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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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??

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.

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.

I totally feel...

Like I did awesome on the Foundations midterm! Yay!

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.

That's What Southwest is For?

One of my pet peeves rearded it's ugly head again today. While passing the union desk on my way to class, I heard the BSU staff person behind the desk talking to someone about accessibility. She was telling the woman that BSU was not accessible, and that Southwest was built specifically with handicapped students in mind.

That may indeed be true, but I am sick of hearing people use SMSU as an excuse..."that's what Southwest is for" may have been a viable response in the 60s, but this is 2004 for goodness sake! All of our Universities should have a decent degree of handicapped accessibility. BSU has a long way to go, but we can't scare people away by telling them it's not accessible at all.

Bernie Mac is Back in B-Town

That's right homies, the Mac Stud arrived back in Bemidji this afternoon. Beware!

In all seriousness, the conference was great! Conversations were meaningful, we got business done at a decent hour, and people were totally engaged in what was going on. It was awesome. Conferences are always an experience.

In fact, things went so smoothly that we even got done with daily business before dinner yesterday and went and had a Real dinner! (As opposed to grabbing McDonald's and eating it during a meeting). And I tried a new kind of food. Several of us went to an Indian restaurant in Fargo, Julie's idea, and yumm it was a good one. I had Mango Chicken. It was a little pricey, but well worth it. We all sat around and laughed and B.S.ed, and it was a great time.

Looking forward to October meeting. It's near my house in the cities, and Mom has agreed to make us dessert one night. Although I did make everyone promise that another cake fight won't break out like it did two years ago when she brought one to the hotel. LOL.

In the MSUM Union

Well, here I am, posting from a totally different location-Comstock Union at MSU Moorhead. Yes, they actually have computer terminals in their Union right across from the meeting rooms. What a novel idea! The rest of the people are doing a campus tour, but there is no way I am going to hoof it across this campus. (I don't travel with my scooter)

So far it's been a good weekend. There are a lot of new people around, and new ideas with all the changes in MSUSA. This, my 15th event (if you count lobby days) is much different than previous conferences. It seems, thus far at least, that the change will be for the better. The days are always very busy, and we'll see how alive I am by the end of the day. I didn't get to sleep till 3am because there were some major partiers next door that had been at a wedding in the hotel.

Oh, and in case anyone cares, the Mac Stud thing has caught on....although now the rest of the BSU group has turned it into "Bernie Mac Stud" and at least one other campus is now also referring to me by that moniker...crazy people.

Off to Moorhead...

at about 3 today for an MSUSA conference. I'll be busy, don't expect much opportunity to blog or work on wiki. More updates and posting on Sunday night.

I'm a What?

So I'm at work today troubleshooting someone's machine when he asks:

"Are you a Mac Stud?"

I'm not sure exactly what this is supposed to mean, but I can only guess that because I work in a Mac lab, people assume I'm a Mac expert. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm really a Gateway man.

The Road to Trust and Friendship

This post on Sue's blog got me thinking...

For most of my life, I have had the opposite problem. I have not been trusting enough. I have always trusted people to an extent, but never in the way it counts the most. I have not always trusted people enough to be me, to open up to them as a person. I've always had an inner fear about such a level of trust.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am "different". I have physical challenges. These challenges have presented many roadblocks in life that I have had to overcome, and I have done so because I never wanted to feel sorry for myself, or live my life as if I was "disabled"...disabled implies UNable, and unable is something I'm certainly not. I don't see myself that way, and I've never wanted others to.

And therein lies the problem. Now, I have had a wonderful life, and have been treated well for the most part. Nevertheless, I felt the sting of nastiness growing up...kids looking at me funny in the store, being deserted on the playground, or in one incident in 6th grade I will never forget, being labeled as a cripple by two girls who thought it was hilarious. (Stuck up bitches...It's the truth).

Whether it was rational of me or not, I always had these thoughts in the back of my head....Did people laugh behind my back? Were people calling me cripple when I wasn't around? Were people only nice to me because they felt "sorry" for me? Looking back, I'm sure most of the concerns were unfounded, but as a 5, 10, or 15 year old, I wondered.

I was a kid with many acquaintences, but few people if any who I would call "friends". I kept to myself, I did not get involved. I went to school, came home and that was it. No movies, parties, football or basketball games. I was too suspicious of people, and what their true feelings were about me. It got better over the years, but for the most part, to the majority of people, I was closed and guarded. They knew me, but they did not KNOW me, were not close to me....I wouldn't allow it.

By Senior year in high school, I kind of turned a corner. I got involved in student council, which I had always wanted to do. I finally had something I loved to do, I was involved. I had a group of people that were friends, and I finally trusted that those were good people and I could open up more---and I did.

So I came to BSU, and I got in the Senate game. I met great people right away, both inside and out of that group...fantastic people. But I think I dug myself in the same hole I had before. The first year, I only really opened up to 2 or so people, and I think it was due to my unfounded fears...the same fear of opening up and trusting people that I'd had as a kid.

I was told, on more than one occasion, that I appeared to be aloof, too serious. In one of these conversations, one of these few who I HAD opened up to asked me if I had ever told anyone anything about my life other than what I did in the office. Of course, I really hadn't and was in denial...I was scared to admit that for the most part, I had been just as personally closed off with these people as I had been with most of the kids in school back home.

Last spring, things changed. Part of it was a conscious choice on my part to open up and not be so closed off. Part of it was the mix of people I had around me (I hope they know who they are if they are reading by chance)....a lot of things just came together that made me happier, better. I developed a closeness and trust with people that I'd never had...some were people I'd resisted because I thought they were so opposite of me, only to discover more recently that they really aren't. Others brought out my "inner goofball", and many were in between.

It's taken me 20 years, but I now know how rewarding and important a true, deep, and personal sense of trust can be. And I realize the people I can and do share it with have been here all all along. I just didn't see it or took it for granted.

Trust and love your friends. Be open and honest, and treat them well. It will make their day, and they will return the favor. Don't wait as long as I did to realize what (and who) matters!


To all my friends: I LOVE YOU GUYS! ROCK ON!!!

Homework....

I was having a conversation today in the office about homework. It is highly over rated. Isn't going to a full load of classes, working part time, and giving your all to activities you love already more than a full time job?

I realize though that I actually LIKE my Weblogs homework. Why? Because this is it...keeping this blog. And keeping this blog doesn't feel like work to me. It feels like something freeing, calming--something I've wanted to do for a long time. It's a place where, within reason, I can say what I want. I can reflect on my day, my activities, my web adventures or my frustrations with the world. I can be serious. I can be funny. I can be reflective. I can even be corny and stupid on occasion, its just part of the adventure that is blogging.

Isn't that great?

This Weather Sucks

Just got back from Senate about a half hour ago. Got SOAKED riding the BerneMobile back to Maple. UGH...this rain sucks!!

By the way, there are still openings on Senate if any of y'all are into that kind of thing.

Has Anybody Seen...

This Show?

Now that's some funky stuff.

Motivation...

I know I should be doing homework

I know I should be reviewing Ed Psych chapter

I know I should be working on my AW paper since prof, in words of classmates "ripped me a new bunghole" (didn't like it when I read the draft aloud in class)

I know I should be productive...

But I'm not. Not right now....

Rant time

Ok...I'm exploring the blogsphere again and realize that I am absolutely sick and tired of seeing people make absolutely outlandish claims that have little or no basis in rational thought. Anything from hasty generalizations, to statistics that can't possiblly be based on any scientific fact in the universe! Yes, it's our own space, and we can basically say whatever we want, but good lord...some people out there are just plain wacko, and/or so utterly convinced of the superiority of their own ideals as compared to others that it makes me sick.

And if you're going to post something controversial or questionable, don't follow it up with "this claim will be backed up later"....sheesh!

Be smart about what you post and critical of what you read. There's a lot of BS rhetoric out there, don't fall for it!

I need a Secretary

That's right. Or, at least a better filing system. How is it possible that I can work with an organization for over two years, keep virtually every piece of documentation I've ever received, and every note I've ever taken, and then NOT have the ONE SET I need when a Director asks for them?

Yep, I need a personal assistant. Any takers? :)

Productive Weekend

I think I've discovered the secret to a productive weekend: go to bed at a decent hour, and get up before noon! I've done that this weekend for the first time in months, and I feel like I got so much done:

• Went to the bank
• Went to Target to get a few items, including a marker board to replace the one some dorkwad ripped off my door last week
• Got a haircut at Great Clips--looonng overdue!
• Read and commented on Daybook blogs
• Read chapters in blog books, and blogged on them
• Caught up on email
• Read and commented on a half dozen blogs not associated with class
• Completed Blogging Blogs assignment
• Went over the Student Senate website to see what updates I still need to do
• Posted a call for interested Student Services members on Message Board
• Paid Sprint PCS bill
• Balanced my checkbook
• Did laundry
• Figured out how to set up links on my sidebar--YAY!
• Read paper and watched news to catch up on current events
• Worked on my pieces for Adv. Writing, but not sure which one I'll use for first "official" paper.

Still more to do, but I've certainly accomplished more than usual.

Blogging Blogs Finale: "raise your hand if you're absent"

For the fifth and final installment of Blogging Blogs, I’ll return to the subject of teaching. Yes, after starting off with Aimless, the chronicle of a student teaching internship, I’ve come full circle and decided to wrap up this assignment with “raise your hand if you’re absent”: adventures and misadventures in the life of a first year teacher.

The blogger, known here as Teacher Lady, is a 22 year old recent college grad who has just been hired to teach English at a Pennsylvania high school. As someone who plans to teach English at the high school level, it peaked my interest.

This is a blog/notebook. The blogger started to write just prior to her first inservice, and her postings deal with her daily experiences and feelings as a new teacher. The entries are fairly focused. There are a couple of links, but they are definitely of secondary importance compared to the text. It appears to have been updated every few days, amounting to about twice per week.

I like this blog because she talks about some of the very same things we are discussing in my Education courses right now, including:

-Anxiety
-Frustration with certain aspects of the school where you work
-Lack of a permanent classroom, a “home base”
-Sudden onset of Adulthood, weird feeling being the teacher instead of the student
-Lesson planning
-Connecting with students (and other teachers)
-Love for the job

This post about teachers being human is pretty cool. All teachers have faults. It’s amazing how many students seem to have this misconception of teachers as people who are always working and never leave the school, or as people who don’t make mistakes.

My Verdict: A cool blog to watch, especially for Ed. Majors.

Blogging Blogs: "Bunnie's Knitting House"

Once again, I found this blog by chance using Blogger’s NavBar. No, my dear readers, I have not suddenly taken up knitting. I do, however, remember reading in Rebecca Blood’s book that many people like to set up blogs specific to their hobby or interest. Naturally, when I saw a blog titled Bunnie’s Knitting House, I realized I had found one of those “hobby blogs”.

The blog is fairly new, started this August. The blogger says she started because she had seen friends do it and thought it might be fun to start keeping one. She sets up in her first post that she is a perfectionist and knitting helps her to overcome that. Anyone who’s ever made anything by hand knows that mistakes come with the territory.

The blog seems to serve two purposes:

As the title indicates, it is a forum for her to write about her knitting. What she has knitted, what she’s knitting now, and also about projects she’d like to do.
It also appears to be a place to update family and friends about her life and the lives of her kids. She posts about her daughter’s swim lessons, the first day of school, and her feelings about her son going to preschool. She also writes about her community band and church.

This is a blog. It is focused on the writer’s life. She has some links on the sidebar, but there does not appear to be any linking within her posts. I’m not a big fan of the pink template, and I wonder if the About Me section is a bit too long…I don’t need to see Pam’s life story in the profile. Otherwise, it is pretty easy to follow, and I like the fact that she includes pictures of her projects.

Finally, it should be mentioned that Blood warns hobby bloggers that blogging about their hobby will result in a loss of time actually doing the hobby. Pam mentions that there are a ton of projects she’d like to do, and maybe the blog detracts from that.

My Verdict: Not my cup of tea, but a decent example of a hobby blog.

Blogging Blogs: "coffee grounds"

I happened to find this blog on UThink: Blogs at the University Library, hosted by the U of M. Yes, that’s right, I’ve discovered that there are many universities out there that offer blog hosting for their students. I simply clicked on “coffee grounds” in the Blog Directory list of those that had been updated most recently.

This blog has some cultural flair…the author is a PhD. Student from New Zealand. (I wonder if he’s familiar with Culture Cat...different departments, but both PhD. Candidates) Many of his postings talk about differences between the USA and his home country. It was fun to see a different perspective on issues like U.S. politics, and just realize the general cultural differences that exist between the US and NZ.

It appears the blog has been kept for a few months, so its style is fairly well developed. It’s not maintained every day, more like once a week. Unlike the blogs I’ve seen thus far, this one has a ton of links. It seems like he has a link to just about every item he discusses in his posts. Often, the posts are reflections to something he has seen in the online edition of a magazine or newspaper, like the Strib, Washington Post, or the NZ Herald. Sometimes, he reacts to things he sees on other blogs. I’d classify the blog as somewhat of a filter. He does talk about personal observations, but mostly its built around what he sees in his travels around the World Wide Web.

Something that’s especially enjoyable about this blog is the author’s witty humor.

Like this post in response to a news headline:

“Suicide in the Washington Post
... Phelps Tops Himself at Trials: Sad story in the Washington Post. Apparently this guy set a world swimming record and then killed himself.
His coach then said "He was so far ahead I don't think I pushed him at all," which suggests that the coach also wanted to kill him, but didn't get the chance.
But then the article goes onto say that he'll be racing later in the week.
Which is it? Did he really top himself, or is he still alive?”


Obviously, “Tops himself” is slang for taking one’s life in NZ. Taking one’s life is of course no laughing matter, but the reaction to the headline certainly is.
( I post the entry here because the blog itself will not allow links to individual entries.)

I also like the blog stylistically. In addition to links and archives, the template also includes a search box. There’s a calendar, so you can see which days he posted, and jump straight to the posts for a particular day. Finally, the blog program has allowed him to categorize his posts, so that a reader can jump to all posts on a particular subject. I visited some other blogs on UThink, and these features seem to be present in all.

My Verdict: Witty, fun and interesting. Well worth a visit.

Blogging Blogs: "Midnight Rantings"

It’s election season and a lot of people are thinking about politics. This guy is one of the millions of undecided voters out there. He does some discussion of our political parties, and the news of the day. He’s clearly a disenfranchised voter, who really doesn’t think that either Bush or Kerry is worth voting for. In an early post, he says he thinks he’ll end up “throwing his vote away” in November. Presumably, he means that he will end up voting for a third party.

You know, that’s really sad. What kind of a system do we have when neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate seems worth voting for? What kind of a system do we have when voters have been conditioned to believe that they are “throwing away” a vote by voting for a third party? Aren’t we supposed to be able to vote our conscience? The system is messed up.

And that’s what this blogger is talking about. “Midnight Rantings” is a way for him to rant somewhat…to vent frustrations and raise questions about our political system, the candidates, media bias, and the like. And he makes some great points.

Style wise, I’d call Midnight Rantings a cross between a blog and a notebook. He posts about his personal feelings, but it’s not really a “personal” blog…his entries are developed around news stories and current events, feelings about the campaign, etc. He has no intent of telling us what he ate for breakfast. There are gaps in the postings, but he seems to average about a post every two days.

The blog is more developed than the first one I blogged on…it has been kept longer, has links on the sidebar, a blogroll and an email link. All blogs develop the longer you keep them (I should also mention that upon further pondering, I’ve concluded that Aimless is a cross blog/notebook and in fact leans closer to the blog side) One thing I do not like about Midnight Rantings is the fact that the archives are set up so that each day is individually listed. Having to click on every entry to read it instead of getting a group of them at once kind of annoys me.

My verdict: Worth a look if you don’t mind reading about a “Tired World”, as the author puts it.

Blogging Blogs: "Aimless"

I figured I’d begin Blogging Blogs by commenting on a familiar one. Amy was a classmate of mine in the Writing For Secondary Teachers course last spring. I found her blog last week after we looked at Walk Away Renee in class. Aimless appeared as a blog link on Renee’s sidebar. Realizing that title corresponded with Amy’s nickname, I opted to take a look.

What I see here is a notebook. It is personal, but much less of a “blurt” than the typical blog. She writes one entry every day, most of which appear to me to be pretty well developed and thought out.

The blog is a chronicle of her student teaching internship, which if I recall correctly, is at the high school in Red Lake. Her entries focus on teaching, and her feelings about working with youth. She does post once about volunteer work for the DFL, but that still kind of fits in. As I see it, teaching and politics fit into the general realm of public service, as does volunteerism, so it’s ok to stray occasionally from teaching and this blog will still hold true to its purpose.

I think Amy talks about some cool stuff in this blog. As I read through, I can clearly see some of the emotions that are associated with the experience of student teaching: happy, frustrated, nervousness about the first day, etc. As someone who faces the same type of experience down the road, I’m interested to see what I may encounter, and how I might find myself feeling about it.

Another thing that’s clear through her writing is how much she cares about her students. She makes reference several times to her kids being “great”, “awesome”, and the like. In one post, she says she even called the parents of the students who were absent…something most teachers would never dream of doing.

We had a great time in class last year. It was very clear from day one that Amy’s ultimate goal was to be the absolute best teacher she could. She has a great love for the profession, and even if I didn’t know her, I’d get a sense of that from her postings. The school she eventually teaches in will be lucky to have her.

My Verdict: I’m definitely excited to continue reading this blog. Rock on Amy. Teach those kids. You truly are anything but Aimless!

Is a Blog without purpose really a Blog?

The key to weblogging is the key to any kind of writing. The writer must have some kind of general purpose in mind:

" It is not important that you know exactly what you are doing when you begin writing your weblog, but you must have at least a loosely defined purpose for your site, and you must vaguely know for whom you are writing---..."

-Rebecca Blood

Take our class for example. Most of us are novice blog keepers, so the beginning purposes for most blogs on the Daybook is two fold:

A. Experiment with blogging, and B. Maintain a weblog as a class requirement with the initial intended audience of classmates and instructor.

Some of our blogs are still at this stage. Others, however are already developing a voice, or a purpose beyond the initial reasons for set up. Often these purposes are either stated in the description field , or in early posts.

Such as:

• Reinman's, which bills itself as a blog based on bees and philosophy
• George's, Which has a political focus
• or, this blog itself, in which I will write mostly about personal thoughts, feelimgs, and activities.

Let us watch and see how each of our purposes evolves or changes over the course of the semester. It will be interesting.

Before there were Weblogs

In Chapter 3 of The Weblog Handbook, Rebecca Blood states:

"Before there were weblogs, there were online journals, e-zines...photo albums, community bulletin boards, special interest resources, and home pages of all kinds. Choose the format that suits you best, and use whatever tool is necessary to maintain it."

Consider each type of resource:

E-zines appear to differ from online versions of major publications like People. They are independent, quirky, and they spring up often. Many look to be an outlet for unknowns to be publihed. Some information can be found at The Book of Zines. In the more professional realm, some might be inclined to classify sites like ZD NET as online mags.

Photo Albums are consistently evolving and there are many options, such as AOL's You've Got Pictures, which has been a popular feature for a number of years. Increasing in popularity are photo albums in blog form.

Community Bulletin boards, such as the Student Senate's on MSN Communities, are usually open to all. The message boards that I've seen generally contain announcements and discussion topics. Posting on a message board allows a wide number of people to see and comment on what you're thinking. We use ours not only as a way for students to comment, but also as an announcement board in place of batch emails.

Home Pages are the building blocks of the web. Every website has one. In another blend of "old" (if you consider early 90s old) and new technology, many people and organizations link to blogs from their home pages.

To me, the Online Journal presents the greatest challenge in terms of definition. Is it really all that different from a blog? What differentiates a LiveJournal with one entry a day, or several, from a Blogger blog? I know we've established that the two are somehow "different", but what I see are two names for essentially the same thing. LiveJournal even promotes itself as a blog tool, so what's the difference?

In fact, as Blood states, use of the different technologies is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I am a user of blogs, message boards, and web pages, all for different purposes.

Feeling Fantastic!

I've noticed people have this habit of posting their mood on blogs. Well let the record show that at 10:33 PM on September 10, 2004, I, Berne, am in an absolutely fantastic mood!

It's been a wild week. My emotions have run the gamut: Happy, sad, confused, overwhelmed, shocked, frustrated. You name it, I've felt it at one time or another in the past 5 days.

Part of it stems from classes. It's the typical Fall feeling all of us get: the realization that September has arrived, it will be gone before we know it, and we better get our shit together so that we are able to survive the next nine months. It's not quite as bad this year, since I was in class over the summer, but there's still a degree of adjustment back into routine, especially considering my packed schedule of classes, work, practicums and Senate activities.

For those who don't know, I am a student senator here at BSU. I really like my job representing students, and have a lot of fun. Wednesday night was our second meeting of the year, and I feel like it's going to be a good and productive year. I was reappointed as Student Services Chair, so if any of my fellow students out there have concerns about res life, the union, student conduct, technology, and a bunch of other things I won't list right now, I'm your man.

Of course, the first Senate meetings of the year also come with a twinge of sadness, just like the last ones. It may sound weird, but these are the meetings when it really sinks in that people are gone. Whether it be graduated, tranferred, or resigned, there is turnover from spring to fall. It just seems weird to sit in a meeting and realize that people you are so used to seeing all the time aren't around anymore. On the other hand, it is always nice to bring some new people and ideas into the mix.

The third thing that has weighed heavily on my mind this week is friendship. A few days ago, a good friend of mine opened up to me like never before. What I learned took me by surprise, and I've spent many hours trying to make sense of what I was told, and respond. I only discuss this here in general terms because of the public nature of these postings, but also because the information I learned from this person doesn't really matter...that is, it will not change our friendship...if the last 3 days have done anything, they've made it stronger. Each of us is now more aware than ever of an unshakeable mutual respect and trust, which is a wonderful thing!

And that, my loyal readers, is why I feel FANTASTIC!

Another Funny Item

I was reading through a friend's blog the other day and there was this name acronym thing. Here's what came up for me, although I don't think several of these fit me. Or do they?

Brainy

Exquisite

Radical

Noisy

Explosive


Glamorous

Relaxed

Entertaining

Gorgeous

Odd

Radical


Cheesy

Hairy

Realistic

Intelligent

Sensual

Tasty

Influential

Awesome

Neglected

Slow

Eccentric

Nerdy

From Go Quiz

And I love this disclaimer for the benefit of the not so bright:"Quizzes and personality tests are non-scientific and for entertainment only." Who would be dumb enough to believe otherwise?

TGIF

This week has been so insane. Full of lots of ups and downs. Stress, lack of sleep and lots of work to do. I am so glad it is Friday. I need a weekend just to play catch up.

More later...

End of another long night

1 AM...Just finished Ed Psych....another long night

Time for zzzzzz..... (YAY!)

Summerhill or SummerHELL?

It's 11 pm and I've been home from Foundations class about an hour. It is a long class, but it isn't too bad. Today we watched part of this movie about an exestential school in England where there are no rules, and the kids run wild and cuss like sailors. What a disaster area...they call THAT education? I think I'll stick to the US of A thank you very much.

Blogger's Working!

After nearly a day out of commission, Blogger appears to be functioning again!!!! This makes me very happy. I am also happy to report that I solved the popup problem on this particular machine that I wrote on earlier in the week. I know I've been writing an insane number of really random postings this last week...I guess I'm just excited to be writing stuff down, reflecting, and using new technology to do it. I already use email, message boards, AIM , and MSN Messenger compulsively, so why not add Blogger to the list.

Random Thoughts of an Insomniac

It just occurred to me that I am running on extremely little sleep this week. Its 1 AM, I stll have reading to finish, and I've got Ed Psych at 8 am. Yikes. Having class till 10 PM is not really conducive to studying. I tried to get some done at work, but between fire alarms, catching up on email, troubleshooting for people, and getting caught up in my 100 things list it just didn't happen.

My sister IMed me earlier that her computer is having issues, which means we'll probaly spend half of tomorrow (well today actually) playing phone tag. Technology, can't live with it, can't live without it.

Over the last 24 hours, I have read every new blog on the Daybook. More comments on those (and maybe the Blood chapters) later.

100 Things About Berne

1. My Birthday is May 22, 1984
2. I was supposed to be born in July
3. I weighed about 5 lbs at birth
4. I have Cerebral Palsy
5. I have never known life without a cane, leg braces, or some type of shoe insert
6. I also had "Traditional" braces (teeth) from 10th-12th grade
7. I've had 5 surgeries
8. I was once in a full body cast for six weeks
9. My last operation was almost 6 years ago
10. I am nearsighted
11. I've worn glasses since 10th grade
12. I'm wearing Jeans today for the first time in years
13. I've been an avid angler since age 5
14. I had a 20 word vocabulary at age 1
15. I didn't walk till I was 4
16. I wasn't expected to walk at all
17. I get around campus in an electric scooter
18. Even "Mature" college students are giddy with delight if I let them ride it
19. My parents are Greg and Karen
20. we have a cat named Lint
21. We also have a cat named Pumpkin
23. We used to have a dog named Sinbad
24. We live on a peaceful, dead end street
25. We moved into our house when I was one month old
26. I was educated in Mounds View Public Schools
27. My high school colors were green and white (same as BSU colors)
28. Our mascot was the Mustang
29. Our family first got a computer when I was in 5th grade, it was a Mac
30. My favorite foods are steak and shrimp
31. I love to eat at Red Lobster
32. I also like Timber lodge Steakhouse
33. I wish we had those places in Bemidji
34. I have a younger sister named Jena
35. Jena was NOT named after a character on "Dallas"
36. We are a year and a half apart
37. Jena is starting her first year at UMD Today
38. She has not decided on a major
39. I am an English Education major
40. I have a minor in Political Science
41. I am a BSU Student Senator
42. I was on Student Council my senior year of high school
43. I am not a Democrat
44. I am not a Republican
45. I am probably more liberal than conservative
46. I do not think the Bush Administration deserves a second term
47. I watched a TV program about the Bushes last night on MSNBC
48. I enjoy working with computers
49. I helped my sister set up her new Dell last week
50. I am pseudo-webmaster for the Student Senate
51. I'd like to redesign it but I don't have enough expertise
52. I prefer email to the telephone
53. I send forwards, but not often
54. I have never taken a course fully online
55. I hate math
56. The worst grade I ever got at BSU was a C in Beginning College Algebra
57. BCA was the only Math class I'll ever have to take here
58. I took 3 years of High School Spanish but remember very little of it
59. I have never been to Mexico
60. I have never been overseas
61. I have been to Canada
62. I have never had alcohol
63. I do not smoke
64. I don't really care that my next birthday will be my 21st
65. I do not have a driver's license
66. I have a permit, and am trying to learn
67. People love to go places with me because I get handicapped parking
68. I know what MSUSA is
69. I have been to all but one MSUSA conference since Oct 2002
70. I've been voted Most Likely to be in the Senate Office two years in a row.
71. I love to visit my grandparents in Colorado
72. I am not afraid to fly, I enjoy it
73. I also have a grandma and several other relatives in Wisconsin
74. I have four cousins
75. Two of my cousins are the same age as I am
76. My mother is the oldest of 5 kids, dad the older of 2
77. My grandfather served in WW II
78. My Mom's dad passed away before I was born.
79. Most people call me "Bernie" when they first meet me
80. I've never heard of another person with the name Berne
81. I've never seen "Star Wars"
82. I've never read "Harry Potter"
83. I don't play video games
84. I do not know how to cook
85. I live in Maple Hall
86. I eat at Wallys about 3 times a week
87. I have attended two hockey games at BSU
88. I am not a sports fan
89. I went to one high school prom, senior year
90. I don't like cold weather
91. I haven't worn snowboots in years
93. I have Foundations of Education from 5-10 tonight
94. I have been on the Dean's List every semester
95. I don't like canned ravioli
96. I avoid Mac and Cheese at all costs
97. I also don't like hot dogs
98. I'm really tired
99. I work in the Education Computer Lab, and thats where I am
100. I edit lots of papers for people
101. I know there are typos in here, but am not going to fix them.
102. This list is over 100, so I'm going to stop

Fire Alarm

I just experienced my first ever fire alarm while in an academic building about a half hour ago. Of course I had to be sitting at work on the 4th floor of Ed Arts. Walking down 4 flights sure gave me my exercise for the day.

Made up words...

are so much fun! The word of the day is: Ginormous. ( from a colleague in advanced writing)

Popup Ads Drive Me Mad

I'm sitting here reading and commenting on classmates' blogs before Advanced Writing, and it just occured to me how much I ABSOLUTELY HATE THE FREAKING POPUP ADS ON THE INTERNET!! This particular computer (Student Senate office) is particularly annoying. I can scarcely do anything without a new ad popping up, and its making me crazy! Does anyone know how to rid a computer of these awful advertisements?

Blocked

I am blocked. I am sitting here in front of MS Word, as I have been for much of the evening, and I'm struggling. I'm attempting to write a piece on "adventure" for Advanced Writing, and find myself devoid of things to say. I'm not what I would consider to be an adventurous person. I just deleted two or three paragraphs worth of work because it sounded stupid and made absolutely no sense. Of course, those who know me well would say I rarely make sense anyway :)

Back to the drawing board.

Well, I've been sitting here watching Bravo's West Wing marathon. Suppose I better go do some real work.

The daybook hates me

Ahhhhh! My profile is all set, and yet my name will display here but not on daybook. I think its conspiring against me! LOL

You Know You're From Minnesota When...
The weather is usually 80% of your conversation.

When you say "down south" you're referring to Iowa.

You call highways "freeways."

Snow tires came standard on your car.

You've never taken public transportation.

75% of your graduating high school class went to the University of Minnesota.

"Perkins" was the only hangout option in high school.

You assume when you say "The Cities" people know where you're talking about.

You can list all the "-dales."

People from other states love to hear you say words with "o"s in them.

In a conversation you've heard someone say "yah sure, you betcha" and you didn't laugh.

You could pinpoint exactly where each scene in the movie "Untamed Heart" was filmed.

You hate the movie "Fargo" but realize you and your entire family have that same accent.

You get mad at people who think Fargo is in Minnesota.

You know what Mille Lacs is and how to spell it.

You have fish boiled in lye for Christmas.

You know what "uff-da" means and how to use it properly.

You know the 2 sports-related reasons why we hate Dallas.

Nothing gets you madder than seeing a Green Bay sticker on a MN car.

The only reason you go to Wisconsin is to get fireworks.

You're a loyal Target shopper.

You've frozen your tongue on a metal handrail before.

You own an ice house, a snowmobile, and a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

You wear shorts when it's 50 degrees outside in March, but you bundle up and complain in August when it goes below 60.

You have gone trick-or-treating in 3 feet of snow.

You've not only walked across a lake, you've driven across one.

Everyone you know has a cabin or, at least, access to one.

You know that Lake Wobegon isn't real and you know who made it up, where they live, and exactly what you want to do about it.

You have friends who schedule their wedding in the middle of January without a thought about weather conditions.

You consider a six inch snowfall a blessing for "the cities" because it provides instant urban renewal.

You keep the snow tires on your truck all year because it ain't worth taking them off for only two months.

Your local Dairy Queen is closed from December through February.

You believe the only REAL vehicles have skis in front and a loud motor under your seat.

You consider snow banks to be "just another rough" on the golf course.

You have worn shorts and a parka at the same time.

You were delighted to get a miniature snow shovel for your 3rd birthday.

Your town isn't trying to be ironic when it plans a "winter carnival."

The temperature in March is above freezing for three days in a row, and you think it's summer.

You laugh out loud every time you see a news report about a blizzard shutting down the entire East Coast.

You think happiness is owning a "piece of lakeshore."

You never meet any celebrities except The "BODY"

You know what and where "Dinkytown" is.

When you talk about "opener" you are not talking about cans.

You have refused to buy something because it's too "spendy."

You believe that the Vikings would have won four Super Bowls by now if they were still playing in Metropolitan Stadium.

You are convinced the Twins will never win the pennant because the owners are too cheap to pay the good players, so they all leave.

Your town has an equal number of bars and churches.

You grew up thinking rice was only for dessert.

You think that ketchup is a little too spicy.

Your gas station thinks "full service" means filling your gas tank, washing the windshield, checking the oil and being friendly to the customers.

You (or your parents) voted for Mondale.
You've seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in Uptown.

You know that everyone has a city preference -- Minneapolis or St. Paul.

You can honestly claim Germanic / Scandinavian ancestors, and have been known to say "ya" instead of "yes"

Upon seeing an ocean for the first time, you say, "Hey! That looks like Lake Superior!"

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Minnesota.

From Blogthings

Politics and the Blog

If anyone's interested in politics, you may want to have a look at these blogs:

Bush-Cheney 04 Blog: http://georgewbush.com/blog/

Official Kerry-Edwards Blog: http://blog.johnkerry.com/

DNC: Kicking Ass: http://democrats.org/blog/index.html (The title is real, honest)

GOP.com: Gillespie's Blog: http://www.gop.com/blog/

Also of interest to college students:
MN College Republican Blog (coming soon) http://www.mncr.org

Smart Ass, College Demorats of America Blog: http://www.collegedems.com/blog/ (Yes, another real title)

Daybook

Here's a proper link to the daybook. My coding was evidently off:

http://calstaging.bemidjistate.edu/morgan/blogsandwikis/

Exploring the Blogsphere

I've been spending the last couple days playing around with this blog, and also looking around at other blogs. Actually, I've been regularly reading a few of the Daybookblogs for the last few months.

There appears to be a wide range of stuff there. Some of the students have very general, journal style blogs. Others have very focused writing. Some appear to be updated daily, while others appear to have been let go with the end of the semester. I wonder what causes people to keep going vs abandoning their blogs? Is the motivation the same as with jourals, or is it different?

I've also ventured beyond the daybook by clicking on the NavBar in Blogger. Most blogs that I've come across there seem to be fairly new, but I've stumbled across a few that appear to be more developed. Also, I visited the About section of Blogger, learned that it's part of Google, and after clicking a series of links, came upon the blog of its founder.

Off to surf some more...

Lazy Evening...

Watching movies. Just finished EuroTrip. Decided I had to watch that one after Dr. Beech mentioned it two class periods in a row. Good for a few laughs.

Just called home and hear that my sister's move to UMD went well. Good news.

Dinner at Wally's

So yeah, It's Saturday evening, and I figure I better journey over to Wally's for supper considering that I hadn't been there this week. Always an interesting place to go.

Note to self, NEVER GO TO DINING HALL IN PAJAMAS...whether you think so or not, you're gonna run into someone you know.

Anyway, I end up sitting with about 3 guys from my floor, which is different to begin with because traditionally everyone over here on 1A Maple keeps to themselves. Not that I'm complaining because personally I would prefer to know my neighbors, so the more social floor is a good thing.

We had a nice conversation, but I was immediately aware of 2 things:
A. I don't get out much- I hadn't seen or even heard of three-fourths of the recent movies they were discussing

B. In order to fit better with this new floor dynamic, I better learn at least a little about video games, which I have never played in my life. Can anyone tell me what the hell Halo is?

Sitting here channel surfing. Just hit Fox News ....coverage of Hurricance Frances. What a mess. I cannot imagine living in FL, getting hit twice in like two weeks.

The Stuff They Put on TV....

We've entered an era in which pop culture meets politics more than ever before...I'm sitting here watching a TV show titled "Vh1's Fabulous Life: Bush Vs. Kerry Bling Off" Objective of this program-determine which candidate leads the life with the most "bling bling"--So far, Kerry is winning.

Jay Leno Gets Duped...

LOL...first time I've ever seen twins switch places with each other on a late night show. Leno's always good for a laugh. Much better than Letterman...sorry Dave fans

About This Weblog

This is the personal weblog of Berne G. Christiansen.

Views expressed on this weblog are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect views of any other person or group, or entity he may be associated with.

Posts are copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivs 2.5 License:


Terms:

• The content of this blog may be copied, shared, distributed or displayed freely as long as credit is given to the author.
• This site may be freely linked, added to blog rolls and commented on
• Content of comments remains the property of the author of the comment

You May Not:

• Use the content of this blog for commercial purposes (make money from it)
• Distribute altered versions of any blog post

Any use or reproduction of the content of this weblog MUST abide by the terms of this license. Any other use of this blog's content must be approved by the author.

Full text of the license is here.

Visit the Creative Commons Site.

(Updated June, 2005)

Wow! I was able to successfully link to a URL! It has been so long since I did HTML coding of any kind. Actually, probably about 2 years, since the time I created a website for my high school's student council. A site that has long since died. Thank goodness for Blood Appendix II...I needed a refresher course. Now, If I could just figure out how to set up a blogroll and some links to favorite sites...can't wait to get my hands on that Stone book.

It is now Friday night, the end of the first week of classes. Does anyone ever notice that the first week of class always seems extremely long? I think I will enjoy my courses, the education ones will definitely be the hardest. Ed Psych and Foundations of course. All in all, I'm fairly glad to be back. I can't help but wonder if my sister, who should be moving in to the UMD dorms tonight, will enjoy school.

Well, must eat. More later.

Testing Links

I am checking to see if this link to the BSU Page works

My First Post

Hello. Does this work?