Ramble on Rose...continued

Goodbye Mama and Papa
Goodbye Jack and Jill
The grass ain't greener
The wine ain't sweeter
Either side of the hill

Did you say your name was
Ramble on Rose
Ramble on baby
Settle down easy
Ramble on Rose

Ramble on Rose

I've been falling behind on the job of maintaining current blog posts.  Partly because I just don't have enough hours in the day to put blogging on my priority list, but also because i don't know what to write.  Its not that nothing is going on...so much is going on that I don't know what to focus in on - or maybe I just can't focus in.  But thats a whole different issue.  LOL

OK, so let me share with you all the things that have been going on which are keeping me from keeping up.  The biggest time consumer is my family - for the best of reasons.  And I have been making a point of spending a little less time online and a little more time with them.  Thats been a problem for me every since I started my doctoral work in 2006.  

Which brings me to another huge time drain - work on my dissertation.  Six weeks ago I probably would have told you that i hate my doctoral research.  But at that point I made a monumentous decision to throw out my former dissertation topic - a year and a half worth of work - and start over.  It took at least three months of not working on it to make that decision.  It was the best decision I could have made.  I love my new topic - and am wholly vested in it:  the impact and effects of virtual worlds (SL) on education.  I have a new advisor who is as excited about this as I am.  Work is going well and I am doing some exciting things with my classes.  

The inservice class I am teaching in-world with my colleague and good friend, Juniper, is going great.  In between I have been sneaking in Phil and Friends shows and have an upcoming Dark Star Orchestra show to let loose at.  What else could I ask for?  Life is good!

Thanks for you patience and for listening to my ramblings.  

:)

"Love is real and not fade away" 

Black Throated Wind of Fall

Fall is not my favorite season. Its tolerable, but as the weather turns colder and the days get shorter, I can't help but count down until spring. I miss riding. I'm back at the gym, but its just not the same.

So today I decided to try to like fall. It is the perfect autumn day. The sun is bright and the air cool and crisp. I took my son on a nature walk on a leaf covered trail through the woods nearby. I enjoyed the sound of the leaves crunching and rustling under our feet and the smell of a not so distant fireplace wafting in our direction. We talked and laughed and held hands the whole time.

Then he asked me if we were going to have a long winter. Oh, I hope not. But I wasn't going to tell him that. He who had only a couple of good days last winter to try out his snowboard. I could have told him about the colors on the big fuzzy gypsy caterpillars that I check every year against the Farmer's Almanac. But I didn't think that was what he wanted to hear. So I just asked what we would do if it were a long winter. We would build snowmen, snow forts and have lots of snowball fights. I got detailed battle plans and team lineups - which parent would be paired with which child. "Sorry Mama, but Daddy can throw better than you." Fair enough, but they'll have a hard time getting me into my snow pants either way. I don't do snow.

So maybe it isn't fall that I dislike, but the impending winter death that looms so heavy for months on end. I've got my fingers crossed that the gypsy moths were wrong...
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I've Been Tagged Again :-)

Here are this game's rules from bigd to Kimala to me...

"Ok, I guess its time for another getting to know you type of blogging activity. Five questions, you only tag three other people. Lets go shall we

What’s your favorite saying?
What part of your personality do you wish not to pass on to your child?
While driving, what’s your biggest pet peeve?
If you could change your name, what would it be?
What’s the best excuse you’ve ever heard?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) My favorite saying: "Growing older is required. Growing up is strictly optional."

2) I am so flawed that I can't easily narrow this answer down to one aspect of my personality that I wish to not pass along to my children. However, if I have to pick the worst, it is my wreckless habit of biting off more than I can chew. I know Alanis Morrisette recommends this...it doesn't work so well for me though.

3) This one is easy - I HATE when other drivers won't let me move over into their lane - even when I signal and give the courtesy "thank you wave".

4) I used to hate my name - but I have to say - it fits me well after all these years. I would have liked it to have a consonant at the beginning though. Jamie would work.

5) Ok - I am going to agree with Kimala on this one - being a teacher gives you an arsenal of excuses. I have to say though, the best - and most shockingly blunt - excuse I have ever gotten from a student for not being able to stay after school to take a test: "I can't stay after school today. I have to take my sister for an abortion." I shit you not. *~*~* OMG ~ FAINTS*~*~*

ok, i tag Borday, Taliesan and Mikki - if they haven't been tagged already

Dancing in the Streets

Well the Parking Lot on Darkstar was filled with hippies celebrating the impending (and inevitable) victory since early yesterday afternoon. Never saw a happier bunch of Deadheads. I thought for sure Jerry himself had been elected. What a great day.

With great hopes for positive change and an eye to the future, I am especially glad to see our country has successfully moved past the point where a man's color is a disability. I hope Obama can help our country find its rightful and needed place again among the other great nations of the world and that the new administration will have the wisdom and support it needs to move us forward - beyond where we began to lose ground in the global game. They have a lot of work ahead for sure.

Kudos to Get out the Vote, and all the Deadheads for Obama whose influence on this election cannot be underestimated.

/Hooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
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