Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dailure

The only way I think you can tell if a peach is really a peach (not a 'fake' one) is if you smell it. But I'm wondering if that's strange to do in a grocery store, pick it up and smell it? What if someone sees you putting it back? Oh well, it's the way I do it. Nothing like the smell of a ripe (not too ripe) peach. It's just, well peachy, Yum.

Dailure

There's NOTHING like a fresh tomato! It's a completely different 'beast' than one that's been genetically modified. I love to eat them, with a bit of salt, and sometimes some olive oil. I put them on everything. Sophie eats them like apples.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Dailure-Weeklure-Monthlure?

My oldest just left for college.  What a strange but kind of exciting feeling.  She's gone to Madison, where I went, and I think she's off for a wonderful adventure.  She spent the last year living in Barcelona so it'll be a huge change.  But I would speculate and say she's going to really like it.  My mother and sister took her up and apparently "everyone was so nice".  There were ten frat boys all waiting, to help her take her luggage out of the car, and transport it to her 'new' room.  She is living in The Towers, centrally located, residential hall.  Mom says the rooms are the size of "postage stamps".  I really wish I could have gone up with her but I like hearing the stories, second hand.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dailure

Working with teachers, helping them learn how to facilitate a VTS discussion is really a 'high'.  "I get no kick from Champagne, mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all" but I get a kick out of VTS and working with teachers.  I love it when they 'get' it and really are excited about it's application in the classroom.  It's so simple yet some people have a hard time understanding that it's all about the kids; all about what they know; their background info. and experiences, bringing 'em all together and having them 'share' their knowledge, is a real kick in the head!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

iphone

It's happened, I've caved, I am now my children's mother and am 'excited' because I have an iphone!  A friend, who upgraded from a 2.0 iphone to an 3.? iphone gave me her 'old' phone.  It's pretty and has all of the buttons and whistles to impress any 15 year old.  My son, aged 13, is fighting me for it.  He wants me to "trade" phones because he says I "don't know how to use it properly".  It's a phone not an emergency room life saving device for god's sake!  But the truth is, he's right, I only know how to:  Make a call, receive a call, set the alarm, text (I think) and I think that may be it.  It's sad because when I look at all those other buttons I think, 'gee why do they even have all those other buttons?'.   I'm sure my 13 year old knows and I know my 15 and 18 year olds know.  As someone pointed out to me the other day, "They are natives and we are immigrants to all this new technology".  The strange thing is they too have to learn.  Why is our learning curve so much greater?  

signage

Daniel Pink's website has a category, 'Emotionally Intelligent Signage'.  I thought this one was particularly emotional and intelligent.  

Friday, August 14, 2009

Running to Mozart

I went running, this AM, before dawn and listened to Mozart. It was so beautiful and I really listened to the music. Knowing practically nothing about music but thinking there's a story here, no words, but a story. And I 'created' one to the music, in my head. It was fun and so great to be able to just listen to the different 'chapters'.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Mad Men

In three days I've watched the entire second season of Mad Men.  I can't decide if it's pure, unadulturated garbage or just a really good soap opera.  I suppose the acting is good, because I was totally transfixed, and the set designs are great.  I'm 'hooked', can't wait for the third season!

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

It's strange, I just saw a movie, yesterday, called Seraphine, about a woman, a cleaning woman, living outside of Paris, who looked remarkably 'common'; but possessed this "genius" for painting beautiful, colorful canvases.  Everyone assumed her to be simple because of her appearance.  And now, I've just finished the book, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, uncannily, it has the same message; appearances are deceptive, and just bc somebody looks unrefined doesn't mean they are.  It's about a woman, who is a concierge, in a Paris hotel; plump and unkempt, with bunions on her feet, she is what everyone expects from a concierge at a bourgeoise building in a posh Parisian neighborhood.  But she is an autodidact who furtively devours art, philosophy, music and Japanese culture.  She's critical of the people who live in the hotel, who are her inferiors in every way except that of material wealth.    The book celebrates every person's "invisible parts".

Friday, August 7, 2009

Dailure


I don't know if this constitutes a 'dailure' but day before yesterday I had a meeting with the Chairs of the undergraduate psychology and neuroscience departments.  They both "agreed" that somehow working in visits to the art museum and possibly "working it into their curriculum" in the future would be a "great idea".  It's all very exciting for the museum and VTS!  

Also really looking forward to going to Art museum at Harvard, in November, for a symposia on 'Art museums and medicine'. There will be speakers there from medicine and art museum, from different parts of the country.  Harvard medical school already has a program, which combines art and medicine.  I'm hoping the University of Miami will have the same. 

The image, The Reward of Cruelty, is one that the physical therapy students and faculty looked at and discussed, at length.