Days Like These: Flash Fiction and Improv

It was one of those rare "good days" at school today. Don't get me wrong, I love my students, but some days are definitely harder than others. Thankfully, today was not one of them!! It's the last week of school before Christmas break which means two things for me as a teacher:

1) Lots of big assignments due (meaning I can't assign homework)
2) Distracted kids thinking about Christmas

The temptation is to relax, have a party, and put on a movie for the kids. At least they'll sit quietly through 50 minutes of Elf, right? Wrong!! As anxious as I was for the semester to finally be over, I've been very reluctant to do a free-for-all just because it's the last week of school. I wanted to make the most of our short time together and do something fun and slightly educational (but mostly fun). Thus: 55ers and Improv Games.

In 8th grade writing, I showed the students how to write very brief pieces of fiction called 55ers in which a story is communicated in exactly 55 words (excluding the title). It is truly an art form and much more difficult than it sounds! But the students were up to the challenge. I plan to take the students' pieces and compile them into a booklet to give them on Thursday. Here's the one I wrote, inspired by this goofy picture:

A Tribute to ChildhoodRunning barefoot through the woods withBlackberry scratches and violet-dyed mouths.Buckets brimming with plump purple berries they are too delicious to resist.“Stop eating them all, or we won’t have enough for cobbler!” Mother warns. Those were the best days. Little did we know how quickly they were slipping through our tight-fisted, purple-stained fingers.

Even just rereading it makes me feel a little nostalgic! I was so proud of the 8th graders for jumping right in to the task! From what I've read so far, their stories are excellent!

In seventh grade, I taught the students the art of asking good open-ended questions using the 5Ws+H (who, what, when, where, why, and how). "These will be crucial to the game we're playing today." The game in question is an improv game called "Expert Interview" in which the audience is allowed to ask questions of the "expert." Meanwhile, I MC-ed the session to keep things from getting out of hand. Visiting our classroom today, we had a carniverous plant expert, a pirate linguist, a professional cat bather, an excuse maker, a dumpster diver, and two other experts one on interpreting apocalyptic weather patterns, the other on traditional Czechoslovakian Polka dance. As you can imagine, much hilarity and laughter ensued and all left the classroom with a smile on their face, including myself. 

Truly, it's days like these that make teaching one of the most creative, inventive and rewarding things I've ever done.

Published Article!

Check it out! Yours truly wrote an article for the CollegePlus blog!! ^-^ CP has been gracious enough to me to send a few writing projects my way over the course of my time with them and this is one of them! I am so grateful for all the writing practice! This one features 9 "bad" reasons for going to college and it was a fun one to write! I think the most challenging part though was balancing the cheerfulness of the CP brand with the sarcasm of the article's content. It went through several major revisions and finally, we are pleased with the balance.

Gettin' My Teacher-Game On!

All things considered, the first day of school went relatively smoothly! Of course, I am learning a lot as I go and constantly evaluating and adjusting my teaching. (For instance, I don't know how much more utterly silent independent work we will be doing in class, as it was only somewhat productive and I didn't know what to do with myself during the time. Independent-time might come back, but only on rare occasions, I'm thinking.) I've also learned the necessity of communicating with the utmost clarity and have been virtually kicking myself for several things I neglected to mention in class. Regardless of my faults though, the students are all very courteous and it was a pleasure to read their first papers--a simple introduction I assigned before school began. I can already tell it's going to be an excellent year and I am going to be learning a lot about what it means to be a teacher!

IEW en français!

Img by Jonathan Reyes, used under attribution-noncommercial license

The curriculum we use for the writing program at Veritas is called Institute for Excellence in Writing (or IEW) and the program steadily teaches children how to write by having them rewrite paragraphs incorporating stylistic techniques as they go. In this way, the program teaches students the style and technique of writing while removing the pressure to invent original, creative content simultaneously. As students mature, less content is supplied by the teacher (or article or whatever) and more content is generated by the student. It’s a very useful program that makes writing easy for kids, especially boys who are primarily concerned with fort-making. 

Middle Schoolers like Batman and Bacon

Courtesy of Death to Stock Photo

"Once upon a time, Batman ate a lizard and a [noun I can't remember]. He got sick and he went to the mall and had a ginger-ale. The bacon consumed Batman. A man pounded the bacon... To be continued" 

Apparently, 7th graders love Batman and Bacon, as they composed the above short story in class. Today, I got to meet all my students in 7th and 8th grade and talk about what we'll be learning in writing class this year! I'm not gonna lie; I was more nervous than the adolescent bird we found in our carport, but the day went pretty smoothly and I'm feeling better now that I've met the students.

The first class was difficult because 5/6 students were ten minutes late, so I had that awkward moment making small chit-chat with the one student in my class. Then, I made a spur-of-the moment executive decision to deviate from my notes and not talk extensively about the class rules (a mistake I will not make in the future), so I ran through my content for today's lesson so quickly, I had 8 minutes left to spare! To be truthful, I would've panicked if I hadn't thought of a game to play while sitting in on the math class just prior to mine. So, to fill time, we wrote the above story about Batman and Bacon together, one word at a time. I am most proud of the words "ginger-ale," "consumed," and "pounded" because those were the moments where I encouraged the kids to give me a quality noun and strong verbs. They are already off to a great start!

The bacon theme continued in my second class when I asked my students to tell me their name, favorite food, and highlight of the summer. Both the boys listed bacon as their favorite foods! This second class was much easier because I learned from my first mistake! "I have one rule in my classroom," I told them, "and that is respect.
"Scripture calls us to respect God, respect authority, and respect one another. What are some ways that we do this in the classroom?"

Bam. Hands raised, and my 8th graders knew all the right answers and that was that. We talked about what we would be learning over the year, reviewed MLA format for all of our assignments, and even discussed some of the "extra credit" projects that would be available. I gave them their first assignment to turn in on the first day of school--just 2-3 paragraphs about themselves so I can get to know them better. I'm looking forward to reading what they write!

After my classes were finished, I lingered around the school a little to observe classes and collaborate with the other literature/writing teacher on assignment topics. The more I get into this, the more my nerves dissipate and I start to think, "This is going to be a great year!"

Life Long Learning

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each another." -John F. Kennedy

As my time as a student draws to a close, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of lifelong learning. In fact, today, it was brought up during teacher-training. "As educators," the assistant headmaster explained, "we have a responsibility to our students to keep learning and continuing our personal development and growth." Since graduating, I have wholeheartedly missed the structure for learning that the academic setting provided me; now I must create my own structure.

The question is: how? Thus far, I've dabbled in several different things--cooking with new techniques and recipes, reading design articles that Hack Design emails me, listening to CoffeeBreak French Podcasts (These are my favorite!), and of course trying my hand at a little bit of computer coding too. The only thing my list lacks is reading.

Lately, I've been really convicted about my (lack of) reading habits. Even though I majored in English literature, I do not have the best reading habits. Shocking, I know, but true. I do read occasionally, but not quite with the same enthusiasm that I did when I was younger. However, as a leader, and now an educator(!!!), this area of my life is becoming increasingly more and more critical to cultivate and maintain; I have no excuse not to.

I've definitely found the lack of structure and accountability post-education to be challenging to work around, but through trial and error, I am figuring out tips and tricks that work best for me--like borrowing books so that I have to return them (finished and with interesting comments) within a decent time frame. Or posting my current book on Friday stats, or convincing my friends to read the same book(s) with me, or even roping Jake in for those loving reminders and encouragement that he is so good at giving. Continuing education is not easy, but with discipline and a lot of help, it can be done. And you don't even need to go to class!

Img. Credit: Death to Stock Photo Photography

It's Official!

This is to certify that Misha Raine Tyler has completed all of the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree with an area of study in English. This degree was certified on 7/15/2014 and is scheduled to be conferred upon Misha Raine Tyler by the Board of Trustees of Thomas A. Edison State College on September 12, 2014.

It is with greatest pride that I am pleased to announce my official graduation from TESC! It was around this time, about three years ago that I enrolled with CollegePlus and this journey began. It has been long and hard, filled with many challenges and setbacks as well as many triumphs. I cannot thank enough all the friends and family, coaches and mentors, professors and peers who have encouraged me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without those kind words and I am overjoyed to be able to share this accomplishment with you all.

Even more official announcement with updated senior picture to follow via post!

Your (finally!) College Grad,

Misha

Language Goals: Mini-Modules

I'll confess that after I finished writing my French love letters for Jake I slowed down a bit on the French practice. Okay, I slowed down a lot. All of a sudden I had no tangible goal to reach for. The letters gave me a reason to keep practicing and learning new words and sentence structures. But oncee that goal was accomplished, what was I supposed to do next?

I tried setting goals like, "have actual conversations with French people" or "watch/understand a movie in French sans English subtitles" but these seemed so distant from my current level. Then I read a few articles online and between this super cool article about realistic language goals and this article about language learning frustration I was able to refine some of my own goals for both the long-term and the short-term.

Survey Says!

Stats:

days until my birthday: 1
thesis: 58% complete
survey responses: 3
screen time: @_@
reading: Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi 
learning: to embrace the unknown future
mood: girly
looking forward to: birthday chillin'
highlights: spring weather, finding cool stuff on the web, and conducting leadership webinar last night

Weekly Update:

Some days, I feel like that scene in Tangled where Rapunzel goes from "I'm a despicable human being" to "This is the best day of my life!!" Not that I believe I'm a despicable human being or anything, but from time to time, I experience severe mood swings in a single day--usually relating to perceived success or failure.

This week, it was my thesis project. After sending out a volley of emails Tuesday with minimal leads, I began Wednesday discouraged and a little despairing. My predicament appeared so bad that I was depending on my dad to fill out my little survey so I could at least have something.  I spent all day on an internet campaign, stalking potential participants through independent book-sellers, tracking down their contact information, and emailing them to participate in my survey. I was so desperate, I didn't expect anything to come of it. But lo and behold, by afternoon, two people had responded and a third committed to filling it out over the weekend! And because of those two people, I found the hope and the determination not to give up!! (Although, thinking of a big fat F also does the trick, but that's not quite as positive.)

I still have a little ways to go though, so if you know anyone who has written, or is writing, their autobiography (does not have to be published) could you please direct them to my questionnaire (linked below)? I would be much appreciative.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GX-yc4nVkWR5gaKQTR6f9-PnTqeFD93TT9en4gS7ujk/viewform

My Thesis: Autobiography

In a time when the world is flooded with information, what's the point of adding one more story to the mix? One more story that is not likely to get noticed? Yet the autobiography genre is still thriving with people from all different backgrounds penning their stories. Why?

My project seeks to study this phenomenon asking the question, "How does the process of writing one's autobiography impact the way one views oneself and one's life-story?" My sub-questions will follow the writing process first analyzing what motivates people to write about themselves, studying the steps required to write an autobiography, and finally examining what authors learn about themselves through and after the writing process. The study will culminate in an autobiographical piece written by none other than myself! I have a few hypotheses about the answers I find and I think they will have something to do with identity and self-perception, but we'll see!

Because this is my thesis project (and not a research paper) I will be doing all the primary research, not culling it from other sources. In addition to my own writing project, I plan to send out a questionnaire to a panel of autobiographical authors. I'm hoping to develop a sample group which consists of authors at different stages in the autobiography process (already published, still writing, editing etc.). Then I'll collect the responses, organize them, and incorporate them into my material.

The paper is broken up into five chapters: the introduction, an overview of literature, an explication of methodology, the results of study, and a conclusion discussing the results. The course mentor has also been really helpful so far; she makes the whole project feel a lot more manageable and a lot less daunting! Under her guidance, I feel a lot more equipped moving forward. Being so young and tackling such a large project (my undergrad thesis!) sometimes feelings of inadequacy nag at me. What if my project isn't good enough? significant enough? professional enough? or something else? What if it's already been done? I suppose I question the scholarship of my topic. But I'm holding on to the positive feedback I've gotten on it, both from my course mentor as well as from other students in the class and a variety of other people I know in real life. I try to stay positive because I know I am so close to finishing my degree! The end is closer than it appears!

"Diary" by Barnaby, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

How to Ace College Literature*

A lot of these tricks I've learned the hard way through my experiences; so I wanted to pass the wisdom on.

How to Ace College Literature*

1) Don't lose a day. Every little bit counts when it comes to reading. Pace Yourself.

2) Gauge teacher's expectations/style. The funny thing about college (and education in general) is that it's really not about what you think at all. It's about what the teacher thinks. So study your teacher well.

3) Listen to feedback. Again, it's not about what you think; it's about what the teacher thinks.

4) Use the correct format. If your teacher specifies MLA format (which is typical for literature and English classes), know that this does not just apply to citations!! MLA format addresses everything from font size and margins to page numbers and how to head your papers. Some teachers deduct 10% of your grade if your paper is not in the correct format.

5) Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. There is nothing like getting a comment back about your sloppy work. 

5B) Read your work aloud to yourself. There's some good proofreading advice out there and it is this: read your work aloud to yourself. Your ear will catch your errors. No one actually does this.... DO IT.

6) Sparknotes is your friend. Sometimes Sparknotes is a sufficient replacement for reading the book. However, try not to rely on it too much and only read plot and character summaries. Don't read the analysis unless you absolutely have to, because what you read will affect your commentary and you don't want to accidentally plagiarize. 

7) Learn how to B.S. your way through a paper. It doesn't matter how or where you learn this (as long as it doesn't involve plagiarism); being able to talk your way out of a situation (or an assignment) is a handy skill. I learned this skill through my experience with YMCA's Youth and Government program and being on debate teams.

8) Don't study on your bed. "English majors: all they do is read." While this may be true, this doesn't mean you should do your reading in bed.

9) Combine Paper Topics. Check your school's academic policy first before resubmitting old papers (even if your "old paper" is for another class you're currently taking). If you've done the work once, why do it twice? Use an open-topic essay to talk about a subject you already know a lot about.

10) Work ahead. Finished the reading early? Good! Now start on the next reading assignment.


*disclaimer: results may vary

Transfer Troubles: Resolved

Read my initial dilemma,
And the first Update.

This morning, I awoke to the most glorious email in my inbox:

I have reviewed the syllabi for the courses below and will grant you upper level credit equivalencies for these.  I will ask our evaluators to make the change to your academic record.

They granted my credit appeal!! In addition, my academic advisor informed me last week that the two classes  I took this semester (both upper level) will transfer accordingly. 

What this means is that I will have to take no additional classes for the Spring 2014 semester!! So how many classes am I taking? One. One class to go and I will be finished with my degree! I will be spending three months working on my Capstone project to fulfill my last degree requirements with an expected graduation date of June 2013. 

There is no combination of capital letters and exclamation points that could describe the obscene elation I feel over this latest development. Once again, I am so close and the goal is finally in sight. I just want to cry and hibernate for the rest of the year!

Transfer Troubles: Update

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my frustrations with credit transfer in this post. The drama unfolds in this episode, "The Most Recent Developments."

After being rescheduled twice, I finally talked to my academic advisor and the verdict is.... *drumroll*

Nothing.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot I can do about the situation. My advisor said I can try to appeal it by emailing the dean's office, but the way they evaluate credit is based on what the equivalent courses offered at their institution would be. So she is not very optimistic about them granting the appeal. However, I must try, or my spirits will not be at rest. Who knows, maybe they could grant it anyways?

The good news is that I have a little more time than I thought I did to finish any additional classes I might have to take. The official graduation date may be a little later, but I can still attend the commencement ceremony in September 2014 if I finish my coursework by July 2014. Knowing that I have 3 more months than I originally anticipated does make me feel better about the work I have ahead of me. It may take me longer, but at least I can go at a more relaxed pace.

I'm staying positive about this! Tune in next time to hear my (hopefully) happy ending!

Sister Africa's Story: Why I Read

Antelope Park, Zimbabwe

I love reunions. They make me cry, but man, I love reunions. There is so much joy and grief and pain all mixed up in a single embrace, as if a flood of all the past emotions away from this person are suddenly released. I've been through several reunions--reunions with family members, with returning service men and women, and of course we cannot forget Jake--more times than not, I cry.

Today, I think I stumbled across one of the most beautiful reunion scenes I have ever read. It was from Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by J. Nozipo Maraire, a book I'm reading for my African Literature class. The biography is a running dialogue from a mother to her daughter, consolidating all the stories, wisdom, and traditions Maraire wants her daughter to know in one place as Zenzele prepares to continue her academics in America. It is a beautiful blend of memories, anecdotes, and motherly concern and advice.

Maraire begins chapter seven telling Zenzele about the difficulties she perceived surrounding the black diaspora, until Sister Africa changed her perspective. It is Sister Africa's story that I am most interested in telling here.

Maraire met the African-American (originally named Mary William Smith) through her sister at an underground political meeting."There was something charming, fresh, and open about the girl. And so it happened that despite myself, by the time they reached my corner of the room and [my sister] stepped forth to introduce us, I was genuinely interested in meeting her" (Maraire 95). Maraire soon discovered the exceptional qualities of Sister Africa. She had traveled widely throughout Africa and endeared herself to many there, earning the name Sister Africa.

She'd come to Africa in search of her Nigerian father who left her and her white mother behind when she was young. She followed every clue she could glean of him. He'd apparently become widely known in the underground politics, but no one could divulge his whereabouts. Every time she heard where he might be, she traveled there only to learn he was gone again.

Many years later, Sister Africa had given up hope of ever finding him, but by now it held less sway over her. She had developed her identity as an African now. She didn't really need to find him, but she still admired him for being the great African thinker and revolutionary that everyone knew him to be. In South Africa, she was arrested several times, finally being sent to the Robben Island, a terrorist camp disguised as a disciplinary facility. There she met other revolutionaries and exchanged ideas with them.

One day, they brought in a high-profile revolutionary known all across Africa as Baba Africa (Father Africa). Baba Africa spoke to them on many topics, including a fruit analogy which Sister Africa took especial liking to. On her last day, he spoke to her, "Daughter, how came you to be here?" Awestruck by the fact that this great man whom she admired so much was talking to her, Sister Africa was speechless. "I have heard of your bravery," he encouraged her, "Keep up the struggle for a united, prosperous Africa; it is a dream worth fighting for. Your love of freedom makes you a true daughter of Africa."

Later, she has the following encounter with her friend Keki:
"He asked me about you and I told him you were from America originally. He was very impressed that you had given so much to the struggle."
"Really, Keki, you must have exaggerated greatly for him to take any notice of me."
"Oh, no, Sister Africa. He is fond of Americans. He is a Nigerian, you know, but he went to one of those big, rich famous American universities when he was young. Columbia, I think. Yes, he studied law there. There is a rumor that he was once married to an American woman, or was she Oriental? I cannot remember. He dropped everything for the struggle. They say he has traveled all over the continent" (Maraire 105-106).

My heart dropped like a stone when I fully realized that. Of course, I had known all along: Mariare told me that she eventually met her "old man" (101) and as soon as she mentioned the high-profile prisoner, I began to suspect. But my suspicious did not prepare me for the emotional impact of realizing it. It was so beautiful, I lost my words. All I could think was, "This is why I read literature." There are a multitude of reasons why people read literature--to relax, to be entertained, to escape. But I read literature to experience something beautiful. And when beauty is achieved through words, there is nothing comparable.

"Zimbabwe 27 01042011" by Dave Mulder  used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-alike-Noncommercial license.Da

Transfer Trouble: Stats

days until Jake arrives: 4
brain capacity: 60%
tiredness level: high
mood: overwhelmingly discouraged
good news: Christmas is coming!
bad news: two of my 300/400 level credits transferred at the 200 level, messing up my degree template plans.
learning: to count my blessings
highlight: started my Christmas shopping!

Weekly Update:

It's been kind of a tough week. I found out this week that two 300/400 level classes from BYU transferred into to TESC at the 200 level, thus messing up my degree template (which requires 18 credits in my area of study at the 300/400 level). I had just enough credits before, but now I am short. In addition, two of the classes I'm taking right now are also through BYU and I am worried those won't transfer at the 300 level either. All this means that I could possibly need to take 1-3 additional classes next semester if I can't get it sorted out.

When I realized this, I wanted to cry.

I have been working so so hard on this degree, I am reaching the end of my strength. "I just want to be DONE! I'm tired!" My friends and family keep telling me, "You're almost there." but it's so difficult! I'm so close, and yet I'm still a little further away. Next week, I have an appointment with my advisor to find out what I can do. At this point, I think I can appeal the evaluation and try to prove the classes are worth being at the 300/400 level. Until I talk to my advisor though, I just have to keep plugging away as there's not much else I can do.

I guess on the bright side, one of the A-s I received transferred as an A, so I still have a shot at 4.0 gpa (but that also means continuing at the same pace and standard of excellence that I have all along--an exhausting endeavor). I just hate feeling so discouraged with the holidays around the corner.

I Can't Learn Language

Originally, I titled this post, "Think Positive Thoughts" but I thought it was a little too generic because I post pretty frequently about the importance of positive thinking already.

My mom was telling me that when you're not good at something, you shouldn't confine yourself to a label, "Oh, I'm not good at X." Instead, you need to take something else that is compelling to you and associate them. For example, a boy says he's not good at math, but he loves basketball and has a mind for the statistics. Basketball stats are math! Or, to bring it a little closer to home, Cameron HATES math, but he loves Legos! And if you think about it, Legos are also math! By associating the difficult subject with something you enjoy you eliminate the obstacles that your mind creates when you say, "I'm not good at that."

Confession: I am not gifted in language.

I am an exemplary student in almost all other regards. I have straight A's in all my classes right now and I am about to graduate from college! Academically, I am pretty well-set. But I struggle with learning new languages. I think there are a few things factoring into this. I got a very late start. I was interested in language, but never had the consistency to stick with one. For my highschool requirements, I fudged my way through Latin. I didn't even learn a "real" language!! I "learned" a dead one! To make matters worse, I didn't even do the final exam in my second year.

But when I heard this new spin on the old "think positive," the wheels in my head started turning. I wonder if I could do the same thing with learning a language! I don't like learning language, but I love art and writing! Maybe I could try my hand at writing stories or poetry or journaling in a foreign language. Or maybe I could incorporate it into my art! A new world of possibilities has now entertained my imagination. Now by this time next year, I will be completely fluent in French! ;) Or maybe something else, who knows?

Priorities

Last week, I rearranged my priorities using a convenient little chart I learned in one of CollegePlus's Signature Leadership Courses. It looks a little something like this:

As you can see, the two planes represent urgency and importance of priorities and tasks. There are things that are both urgent and important; urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important. Defining these categories really helped me see where to focus my energy.

Things like school and work made my "urgent and important" list. Things like family and talking on the phone with Jake made my "important but not urgent" category. And then there were some things like meeting Inksanity goals, NaNoWriMo, and socializing that were in the "less important" categories. Not that these last few items are bad things- in fact some of them have held greater importance for me in the past. But for right now, I need to narrow down my focus so I don't go crazy.

For those those things in the "urgent but not important" list (typically pressing matters that demand your attention even if they are not important to you personally), Dr. Meyers recommended setting a definite time limit for those tasks. Don't strive for the best blog post you can write; instead strive for the best post you can write in twenty minutes. See the difference? By setting a time limit, you can accomplish those tasks without worrying about the finer details.

I've been thinking about the Leadership Courses a lot lately. One girl from the Capstone event texted me the other day to say hello and catch up. We had a great conversation about what God has been doing in our lives since the three day event in Estes Park. It was refreshing to informally review the course concepts with one of my peers. I realized that I could be practicing the course concepts a lot more than I have been, especially with the unique opportunity I have to mentor the freshmen girls at CCC. Honestly, good leadership--servant leadership-- is something that must be practiced before it comes easily and it is something I could be actively practicing more. I've been meaning to reread Cultivate, one of the books we read for the course, for quite some time now. Maybe I just need to dust it off my shelf and dive in!

The Strangeness of Beauty

"We love you meesh!" Out of the blue, Jake's family shouts into the telephone and hang up. Two tears escape my control and slide down my cheeks. I've been really emotional this morning, and it's not because I watched Rom-Coms with Cameron last night. No, since Mom and Dad are away, I've had a lot of time for reflection this morning. Cameron sleeps late, so the house has been quiet--perfect for some early morning quiet time, a cup of tea in Mama's bed, walking the dog around the block, and thinking about art.

Ah, art.

This morning I was reading in the Psalms, and appreciating the poetry of it all. It turned my thoughts toward acts of worship, especially those acts that please God that are distinctly not corporate worship (Jake and I were just talking about this yesterday!). Now that I am "in college" (rather, out of high school and in this new stage of life that I'm not quite sure how to label), I am reexamining and forging my own beliefs. I don't think my faith has ever been challenged like this before. Now, I must decide, do I really believe this? And if I do, what do I do about it? Some things I've taken for granted; others I have taken for my own. I asked myself, what are the essential truths I believe about God/faith? What is most important to me? What truths are the most integral to my being?

One word came to mind: Purpose. (For the moment, we'll assume that faith in Christ as the only way of salvation is a given.) Some of the most meaningful revelations about God in my life have been about my purpose and identity. As I developed a greater understanding of who I was and what I was meant to do, my love for Him blossomed. I don't need to prove to you the significance of art in my life, for it will reveal itself in due time. But I believe it is inescapably tied to my purpose and identity. I find myself always returning to this beautiful medium; and even when I can’t make time for it, artistry still pervades my thought-life. I consider myself an artist, because I find life beautiful and brimming with meaning.

The title of this post coincides with the title of a book I just finished for school: The Strangeness of Beauty by Lydia Minatoya. In the story, three generations of women, American and Japanese, must overcome their differences and their past in order to live at peace in pre-World War II Japan. Upon reaching the end, I couldn't discern what it was that moved me so much about this story. For the assignment, I have to write about myo (roughly translated "the strangeness of beauty") which the main character Etsuko uses to describe a variety of concepts, ideas, experiences, and relationships in her world.

Then I stumbled upon a study question on The Norton Publishing website:

The Strangeness of Beauty may be seen as two interwoven tales: one a story of character, family, and culture; the other a meditation on how art—literary, visual, culinary, of professionals and amateurs, of kite makers and kimono weavers and housewives—informs and enriches our lives. At what point do these two tales intertwine and how do they culminate in the concept of myo?

I saw the relational story of Etsuko, Chie, and Hanae. I saw the concept of myo within those relationships. But I didn't see how much the book was shaped by the role of art. I realize now, this is what moved me so deeply about the story. It is the intersection of art and relationships--everything I've striven to be.

More to come on this topic. <3 comment-3--="">

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

This. Is. EverythingI'vebeenlookingfor.

Or at least, that's what I thought when I came across this title at the local library. Being an English major with massive amounts of required reading I snapped it up thinking, "Where has this been my whole educational life??"

I'll confess, this book was definitely not what I expected. I'd say that I don't know what I expected but that is an outright lie, because, confession: I totally expected a cheat-sheet guide to B.S.-ing my way through college literature. If you're lazy, like me (or absurdly overworked and trying to save some time/energy, also like me), then this is not the book for you.

On the other hand, if you are an avid reader, enjoy theory, and want to know how to B.S. your way through social situations involving books you haven't read, then this would be a great book to read! The first section is largely theoretical, discussing the theory of reading, specifically the difference between reading and not-reading, or even un-reading! The main premise considers that whole body of written knowledge is too vast for one to read every book that's available. In addition, Bayard talks about how our reading experience is not made up of individual books but a series of relationships between books, ideas, experiences, etc. The theory was interesting, though a bit heady for me. The author draws from a lot of literary examples, all the while designating which books he has actually read, skimmed, forgotten, or heard about. The second half of the book offers vague guidelines on how to use these theories of what is reading or non-reading in social situations when you might be called upon to talk about a book you haven't read.

Overall, an enjoyable read, even though it didn't turn out to be my easy way out of college literature!
Disclaimer: in keeping with the title of the book (and also this post) I did not actually read the whole thing. I did read large portions of it, but skimmed the rest! How did I do?


Image credit: Photo by Mark Larson used under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license

Mindmaps at their Finest

For my American Novel class, I'm reading Vladimir Nobokov's Pale Fire and it has lead to a bounty of educational opportunities (including my parents' introcuding me to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police/Sting), although I did have to rely on liberal use of Wikipedia in order to understand what exactly was happening. Once you get into it (or in my case, once you get a good overview, a'la Wiki), it is actually fascinating. Brilliant, really! I think it is on the same playing field as William Goldman's The Princess Bride (except I think Pale Fire came first, so the reverse would be true).

The novel is comprised of a foreward, a poem written in 4 cantos of heroic couplets, a commentary, and an index. The best part about all of this is that the poem is written by Mr. John Shade and the foreward, commentary, and index are written by Dr. Charles Kinbot, a close friend and colleague of Mr. Shade. Confusing? Definitely. When it first said the poem was by Mr. Shade, I thought, "Wait a second, isn't this written by Nobokov?" I double-checked the cover to make sure. No, it says Nobokov on the front. Then who is Mr. Shade? And who is Dr. Kinbot? That is the question.

The novel has been widely discussed for its non-linear connections. It was included in a study on hypertext (text that hyperlinks to other texts, or parts of the text, for reference purposes. This blog post would be an example of a hypertext--or any other webpage for that matter.). My further research in trying to locate such a hypertext for Pale Fire led me to a very interesting graph detailing the various connections of Pale Fire. It very much resembled a mind map, only infinitely more complex than anything you might draw for personal "brain dumping."

Unfortunately, I could not locate the copyright information for it and cannot post it here. However, you can view it here along with the abstract of the creator's study. (A larger version of the graph is available on the second page). The full study is much longer, but a very interesting read if you feel like drowning in literary criticism. However, the abstract provides a nice enough (and much briefer) overview. I know I'm geekin' out over here, but enjoy!