Scuba Adventure

I've just registered for my Open Water Certification Class. I have always loved the water and can't wait to have my first dives. I still have to pick up some different equipment and complete the book work but I can taste the sea already.

I've selected a Dive shop near my home that gets excellent reviews and is recommended by my doctor. So ..ready for lesson 1!

http://www.scubaspecialties.com/

Such a lovely evening at the Desert Botanical Gardens. We entered the garden just before sunset to see the setting sun highlight the beautiful pieces of the Chihuly Nature of Glass Exhibit. It was a perfect ending to a busy week.

http://www.dbg.org/index.php/chihuly

Social Networking and Publishing

O'Reilly Media and Yahoo! authors, Christian Crumlish and Erin Malone, invite user participation in a wiki that explores patters and best practices in the design of social interfaces. Both authors have been in the forefront of Web 2.0 design and practices and I look forward to publication of their book. In the meantime, I can follow along on the wiki.

http://www.designingsocialinterfaces.com/

Red Room

Yet another wonderful site that connects the reader with favorite authors!
http://www.redroom.com/

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

My favorite things in the whole world (besides my friends, family and loved ones, of course!)

1. Reading and books. I could spend days laying on my couch reading amazing stories! Here is a 30 second stream of some of my favorite books/authors. Dune. Lord of the Rings. Ursula Le Guin (Second Hand of Darkness). Stephanie Plum. Faulkner. Ernest Hemingway. PD James. Diana Gabaldon. Jean Auel. Italo Calvino. Anne Maccaffery. Ian Falconer (Olivia). Harry Potter. Martha Grimes. JD Robb. Julain May.... Times up, but you get an idea, right? http://www.goodreads.com
2. Cooking/Eating. I'm not sure which came first, they go together in so many ways! I can tell you that while I enjoy eating great food at restaurants, delis, cafes, what really makes me happy is cooking, eating and sharing relaxing moments with friends and family. www.foodtv.com
3. Travel, driving, seeing new places, meeting interesting people. I love unplanned travel. Go to a destination, rent a car ( or a bicycle) and just see what or whom you can find.
4. Learning new things. I love to take classes, to challenge myself so that I really feel I have come through the fire! http://www.nbpts.org/ www.arizona.edu

Right now, I am struggling with the fact that one of these things, the learning new things item, has become so central that I cannot enjoy my other favorite things. But I am trying to balance ....

One of my New Years Goals was to start showing up for my blog on a weekly basis. Here it is, January 18th and I'm finally here. I'm taking an idea from one of my favorite online librarians, Jessamyn West, http://www.librarian.net/ and making goals for 2009 rather than Resolutions.

On the work tab, my goals are:

• Complete National Board Portfolio by March 31 (a good date because it's the deadline)
• Finish Collection Development Plan for the Library
• Weeding focus: exceptionally old books in Non-Fiction
• Work on a successful Friendship Festival
• Plan for Accelerated Reader teacher training for 2009-2010

In the school section:

• Complete 5 courses (1 in the Spring, 2 in the Summer and 2 in the fall.
• Begin the process of obtaining an Internship at University of Oxford in 2010 http://www.ox.ac.uk/

The Personal tab of my life notebook:

• Don't work so hard I forget to stay in touch with people
• Scuba Certification
• Last 10 pounds!
• Master the art of Facebook and Twitter
• Start reading again!

The Dumbest Generation?

A continuation of my stream of thought on literacy and definitions of literacy.
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-book5-2008jul05,0,3980465.story

A discussion of the book:
The Dumbest Generation
How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, or Don't Trust Anyone Under 30
Mark Bauerlein
Tarcher/Penguin: 272 pp., $24.95

Has the growth of social networking substantially changed the nature of adolescence or is it just another expression of teens need for interaction. How is this use of the Internet affecting the intelligence and the learning of today's youth? I must read this book for myself.