renegade element

Humbled.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:22:05 -0500

I do something stupid and you're all there for me.

Wow.

Tag, you're it.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:38:53 -0500

This post is written specifically to you, my social network. This week, I've done something crazy.

I quit my job.

I hear the shrieks now. "What??!?! Are you nuts?" "Don't you know the economy has taken a nose dive??" "We just saw you at a national conference! Why didn't you say anything then?" Believe me, I doubt you're saying anything to me that I haven't already said to myself. But I think being at High Ed Web only highlighted that, in Milwaukee, I was surrounded by people from across this hemisphere who love what they do and put up with a lot in order to do it. You tend to see that kind of drive and motivation within social media and higher ed. It's one of the many things that trips my trigger. In my case, however, the technologies I use, the events I engage with because I love being part of them were not things I was doing for my specific job at Penn State. They were things I was doing for me. The last four conferences I've been at? Not funded by my department. That's right, folks. Over $2000 in hard earned currency for two national conferences, because I felt that strongly about presenting and connecting with others in this field. I've also had to take vacation time in order to pursue the kind of professional development I've felt was necessary and relevant to my interests. Thank goodness for friends who felt it was important I was in the mix as well, because they let me room with them to make this happen. Those are good people, folks. I don't take that lightly.

I can hear you, you know. You're sitting there, shaking your head, asking "Why?"

Perhaps it's all in your point of view.

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:18:25 -0500

She climbs a tree and scrapes her knee,
Her dress has got a tear.
She waltzes on her way to Mass
And whistles on the stair.
And underneath her wimple
She has curlers in her hair!
I even heard her singing in the abbey!

She's always late for chapel

(but her penitence is real).

She's always late for everything

(except for every meal).

I hate to have to say it,
But I very firmly feel
Maria's not an asset to the abbey.

I'd like to say a word in her behalf:
Maria makes me laugh!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!

Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her,
Many a thing she ought to understand.
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say?
How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

When I'm with her I'm confused
Out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Unpredictable as weather
She's as flighty as a feather
     She's a darling!
                                    She's a demon!
                 She's a lamb!

She'd outpester any pest
Drive a hornet from its nest
She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl
She is gentle! She is wild!
She's a riddle! She's a child!
     She's a headache!
                                    She's an angel!
           ..... She's a girl.

Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

--The Sound Of Music

Let the adventure begin.

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:25:43 -0500

I'm in Milwaukee for the beginning of the long anticipated high ed web conference (#heweb09). So far, we've had our fair share of flying by the seat of our pants mode -- arriving a day early without a room, or a plan, or a roommate with a plan (thank goodness that one was rectified). Wandered around the hotel a bit before finding the planning committee putting the finishing touches on swag bags (I walked in just as everything was finished--my timing is dead on) and getting ready to a walking tour of the conference rooms. Introductions were made easy for those with picture twitter avatars, and I felt like I had stepped into a room of friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Isn't it like that?

Speak to me.

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:53:42 -0500

I wondered what would be the worth of my words in the world
if i write them and then recite them are they worth being heard
just because i like them does that mean i should mic them
and see what might unfurl

i think of the significance of my opinions here
is it significant to be giving them does anybody care
just because i'm into this does that mean i should live like it
and really do i dare

art, art i want you
art you make it pretty hard not to
and my heart is trying hard here to follow you
but i can't always tell if i ought to

so i pondered the point of my art in this life
if i make it will someone take it and think it's genuine
will they be glad that i did 'cause they got something good out of it
will they leave me and be any more inspired

i question the outcome of the outpouring of myself
if i tell everyone my stories will this keep me healthy and well
will it give me purpose, to this world some sort of service
is it worth it, how can i tell

art, art...
-- Tanya Davis

Turning point.

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:11:03 -0500

wa⋅ter⋅shed

/ ˈwɔtərˌʃɛd, ˈwɒtər-/ [waw-ter-shed, wot-er-]

-noun

	an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.: The treaty to ban war in space may prove to be one of history's great watersheds.

It's quiet this morning. The weather is turning cooler, encouraging burrowing under the comforter and lounging, with no place to go, nothing to do. Leaves are turning and falling, and the black walnut trees are filling my backyard with their green pods, so that soon I'll have to collect them before the next mowing. I love mornings like this, where I have a fresh pot of coffee, and plenty of space to think.

Adoption.

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:32:44 -0500

I was partially adopted. I doubt many people realize that about me. It's not a tragic story; upon discovering I was being given away, the father stepped in and took me to raise on his own. This was highly unusual "back in the day," and probably accounts for a good bit of my skewed outlook on life. We were a pair for several years before he found someone to add to the mix. The woman he ended up marrying grew up in Iowa and vowed to escape at the first opportunity, so it was a compatible match: he procured a replacement mother to raise me while she, in turn, got a golden ticket out of the Midwest to explore the world. Given the situation, I didn't have much in terms of a family tree. My father's family was long gone, himself orphaned at an early age and raised by his sister before joining the merchant marines and the war effort. As for my mother, to this day I know nothing of the woman who was set to give me away, not even her name. The adoption, however, did bring with it a set of half-relatives and foreign family traditions.

Taking a break.

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:52:12 -0500

This is the week of vacation. I've been looking forward to it all summer, wistfully watching friends and coworkers take off to exotic locales, or visiting family, or just getting away from the daily grind. I've noticed that it's taken me a bit of time to slow down, and I think that's typical--after all, it's usually my job to plan, coordinate, verify, count bodies (not including ones I've buried and we don't talk about) and generally ensure that countdown to--and arrival at--our destination is successful. Until that point, it's really not possible to totally relax and let go. There are a lot of the little things to be done before departing: cleaning up the odds and ends at work, watering houseplants, clearing out the post office box, making sure that house and dog are being cared for and attended to. You tell the neighbors not to panic when they see strange people staying at the house, and to please take advantage of the spoils of the garden, before things actually spoil. Vacation prep is work; and you hope that you've remembered it all. Which of course, you haven't, but once that car pulls away and gets far enough down the road, you hit that point of no return, where you realize you can replace the non-essentials, but the essential--vacation--is in front of you.

Happy camping from afar.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:57:17 -0500

It's Day 1 of Learning Design Summer Camp! I wish I was in the thick of things today. Right about now, the campers are arriving, finding a seat, looking for available outlets (because that will affect the seat you choose, of course!) checking out their name tags, adding stickers, and getting acquainted. It's a wonderful thing, feeling the energy in the air, knowing just how engaged people will be in this event. It's a very full two days--and at the end, your head is about to explode with the great information, cool ideas, worthwhile directions and new contacts to add to your portfolio. While I'm not able to be there in person, I'm certainly there in spirit.

Happy camping from afar from robin2go on Vimeo.

Happy camping -- and MORE COWBELL!

Planes, trains, and automobiles.

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:20:07 -0500

So, Sunday afternoon and I'm finally in Chicago. I think I've been on every form of public transportation since I've gotten here as I've found my way from O'Hare to downtown Chicago. Stopped in for a bite and a beer at this cross between a diner and a steakhouse. Friendly people, fab food. I don't recommend carting a 25 lb suitcase, a computer and a bag through the transit system, but am looking forward to lightening the load and getting a chance to sightsee.

Planes, trains, and automobiles from robin2go on Vimeo.

Flipping for camp.

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:53:36 -0500

While most people I know are gearing up for this year's Learning Design Summer Camp, I'm getting ready to depart Happy Valley and head to Chicagoland for the eduWEB Conference, being held at exactly the same time. I'm presenting with @NikkiMK on your favorite microblogging platform (and mine), Twitter, and how to use it to your advantage in higher education. While I'm excited about the opportunity to present, I'm already feeling that I'm missing out on the fun of LDSC. So this year, I'm going to participate from a distance by moving outside my comfort zone and do some vlogging with a Flip video, made possible by Cole and the ETS crew. Ready? Aaaand we're off!

Rockstars.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:37:20 -0500

Back in the day, I used to be a DJ. To prove how old I am, I was on the air back before Howard Stern could say anything he wanted, in olden days when you actually had to have an FCC license. Really. I spent 10 years in radio, first in high school outside Princeton, then in college in Austin, and even in a renegade SUNY station in midtown Manhattan. I even spun at a dance club for a while on the east side (dead shift Sunday-Mondays, but still) until a couple guys with guns came running through the club and out the back door. I decided I could do without that kind of excitement--or critics, for that matter. And of course, I was heavy into the indie music scene, with friends in groups playing all the cool NYC clubs (a moment of silence, please, for the now defunct CBGB, may it rest in historic music and sticky floor peace). If I wasn't with the band, I knew a guy who knew a guy. I've had more backstage passes than I can count, and I felt seriously cool, even if it was only by association.

Stan, Stan, he's our man.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:36:48 -0500

I've worked for Penn State for a number of years. My first job was as a staff assistant, and I worked my way up from there. It wasn't what I wanted to be when I grew up, but it was a good job with benefits--and when you have a family, benefits are a Good Thing. (Ask Martha.) One of the biggest "perks" is the educational benefit which allows employees a 75% tuition break on Penn State courses. This is not a benefit of which I took immediate advantage. We had a young family and priorities revolved around raising them. As kids grew and started to transition into middle school, however, coordinating people and schedules started to get a little easier and I was able to take the occasional moment to stop and catch my breath, and take stock.

It was during one of those taking stock moments I realized I wasn't very happy with where I was and what I was doing.

Under pressure.

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:28:52 -0500

It's going on 10pm, and I've just gotten home after an early morning departure, a full day of work, meetings and a great lunch gathering, after work errands, plus trying to create a couple of presentations. Home feels good. And then I realize--I have no blog post for the day. I actually have one for tomorrow, believe it or not. But today? Nope.

Nada.

Nothing. (sigh)

Nuts.

Because it matters.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:07:11 -0500

My daughter, The Coed, is in North Dakota this summer, working as a camp counselor at a God camp. It's an awesome opportunity for her, but it's the first time she's been verrrrrrry far away for so long (she left for camp in early May). There is no stopping by to pick up a few things, no showing up at my desk for a surprise hello when she's on campus, no coming home for Sunday, Bloody Sunday (our standing end-of-weekend family dinner of steaks on the grill). Instead, we get an occasional text message or facebook update which is about all she can manage due to the time zones and schedules. On Sunday, however, I managed to grab the early morning phone call and had a wonderful conversation with her before she went off to KP duty. And you know what I got an earful of? Happiness and laughter.