Five Sources

Before I get to my list, I just have to confess that I'm on a tuna salad sandwich jag. On squishy white bread. The tuna is a fine choice, but I've got to get back on the whole wheat wagon soon!

So, I've been talking a lot with my UVU students about understanding and evaluating sources, especially understanding a writer's point of view, expertise and agenda. Because I tend to lean left in a community where most people lean to the right, people may think that I'm just a victim of the liberal media.

Well, I don't believe I am. 

I try very hard to find news sources that present balanced views (of both fact and interpretation of fact). Of course, because I lean left, I have a higher tolerance for left leaning media (we all like to hear what we want to hear, don't we?), but I make a conscious choice not to swallow it whole. In fact, I actively counterbalance my tendencies by tuning in to Fox News from time to time.

So, here is my list of my five favorite regular news sources for national and international news (which, as you'll notice, does not include entertainment personalities posing as serious editorialists at either end of the political spectrum):

• BBC News (both updates on the radio after I drop Jack off at school and as I drive home from UVU and a daily check of the website). It's especially interesting to get a less US-centric take on international news. 
• Diane Rehm's weekly news roundup, one hour of in-depth discussion of national news followed by an hour of international. It is broadcast on Fridays, but I usually end up listening to the show as a podcast over the weekend. The whole show is a panel discussion format with guests with a range of political views. They often disagree with one another but they engage in civilized, meaningful discourse. Her other shows during the week are also very interesting and informative (and she regularly hosts authors of books!).
• This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday mornings. He'll push political guests from both parties, and the round table discussions include panelists with a broad range of views, including regular George Will, a classic conservative. Again, disagreements expressed, but the discourse is civil. (Note: I'm not sure why I started watching this Sunday morning pundit show regularly as opposed to any of the others, but I did. And was even happier that I did when I found out that George is married to one of my favorite funny people, Ali Wentworth.)
• The New York Times online. I know, I know. Some think it has a liberal slant. But I love reading the editorial page, which presents a wide range of perspectives, including the opinions of several regular columnists who are quite conservative. Plus I've become addicted to reading the op-ed comments! Usually online media comments are completely inane, but NYT readers are particularly thoughtful and they express their ideas really articulately. Not surprisingly, the comments are more often on the liberal side, but I have read countless well considered conservative comments. 
• The quick news update on Good Morning America or the Today Show every weekday at 8:00 a.m. No in-depth coverage, but at least I'm up on the major headlines. This is a habit I've had ever since 9-11. It's been years, though, since I held my breath before turning the television on. I pray that never changes.

Swim Down

If there is ever a time we need to pull together, this is it. But instead it feels like we're spinning apart in mistrust and hate and fear and panic. 

I keep playing a scene from Finding Nemo in my head. Dory is caught in a fishing net, and Nemo saves her by telling all of the fish in the net to swim down together. They join forces and are able to pull the net free from the fishing boat, saving themselves as well as Dory.

Nemo for president!

Five Random Thoughts (or are they?)

• I'm sitting here in my class at UVU while my students work on an in-class essay about fall. And by fall I mean autumn. Word choice is critical in this assignment--I've asked them to write in a very specific tone/style of their choosing and give it a great title that reflects where they're heading in their essay. I was inspired to have them write about this topic on a run up the canyon this morning. I'm still not ready to let go of the weather as we head into winter. I think I would title my essay "Living in Denial." For example, I'm going to wear sandals as late into the fall as I can bear it.
• We have now officially joined the ranks of U.S. citizens who are personally affected by a fallen financial giant. Actually, I don't think it's going to make that much difference to us, but our mortgage was held by Washington Mutual and I assume it is now held by JPMorgan Chase. Just for the record, we pay our mortgage in full every month. But clearly that was not enough to save WaMu.
• Twice in one day earlier this week in two completely separate conversations, two different friends brought up the book As I Lay Dying. Should I be concerned about that?
• I've got to renew my UVU parking pass this afternoon. It expires on September 30. Why would they give me a pass that expires September 30? Should I be concerned about that?
• Roger, if for some reason I'm not around on October 1 (like if I end up dying in the hospital because I'm not dressing warmly enough for the weather), will you be sure to make our mortgage payment? Though I'm not sure who we're supposed to pay now.

Five Things That Have Made Me Very Happy in the Past Week

• Spending time outside, especially running up the canyon and walking across campus, in this amazing fall weather. I wish we could have this weather forever.
  
• Bowls of Archers Farm capellini with broccoli and parmesan cheese and bowls of Archers Farm muesli cereal. (Archers Farm brand is from Target, and we're going there tonight after a friend's piano recital to stock up on more!)
  
• Scale readings that have been heading down despite my bowls of food (I do try to watch my portion sizes!).
  
• Getting invited to a neighborhood girl's night out (dinner and a movie) next week.
  
• Listening to Jack report that he got full credit for a poem recitation at school (10 points for memorization, 5 points for standing up straight and tall, 5 points for a loud and clear voice, total of 20 out of 20).
  

Biggest Loser

Note: This is not a political blog post despite what the title might lead you to believe. I'm taking a break from expressing my opinion for a while. 

I should be at the city council meeting supporting the library bond, or grading papers, or cleaning the house, or reading House of Mirth for book club tomorrow night, but what am I doing instead? I'm watching the season premiere of the Biggest Loser.

I didn't start watching the show until last season. Then I watched all of the reruns of the previous seasons. I'm a total addict now. 

But one thing is different as I sit down to watch it this fall. I'm actually feeling pretty committed to exercising and eating healthfully these days. I may not keep up with the contestants this season, but I plan to head the same direction. I'm even ready to blog about it!

When Roger came home from work today, I went for a run on the canyon trail. I've eaten whole grain cereal and breads, and fruit and vegetables today. I drank lots of water. I'm on my way!

P.S. I am folding laundry while I watch the show. Just want you to know I'm not a total slacker!

Unbound Blog Launched

Blog happy me has just launched a new blog for the art exhibit. Click here to access it.

The Opening

Save for a few signs I still have to get up and few books I still have to track down for the bookshelf, we made it! The opening yesterday was a great success.

More than 15 of the illustrators attended the opening reception, and with five exhibitions opening in conjunction with Celebrate Your Museum Day, more than 800 people came to the museum! Despite the fact that there was a BYU football game in the afternoon!

We started off the morning with two story times.


Then we had the opening reception at noon, complete with a chocolate fountain (many, many, many thanks to the Priest family!) in the adjacent gallery.


Relaxing with some of the museum staff at the end of a long day.

You're All Invited

Everyone is inviting the opening of the exhibition I'm curating at the Springville Museum of Art (126 East 400 South, Springville, Utah) called Unbound: Original Picture Book Art by Utah Illustrators.

The reception will be held this Saturday, September 13 from noon to 3 p.m. Many of the 27 artists represented in the show will be attending. Hope to see you there!

I can't even begin to describe how exciting it's been to see the show come together. I've still got 48 hours that will be crammed full of things we need to do to pull it off, but it's nearly ready!

Bleeding Heart

A few random thoughts about the things that make my heart a bit heavy these days. And then I really have to get some sleep.

• Sometimes it feels like people equate freedom with being free from having anyone tell them what to do with their money (and, I suppose, being able to vote for people who won't tell them what to do with their money). Sometimes it feels like money is the end, not the means to an end. Sometimes it feels like money is what we care most about and that it drives most of our decisions. I worry about what we're overlooking.
• I don't really understand why the very loudest cries in our quest for energy independence aren't for conservation (which, incidently empowers everyone to work toward solutions). Of course we need to become more self-sufficient and develop energy sources (oil and all sorts of alternatives), but the loudest cries are "drill, drill, drill." It's like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors crying "feed me." Do we not hear how consumed we are with consuming?
• I think it's a very good thing that the U.S. is a strong world leader. It's not about apologizing for our strength, but about being gracious and wise in that strength. It's about being an example and using our powers for good. It's about lifting people up, not steamrolling them. Sadly armed conflict is sometimes a part of that, but it should only be when we see no other way.
• It worries me when people equate diplomacy with appeasement and, as a result, dismiss diplomacy. And that we barely blinked when we turned into a country that would initiate a preemptive strike.
• Don't we, as Americans, believe that our constitutional rights are fundamentally derived from our rights as human beings? If, for example, it is unconscionable for an American to be detained for months, even years, on end without being told why, shouldn't that hold true for other human beings as well?
• We absolutely need to be aware of threats and smart about how we handle them, but we seem to be operating from a place of fear, which makes us turn inward, and I think that will hurt us more in the long run than anything we're afraid of. We hold so tightly to the things we're afraid we're going to lose, that we risk losing them and so much more. Imagine how much more amazing our country would be if we were generous and open in spirit rather than fearful and protective. If we're smart about it, we wouldn't lose our way of life, we'd enlarge it.

P.S.

I finally got caught up on the parts of the Democratic National Convention that I had recorded this week, including Obama's acceptance speech. 

One of the big reasons I hope he is elected our next president is that he believes in personal responsibility and that we can all be a part of the solution (in improving the economy, in achieving energy independence, in improving education, etc.). He believes parents should parent, that employers should treat employees with dignity and respect, and that we all as individuals can contribute meaningfully to the fabric of our society.

And he has the ability to inspire people to rise to the call.

Five Fish(ish) Stories

1. The very first time Roger and I tried fishing (up Diamond Fork Canyon), we were caught off guard when we actually caught a fish. The hook was stuck. I ran frantically up the bank of the river to get a pair of pliers out of the truck while Roger held the fish in the water. It all worked out, but I was marked by trauma.
2. Last summer Jack and I were at Lake Geneva and we'd brought his fishing pole. I actually put worms on the hook for him (there is not another soul in this world I would do that for). He caught one fish. The hook stuck in its throat. The fish died. He caught a second fish. Same thing. Then I learned that you're just supposed to clip the line and throw the fish back and the hook will dissolve over time. Too late. I was marked by trauma again. This summer we did not fish.
   
   
3. About 12 years ago, Roger and I picked up my sister Maryann in Tucson and we headed to Baja, Mexico, in our Jeep. We stopped for a couple of nights in San Ignacio, thinking we'd go whale watching nearby. Instead, I got very sick the first night, held my stomach all day the next day and into the next night. I ultimately survived, and we went whale watching the day after that, but, wow, I can still remember how sick I felt. I'm pretty sure it was the fish I'd had for dinner.
   
4. When I was in college, my family took a trip to Akumal, Mexico. (Where, by the way, I ate fresh fish every single night without incident.) I took a scuba diving resort course and enjoyed several dives, including one to about 75 feet. It was on that dive that I suddenly found myself alone except for a huge sea turtle. I'm sure my diving buddy was just behind me, but I couldn't see a single human being. For a few seconds I swam behind it, but there was no way I could keep up with it. I was in awe.
5. Again in college, I had a bowl with two goldfish. One day I decided to clean the bowl. I scooped the fish out of the bowl with a big spoon to transfer them to another container. I didn't really think about the fact that I was transferring them over a sink full of soapy water until one of them flopped off the spoon and disappeared in the bubbles. I threw the spoon down to try to rescue the fish in the sink, not realizing that the other fish had landed on the kitchen floor and was gawping for air. I couldn't let the sink drain because of the garbage disposer. So I started scooping handfuls of bubbles out of the sink until I could see the fish and grab it. Then I grabbed the other fish off the floor, put them both in the bowl and watched them survive!
   

Five Reasons to Be Stressed

1. I'm starting a new job today at the Springville High School Library. I'm officially a "library technician." I'm not nervous about the work, but I am nervous about getting my hours in.
   
2. I'm starting a new job tomorrow teaching classes at Utah Valley University. Actually, I don't start teaching until next Wednesday, but I've got training from 8 to 3 tomorrow and I'm supposed to turn in my syllabus. I haven't finished putting it together yet. But I will!
3. I'm ordering several thousand dollars worth of point-of-sale system for the museum store with a donor's money, and they want me to order it fast. I keep building and rebuilding the system on the Dell website, trying to get all the features we need and still staying within the budget. Lucky for me I don't have the museum's credit card information yet, so I don't have to press enter on the order.
4. We're hanging the children's picture book exhibition at the museum on September 4th, and I'm still waiting to find out what some of the pieces will be. 
5. We got an offer on my brother's house. It is far below the asking price, but it is the only written offer we've ever gotten (including the year my brother had it on the market before I got involved in January). So over the next two days, I've got to get a counteroffer together, coordinating communications with a brother in Kenya and a real estate agent in Boston. But I can't have my cell phone on all the time because I'm starting two new jobs!

A Nine Year Old's Olympic Dreams

The summer I turned nine, I watched Mark Spitz win seven gold medals in the pool and Olga Korbut win multiple medals in gymnastics. I loved to swim and I loved doing gymnastics. So I was in awe watching the Olympics for the very first time I can remember.

At one point I turned to my Dad and said that I'd like to be in the Olympics someday. He crushed my nine-year-old dreams (and heart) when he replied without hesitation, "It's too late." What?!

Last night Jack and I were talking about Michael Phelps and his record eight gold medals. We thought it was cool that I was nine when Mark Spitz set the record and Jack was nine when Michael Phelps broke it.

Then Jack announced that he'd like to be in the Olympics some day. I asked him what sport he'd like to compete in and he said, "Swimming." I told him I'd be happy to support him in that goal.

After all, Michael Phelps didn't officially start working toward his Olympic dreams until he was at the ripe old age of 11.

Unbound

Now that I am fully in the throes of pulling together the exhibition, I didn't quite realize how complicated working with 27 artists would be, especially keeping track of all of the details. But I am so excited about every single artist I'm working with and am so thrilled that they are all excited about the show!

Unbound: Original Picture Book Art by Utah Illustrators

September 13, 2008 to December 28, 2008

Springville Museum of Art

The opening reception, which is open to the public, will be held on Saturday, September 13 from noon to 3:00. Please come if you can, and spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. Many of the artists in the exhibition will be at the reception.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting tidbits about each of the artists. I think you will agree that the show will knock some socks off. Maybe even Martha Moth's.

Five Things I Should Do Today

1. Call Gloria to thank her for the birthday card she left for me.
2. Make an appointment to meet with artist Will Terry, who will be helping me with a special part of the children's picture book exhibit at the Springville Museum of Art.
3. Do an extra good job flossing my teeth today because I have a dentist appointment tomorrow.
4. Figure out when we can have a bridal shower for my niece Megan.
5. Catch up on laundry.

Momentum

Back late last night (three and a half hours late due to mechanical problems with the plane) from two (mostly) glorious weeks at Lake Geneva, where my father's family has been summering for nearly a century.

I will post my micro diary entries within the next couple of days for anyone who would like to know whether the wind on any given day was good enough for a sail. Yeah, minutae.

But the one thing I want to write about here is hiking on the shore path everyday. While I was growing up, I had no idea how unique it is to have a public shore path around an entire lake, crossing the property of hundreds of private homes, including some owned by exceptionally wealthy people who try as they might can't get the courts to make the right of way go away. It's so satisfyingly egalitarian.

I've only gone completely around the lake (20+ miles) on the path once in my life, but in the past two weeks I figure I hiked about 40 miles on the stretch near our cottage. Usually I was on my own for a two or three-mile round trip, but sometimes I had company. Once I hiked down the shore about three miles and Dad picked me up with the sail boat. Just yesterday morning, my Dad's cousin and I hitched a motorboat ride with her son and he dropped us off three miles down the shore and we hiked back.

This morning we woke up early (7 am! Jack was eager to see his friends again). I decided I wanted to keep up the momentum of my daily hikes at the lake so I headed up to the Hobble Creek Parkway not far from our house, hiked a few miles and got my day off to a great start.

Any Ideas?

I finally hooked up with an acquaintance who manages a furniture store (part of a big chain, which shall remain nameless) to ask about the possibility of partnering to create a furnished reading area in the center of our picture book art exhibit in exchange for nearly four months of publicity. Wow, did he look dejected when he said the powers that be would never go for it. He didn't even want to try. Things are that bad. I think his soul has been sucked by corporate headquarters.

So . . . I've got to come up with a Plan B. I am putting a plea out there to any of you readers who may have contacts or ideas about how to do something really fun for the reading area. I'd so like to do something funky, comfortable and family friendly (no old plaid couches from rental apartments, please).

Do any of you know anyone who knows anyone in the furniture business? Or who has cool furniture they aren't using that they'd be willing to donate or to lend for a few months (art museum patrons shouldn't be too hard on it - especially because no food is allowed anywhere near it!). Or who has reupholstering experience so if we end up getting fun pieces that need a facelift we can call on their skills?

Anyone? Anyone?

4 a.m.

Every once in a while I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is almost always at 4 a.m. It happened this morning and here I am, trying to clear my mind so I can go back to sleep.

Here's a funny ted.com video essay about 4 a.m. It made me laugh.

Tagged

Jack was tagged on my friend Teresa's blog and gave the following answers to these questions. Remember, he is a nine-year-old boy. But I'm pleased he instinctively knows how to develop a theme.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Hi Jack.
2. What makes mom happy? Me.
3. What makes mom sad? Me being gone.
4. How does mom make you laugh? When she bangs her head on the air conditioner on the way to SOS Drug. [An outside unit hanging at head level by one of the parking spaces in the back.]
5. What was mom like as a child? A child.
6. How old is your mom? 45, no 44.
   
7. How tall is your mom? 4 feet? 5 feet?
8. What is your mom's favorite thing to do? Drink Tab. [Then when prodded for something with more substance] Swim.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Stuff. How should I know?
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Drinking Tab. Swimming.
11. What is your mom really good at? Drinking Tab. Swimming.
12. What is your mom not very good at? Jumping off cliffs.
13. What does your mom do for her job? Nothing yet. [I guess that's sort of true.]
14. What is your mom's favorite food? Tortellini. Ramen. [I think he's projecting his favorite foods that I eat when he eats them. But, yeah, pasta definitely rates.]
15. What makes you proud of your mom? She's funny and she works hard.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Edd. [Of Ed, Edd and Eddie. Apparently Edd is the one who always likes everything to be really organized. When a neighbor boy overheard us talking about it, he said "You let Jack watch that show?" Great.]
17. What do you and your mom do together? Stuff. Read.
18. How are you and your mom the same? We both eat ramen.
19. How are you and your mom different? She drinks Tab. I drink root beer.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? Because she likes me. If she didn't like me she wouldn't be with me.

I tag my sister Maryann (who I wish would blog more) and my friend Shelley (who I thought wasn't blogging anymore, but I just discovered she and her husband have a new blog). I know they aren't little kids, but they both have moms!

Five Paychecks

In honor of getting hired for the assistant librarian job at the high school (though tentatively pending school board approval per the letter) here is a list of five organizations that have put my name on a paycheck.

• Great Road Pharmacy, where I was a cashier (the closest I will ever come to working in the field of medicine!). I worked for Bob the pharmacist, who also owned the pharmacy. Small independent pharmacies are rare these days (in fact, the Great Road Pharmacy no longer exists), but we are lucky enough to have two here in Springville. We get all of our prescriptions from the one our old neighbors own, and we get ice cream at the other one, which still has an old-fashioned soda counter.
• Camp Arcadia in Casco, Maine, where I was a swimming counselor and a lifeguard. I believe there was only one paycheck at the end of the summer. Once, when the girls in my cabin were driving me crazy, I calculated how much I was earning per hour. If the girls went to sleep when they were supposed to and didn't get up early, I figured I made about ten cents an hour! But I had great job perks, including swimming in a pristine lake every day!
  
• Novell, Inc., where I was a managing editor and then a marketing manager. My last stint after about a decade working in the computer industry (where I always managed to have the least technical jobs in the least technical departments, so don't ask me too much about how computers work on the inside - I only know how to use them).
• Utah Valley State College, where I taught writing classes as an adjunct instructor. I loved, loved, loved being in the classroom. Hated, hated, hated the stacks of grading. But I think I've figured out a few ways to grade more efficiently and still give individual feedback, so I've decided to go back to teaching this fall. But this time (and officially as of the stroke of midnight tonight!), my paychecks will say Utah Valley University on them.
• The U.S. Treasury. Yes, I've actually received paychecks from the U.S. Treasury, not just tax refunds. Two summers in a row I filled in for two different secretaries on maternity leave, both at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., where I interned in college. I worked for the staff attorneys one summer, and then for Judge Helen Nies the next. That was an amazing experience, not the least of which because I got to live in one of my very favorite cities!