Mindfulness Monday: Oh, Brother!

"In fact, because nothing can be by itself alone, no one can be by himself or herself alone, everyone has to inter-be with every one else."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Fireworks from Friday in New Hope, PA.

My brother is back from Chile for a couple of months and we've been hanging out regularly since he stepped off the plane last week.  He is definitely a person I "inter-be" with and our bond is insanely strong.  He is my best friend and my hero.  Cheers to you, bro!

Mindfulness Monday: My Growing Plants

"A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am amazed every day how much our tomato plants have grown.  Sure, this sounds simple, but I've never grown plants before; it is the most fulfilling moment to look out the window and admire them.

~Gassho~

And Here We Go... Reading!

The time has come to begin my reading.  And for my area of concentration, I will begin at the beginning...

My game plan for the reading lists is this:

1. Keep a paper journal that logs the days and times I spend reading, as well as any thoughts that "pop into" my head while reading.
2. Write up a group of index cards for each author, poems, and prevailing criticisms.
3. Post a weekly summary here of where I am with my reading and some preliminary thoughts about how the readings are connecting to each other.
4. I'm not sure if I am going to keep a separate notebook for criticism and theory, but it's an idea in the back of my mind..

This is my analog system:

Box + index cards = Kickin' it old school with my note-taking system.

Yea! Graduation!

M. graduated!  I'm so proud of him!  The world officially has another smartypants with an English degree!  We had a really fun day celebrating last week!

 Started the day early in the morning with presents and balloons.  Yup, I'm that corny.

 Watched the ceremony. 

He makes this getup look pretty good, huh?

Us in front of the English building on campus. 

A professor we've both had.  And, by far, one of the sweetest women I've ever met.

 Party time!

 We know how to celebrate.

Here's a drink called "Trenton water."

Mindfulness Monday: Children

"Children are natural Zen masters; their world is brand new each and every moment."

~John Bradshaw

These little guys teach me about Zen.  They also teach me about Thomas and other important two-year old things.

~Gassho~

A Visit to the Farm & Nature Walk

We joined a CSA this year to get our vegetables from local organic farmers; we are splitting a large share with my parents.  This past weekend we had a farm orientation where we walked the fields for a tour with the farmers.  While there we had snacks, learned about their growing process, and had time to spend taking in the scenery of the 20 acre farm.

This is the expansive herb garden at the farm where we will be able to pick our own herbs.

 I also picked up some eggs -- did you know that certain kinds of chickens lay pastel green eggs?

Took my parents on a nature walk around Hippie Village during their visit.

A Break from Academic Reading

I've given myself some much deserved time off from reading academic "stuff" -- I have a whole week to read and peruse all the books I want!  How exciting?!  And though I still have the requisite pile of "to read" by my bed, I've picked up a little stack of books over the last month that has made it to the top of the pile.

Granted, I still have portfolios to grade and demo lessons to prep for, but the other night I climbed into bed and started reading Angela's Ashes (it's pretty ridiculous that I've never read it before).  There's something about completely undirected and free reading that feels so good.  And reading a novel, well that feels great!

Here's what's up next:

 Eclectic mix, huh?

I saw a write-up of this book over on Brain Pickings and just couldn't resist.  M and I were relaxing on the couch the other night reading the entries to each other (for two Lit nerds this was super fun!). 

Some of you probably already know who Ken Robinson is, and if you don't, go listen to his TED talks about education -- they are super thought-provoking. 

This guy is reading in Lambertville this weekend, so if you're local and read this blog, go have a listen.  He's a high school English teacher and his latest book was published Princeton University Press.  The title appealed to me for some obvious reasons...

 When my Mom reads this post she is going to freak out about this book (not in a good way).  But hey, if our focus is really less dependency on consumerism, why aren't we combining efforts in a productive way?  Remember: Society brainwashed us to live apart so we need to consume more.

 Although I hate the title of this book, I need to read it.  A friend of mine wrote some reflections about it on her blog and I was curious about reading the whole thing.

 M. bought me this.  Let's consider it research for the future...

 He also bought me this beautiful, oversized newsprint monster-of-a-book about gardening.  This will be the book that takes me the longest to read because I think it has the most information.  So far, it's like an analog Google search or the Whole Earth Catalog...

See all that information there?  Overwhelming.  Wonderful.  Yes!

Mindfulness Monday: Mothering

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

~Chinese Proverb

Mothers are the first teachers we have.  My mother has been an amazing teacher and I continue to learn from her every day.  She has opened many doors for me, and supported me as I've walked through each.  

Thanks Mama!

~Gassho~