I am assuming everyone reading this blog knows I have been the strange vegetarian homeschooler next door for my entire life- you know, that one you quietly whisper to the neighbor on the other side about- "You know the one. I saw her leave the house in a kilt the other day." "Someone should get that kid a math textbook."- but if you don't, now you do.
That's been me for the past eleven grades, (or potentially more or less since I am forever forgetting which grade I'm in- which numbered slot to use as an identifying feature so people think I'm doing some "real" schoolwork.) and now it is The Final One, the One With The Diploma, the One Where People Ask You Constantly About Exactly What Will Happen In The Rest Of Your Life and you reply I Do Not Know, But I Really Like Matt Smith's Hair So Maybe That Is Something I Can Study and they decide that you are probably a lost cause.
And I am doing my first curriculum course ever. That's right, I sit here eating dairy-free yogurt and organic granola with a large and imposing text book entitled Perspectives On Ideology and many official Alberta Distance Learning booklets and modules and instructions on How To Be A Good Student. I have lists of terms I must use and sample outlines for position papers taped to the wall, and I have the refined procrastination skills of a professional Curriculum Goer even though it is my first time.
And it is strange, and it is awful at times, and I laugh at their misspellings that occur just a page turn away from the lecture on proofreading, and I consider writing a snarky paper about how I was unable to complete my assignments because I did not know what the terms "economci freedom" and "private propety" aimed to represent. And some of it is pretty good, and some of it makes me cry for those that have done this for eleven years, and some of it is just work that needs to be done.
But maybe I am learning more about learning that Social Studies, really. I've learned that sometimes you need to stop digging through your book for typos, complaining about the lack of strange and unnecessary facts ("What were Adam Smith's hobbies? Did he have any cats? They're keeping this from the general public! WHY? WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?") and try to make the best of the course. Get the work done, learn as much as possible, and take it for what it is. This is not a lesson from a shoeless raw vegan who is intensely enthusiastic, this is a dry textbook that may be rather biased, may not dance the way Barefoot Bob did to explain mathematics, but maybe, just maybe, it can still teach me something worthwhile.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Time Travelling via iPod
I think perhaps the best way to remember how I felt at a time is to go back and listen to an album I played frequently back then.
If I switch on Coldplay's Prospekt's March, I am suddenly in the back seat of my parent's sun warmed car, driving through rural Alberta to the Catholic Family Life Conference back in '08. All the feelings I had then are there, the anticipation of the conference, the anxiety at what it would be like, the sleepiness that I always follows me on roadtrips.
Jack Conte's VS4, and I'm right back in last summer, reading Terry Pratchett in the beautiful sunshine, swinging on a patio swing. Happiness and melancholy and a sense of calm all blurred together.
And, embarrassingly enough, even Avril Lavigne brings back memories. I was obsessed with one of her songs, "Hot" (terrible song in retrospect) and I can remember exactly what the book I was reading was like, and that smug happiness you get when you have just started a good book and you have the whole thing ahead of you.
The "Avril Lavigne Age" is one of the ages I'm most ashamed of, but remembering that helps me to realize what it was really like for me back then, and I understand myself a whole lot more.
Somehow this seems to be the truest way for me to remember years past, not the solid events, but in a snapshot, remembering more how I felt than what exactly I did, what I thought.
For, if we can relate to our past selves, then surely we can learn from them, and that's really my goal in life, to
Never.
Stop.
Learning.
If I switch on Coldplay's Prospekt's March, I am suddenly in the back seat of my parent's sun warmed car, driving through rural Alberta to the Catholic Family Life Conference back in '08. All the feelings I had then are there, the anticipation of the conference, the anxiety at what it would be like, the sleepiness that I always follows me on roadtrips.
Jack Conte's VS4, and I'm right back in last summer, reading Terry Pratchett in the beautiful sunshine, swinging on a patio swing. Happiness and melancholy and a sense of calm all blurred together.
And, embarrassingly enough, even Avril Lavigne brings back memories. I was obsessed with one of her songs, "Hot" (terrible song in retrospect) and I can remember exactly what the book I was reading was like, and that smug happiness you get when you have just started a good book and you have the whole thing ahead of you.
The "Avril Lavigne Age" is one of the ages I'm most ashamed of, but remembering that helps me to realize what it was really like for me back then, and I understand myself a whole lot more.
Somehow this seems to be the truest way for me to remember years past, not the solid events, but in a snapshot, remembering more how I felt than what exactly I did, what I thought.
For, if we can relate to our past selves, then surely we can learn from them, and that's really my goal in life, to
Never.
Stop.
Learning.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
November Learning
November has been a month of finishing for me. Finishing my last major Highland dancing exams, finishing autumn, finishing the regular routines before the craziness that anyone involved in theatre can tell you comes with having a show starting in just over two weeks, finishing this weird and wonderful novel I've been writing this past month. Cello is finishing too, soon, at least for the winter holidays, and although I'm less than enthusiastic about some of the music we've been playing (London Bridge in B Flat, anyone??), I'm still plodding along, still progressing, as slow as it may seem.
That's the thing with NaNoWriMo, at least for me. It's a rapid amount of learning all at once. I have no idea how to write a novel, I just go for it, because if you don't you'll be left behind, left with no words at all. You must pick up the notebook or laptop, iPad or typewriter, and pound the words out, as silly as they may seem. There are painful parts to the learning, when you are half way through the novel and hating it, when you realize you've used the word "Italian" hundreds and hundreds of times (true story), but all you can do is pull through and in the end you look back and realize, hey, this time I actually had dialogue, had better pacing, and I really love my characters. A lot of learning occurred, and maybe most prominently at that "hating it" point.
And I need to remember that cello is the same thing. London Bridge in B Flat is my Week Two, my tough spot, my "steepest part of the mountain" to use a popular metaphor, but maybe it's where I will learn most. Maybe it's just hands to the keyboard, bow to the strings, no hitting backspace.
That's the thing with NaNoWriMo, at least for me. It's a rapid amount of learning all at once. I have no idea how to write a novel, I just go for it, because if you don't you'll be left behind, left with no words at all. You must pick up the notebook or laptop, iPad or typewriter, and pound the words out, as silly as they may seem. There are painful parts to the learning, when you are half way through the novel and hating it, when you realize you've used the word "Italian" hundreds and hundreds of times (true story), but all you can do is pull through and in the end you look back and realize, hey, this time I actually had dialogue, had better pacing, and I really love my characters. A lot of learning occurred, and maybe most prominently at that "hating it" point.
And I need to remember that cello is the same thing. London Bridge in B Flat is my Week Two, my tough spot, my "steepest part of the mountain" to use a popular metaphor, but maybe it's where I will learn most. Maybe it's just hands to the keyboard, bow to the strings, no hitting backspace.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Boots and other updates
Sorry I haven't posted in nearly a year! I have been busy, but mostly I was just too lazy. Blogs are one of those things (at least for me) that I fluctuate wildly between very excited about and kinda meh.
But this post isn't about lazy bloggers, or my busy year. This post is about my new kitten Boots!
(sorry for the lack of a good photo/giant towel on the left)
We got him very spontaneously while driving home from a very frustrating trip to the doctor's (I was plagued by a mysterious wrist injury that I'll probably post about later). My mom suggested the idea of a third cat, and so we went to the local humane society and there he was!
I tend to be a bit of a cat lover, obviously, we do have three cats now, but Boots is just lovely. I love that he's cuddly but also playful, and his little white paws are adorable. Okay, I'll stop the kitten ramble now. Corbie and Vinda are tolerant, but not especially pleased. They're okay with him as long as he doesn't come too close, but they get pretty upset if he gets in their area. (He loves to taunt them, though!) It's really neat to have a young cat, I haven't had a kitten in 8 years, it's incredible how much energy they have!
Anyhow, I think that's all for this post. Potential upcoming posts include:
My Bizarre Wrist Injury
I'm Terrible At Snowboarding
An Update On the Cello-ing
Jazz Dancing etc.
(Is it just me, or do these sound like TLC shows?)
But this post isn't about lazy bloggers, or my busy year. This post is about my new kitten Boots!
(sorry for the lack of a good photo/giant towel on the left)We got him very spontaneously while driving home from a very frustrating trip to the doctor's (I was plagued by a mysterious wrist injury that I'll probably post about later). My mom suggested the idea of a third cat, and so we went to the local humane society and there he was!
I tend to be a bit of a cat lover, obviously, we do have three cats now, but Boots is just lovely. I love that he's cuddly but also playful, and his little white paws are adorable. Okay, I'll stop the kitten ramble now. Corbie and Vinda are tolerant, but not especially pleased. They're okay with him as long as he doesn't come too close, but they get pretty upset if he gets in their area. (He loves to taunt them, though!) It's really neat to have a young cat, I haven't had a kitten in 8 years, it's incredible how much energy they have!
Anyhow, I think that's all for this post. Potential upcoming posts include:
My Bizarre Wrist Injury
I'm Terrible At Snowboarding
An Update On the Cello-ing
Jazz Dancing etc.
(Is it just me, or do these sound like TLC shows?)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tired!
This is just a quick post to tell you guys about my crazy but awesome day!
I had my big year-end show for dance today, and it went very well! We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and then the younger dancers had their recital first, so I was backstage helping them change. I don't think there was a moment when I wasn't changing one of the children except when I had to change myself! (We were the sort of "senior number" of that show near the end).
After all that I had my show, with some crazy costume changes, but a lot of fun as well. It was my first time performing en pointe!
At the end I got what's basically the top student award for the school! I couldn't believe it.
Anyway, that was just my ramble for the day, I promise I will post ukulele pictures soon!
Dorothy
I had my big year-end show for dance today, and it went very well! We had our dress rehearsal this afternoon and then the younger dancers had their recital first, so I was backstage helping them change. I don't think there was a moment when I wasn't changing one of the children except when I had to change myself! (We were the sort of "senior number" of that show near the end).
After all that I had my show, with some crazy costume changes, but a lot of fun as well. It was my first time performing en pointe!
At the end I got what's basically the top student award for the school! I couldn't believe it.
Anyway, that was just my ramble for the day, I promise I will post ukulele pictures soon!
Dorothy
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Cello!
A couple weeks ago I rented a cello! It's an instrument I've wanted to play for a long time now, and when we found out that one of my mom's friends was an experienced cellist and willing to give me lessons in exchange for babysitting her kids, it looked like a great opportunity!
So far I've had one lesson, which was awesome, and I feel like I'm starting to slowly get it. I find the fingering part pretty easy (probably from ukulele) and also because my cello has these nifty stripes that tell me where to put my fingers. Eventually I'll probably take them off if I'm still on this cello when I'm more advanced, they're just for beginners, but for now I love them.
On the other hand, I find the bowing part of it REALLY hard. My hand keeps cramping up and I find it hard to hold it. It just feels so odd to me still. I think it'll get better as I progress, though.
Last summer my goal was to be moderately-okay at ukulele, and this summer I have a bit of a grander ambition, cello. I think it will be quite a bit more difficult to get proficient at, but I'm willing to put the work in. I love the rich, deep tone of it, and even though right now all I can play is the basics like "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" in a very scratchy way, I'm loving it.
Sorry my posts have been so sporadic, I will have a new post coming up as I've just purchased two new ukuleles. (I know. That makes 5, though I am planning to give away my Mahalo.) Those little things are so darn addictive! On the ukulele forums I go on they call it Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome, if you think I'm bad, some of the people there have over 10!
As always, thanks for reading!
Dorothy
So far I've had one lesson, which was awesome, and I feel like I'm starting to slowly get it. I find the fingering part pretty easy (probably from ukulele) and also because my cello has these nifty stripes that tell me where to put my fingers. Eventually I'll probably take them off if I'm still on this cello when I'm more advanced, they're just for beginners, but for now I love them.
On the other hand, I find the bowing part of it REALLY hard. My hand keeps cramping up and I find it hard to hold it. It just feels so odd to me still. I think it'll get better as I progress, though.
Last summer my goal was to be moderately-okay at ukulele, and this summer I have a bit of a grander ambition, cello. I think it will be quite a bit more difficult to get proficient at, but I'm willing to put the work in. I love the rich, deep tone of it, and even though right now all I can play is the basics like "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" in a very scratchy way, I'm loving it.
Sorry my posts have been so sporadic, I will have a new post coming up as I've just purchased two new ukuleles. (I know. That makes 5, though I am planning to give away my Mahalo.) Those little things are so darn addictive! On the ukulele forums I go on they call it Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome, if you think I'm bad, some of the people there have over 10!
As always, thanks for reading!
Dorothy
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Toronto 2010!
Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time! I have a (moderately) valid excuse, though, and that was that I was in Toronto!
I flew out with a bunch of my awesome friends (including Nicole, Daniel, and Calla) and there we participated in a national Shakespeare festival. We also had some extra time to sightsee, and I decided to stay an extra few days to visit with my sister Sarah. While I was there for my lovely 9-day holiday, I went to the Toronto Zoo, Toronto Island, Lawrence Market, Eaton's Centre, I saw Mamma Mia and I got to go to the Corktown Ukulele Jam along with a bunch of other fun stuff! Needless to say I have over 300 photos, I'd love to post them all, but I think it would take too long to scroll through them, so here are just a few from my trip.
This is the street our awesome hostel was on!
The streetcar pulling into it's underground station
This is a geocache we found on Toronto Island! It was massive and really awesome. I got the album Voulez Vous (ABBA) on vinyl and it actually plays!
Stickers from the uke jam! And no, I don't actually have glasses, but I plan to pass it on to someone that does if they'll get around to learning the uke. (*cough* Nicole *cough* :D)
All my subway transfers! I took one every time I passed a machine.
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