Archive for March, 2008

Sabbatical Notes From Underground: Writing with Power

Monday, March 31st, 2008
Sabbatical Notes From Underground:  Writing with Power

Part of my sabbatical plan was also to read Peter Elbow’s cookbook, which my brother Karl told me years ago was the best book about writing he ever read. Granted, it may have been the only book about writing he ever read, but he was an English major before he went to seminary,... more »

Posted in Books, Sabbatical | 1 Comment »

at age 15

Friday, March 21st, 2008
at age 15

Guest poet Kylie writes in honor of Maia’s fifteenth birthday. at age 15 she does a squirmy dance. hair of a man on her legs, on her head; of a goddess. wearer of Chacos, whose eyes disappear when she smiles a grin so wide her face should split. heart of a lioness. squeal of a pig. peals of laughter come from deep within a soul untainted. no... more »

Posted in Poems | 3 Comments »

Flight

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Flight

Sherman Alexie is probably most famous for writing the screenplay to Smoke Signals back in 1998. Since then, he’s been doing some other things, like competing in the World Heavyweight Poetry Bout and doing stand up comedy. But 2007 saw a novel burst. He published both Flight and The Absolutely True... more »

Posted in Books, Sabbatical | 1 Comment »

Three Cups of Tea

Thursday, March 13th, 2008
Three Cups of Tea

For once I’m on the book band wagon. Duluth’s One Book read this spring is Three Cups, and there have been discussion groups at LSC (one of which I’ve attended), plus Greg Mortenson himself is speaking here in a week or so and Sherry and I have tickets (courtesy of Stacy Johnston... more »

Posted in Books | No Comments »

On stopping by Blackhoof on a sunny afternoon with Keith and Mocha

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
On stopping by Blackhoof on a sunny afternoon with Keith and Mocha

Winter showed a chink in her armor today. “I hope you don’t mind dog shit,”? he says. A rumpled black plastic bag covers a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Springer Mocha snuffles modestly. I shove my skis in the back. Later under a blue sunlit dome we load sled to be pulled to the shack behind skis. Tool bag,... more »

Posted in General Musings, Poems | 2 Comments »

Go ahead. Calculate your Well-Being. You know you want to.

Friday, March 7th, 2008
Go ahead.  Calculate your Well-Being.  You know you want to.

My friend Greg Connor wrote a masters thesis a few years ago where he explores the possibilities of measuring Well Being – what might be called Happiness – which he also equates with Wealth. Now he’s developing a website (under construction – but the calculator works) where you can calculate your own Well Being.... more »

Posted in General Musings | 2 Comments »

Sabbatical Notes From Underground: Mina P. Shaughnessy: Her Life and Work

Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Sabbatical Notes From Underground: Mina P. Shaughnessy:  Her Life and Work

Jane Maher’s biography of Shaughnessy is my second sabbatical read (one academic book of the month club), and I finished it right on schedule yesterday (thank heavens for leap day!). Back when I was planning my sabbatical over a year ago, I wanted to reconnect with the passion of my graduate school... more »

Posted in Books, Sabbatical | 2 Comments »