Colorful Time Management

So many colors on my pallet-
How do I paint my day?
With loving strokes and thoughtful brushes- I painstakingly stay within the lines, scribble freely and form meaning from random blobs of color.
Morning teacher colors, afternoon student colors, evening wife colors...
I lace up my new purple running shoes- and time out the rest of my day - up early to school, 2 hours of class, and hour to lunch, 3 hours of wiki building, an hour of house cleaning, then 30 minutes to campus, then 2 hours of class, then 30 minutes of cardio, then home to out-of-town house guest...
I lug a black school bag
I sip a clear glass of water
I click the silver keys
I fold the whites and colors piled on my brown leather couch
I scarf yellow cheesy chicken
I dash out my big black doors
I kiss my husband's sweet red lips
I thank the good Lord as I lay my head down and drift peacefully and quickly into sliver-lined cloudy dreams...

What is Social Justice?

The first week of school is complete... and we all survived. Excited, intimidated, and ready for more... :)

Here is a little video I made from a chalk talk about social justice we did in class...

Alberta "Maggie" Hanson - My Grandma

My Grandma passed away this morning. She is in heaven now with her beloved twin sister- Roberta, "Bobbie," and her two beloved sons- Billy and Scott.

I wish I could have had more time with her. I will always cherish the memories I have of her and our time together. She loved this poem and loved the color purple. She loved to be silly like a clown and had a very mischievous laugh. She loved to make a big deal out of every event or even out of nothing. She loved to collect the things that made her happy. Everything she bought me for a long time was "our favorite color - lavender."

I feel sad and tired. My husband and my kitties are a blessed comfort. I am so lucky to have them. How lucky we are are for each of our days- how lucky we are to always look forward to tomorrow in this life and in the next.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

by Jenny Joeseph

And it begins...

The summer in review...
Moving to San Antonio
Setting up House
Parties in the Pool
Rides in the Hills
Blissful Married Days
Feathering the Nest
Fixing my Broken Nose
Healing my Fixed Nose
Exploring our New City
and NOWWWWWW

Beginning my new job at UTSA!
Training and meetings have begun and I have clicked away all day at my planning for my courses I will teach to university students.
Introduction to Teaching and Learning in a Culturally Diverse Society
And
Student Teaching Supervisor
I am excited about both courses- they will certainly keep me busy in addition to my three doctoral courses. YES, they certainly will.

My goals for this semester... are very simple
1. To survive and do my best
2. To take time to meet and get to know new friends and associates
3. To Exercise 5 out of 7 days a week and eat healthy
4. To connect with one extra-curricular activity- hopefully a christian exercise group. Lord knows I don't need to eat or drink anymore than I already do! ;)
5. To write

It's been in the hundreds for the past few days and boy do I feel the heat. I am looking forward to cooler days and meeting my students.

I know the dynamic of the high school classroom, the middle school classroom and the adult classroom... but I think this will be different. A young adult classroom of students- my hope it to connect with them and support their journey into the world of education, protect their precious inspiration and foster their fresh perspective. It will be good. I can just feel it.