Free Time Ramble

Guess what. Nope, I’m not relinquishing any money that I may or may not owe you. Nor am I going to dye my hair, wax my eyebrows, or get a tattoo. Even wilder, I actually have a Sunday evening with nothing to do and nowhere to go. So I sat down and decided to write.

...(crickets)...

Yep. That’s about how it’s looking right now. I don’t know what I want to write about. I definitely don’t want to write either of the two papers due next Monday. I don’t want to go digging through old writing to see if something kindles a flame. And for some reason, zombies and Easter just seem a little inappropriate (tonight). I’m rusty.

So, here I go (again on my own—rock out!) with a goal: (Don't hold your breath.)

I am going to do some type of writing (for me) at least three times a week. One of those futile attempts will be posted. Like I keep saying, I just need to get back into the swing of things. This earning another degree while working two jobs is really cramping my style, not that I had any style to begin with. And it's kinda forcing me to adapt a more serious, APA-type style that I don’t know if I like. (But I still won't give up my parenthetical asides no matter what my committee says!)

I do have a different paper that I should probably work on—one that I wrote for a different class. I actually developed it into a short presentation that I presented in March at a CUWP conference. It was a lot of hard, gray-hair inducing cramming and revising on my feet, but I loved it. Coming up with something good, and then sharing it, I think, are what I love best about teaching (and writing). And when I can combine these two passions, crazy-weird things can happen, man. Honestly, I think I'll try to present it again at the UCTE conference this fall and if all goes well, I'll press my luck the next year at the NCTE convention. Yee-ah! Who's a big boy now? Ha. Could you pass me my blankie? I just wet myself.

So, to wrap up this ramble, I had better just shut up. I'm getting tired. But before I leave you, I must share that my ninth graders are finishing Romeo and Juliet this week. I’ve given them a photo essay assignment I created last year. Last year, after deciding that Romeo was nothing but a hormone-driven emo loser, the students ended up loving this assignment. This year when I announced the project, it was if all their Red Bulls kicked in at the same time, heads perking, sparks in eyes igniting. And if you know what students are like after Spring Break, that in itself is a miracle. I can't wait to see what they come up with this go 'round.

If you are interested in the assignment, send me a message, and I’ll email you the student instructions. I’ll also try to attach my example. Anybody know how to attach a PowerPoint to Blogger?

P.S. Romeo is still one of the biggest weenies in all of Shakespearedom!