I did it! I attacked my e-mail inbox and got it down to one screen's worth. I can see it all without scrolling down. It took me 3 days to archive or delete over 2000 messages.
I am thrilled with this happy turn of events and thought I'd tell the world. Now if I can do the same thing to our home office, we'll all be rolling in flowers. :-)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Interesting Articles
Here is a report from The Guardian on a fascinating study about time invested and expertise, or what it takes to reach the top of one's field.
Well worth the read!
Well worth the read!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Racism or Cultural Divide?
"I never thought this would happen in my lifetime."
This is a sentiment I have heard echoed time and again from various representatives of the African American community. By the intensity of the emotional response to Obama's election, I think it's fair to say that this historic event has been a cathartic experience for many Americans.
This election season, I was a little miffed at being called a racist because I didn't intend to vote for Barack Obama. After all, I have fundamental differences of opinion with him. It is possible to disagree regardless of the hue of one's skin.... I am a Caucasian married to a brown man. My children from my own womb are not rosy colored as I am, but I love them for who they are, not what they look like. The suggestion that those of us who weren't voting for him were racists just irritated me.
In the past 48 hours, however, it seems to me there has been a sweeping away of the collective demons of racial divide in our society. I'm glad for this, despite the fact that I wish it were Condi Rice taking up residence in the Oval Office next year.
The thought occurred to me, however, that perhaps the separation African Americans have felt in our country in recent history has been, in part, a cultural separation. Before anyone derides me for this, please realize I am not minimizing racial attacks. Nor am I minimizing the blood, sweat and fears suffered by those who fought long and heard to gain equal rights since slavery began in our country in 1619. Our family has been in the uncomfortable position of having racial slurs yelled at us, and I have felt fear for my children and husband as a result. I am not trying to say that this doesn't exist. All I am saying is that if an entire nation elects—by majority—a man of color, we have to recognize that our differences are no longer primarily racial.
My melanin-enriched husband tells me he doesn't sense any day-to-day discrimination, nor is he treated as if he is rejected on the basis of race. He does, however, feel as if he lives on the outside of most social circles. He was not born in the USA, and didn't grow up in the context of our culture. We had numerous cultural barriers to cross within our marriage as a result. He has said repeatedly he feels like a man of the world, belonging neither here nor there.
It just makes me wonder how much of the "racial" divide is not as racial as it is cultural nowadays. Echoes of Africa and African culture still persist within the African American community. Could it be that what has been traditionally attributed to racism could partly be a natural, normal, and very real tension between two cultures?
What do you think?
This is a sentiment I have heard echoed time and again from various representatives of the African American community. By the intensity of the emotional response to Obama's election, I think it's fair to say that this historic event has been a cathartic experience for many Americans.
This election season, I was a little miffed at being called a racist because I didn't intend to vote for Barack Obama. After all, I have fundamental differences of opinion with him. It is possible to disagree regardless of the hue of one's skin.... I am a Caucasian married to a brown man. My children from my own womb are not rosy colored as I am, but I love them for who they are, not what they look like. The suggestion that those of us who weren't voting for him were racists just irritated me.
In the past 48 hours, however, it seems to me there has been a sweeping away of the collective demons of racial divide in our society. I'm glad for this, despite the fact that I wish it were Condi Rice taking up residence in the Oval Office next year.
The thought occurred to me, however, that perhaps the separation African Americans have felt in our country in recent history has been, in part, a cultural separation. Before anyone derides me for this, please realize I am not minimizing racial attacks. Nor am I minimizing the blood, sweat and fears suffered by those who fought long and heard to gain equal rights since slavery began in our country in 1619. Our family has been in the uncomfortable position of having racial slurs yelled at us, and I have felt fear for my children and husband as a result. I am not trying to say that this doesn't exist. All I am saying is that if an entire nation elects—by majority—a man of color, we have to recognize that our differences are no longer primarily racial.
My melanin-enriched husband tells me he doesn't sense any day-to-day discrimination, nor is he treated as if he is rejected on the basis of race. He does, however, feel as if he lives on the outside of most social circles. He was not born in the USA, and didn't grow up in the context of our culture. We had numerous cultural barriers to cross within our marriage as a result. He has said repeatedly he feels like a man of the world, belonging neither here nor there.
It just makes me wonder how much of the "racial" divide is not as racial as it is cultural nowadays. Echoes of Africa and African culture still persist within the African American community. Could it be that what has been traditionally attributed to racism could partly be a natural, normal, and very real tension between two cultures?
What do you think?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
In Pursuit....
...of the most successive jumps on a pogo stick.
Edmund got over 200 the other day, a bar set high by Lucy. He did her one better by multitasking—phoning Gramma while jumping.
That's okay, Lucy had other fish to fry.
What good is living in horse country if she doesn't get to ride?
Edmund got over 200 the other day, a bar set high by Lucy. He did her one better by multitasking—phoning Gramma while jumping.
That's okay, Lucy had other fish to fry.
What good is living in horse country if she doesn't get to ride?
Bugs.
I'm not a real fan of insects, but Edmund thinks they're marvelous. I am glad someone does, because this world needs exterminators, and entomologists fit the bill—like this guy, author of the blog Yucky Nasty Bug Facts. Check out his videos, they're an 8 year-old boy's dream.
Anyhoo, I thought I'd post a couple of insect pictures from this summer. We had a lot of cicadas, for some reason. I thought they were only supposed to show up once every 17 years, but we've seen them every year since we moved to Kentucky. They make quite a racket.
Here is one, just out of its shell, hanging on the side of our chicken coop:
Here's a crane fly, on our kitchen table:
Sometimes I feel like we run a Bug Motel or Insect Hostel around here, what with the creatures we have showing up at the hands of Edmund. I can't complain too much, though. They are easier to deal with than the snake he left coiled up "resting" on a board in Lucy's room about three years ago.
What about you? Is there something you do for love that you wouldn't normally, if you could help it?
Anyhoo, I thought I'd post a couple of insect pictures from this summer. We had a lot of cicadas, for some reason. I thought they were only supposed to show up once every 17 years, but we've seen them every year since we moved to Kentucky. They make quite a racket.
Here is one, just out of its shell, hanging on the side of our chicken coop:
Here's a crane fly, on our kitchen table:
Sometimes I feel like we run a Bug Motel or Insect Hostel around here, what with the creatures we have showing up at the hands of Edmund. I can't complain too much, though. They are easier to deal with than the snake he left coiled up "resting" on a board in Lucy's room about three years ago.What about you? Is there something you do for love that you wouldn't normally, if you could help it?
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