FUNNY

I’m not doing very well at this new 23 things, but I am forcing myself to go back to my google reader for all the rss feeds I had asked for. Then, I came across this little posting, and nearly split a gut – as they say.

I fear the politics are about to get nasty, and I don’t believe it should be so. This country was built on compromise. I’ve seen non-compromise tear a people apart. Look at Zimbabwe today. I don’t want to go there. What would I be willing to give up? I can see John Adams and Edward Rutledge, fighting it out, coming to compromise. We do have to revisit fifty years later, but gradual works, and maybe not too many people die.

So, forgive me for my diatribe. In support of trying to hear what other people are saying.

Explore FlickR, thing 3, I think

I had to stop in the middle, and shout how happy I was to be doing this course again. There is SO MUCH I didn’t do in the rush to do it the last time.

This time, I was looking closer and fell upon the work of STRIATIC. (Had to search around to remember how to add a link.) It’s different, but it’s art. (I’m into the Impressionists.) It’s different, and I like it.

Well, I’ve broken my first rule in my learning contract. I thought I ought to have a regular time to work on this project. And this was not the time I chose. I just did it.

When I left off last spring I thought I might turn this into a sheep journal. Well, this is the sheep journal’s next entry. I DID A TERRIBLE JOB OF TRAINING THE LAMBS TO THE FENCE. They move themselves daily, and I haven’t had the time to weedwhack the fenceline, yet. So, they keep moving themselves. One day soon, I will be in charge – please.

Learning Contracts, thing 2

Seems to me I said, at the end of the last session, that I had searched high and low and couldn’t find that learning contract anywhere. That it would surface when we had company next Christmas and I had to clean up my office which doubles as a guest room.

Roger’s sister came to visit last week, and guess what surfaced?

Only thing – it was almost empty. I think I’ll try filling it in a bit more, now that I have some idea of what the possibilities are. And to be a real cheat, I even know a few of the things I want to know better. Well, those are all technicalities.

If nothing else, I would like my postings to be time stamped accurately. That drove me nuts. Gonna figure that out.

I realize, as I poke around my blog, that I didn’t know about tags and categories at the beginning last time.
No more uncategorized posts for me. And no more things as categories. Wait better check out the instructions again. Ah yes, titling each post, not tagging or categorizing. OK

This little experience reminds me of the way I read. The first time I read a book, if it really interests me, I just gobble the book down, whole, knowing I’ll be back later for the details. So, I read my favorite books again and again, getting more each time.

Same Old Problem

I decided to do this course again because “April-Re-reading my diatribe about Technorati, I was thinking, I should take this whole course again, and focus on the parts I brushed off the first time around. I probably won’t get around to it, but it made me wonder. Will this stuff (23 Things) be around for a while? There’s more than one thing I want to find again for reference. And to learn about when I’m in a different frame of mind. I definitely have to do more exploration of wikis. I think it was a dud with board members about reviewing the by-laws. But I still want to try it with arranging a multi-faceted project.”

As I re-read my to-do list, I realized how much more I want to do. Still. I seem to need the structure of a course – we will all notice that I said I would like to keep this blog going — yet this is the first entry since the end of this course the last time. (And I always think of myself as a self-motivated person. Hah!)

Problem. Getting into my weblog. Forget username. Forget password. Email them that I need to change password. They email me my username. Jeez – I’ve been through this before. Now, what worries me is that I used the wrong username, and asked for a new password. They sent me the correct username. I then used the password. Makes me think about bank accounts and bills I pay online. I know I’m just playing around with this right now, but how secure is any of this online stuff?

The other same old problem – it is Tuesday night, 10:59 pm, July 1. Over on the right it says that it is July 2, 3 am (or 7:54 am if you read the fine print. Got to figure that one out.)

Got to tell you about Fritz VandeWater. Tomorrow.

Last of 23 Things

I’m taking forever to finish this thing, partly because I’ve enjoyed it so much. And to be honest, I bet I’ll keep up this blog, although not so faithfully, once the course is over. Maybe it will become my sheep blog, and I’ll attach it to my web page. (Which doesn’t have its own address yet, because Marlboro College is still hosting it. Gotta get going before Jen starts a new course on Dreamweaver.)

I’ve looked everywhere for the learning contract that I filled out. Do you suppose that I wrote on a hard copy and it’s somewhere on my desk? I’ll probably find it next December when I have to clean this room so my brother can stay. So, I don’t exactly remember what I said when I began. On the other hand, I’m always looking to try something new. And I get very intense about that something new. I really enjoyed trying so many new and different things, and finding that I want to keep many of them up. And, I’m NOT giving up on MySpace yet.
It’s just like me to make myself a to do list. I hope I have the time and energy to keep looking back. I know I have the inclination.

I’ve never really taken a course on-line before, so I don’t know what other ways there are to do it differently in format or concept. What I did like was going at my own pace, with still setting my goal of finishing before summer reading got too intense.

If you offer another discovery course like this in the future, I’ll be there.

This has been a great experience.

Looking Back

I’m going to track down my unfinished business.

So, going back to January, I realize that I am really using some pieces I learned about. Nothing on hold. I’m slow to add to the bookblog because there’s too much to do, but it’s on my to do list. Just keeps getting shoved back.

In February, my goal was to put up photos of different programs. I’ve put up a few, and I’d still like to find a secure way to share them. They are so easy to prepare for a slide show, that I find it time-consuming to prepare them for the web. Well, I got to mySpace, but how do I find the stuff I put there? This is a good review

Oohh, I forgot. I wanted to link my myspace page to the library page….if I can think of a good hook.

Time to go bring in the sheep and feed them. There are now 12 lambs, one more mom to go. Unfortunately I’m having to bottle feed 10. He’s just so weak he doesn’t have the strength to nurse. Right now, it’s every 4 hours, which is why it’s unfortunate to have a bottle baby.

March- Getting a whole slide show “narrowcast”. Getting the date and time right on my posts. Need to remember how to do things on mySpace. Maybe I can use it to “narrowcast”. Need to explore further what I meant about the “group joining” when I was in mySpace. I sent something to Laura about writing about the book group, but I realize she can write it, I’ll have to post it. Need to go back there and figure out what I meant. My links to pages are wrong if the page has changed. I don’t think I need to go back to fix the link in a blog. But do I? Oh, and I wanted to put vacation pictures on mySpace. Never did figure out that mosaic, but I’d like to still. And I have re-read Van de Water, although I haven’t yet bought the missing book. But I keep thinking about it. Thinking about the book group, I need to explore LibraryThing more closely.

April-Re-reading my diatribe about Technorati, I was thinking, I should take this whole course again, and focus on the parts I brushed off the first time around. I probably won’t get around to it, but it made me wonder. Will this stuff (23 Things) be around for a while? There’s more than one thing I want to find again for reference. And to learn about when I’m in a different frame of mind. I definitely have to do more exploration of wikis. I think it was a dud with board members about reviewing the by-laws. But I still want to try it with arranging a multi-faceted project.

First real baddie. I did not link the FLIKKR account with anything. How will I find it again? Seems like I felt satisfied that that was my “narrowcast”. Will have to search around for that. Oh, yah, I’m using delicious to mark web sites that I can use on any computer. Frequently.

May- Do things with all this stuff with the kids who walk down to the library with me. As soon as they get detached from Magic School Bus. (my language has gotten so PRECISE.)

So, this is my TO DO list. And I’ll probably just want to keep it going.

A little eye candy.

Thing 23, At Last

This has been a long and exciting road, but it’s very nice to be reaching the end. One of the ideas that has been intriguing me, is that new things keep getting thrown at me, and I don’t really have time to absorb them, before it’s time for the next thing. So, I shall use this Thing for absorption.

It may take a while.

I have not spent an equal amount of effort of each thing, because, obviously, some things I have not been very interested in. That’s one thing I really like about adult education. You can choose what it is you want to learn, based on where you are in your life.

One realization I’ve had for the last few weeks, is that I will have to review my whole blog, because I left little notes to myself about what I wanted to pursue further. What I do pursue will be what I have really learned. I hope I have learned a lot, because I certainly have been introduced to a lot.

So, standing out in my memory about the parts I liked best-adding a blog to a website. I started a bookblog for the library, and also did a blog for the Farmers’ Market about what was happening. This was an unexpected plus. (Had to go update that one.) I think it would be fun to have a blog of what’s happening after school on Thursdays. Of course, right now, we get there and they head for Magic School Bus games. Give them time.

Another, outstanding because I use it all the time, is del.icio.us. I’ve bookmarked some websites that I use at home, and want to find at the library. I love being able to easily find them, no matter where I am. Of course, my complaint about this is the same as for speed dial. My brain needs the exercise of remembering phone numbers and website addresses.

I hated my MySpace experience. It feels like meat on display, and I am the meat. On the other hand, the concept is great. There should just be a section for people who are not looking for mating. The ads are what makes it so objectionable. So maybe, in total, the experience is bad. But I do know what it is.

Just went down to check up on the little ones. 10 is still not nursing, according to everything I can see. Gave him a little bit of milk from Mama. Everyone else seems fine. We had an Open Barn today at 3:30. Nathan and Jessica came to visit and then Tenzin and his mom. Tenny brought his unfinished apple from lunch, and offered it to many, but soon discovered that Josephine would eat right out of his hand. So he brought her fistfuls of green grass. She loved it, and stopped stamping at him.

Lisa then came with her kids, Jenna taking pictures, and her whole extended family. While they were admiring, she milked Josie, got the lamb 10 to nurse a little bit, and wrapped up his legs so maybe he can walk straight.

Meanwhile Jessica and Nathan went out and got the triplets to play with them. They were carrying, petting, oogling and kissing those lambs. I would hear these weird sounds of lambs, and it was Nathan and Jess, mooing at the lambs. They’d come. What a pleasure. I LOVE having a barnyard filled with lambs and children.

No photos. Make a mental picture.

Got It!

I must have been very tired the other night, when I couldn’t subscribe to a podcast.

I found SirsiDynix and subscribed, although it might end up like This American Life – I erase it before I listen. There is so much information available to me now, and I just don’t want to spend my life listening to it.

Now, here’s some real information. The first grade came to visit the lambs this morning and I cautioned them that the lambs were uncivilized and would run away from them. Then we went to the barn, and they found 5 sitting in the doorway. 5 just lapped up their cuddling, sucking cooperatively on everyone’s finger. What do I know?

Here’s 5. Now, it’s your job to picture him surrounded by six first graders, and sucking on their fingers. I was so busy, I never took out the camera. Picture it in your mind.

The “older” ones were bouncing around in the pasture today. That’s everyone who was born before yesterday. We’re up to ten lambs with two more moms to go. This is the year of the single ram. Big ram lambs. Except for these triplets.

Tonight twins were born, but they’re rams, too.

I was thinking about podcasts and blogs as I was walking down to the library with a few kids from school today. Wouldn’t it be neat to do some “production” from the library, attached to our web page? I suggested a blog last week, but most of these kids right now don’t have a computer access right now, and just want to play games. I need some jaded individuals who need to create. Maybe next week.

I don’t see book reviews or library use videos coming. I see creativity. Maybe we’ll do something with the summer writing camps we’re having in July. Better write Genna about that.

I find I don’t quite get the difference between categories and tags. I’ve taken to listing the ‘things’ as tags, because they didn’t seem broad enough to be categories. I don’t find many things broad enough to be categories.

I think I want to keep this going as my journal. It’s become that, and I enjoy writing to it. I even shared it with Madeleine, who enjoyed reading it. Do I dare send it to friends? Would they be insulted?

What’s Wrong With Me?

I have been subscribing to podcasts for at least a year. My three favorites are Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, The Diane Rehm Friday News Roundup, and This American Life. To be honest, they are my only, because they are broadcast when I have to be elsewhere, and I want to hear them. But, I’m discovering that I erase them as often as I listen, even though I missed the original. I find that I’m not all that interested in being tied to the computer.
Now, if it were a chip in my ear while I was walking the fenceline?

I even bought an iPod to listen to my missed broadcasts when we went to Italy. I STILL haven’t used the thing.

Now, about subscribing to SirsiDynix Institute seminars, the instructions are all Greek to me. I can’t believe I’m so stupid. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for a while. I think I’m distracted. But, they are such rewarding distractions. They were born , strangely, without much of an ability to find food for themselves. All three had no idea where to find a nipple to get food. But, they were determined, and so was I. We’ve been working on it since Saturday night, but tonight they each went to sleep with a full belly, self-inflicted. I’m going to sleep.

Taking A Break

Don’t know when I’ll get around to Things 22 and 23, because lambing has begun.

Peaseblossom had her lamb about 4 I think. It was still damp when I got home at about 5:30. When I went down to check on them at 8:45, there was Nancy going into labor. After I rearranged the lamb so its shoulders were straight, out it popped. Both are little black ewe lambs, 12 pounds each. Lambing 08 begins.