inapproprite things in the first place, but that's not the point. The point is I continually watch what I say, much more so than I think someone who is not a student leader might.

And now it's come to the point that the President of our organization has to take the "apology bullet" for something another student leader said. It would be one thing if the student was currently a member of the group, but he's not. So why in the world should she take heat? He is not her responsibility.

We are always under the microscope. Does this mean the Berne you know is fake? No. Does it mean I'm censored? Not really. But am I guarded? Yes. Should I have to be? Probably not, but that is life I guess.

BlogSpam

I always thought spam was an email thing. Apparently, it hits blogs too.

And he's right...don't buy cigarettes. Save your money for something fun.

A Different Perspective on Homework

Maybe those of us that bitch about homework...and those of us who will be high school teachers, should think about this post.

Another Reason to Vote

Yet another reason to vote: Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist has cancer. He is also old, and at 80, is not even the oldest Justice.

So why should this make people want to vote? Because the next President will surely name a couple of judges to the court. And that President will name someone who is in line with his thinking. Who do you want in your high court?

Monday, October 25, 2004

I'm Back!

Well, I've returned from my weekend in the Cities and am back to blogging. I thought about doing one from the hotel last night, but unfortunately the darn public internet shut off at 9:30 pm, so no such luck. Each day was it's own adventure.

Friday:
Left Bemidji nearly on time! I have been so impressed with our punctuality this year. Had about an hour worth of meetings, before the Penny Fellowship Dinner was to start. Having been to the dinner 2 years in a row, I elected early on to forgo it this year. Was later told I didn't miss much. Former Exec Dir showed up, which I guess was rather awkward.

Instead, I had a wonderful dinner with Brent at Friday's. Good food, good times. It'd been several months since I or anyone else in the group had seen him, so it was nice to be able to get together. He has had a rough couple of months, but seems to be happy now. After dinner, we met everyone else, plus Melissa J, another fabulous former Senator, at my house. Mom had been nice enough to bake us cake and cookies--Yum!!...Actually, I'd wanted to get there before the others, after all it was my house, but the schedule we were going by was wrong. So, Julie called my cell, and left a message like "Hey we're at your house, where the heck are you?" It was pretty funny :) It was nice to see everybody together again and having fun.

Saturday:
The day was incredibly long...14 hours. Mostly it was pretty good. Lots of meetings and seminars which were very interesting and informative. One delegation walked out of a seminar because they were supposedly offended by the way a presenter used a certain word (Hispanic). Most of us found this quite rude...the presenter was an Assoc. Vice Chancellor who himself is a member of that ethnic group.

Saturday night was supposedly Delegates Preview. That was kind of a mess. There were 3 different versions of the Articles of Operation floating around, and people were extremely confused. Thankfully, the Board realized they were going to need to do something differently, and let the rest of us go at 10:15.

Lesson Learned: Never forget to shut off your cell phone during meetings. Or, at least change it to vibrate. Jena (sister) called during Student Services committee. It was funny, especially since we'd all reset each others ringtones on Friday and mine is now a lot more obvious than before.

Sunday:
Delegates ended up not dealing with the Articles. Thank God, it would have taken forever. We passed the budget which took half an hour...quickest Assembly ever. But a new committee to discuss Articles awaits us in December and January, before the regular Spring DA in March, so it's nowhere near over. The Board meeting got bickery...an hour spent on the wording controversy, another on the non-appointment of a PR Coordinator. We were all really frustrated, especially Julie. We talked on the way home...Sasina said she'd never heard me swear so much before. That tends to happen when I'm frustrated by a conference.

Overall, even with ups and downs, it was a decent weekend. Most of the people who were first time conference attendees have told me they want to go again in December, so they must have seen a lot of positive things. That makes me feel really good...reminds me why I keep doing these things, and that I did the right thing taking the Campus Rep position.

Here's looking forward to December.




Friday, October 22, 2004

Off To The Cities

Well, it's Friday. About an hour until we head to St Paul. Don't expect to be blogging again for a couple days, but one never knows. I said the same thing before I went to Moorhead.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Typical

As usual, I've stalled and left my packing to the last minute. But it's done now. I have not had a good night's sleep in two days, and probably don't have one coming over the next three. I'm going to be running on fumes by the time Sunday rolls around. I also see little hope of getting any homework done over the weekend...never have time at conferences, so I'll need to play catchup when I get back. The usual routine. Tommorrow night should be fun, Mom is baking for all of us.

Now, off to bed...

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

That Strict Feeling

Tonight was one of those crazy meetings. Jon was calling Kate "Chair Christiansen" all night. Maybe he just gets into a rhythm of calling my name. It was pretty funny.

Afterwords, I got the people who are going to the Conference this weekend together so I could answer questions and explain how it's going to work. We've got several people who've never been before, so I had to go over expectations and rules...that people are supposed to go to all sessions, etc.

People were teasing me about being so tough, the "attendance nazi"...I don't like having to sound so strict. I hate it. But the fact is that as Campus Rep, it's my job to know where everyone is at all times, and that they follow policies. I don't like sounding "parental"

But hey, I think we're ready and it should be fun.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Wow! Cool!

I was looking through my referrers, and noticed the address of a blog I'd used for the Blogging Blogs assignment. I clicked on it, and discovered she'd actually written about my review on her blog. And, she even took one of my suggestions to improve her blog by shortening the length of her profile. Pretty cool, I think.

Read her post, and my comment here.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Are Wikis really that bad?

According to this wiki rant (well ok, maybe not a rant) they are boring pages nobody likes. I used to love the wiki. I now love blogs.

But fret not, I still like the wiki, for certain things. But collectives can be scary uncharted territory.

It's all a matter of personal taste.

A Good Monday

I must say that today was one of the better Mondays I've had in a while.

  • My computer works!!! I turned it on before class this morning and the screen was fine. Weird.
  • I got an A on my Ed Psych Test...HUGE WOOO HOOO! I was so worried about that dang thing cause I kinda let it go till the last day before I did it. I am so happy with the result...it was all I could do to keep from jumping up and down in class.
  • I am almost caught up on my homework
  • I searched through my archives and found a couple good ideas for Adv Writing papers. I'll read to the class tomorrow and ask for comment.
  • I was almost caught up on my email, but after my committee meeting, I have new ones to send out.
  • My pre-grad plans are nearing completion. Yeah, we Ed majors have to submit them TWICE.
  • The sweatpants and Maroon 5 CD I ordered from Amazon came in the mail!

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Computers Are Evil!!!

I woke up this morning( well ok, around noon) with the best of intentions to do a whole bunch of work on the computer...type up a bunch of stuff, work on my Advanced Writing papers and etc. Well, lo and behold I turn on my laptop and the SCREEN IS OUT!! I can see there's stuff there, but it is so dark I can't read it. I AM SOOO PISSED! I have not had a single problem with the thing in the 2.5 years I've had it, and now this...and screens tend to be the most pricey repair, usually like $500 or more...ugh! At that rate, maybe it's time to start shopping.

What makes me crazy is that I practically live on the thing...all my school papers, senate documents....all on the hard drive, and if I can't see them I can't get at them. And to think I was just beginning to consider buying flash drives to back stuff up in case of an incident just like this, but hadn't gotten around to it.

So here I sit in the Senate Office on a Sunday afternoon, making do so I can try to get my work done. This sucks!

Friday, October 15, 2004

Back in High School, Part II

Today I found myself back at BHS. This time I observed a portion of the 9th grade class, plus the afternoon class of Seniors, Advanced Composition. And at lunch, I got to meet the majority of the English teachers, most of whom are BSU educated, so that was cool.

It was really nice to get a chance to spend time in a high school classroom this week. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with the middle school kids every week, but I want to teach high school kids. Therefore, experiencing a high school level English classroom is much more applicable to me as a future high school English teacher.

I've spent enough time there in the two days this week that my observation assignment obligations are fulfilled, but I've been told I can go back anytime. (and maybe even interact with the students as opposed to being "invisible") And believe me I will.

A Positive Morning Meeting

This morning, on my day off, I woke up and headed over to Deputy for a meeting with BSU's new VP of Administration. Yes, Senate addicts work off days and weekends. He actually apologized for requesting a meeting on day with no classes, but I didn't mind because I had to visit the high school this afternoon anyway, so it wasn't really a day off for me.

I'm sure meeting with administrators sounds like a torturous activity to most people, but it's really not. BSU's "top brass" is great, probably the best of the state universities. We are lucky here--our administration actually gives a rip about what students think. We may not always agree with their decisions, but they at least give us the time of day.

This was the first one on one meeting I've had with this new guy, and I must say it was one of the best I've had with any administrator in a long time. We met for about an hour and covered a lot of ground. There seems to be a genuine interest on his part to make changes around here that we've been requesting for a long time; to make measurable, documentable progress on things like security and campus accessibility. And it seems that when we ask him a question, we're gonna get an honest answer in a reasonable period of time. No more waiting 2 or 3 months after repeated reminders.

I left his office feeling energized. It's always a guessing game when you start working with someone new, but I think we've got a winner in this guy...someone who will be willing to help us make BSU better. Of course time will tell, but so far things look really good. Yet another sign we're headed for a banner year senate-wise.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

A Free Night

Tonight was the last session of Foundations, and we had an oral exam. Most of us were let out after round one of questioning. We were done about 7 pm, and I was going to go over to the office to put the new pictures up on the website. Of course I told P, who said there was no way I was going back to the office: "You work too hard, go home and watch TV or something," he said.

He's right. I do work very hard, and sometimes push myself to the limit. So I did exactly that, watched TV all evening, and did not touch homework or Senate stuff. I'm lucky to have friends who watch out for me, and remind me to relax once in a while. Because sometimes I'm so focused on taking care of things that I just don't.

Thanks P.

The 4FC

A few weeks ago, I noticed a filer posted in Maple advertising for something called the 4FC. On the flier was a Blogspot address, and I wondered what in the heck it was all about.

Well, I have since discovered that 4FC stands for the Fourth Floor Club. There's a group of students on the fourth floor of Pine who are attempting to foster community among residents of the fourth floor. It started as a group for fourth floor residents of any BSU dorm, but apparently has now expanded to any fourth floor resident, on campus or off, who lives in Bemidji and is a student.

Now, I'm not a resident of the 4th floor (I've lived on 1 Maple since coming to BSU), but I think it's pretty cool that these guys have banded together to take pride in where they live. Evidently, they have attracted 80 people to their email list so far. Plus I think it's cool that they are using blogs to get the word out.

So, all you 4th foor residents out there, or any other interested people, take a moment to visit the 4FC at the 4FC Blog

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

And now...Presenting The Prez...

Julie's inagural post on the Senate Blog.

Yeah, I reminded both she and Jake about posting tonight at the meeting. Now that they've started I hope we can keep it going. As JP alluded to in her project blog, I think this will be a very good thing for us...another way to reach out to students.

And yes, I sometimes talk in funny voices in the office. Is that so wrong?

More Insanity

So yeah, this afternoon Julie found out that MnSCU cancelled the Revenue Fund meeting, which means we need to reorganize our conference transportation plans. And I thought being MSUSA Rep would be simple. Arrrgh!

Jake Enters the Blogsphere

Let us all welcome Vice President Overgaard to the BSU Senate Blog!

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Crazy Day

Yeah, today has been nuts. My Tuesdays and Thursdays always seem this way, but today I was especially frazzled...

Dragged my ass out of bed, and arrived at the Senate office about 9:15. I like to be there from 8-10 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but it just was not going to happen. Was immediately greeted with several emails to respond to. There is a conference coming up, and people needed to be added/subtracted from the participant list. Doesn't sound like a big deal except that lists were due yesterday, and I actually wanted to have it in Friday, but that obviously didn't happen. Things always seem to crumble when I try to be the most organized.

Went to Advanced Writing, where we had a great discussion about Lindsi's paper, which was both personal and thought provoking. The paper had to do with religion, so that got people thinking. I feel a little bad though...I think I took some of comments a tad out of context, and although I did not intend for it to be, my response may have seemed a bit harsh. But overall, it was a good class hour.

After class, back to the office I went where I wolfed down a sandwich before work, and tried to clarify with Julie and Jake who in the heck we were listing as Delegates given the musical chairs that had gone on this morning as far as conference attendees.

Upon arriving at the lab, I was almost shocked to find that the usual Pedagogy class was not using it. I spent the next 2 hours reading and responding to email, mostly from administrators, senate people and MSUSA. Finally got the conference list clarified with office manager Kathy...the woman is a saint to put up with all of us crazy kids constantly changing things. Also wrote about my blog for JP to use as part of her project, and sent a reply to BK, plus posted stuff on the Senate message board, before being visited by a committee member who helped me write a bill. We also talked about senate in general, and how weird it is that so many people have moved on. I love our group, and we have great new people, but it still feels odd, almost like there's this void .

After work, headed back to the office and finished off another bill with another committee member's help before heading to my second to last marathon session of Ed. Foundations. We got out early, about 9:15 instead of 10, which was good...and here I sit wondering what happened to the last 2 hours.

I suppose I better go to bed soon, so I can get up and have more craziness tomorrow.

Mail

Just checked my mail. Sprint bill. Yay!...NOT!

Why is it that 99% of my mail is either junk or bills? A postcard might be nice once in a while.

Master Teacher

Tonight in Foundations we watched a video, actually a tape of a Nightline segment, following around a "master teacher" in inner-city New York. It was quite interesting. I wouldn't exactly have called this woman a master teacher, but she was fairly good...I don't think I could ever handle a school like that, so more power to those who can.

Re-Evaluating One's Blog

When I started this blog, or at least the project portion, I decided that I was going to use the archive capability to look back, see how I'd changed, and reflect on how the blog had changed or matured.

Well, the other day on one of my frequent visits to UThink, I stumbled... Well, ok I'll be honest, the blogger is a friend of a friend, so I didn't exactly stumble upon it... this blog (Fourth on the list for blogs with most entries), and a post entitled "Why Blog?"

Although not as in depth as my evaluation of my blog in a few weeks will be, the blogger here has done pretty much what I intend to do at the close of this class...he's looked back at his first post, in his case five months ago, and reflected on his reasons for blogging, and the changes since he started.

I find it cool that someone else out there is actually making use of archives to reflect. And from what I can tell, there are no plans for this U student to quit blogging, just like I don't intend to quit once the project is over, and the sun sets on Blogs and Wikis Class.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Back in High School

Today I did an observation at Bemidji High School for Ed Psych. Being back in a high school is kind of funny...Granted it's only been a little over two years since I was in one myself, but the experience is still interesting. So is going to BMS for the practicum every week.

I must say I was rather struck by the size of Bemidji High. I mean, I come from a suburban high school with over 2000 students, but BHS is easily a third bigger. I guess I was surprised there would be such a big school here. I mean, Bemidji is not that big of a town.

Anyway, I spent about 3 hours there observing 2 English 9 classes. Oh, life as a carefree 9th grader...those were the days. It was definitely interesting to see the contrast between the two periods. The kids were pretty good, only a couple trouble makers. The period 2 group was like "What's he doing here?" when they saw me. Third period didn't really acknowledge me, which was ok since I'm not technically supposed to interact with them while observing. I'll be going back on Friday to observe a group of Seniors...that contrast with the Freshmen will be interesting too. It sounds like the teacher would like me to visit more beyond the observation too...we'll see if my schedule permits.

It's a Bird, it's a Plane...

I never saw the Superman movies, but their star was certainly a cool and inspiring guy.

Rest in Peace, Christopher Reeve.

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Dreams

I had another one last night...another dream about Senate. This time I was in a meeting with Res Life people about God knows what. I always have such stupid dreams. Most of them aren't even weird, they're just about mundane crap like meetings. It also surprises me that most of my dreams revolve around Senate...is it a sign of the important role it plays for me, or a sign that it's October 10, and I already need a vacation?

Saturday, October 09, 2004

Political Satire

I was skimming through some of the entries on the Rhetoric 1101 blog (see blogroll) and noticed some discussion about JibJab. Normally, I'd have thought nothing of it, but since Julie told me that her MSN display name was from jibjab.com, I was curious about what this site was that I'd now heard about twice.

So, I went to the site and watched both clips...political jabs. Very funny, and they poke fun equally at both candidates. Laughed my ass off. Although I must say that the Rhetoric students are right in their comments. If clips like that are where voters form opinions, we're in trouble.

Weekends

Once again, it's Saturday night, and I realize I have done absolutely nothing today. Why is it that 9 out of 10 of my weekends are completely useless. I start out with the best of intentions, to catch up from my busy week, and all I end up doing is sleeping and watching tv. Why is this? I am a driven person, and I have so much to do...why am I such a lazy ass on the weekend?

I've Reeled in Another

A friend just told me she's become hooked on blogging.

One more down, so many to go...

Friday, October 08, 2004

BSU in the Blogsphere

I don't know who Chris Samp is, but according to someone on UThink, he deserves the Heisman and he'll give the Beavers a run for their money this weekend.

I hope not. Go Beavers!

Eval of the debate, Julie Style

" George Bush is a dumb hick smurf."

-Julie

I wonder which smurf he'd be? And if he's a smurf, then what cartoon character might John Kerry be?

Thursday, October 07, 2004

Late Night Musings

I promised a practicum update...well, all I can say is it seems to be going well. As the weeks pass it seems that the kids are responding to me a little more. It's still a challenge, but it's getting better. I'll be doing observation at the high school on Monday, we'll see how that goes.

Senate is good. Still extremely busy, and in need of people. MSUSA ED was back yesterday and today. We appointed a high school classmate of mine as a senator, which I think is pretty cool. Higher Ed committee was here today, and I heard it went well. I wanted to go, but had to work in the lab. I guess footage of Julie and Chris testifying made it on Lakeland News.

Spent several hours in the office tonight working on Ed Psych take home test. Never gonna leave one of these till the last day ever again. It's due at 3pm tomorrow, and I still have 2 questions to do. Thank god I am free between 9-2, so I'll have time to finish adequately. I hope I do ok, it's not easy.

Noticed tonight that I've been listed as a link on Julie's blog as Mac Stud. I guess that nickname's gonna stick for a while. I suppose I don't mind. Heck, I don't even really mind being called Bernie anymore, and I used to hate that with a passion.

Well, I think it's bedtime.

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Nothing Major Today

It's late, I'm tired. More blog tomorrow. Maybe a practicum update.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Homework in the Senate Office

The post immediately before this one is actually a draft paper for Advanced Writing. So if any people from that class read my blog, they get a sneak peek of what I'll read on Thursday. I put it here because it relates to blogs.

Here's the funny part--I wrote it this evening while sitting in the Senate Office. I wrote it quickly, and actually felt productive. Maybe it's easier to concentrate in the office...fewer distractions, less noise. I dunno, but at least I got some writing done.

Blogs and the Digital World

We live in a digital, technology based world. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. If someone would have asked me just a couple of years ago if I was a technically oriented person, I probably would have laughed in their face. I knew how to use a computer, yes, but that’s about where my tech expertise ended.

It all began to change during my Senior year of high school. I joined the student council, and in my infinite wisdom decided that since so many kids were using the internet, we better have a website. I decided I was going to learn web design, signed us up on a free server, started a Hotmail account, and set to work building a site. It was going so well that I even convinced the advisor to upgrade to a pay site in order to allow us more bandwidth for posting pictures and such.

All was well for about six months, until one day I was shocked to discover that our harmless little site had been blocked on the school computers. Now naturally, I wanted to find out why. After all, this was the student council, not some kind of porn site. Well, I was then told that the district was not allowing any school groups to maintain pages off of their server. Plus, students would no longer be allowed to maintain it without being carefully watched by staff. They unblocked the site for the remainder of the year, but there was no one with the interest to keep it up after I left. It never made it onto the district server, and it died an unceremonious death upon my graduation from Mounds View High.

That experience left me with a fairly bad taste in my mouth as far as technology and education was concerned. So, for the first year I was at BSU, I pretty much reverted back to my semi-technophobe self. I used the computer for papers, email, research, and instant messaging, but I was pretty sure my website days were over. I still had the itch to get “back in the game”, but on the other hand I thought maybe I was better off without it.

Then last year, I caught the tech bug again when during fall semester, I figured out how to use Front Page, and became pseudo-webmaster for the Student Senate. Come spring, I took the Writing for Secondary Teachers course, where I was introduced to the CAL Dialogue and to something called a wiki. I immediately took to both, and posted like mad. I was working on the web again and I loved it.

Because I liked posting to the wiki so much, I decided to enroll in the Weblogs and Wikis course this fall. Little did I know that my affinity for the wiki would be matched, even surpassed, by a love for the journal-like things we call blogs.

In the last four weeks, I have become enthralled with the concept of blogging. I usually post once, sometimes two or three times a day. Some are short, some long. Some are funny, some serious. But it’s all me. I see it as a limitless tool for self expression and discovery. And, with the archives, I will be able to look back months, even years from now and see what I wrote about on a given day. Yes, I could do that with a paper journal, but there’s no telling if I could actually read it…anyone who’s seen my handwriting can attest that it is pretty bad.

Along with keeping my own blog, I have also taken to reading others’ blogs. In my class, the class before me, even complete strangers. I’ve also been surprised to discover how many of my friends keep them. It’s amazing how much you can learn about a person, even someone you’ve known for years, just by reading their blog. From intensely personal revelations about family, friends and even sexuality, to random musings on politics and the news of the day, it’s all there. Reading blogs also builds a community of bloggers. I frequently comment on and link to things I see in other blogs.

Not long ago, Professor Morgan told me he had me pegged as a wiki guy. He’s not entirely wrong, I still enjoy the wiki. But, I’m becoming a genuine blogaholic. I not only maintain my own, but have sucked Senate into the mix with three other blogs. Plus, I post to the Daybook, which means I now belong to five blogs, and I’ve only been doing this for a month! Reading and writing blogs is like eating a can of Pringles…once you’ve started it’s near impossible to stop. Blogs have an almost addictive quality. I’ve told friends in recent days, who are bloggers themselves, that we ought to start a program called Blogaholics Anonymous. Because it’s true folks, my name is Berne, and I’m a blogaholic.

All Right!

So, I've been aggressively plugging Senate in MHC the last two weeks, and this morning two guys came in to get applications. Granted, I couldn't immediately "place" them...I knew I had seen them but wasn't sure where. But when one said "We both live on 2A" I was quite pleased. I guess my recruitment efforts actually paid off for once.

Monday, October 04, 2004

A What-breaker?

As I've said in previous posts, I enjoy made up words. However, I have to wonder if this one on Aaron's blog is a typo:

"Game three of the flag football season was a fartbreaker."

It's my guess that he meant to type "heartbreaker" and hit the F instead of the H. But who knows...so I wonder, what exactly is a Fartbreaker? Is it simply "one who farts" or is it something more? His is a blog about philosophy after all.

Impressed With MHC

Had hall council tonight, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. There are actually lots of residents showing up as opposed to last year, when I was the lone resident at some meetings. Tonight we discussed the issue of locked wing doors, and there was a guy from my floor there that had actually taken time to research alternatives. That blew me away. I'm glad to see that Maple has a strong group, especially since I heard some HC's are struggling a bit.

And as an added bonus, at least a dozen people signed tuition freeze cards. Woo hoo!

A Sad Day for BSU

As I was surfing the web today at work, I noticed that BSU is the subject of a Star Tribune cover story.

You know, this whole incident makes me extremely sad and angry for three main reasons:

First, if these allegations prove true, and it sure as hell seems there's a mountain of evidence, it is absolutely deplorable and disgusting what these three idiots did to this poor girl. Their outright disregard for this individual is mind boggling. What in sam hell made these three lame brains think that in a million years, taking advantage of a woman like this would be ok? Because it's not OK, and in fact it proves that they are sick, twisted, and have absolutely no regard for others or what is right and wrong. In addition, I wonder if these losers comprehend the fact that they have not only done harm to the victim, but have also severely F-ed up their own futures as well. Guilty or not, no one on this campus, in this town, or even in this state, will ever look at them the same again.

Second, their actions have struck fear into the campus and community. If there was ever any doubt that this sort of crime could occur in our midst, there is now no doubt at all. Many people, especially female students, may never feel the same way when they are out at night again. There may always be a level of fear, a feeling that these types of predators are indeed around. And that's scary.

Third, there is now a sort of black mark on BSU, its students, and its athletics. 99% of the people on this campus are wonderful, kind, compassionate, and law abiding. Our students perform well academically. We do good on our campus and in the community. But unfortunately, the overwhelming good of this University has now been overshadowed, at least in the short term by the (alleged) actions of three bozos.

What a sad day for Bemidji State, its students and community. May justice be done, and the school's reputation suffer no further for the actions of a few severly misguided students.

Note: (10/4, 10:30 PM)Readers:This is a personal reaction to a news story, nothing more, nothing less.

New on Berne's World

I've added links to UThink and Clancy's class in my sidebar. The Rhetoric 1101 blog is really worth a look. Her students have really caught on to this thing we call blogging, and there are really interesting posts about things such as religion and politics. The blog allows public comments, so I've taken the liberty of adding my two cents on a couple of them.

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Coming this Christmas to a Tree Near You

Tonight I saw perhaps the most disturbing toy commercial ever. In the tradition of Tickle Me Ekmo comes E-L-M-O, an Elmo doll that dances and sings to the tune of YMCA. Good God, that's frightening. Just wait, and you'll surely see the mess in the malls that we had a couple years ago.

And all the kids will play with is the box.

Unproductive

It's almost 2 on this Sunday afternoon, and I must say that this weekend has been completely unproductive. I have so many things I need to do: work on papers, work on Ed Psych take home test, read, and so much more. Instead I'm sitting here watching Real World. On top of that, I have a headache and have been experiencing problems with Blogger all day. It did finally publish, and I now have a counter in the footer. Plus, I found some templates for the web team to consider while I was on Bravenet. Next, I'd like to add a tracker.

I guess that today has not been a total wash, but I suppose I better buckle down and do some work.

Saturday, October 02, 2004

Minnesotans and the Weather

I've been wondering lately...why is it that we Minnesotans always like to talk about the weather? I notice that pretty much no matter who I'm talking to, the connversation always seems to turn to weather. In our case, it's usually how cold and nasty it is outside. I was on the phone with my parents last night, and they mentioned it had snowed in Duluth where Jena (my sister) goes to school. Snow this early? Yuck!

Friday, October 01, 2004

Posting at Work

In her book, Rebecca Blood says that you should never post at work. Well, I'd modify that--if you are a corporate professional, it's probably true. However, if like me, you are a student worker in a computer lab, I think it's justified. To be honest, there are days I can sit in the lab for hours and not have more than a handful of people come in. In that instance, I will often blog, work on homework or other stuff. It's a hell of a lot better to try and be productive than it is to sit on your booty for hours doing nothing.

Thursday, September 30, 2004

Check Out UThink

I was perusing U of M's UThink blogs today. I like to go to the blog directory and click on blogs in the recent updates list just for fun.

There's a post on the home page that says UThink is now the largest academic blogsite in the country, perhaps the world. That's a pretty big feather in the U's cap...students and instructors alike appear to be using the service for a variety of things, including classes. I happened to stumble upon the blog of Clancy's (Our friend on Culture Cat) Rhetoric 1101 course. Students seem to be posting some thought provoking stuff too.

It's nice that the school is able to provide this service, and the number of blogs grows daily. Too bad BSU is so small, it'd be nice to have that kind of setup here.

In other Blog news...

Welcome Erin, Lindsi, and Alicia to the Berne's World list of "Blogs I Read." Yeah, they're in the Daybook too.

I've now started a third blog for Senate, which will go up as a weblink soon on our site. That brings the total number of blogs I belong to up to five...my blog, the Daybook, and three Senate related blogs. Can anyone say Blogaholic?

"I read you on CAL Dialogue"

Another sure fire sign I am now a tech dork...

I'm sitting at work today in the Ed Lab, and the usual Pedagogy class was there. Actually most of them had cleared out and there were just a few students left. I heard one woman talking about her practicum for Mark's English Methods class. I immediately knew I'd seen this story before:

ME: You're Nicole, aren't you?
WOMAN: Yes, I am.
ME: I knew it. I read your post on CAL Dialogue.

You know you've become addicted to the web when you know who someone is by a posting on a message board. We got to talking and it turns out most of her class is reluctant to post, and wary of the wiki. She was glad someone was reading it. Also, she might be interested in Senate...so I may have recruited someone! Yay!

Advanced Writing

I tell you, I have so much fun in the class it's crazy. We're such a bunch I leave laughing every day. Mark's lesson plans must go right out the window nine times out of ten, but we always get into such cool discussions. Today we talked a lot about blogs and wikis vs. paper writing...the differences in how we write on each, what we write on each, and what mediums we prefer. It was really awesome. There are four of us in there that are taking or have taken Morgan's class: Erin , Lindsi, Mark and I. Lots of varying opinions on what form of writing is best, and it was also nice to fill some of our confused looking classmates in on what blogs and wikis are.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

People Think I'm Crazy

By now, I've freely admitted several times on this blog that I am a Student Senate junkie. I keep myself extremely busy, doing the equivalent of three positions right now (Student Services Chair, MSUSA Campus Rep, unofficial web coordinator). It does create for a pretty insane schedule some days, when you factor in classwork, practicums, and my part time campus job. I am almost always on the go, busy doing something.

Most people can't believe I find the time to do all this stuff. But I do. I give my all, because I love it. I was reading Julie's post, and I totally agree. I give 100 percent to all these things because it keeps me going, makes me happy, and allows me to live. In the days when I was sort of closed off and didn't do much, this level of involvement was what I dreamed of. Now that I have it, I can't get enough.

I don't deny it, I do stretch myself thin sometimes. It does get stressful at times. It is not easy, and the fast pace of my life sometimes tires me out. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that somehow, some way, I am making a difference around here, even if it's only a small one.

And then there are times like the last couple days, when I am truly reminded what a wonderful group of people surround me. I've been told "I'd die without you", referred to as "like an angel" and was even sent a personal thank you email by one of my committee members who recently left the senate. Lindsay from blogs class is doing a project called Making Days... sometimes words like that, or even a simple thank you, is all it takes. I know it sure made my day.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

That Explains It!

Just read Jonathan's post about Biz Stone and President Bush. I'm not sure if I really wanna know what's going on with Bush's "pizzle," but presenile dementia might explain why the man can not put together a coherent sentence half the time. It was funny when it started with stuff like "strategery", but I must say it has gotten rather old after almost 4 years. If you plan to be President of ANYTHING, I don't care what it is, you've got to be able to grasp language enough to speak in public. Now if we could just figure out how he's going to get us out of this Iraq War it seems like we'll be in forever.

Postcarding

This morning postcarding with MSUSA went very well. I didn't have anyone say no to signing the cards for the tuition campaign, and it feels really good. I think we have a chance to really mobilize people here, and that's cool. Very seldom does it seem that those kinds of opportunities emerge.

Monday, September 27, 2004

New Energy

Tonight I had a late night meeting with Jake, Julie, Kate, Michelle and the MSUSA Executive Director and Assoc. Director of Campus Relations who are in town to drum up support for MSUSA's next big tuition campaign. These two guys are both new to the organization, and I must say that thus far I am impressed. If someone had told me last year that MSUSA Staff would be at BSU twice in two weeks (there's a MN Senate Higher Ed Committee meeting here next week, and the ED is returning for it), I probably would have dropped dead of a heart attack brought on by total shock. Campus visits outside of conferences were just not done in the "old" MSUSA. It's like a totally new concept...bring the organization to individual Senates, and more importantly, to the students who pay for it!!

These two have so much drive and dedication--it's so refreshing to see. I am actually energized to get up and go into the office at 8 am and work with them. Hopefully this will also be a chance to drum up some support/volunteers for Student Senate.

To quote a Celine Dion song, (yeah I'm a dork), "A new day has come" for MSUSA, and its awesome!!

New Blogs

Announcing Two New Blogs!

BSUSA Student Senate Student Services Committee Blog:
http://bsusenatesscommittee.blogspot.com

BSUSA Senate Web Team Blog:
http://bsusenatewebteam.blogspot.com

Yes, I'm addicted to blogs, and I plan to suck the Senate in with me!! Hahaha!!!

Happy surfing!!!

Sunday, September 26, 2004

I'm a Junkie (and I'm not on Drugs)

On Friday, I had a nice visit with a friend who has now graduated who I used to work with on Senate. In fact, he was really responsible for my "recruitment" two years ago. And as much as I try to deny it, I am somewhat of a Student Senate junkie. Last year, I sent out a list to my fellow Senators, which I will post here now. Much of this list still remains true, and I've even added another item.

You Know You’re A BSU Student Senate Junkie When….

You have been known to spend more time in the office than in your dorm room.

You actually know what the MSUSA fee on your bill is for.

You know what the Revenue Fund is

You’re on a first name basis with at least one BSU VP.

When someone says “NCHEMS” you know what it is.

A TV station interviews some students from another school, and you know all of them.

You know what MnSCU is and can name at least five trustees.

You know what a quote board is.

You could care less that Friends is ending, because you haven’t seen it in at least a year.

At one time or another, you’ve had a strange nickname.

You’ve been told You answer questions “ like a politician.”

You actually notice it when other meetings don’t follow parli pro.

You know what “parli pro” means.

You once gave the office phone number when asked for your own.

Other Senators actually worry about you if you’re not in the office.

You know where the term “obsign” originated, and you rarely do it.

You assign double meanings to things certain colleagues say.

You get “fired” on a daily basis

You use the Senate computers regularly, but still can’t remember how to print double sided.

You know “Joanie” is NOT from Arkansas.

Within the last hour, you've started two more blogs, one for your committee notes, and another for the newly created web team.

Am I a Control Freak?

I've been looking back at the Wiki, and I'm beginning to realize that it's driving me batty. I guess I like having control over my own thoughts or something. It's kind of weird having people pop in and add "two cents" to things I'm putting out there, especially in the middle of my thoughts. Thread Mode isn't bad...there's usually a break between thoughts, but something about document mode bothers me. I like the Wiki, but I also like my "intellectual property". Does that make me a control freak??

Saturday, September 25, 2004

My first comment...

From a completely random reader I've never heard of. One word. Interesting.

Can Fame Be Far Behind?

Just noticed that my blog has made list on the Blogs and Wikis page of the English Dept. web site. Ooo...that must mean that prospective students are reading this, so I better post really deep and profound stuff.

Cool...go me! :)


Sauceless Pizza?

I just ate a Domino's Pizza, and it was sauceless. What's up with that? If I'm gonna pay for pizza it better damn well have all its components. I'd say I'll never order from them again, but I know I will...I already boycott Pizza Hut in town because of a bad experience. I suppose if I held it against them for life every time they screwed up an order, I'd run out of places to order from.


Friday, September 24, 2004

Sleep? What's That?

Sue's got me thinking again. When I read this post, I totally saw myself. I too, have been suffering from a serious lack of sleep this semester. I'm only averaging between 4 and 5 hours a night. I'm busy all day with work, classes, Senate stuff, etc. By the time I get home and finish all my work, it's often well past midnight and I'm usually up around 6 am. The occasional headache is not uncommon, and neither is feeling quite run down. This cannot be a good thing. Maybe I should try napping.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

I totally feel...

Like I did awesome on the Foundations midterm! Yay!

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Calling all Prospective Senators...

Today is Wednesday, and of course that meant the weekly Senate meeting. We made two Senator appointments, but that was offset by a couple of resignations, and I hear talk of at least one more to come. It's really surreal, I still cannot believe the number of people we've lost. We've got a great group with great ambitions, but we need manpower to carry these things out. Whether that be volunteers or actual senators it doesn't really matter, we just need people. At least it sounds like I'm gonna end up with a decent sized committee.

On another note, today was my first day tutoring at Bemidji Middle School. Looks like it will be an interesting experience. They've got me working in Special Ed, which is OK because I'm used to it, having TAed for a Sp Ed class in high school. However, I must admit I've never seen kids quite as hyper as a couple that I worked with today.

Patience is a virtue.