Paying it forward

In my early 20s, during one of our last family trips to Florida with my parents and brothers, we were headed to Busch Gardens on New Years Eve.  Ted and I were walking ahead of the other three and were approached by a couple of college-aged kids as we neared the ticket gate.  They said that they worked there and had two free passes that expired that day.  They said that they weren’t supposed to do this, but that if we wanted the tickets, they’d give them to us. 

And they did.  No catch; no strings.  Just two free passes.  I remember thinking, “Sweeeeetttt!  Ted and I just awesomely scored some free passes!  We are so cool!”

Fairly recently, my mom reminded me of the event, but her take on it was a bit different.  She remembered the gratitude that she felt, that those two kids had decided to give away those vouchers, two slips of paper that had cost them nothing and could be easily discarded as having no value.  But instead, they looked around and found two people to give them to.  They saved us (my folks) around $150 that day.

This morning, Evie and I arrived at the zoo with some free passes that expired today.  I looked around the entrance and found a group who appeared to be waiting for others to arrive.  I asked if they were members (members get in free and wouldn’t need passes).  When they said no, I asked how many people were in their group.  Eight.  I handed them our seven free passes.  The woman just looked at me, probably expecting the catch.  I simply said, “They expire today, so if you can use them, they’re yours.”  She stared at me, dumbfounded.  I smiled at her, and we walked away.

I think I get it now. I didn’t need to search for those vouchers and bring them along today.  I didn’t have to be brave (for me) and approach a random group of people and offer them something of value to them but not of value to me.  Those slips of paper could still be in my drawer tomorrow, expired and useless, like so many of the coupons I’ve stuffed in there.

I hope they enjoy their day.  It makes me feel good to think I might have helped a little.

I'm so handy!

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I spent yesterday afternoon doing something amazing: rewiring CAT5e outlets!  I’m proud of this achievement, so I’m going to perform a miraculous feat by telling my exciting tale to everyone (the Internet) and no one (readers of my blog) at the same time!

It all started with the Blu-ray player in the bedroom, the Smart, wireless Blu-ray player.  I’ve been having problems with it streaming from Amazon for a while and have tried multiple fixes to get it to work properly.  My last ditch effort was to use the device in its wired (rather than wireless) capacity.  The main problem: this would involve me rewiring the bedroom’s CAT5e port.  The house was run with CAT5e line (rather than older homes that were run with traditional phone wire), but the TWO WHOLE outlets the builders installed were installed with phone jacks (not Ethernet ports.  You know how a phone jack is much smaller than an Ethernet jack?  Yeah, that was a problem).  We had initially solved the whole “we only have two phone jacks in this entire house?” problem by getting a wireless phone with one plugged-in base and two extensions phones that don’t need to be plugged into a jack.  Yes, we’re oh so clever.

So the jack in the bedroom was wired (theoretically) with CAT5e—hey, just because it says CAT5e on the jack means….well, just about jack to me after seeing the other...creative decisions the builders made.  So I need to open up outlet/jack to see if it was phone wire (RJ11) or CAT5e wire (RJ45).  It was, in fact, RJ45.  Now I knew what I was dealing with (meaning: I had some approximate knowledge of what I might want to do in this situation, as long as Google could supply enough instructions in pictorial form). I was nearly ready for a trip to the store.  But....

When Jon and I had the basement finished last summer, we ran cable and CAT5e wire before the drywall and ceiling were finished and had the electricians hook them up in a box for us--a box with a cable outlet and an Ethernet outlet.  Smart thinking, huh?  It was.  It was very smart thinking.  Except that we haven't used it yet, and before I made my trip to Home Depot, I decided to check out the wiring of the box.  My hunch that it might not be properly hooked up was confirmed--hey, I tend to be a little suspicious when it comes to anything related to that project, BUT it's only because so much went wrong on the project!  Back to my hunch: the ETHERNET jack had been hooked up for phone service.  So, I would need to figure out how to rewire that (again, Google to the rescue).

My list for the Home Depot was a new CAT5e Ethernet plug (to be wired by hand), a crimping tool (create my own Ethernet cables), and Ethernet plugs. 

 It took me about 3 hours to accomplish the task, killing my fingers on little cable wires and destroying my back as I hunched into unnatural positions.  But at the end, both CAT5e-wired outlets had functioning Ethernet ports.  Woo hoo!

This is all great, but remember my initial reason for doing this: Blu-ray player/Amazon streaming issues.  Now that it was a wired device, the problem would be solved.

Right?

Right?

Wrong.

But hey, if our wireless ever goes down, we now have functioning Ethernet ports!



 

Updates, I guess

I have a very short lull in my semester right now, and I'm so relieved!  I'll teach a writing session tonight, and then I have a few days in which I do not have to teach.  Some might call such days "days off," but there is no such thing in my life.  There is ALWAYS school work to do--prepping the next unit and creating lesson plans, grading old homework, trying to find the mythical "perfect textbook" for next semester, suddenly realizing that textbook orders were due several weeks ago and that I should get on that.... oops.

But, during this special time, I may also have some time to do somethings I want to do!  Sadly, my list is mostly comprised of housekeeping chores that have been neglected for months (notice the passive voice here--a clever way of not placing blame on an individual.  The chores have simply been neglected.  By whom?  Well, I don't know; it just says they've been neglected.)  BUT after approximately 45 hours of non-stop house cleaning, I might squeeze in some sort of hobby.

Abrupt topic shift with no transition whatsoever.

I decided yesterday that I want to write the next huge teen sensation of novels.  But instead of a trilogy like those now-rich gals have been putting out--and which the greedy movie studios keep turning into four films, I intend to write a tetralogy--a series of four book.  Yes, the word is so unfamiliar that my spell check says it is not spelled correctly.  I shall introduce this term to the masses!  The only trick is... what to write about....

Actually, I spent some time thinking it over yesterday.  There are some models already out there--just follow the models!  But, first, it needs a hook: Twilight has teen vampires and werewolves (i.e. the supernatural). Hunger Games presents a dystopia with teens and the whole danger and suspense aspect mixed with rebellion and revolution.  Divergent has... well, what the hell does it have?  It's not very good.  Okay, try again: Divergent has teens who must choose their lifetime clique at age 16, and if they choose to join the cool clique, the might die or become homeless.  Okay, try again: Divergent presents a seeming utopia that has teens making difficult decisions, being tough when faced with the consequences of their choices, then the series takes it up about 20 notches and reveals the actual dystopia with (fairly small-scale) conspiracy (which needs to be addressed by teens) and moves up to extremely large-scale conspiracy/revelation of government interference and control of entire cities of people.

Common themes: first person teen girl narrators (age 16) with the usual teenage emotions and angsty complications with boys.  These girls do things and make decisions that no 16-year-old girl would ever, ever do.

So, after bouncing some ideas off Jon, I ran upstairs to my office and frantically typed out three pages of notes.

It's a promising start, right?

Now I just need to figure out how to write fiction. 
Compelling fiction. 
Compelling fiction that a publisher will actually publish--oh, and that people will read. 

Yeah, I think I've already got the hard part out of the way with those three pages of notes.  Phew.  I was beginning to think this might be too impossible a task for me to even consider under taking.

Looking for some help

For several years I have been teaching a Korean graphic novel in my World Literature course.

The Color of Earth, by Kim Dong Hwa is a beautiful book and beautiful story.  And because I lived in this amazing country (eleven years ago, but who's counting), I really, REALLY want a copy of this book (or the entire trilogy) in Korean.

As internet savvy as I consider myself to be, I cannot locate a Korean copy of this book online.  This is the closest I've come:











An image of the Korean covers.  That's it.  No way to purchase it.

So I'm finally reaching out for help.  Can someone please help me acquire this book or series in the original Korean?  If you find it online, that'd be best (post a link in the comment box).  If you know someone in South Korea (preferably who knows English!) who you could put me in touch with, that would be awesome.

And before you ask, no, I don't speak or read Korean.  So what's the point of having a copy of a book I can't actually read?  Comparison.  Side by side comparison.  Even if it's only the artwork and word/thought bubbles, I want to compare the versions.  

If you can help me with this personal, professional, and scholarly pursuit, I would very much appreciate it.  I might even send you some cookies.  :)

Two posts in one day?!?!

I just glanced at the Dec 23 entry and wanted to add an update: though I lost a course at the last minute, I received a phone call from my department chair in the middle of the first week of classes.  One of her instructors had just quit (had found a full-time job), and she wanted to know if I would be able take the class. 

Uh, yes.  Please!!!!

So, I frantically prepared a syllabus (I've taught the course before, but it's quite different to come in a week late), and now I'm teaching three courses this semester instead of two.  What an amazing relief--both financially and emotionally!

God is good!

So, I should still have a bit of free time (unlike last semester), but I should also be busy enough to keep crippling apathy and depression at bay.

Anyone want to hang out?  I'm feeling artsy: I'd love to paint, practice my photography more (both b&w and digital--I have a new Canon digital SLR!), work with pastels, improve my calligraphy--and this is just the stuff I have supplies for (and yet still pretty much suck at).  Travel also sounds amazing, but I'm pretty sure I'd need a beneficent donor to help with that one!

Feeling pretty good at the moment.  Smooches to all!

Not cool enough for graphic novels

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Everyone else reads them.  Everyone else enjoys them (okay, I work at an art school....).  I even teach (and like) one: The Color of Earth, a really great Bildungsroman from a Korean master of manwha, in my World Literature course. 

But, I'm discovering that I don't like graphic novels.

When asked to pilot a new course--Narrative Studies--I really wanted to include a graphic novel.  How hard could it be to find a great one, really?  There are so many classics, so many that people rave about.

I started with Watchmen several months ago. I mean that I literally started reading Watchmen several months ago.  It wasn't going well, so I gave V for Vendetta a try.  I nearly gave up 40 pages in.  But it got better, considerably better.  But I don't think it's a book I can teach--for a host of reasons.  But I'm still struggling through Watchmen!

 I haven't finished it yet; I'm forcing my way through it little by little, making slow progress. 

On my bookshelf, I still have Maus and Persepolis (either of which I could use for World Lit), but I'm so disillusioned with the genre that I can't see to pull them off the shelf.  The art is rather unimpressive (and almost distractingly bad compared to others), so I'd be focusing on story, which is fine, as that's what books are for.  But...I'd rather just read a pictureless book then.

Perhaps I'm too old, too old-fashioned, not eclectic enough for graphic novels.  Or perhaps I'm just reading the wrong things.

Wow. What a semester!

I've finally started breathing normally again after the most brutal semester of my entire academic career.

Somehow the stars, or perhaps school schedules, aligned poorly this year, and by about week 7 of the semester, I was on the verge of being behind.  But here's the thing: I've established routines and protocols so that I don't get behind.  For me, for the last several years, even one day behind was unusual.  So, in early November, when I was about 12 days behind in my grading, well, panic began to set in.  The car accident I was in on October 29 didn't help matters any, as I was unable to think--and therefore work--for days.  And as my cognition slowly came back, I was still unable to move quickly enough through assignments.  Oh, did I mention I was teaching 6 writing courses?  Two freshman composition courses, one business communications course, and three graduate-level writing-intensive courses.

I began spending weekends up at my parent's cottage in order to have uninterrupted time to grade.  I never got caught up.  I have a strict policy on returning student work in a timely fashion; I reserve the right to take up to two weeks to grade major assignments.  I usually get assignments back to students in 7-10 days.  By week 10, that stopped happening.  Stress.  Huge stress.

Throughout all this, a proposal that a colleague and I wrote was accepted, and we presented at a conference.  It's a lovely thing to put on my CV, but it's a lot of work to prepare for an academic presentation.

But it was a nice excuse to show off my sleeker self.  I went back to WeightWatchers and lost about 17 pounds and am able to fit into my suits again.  This was essential, as I TEACH IN A SUIT.  I wasn't able to do this last spring or over the summer because the suits didn't fit.  I was not going to enter this busy semester unable to wear a suit.  This cute dress was a side benefit.  :)

Evie is the cutest thing on two legs.  Now that I'm finally able to spend some time with her, she's warming back up to me nicely.

Still, she's 3 1/2, which is a rough age.  Kudos to people who make the conscious decision to have more than one child.  It's, frankly, a concept I cannot grasp.  Truly.  Beautiful, smart, silly as she is, I can't do this again.

Plus, did you know that kids are expensive?  I'd love a vacation.  We haven't taken one since 2010, not even a short one.  But, apparently kids need things like food, clothing, shelter, and preschool.  And books.  So many books.

Now, back to me.  Of course.

I'm suddenly severely underemployed for the spring semester, having just lost a course at my highest paying school.  I didn't realize the course was being run as a 200-level elective; I thought it was a Gen Ed requirement.  Only two students enrolled--and both were former students of mine who I would have loved to have in class again.  So I'm hoping and praying something will come my way, as two courses next semester is not enough to financially sustain me.

Maybe I'll get my darkroom all set up, and I'll start printing amazing, saleable prints from the comfort of my basement.  Yeah.  I think I'll put all my eggs in that basket.  (I can't even post pictures of my b&w stuff because... it's not digital.)