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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Enough already.
OK, February, I get it. You're mad that spring is inevitably on its way, and you feel the need to vent your feelings with a week of the most horrific weather you can conjure up for us. I know that it's not your fault that you have to be the month of Valentine's Day and presidents' birthdays. No one asked you if you wanted to be the last month of winter, when everyone's excitement over snow has fizzled out.
But it's time to face facts. You have about nine hours left. The heavy blanket of gloom that you have wielded over our lives is about to end. Your power to whip our hair into our faces and pull inside-out our umbrellas, and drive us, wet and shivering, into our houses is nearly over.
I've seen those little green spikes in my backyard. They may be timid, but they are coming. The birds know it--I can hear them twittering over the wind and rain. My cat feels it--that's why she's destroying everything in sight. Spring is on its way.
Soon there will be daffodils and tulips and sunshine. There will be warm weather and gardening and spring cleaning. I can feel it. So, go ahead, February, hit me with everything you've got.
I can wait.
But it's time to face facts. You have about nine hours left. The heavy blanket of gloom that you have wielded over our lives is about to end. Your power to whip our hair into our faces and pull inside-out our umbrellas, and drive us, wet and shivering, into our houses is nearly over.
I've seen those little green spikes in my backyard. They may be timid, but they are coming. The birds know it--I can hear them twittering over the wind and rain. My cat feels it--that's why she's destroying everything in sight. Spring is on its way.
Soon there will be daffodils and tulips and sunshine. There will be warm weather and gardening and spring cleaning. I can feel it. So, go ahead, February, hit me with everything you've got.
I can wait.
Labels: garden
0 commentsTuesday, February 27, 2007
I'm Putting This On My Resume
Quote from a eighth-grade student during a grammar lesson on prepositional phrases:
"This is fun!"*
That's right, just crown me the grammar queen right now. Woo!
*No sarcasm detected. 0 comments
"This is fun!"*
That's right, just crown me the grammar queen right now. Woo!
*No sarcasm detected. 0 comments
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ash Wednesday
Here it is again: the beginning of Lent. I discovered that there was such a thing as Lent at NNU--somewhat surprising for an evangelical college--and I have found it such a special experience every year. This year I had the opportunity to speak about Lent for a few minutes in chapel at school, and several students have come to me and asked me to help them observe it this year. This excites me because I think this holiday is so unique--especially in our culture, which tells us constantly to indulge our desires. Kids are targeted early on by advertisers and fed the message that they must accumulate things to be happy. On the other hand, Lent reminds us that only God can satisfy our desires, that the Christian life is about self-denial, self-sacrifice, self-control.
Steph directed me to this site, which gives a lot of suggestions, prayers, and other resources to help with observing Lent. And this evening I went to an Ash Wednesday service, always another unique experience, for me at least--to spend an hour reflecting on and repenting of your sin. I've sat through plenty of services that provide time for repentance, but they've usually left it up to the listener to come up with specific sins. Personally, I tend to spend that time trying to validate myself... "Well, I've been pretty good this week. Haven't lied or cheated or stolen anything...."
At this service, though, the confessions were all printed up in the bulletin, which you would think would not be universally applicable, and yet I found each and every one of them convicting. Such as...
I'd love to hear from you as Lent continues. I'll probably be sharing more throughout this season--giving things up tends to provide a marvelous focus...
And finally, from the link above...
Let us pray for the grace to keep Lent faithfully.
Lord, protect us in the struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Steph directed me to this site, which gives a lot of suggestions, prayers, and other resources to help with observing Lent. And this evening I went to an Ash Wednesday service, always another unique experience, for me at least--to spend an hour reflecting on and repenting of your sin. I've sat through plenty of services that provide time for repentance, but they've usually left it up to the listener to come up with specific sins. Personally, I tend to spend that time trying to validate myself... "Well, I've been pretty good this week. Haven't lied or cheated or stolen anything...."
At this service, though, the confessions were all printed up in the bulletin, which you would think would not be universally applicable, and yet I found each and every one of them convicting. Such as...
- Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people...
- Our anger at our own frustration and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves...
- Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work...
- Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us...
- For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us...
- For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us...
I'd love to hear from you as Lent continues. I'll probably be sharing more throughout this season--giving things up tends to provide a marvelous focus...
And finally, from the link above...
Let us pray for the grace to keep Lent faithfully.
Lord, protect us in the struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Labels: Lent
0 commentsTuesday, February 20, 2007
Three day weekends are just so nice, aren't they? Have I mentioned that I love being a teacher?
So I got to see all the glories of Klamath Falls. We went ice skating, swimming, movie watching, among other things. It really is a pretty area, although I would like to go back and enjoy some of the outdoor stuff a little more--it was just too cold to do much outside on this trip.
Miss Kitty Fantastico is very, very happy to have me back. She's been cuddling up to me constantly ever since I returned... which is rare for her--she usually prefers biting as her primary way of showing affection. The first hour or so after I got back, she kept going back and forth to check that I was still here. She'd run into the kitchen and play for a few minutes, then come back to check on me on the couch, then run into the bedroom, then back out to the living room, over and over. So cute.
So I got to see all the glories of Klamath Falls. We went ice skating, swimming, movie watching, among other things. It really is a pretty area, although I would like to go back and enjoy some of the outdoor stuff a little more--it was just too cold to do much outside on this trip.
Miss Kitty Fantastico is very, very happy to have me back. She's been cuddling up to me constantly ever since I returned... which is rare for her--she usually prefers biting as her primary way of showing affection. The first hour or so after I got back, she kept going back and forth to check that I was still here. She'd run into the kitchen and play for a few minutes, then come back to check on me on the couch, then run into the bedroom, then back out to the living room, over and over. So cute.
Labels: MKF
0 commentsSaturday, February 17, 2007
Woo, I am getting introduced to the lovely town of Klamath Falls today. I decided to take advantage of my three-day weekend to visit Cole and Ashley, and after a breath-takingly gorgeous four-hour drive (have you ever had your breath taken for four hours? It is not easy, I can tell you), I am off to see the sights!
More to come...
p.s. If you get the chance to see Bridge to Terabithia this weekend, go! It is lovely. It makes me cry just thinking about it. *sigh* ... 0 comments
More to come...
p.s. If you get the chance to see Bridge to Terabithia this weekend, go! It is lovely. It makes me cry just thinking about it. *sigh* ... 0 comments
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Making technology work for me
Well, nothing will stroke your teacher ego like coming back from three days of sickness and hearing your students gasping, "Ohh, Ms. Van Essen, we're sooo glad you're back..." It could perhaps stem from the fact that the sub accidently gave them twice the normal homework, but I'm choosing to believe they just missed me.
Speaking of teaching, O'Reilly was recently talking about how students have started recording their teachers' worst moments on cell phones. Check out the video*... the terms "emotional abuse" and "surreptitious surveillance" are thrown around, and very rude interrupting ensues. Fun, fun.
Personally, I think I should start taking cell phone videos of my student's behavior in class, send them straight to their parent's cell phones, and wait for the student to receive the ensuing, furious text message. "BHAV URSLF RT NOW R ELS" Forget about all this detention business. Now that would make my life easier...
*You have to endure a short ad clip first, of course.
Speaking of teaching, O'Reilly was recently talking about how students have started recording their teachers' worst moments on cell phones. Check out the video*... the terms "emotional abuse" and "surreptitious surveillance" are thrown around, and very rude interrupting ensues. Fun, fun.
Personally, I think I should start taking cell phone videos of my student's behavior in class, send them straight to their parent's cell phones, and wait for the student to receive the ensuing, furious text message. "BHAV URSLF RT NOW R ELS" Forget about all this detention business. Now that would make my life easier...
*You have to endure a short ad clip first, of course.
Labels: teaching
0 commentsFriday, February 02, 2007
We're sick.
"We" being my brother and me. My parents are on the other side of the country, and Brenna, she of the endless social engagements, has avoided the bug, the little minx, and is off gallavanting with her friends. So Logan and I are two orphans, shuffling around the house in pajamas, swapping Dayquil, and alternately reading and watching Mystery Science Theater.
I'll repress the traditional sick person's desire to give you a catalogue of my symptoms and content myself with pointing out that this is the most sick I've been in years. I guess there was some good in the monastic life of a grad student after all.
Actually, I went up to OSU the other day to have dinner with a friend who's getting a Business/Accounting degree over there. Afterwards she offered to show me the library, and as we were walking over there, she said, "You'll have to come up here more often and hang out with me. One has to ease out of the college lifestyle. You can't just go cold turkey." So true! So I explored the library and got my civilian library card, and checked out a book on "Teenage Boys and High School English." I think it's going to be an eye-opener. ;)
In other big news, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release date has been issued. July 21. A year ago I thought I would be excitedly anticipating all this Book 7 hype, but now that it's here, I'm kind of depressed. I had a professor once who loved Hermann Hesse, but who had never read the last book that Hesse wrote. He always said it was better to be able to think that there was more to come, than to read the book and know that his work was finally, undeniably finite. That's pretty much how I feel about the Harry Potter books (and to a lesser extent about all wonderful books or series that I read). Not that Rowling will never write anything else, but there can never be another Harry Potter.
I'll repress the traditional sick person's desire to give you a catalogue of my symptoms and content myself with pointing out that this is the most sick I've been in years. I guess there was some good in the monastic life of a grad student after all.
Actually, I went up to OSU the other day to have dinner with a friend who's getting a Business/Accounting degree over there. Afterwards she offered to show me the library, and as we were walking over there, she said, "You'll have to come up here more often and hang out with me. One has to ease out of the college lifestyle. You can't just go cold turkey." So true! So I explored the library and got my civilian library card, and checked out a book on "Teenage Boys and High School English." I think it's going to be an eye-opener. ;)
In other big news, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release date has been issued. July 21. A year ago I thought I would be excitedly anticipating all this Book 7 hype, but now that it's here, I'm kind of depressed. I had a professor once who loved Hermann Hesse, but who had never read the last book that Hesse wrote. He always said it was better to be able to think that there was more to come, than to read the book and know that his work was finally, undeniably finite. That's pretty much how I feel about the Harry Potter books (and to a lesser extent about all wonderful books or series that I read). Not that Rowling will never write anything else, but there can never be another Harry Potter.
Labels: college life, HP
0 comments