Meet my Pups

I've mentioned them before, but here are my two pups: Buffy and Baxter. =) They're a fun pair, even if they do shed a lot. Buffy is the yellow lab mix, and Baxter is the black lab mix. I took that pic of Buffy today when I was trying to get one of my son; she just sat in front of me and posed.

Grading, grading, grading... and listening to Christmas Music

It's that time of semester where you guys are either done or finishing finals... and I'm grading my eyes out! LOL. I'm trying to get everything done so that you guys can have your final grades via Blackboard soon. I must say, though, I'm actually enjoying this. :) While it is work, I love reading what you guys have to say, whether it's in the essays or in the blogs. Look out for my comments. :) I'm glad no one's around right now because I'd look rather silly - I laugh out loud, talk to the screen, and make hand gestures while I'm reading/grading. Yea, I'll be okay. ;)

While I'm grading, my son is sleeping and I'm listening to the Holly channel on the XM radio (via TV). I love this time of the year and I can't wait to really be able to enjoy it. Our house is decorated (mostly thanks to my hubby), our Christmas tree is up, our nativity set is up, our gazillion stuffed Santa Mickey's and parachuting Santa's are up, our stockings are up, and our advent "house" is up. Oh yea, our countdown to Christmas is also up along with an array of light-up musical toys that my son loves to press all at once, leading to a disjointed chorus of Christmas carols.

I also FINALLY got a semi-decent picture of my son by the tree so I can send out Christmas cards. Of course, my son looks rather gaunt since this stomach bug that hit him this week left him some three pounds lighter. He wasn't much in the mood to smile, but I was able to get a cute one out of some fifty-some pics I took. Thank goodness for digital cameras! (Ah, technology). I wanted a pic with Santa (those have been the pics for the last two years), but unfortunately, health and time haven't been on my side.

I'm not complaining though. I have had a wonderful semester thanks to all of you. I wish you all so much luck and success in every aspect of your lives. If you'd like to stay in touch, by all means, please do! And in the manner of Hamlet's ghost: "Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me."

Final Topic: ALL CLASSES

How was your semester? What new things did you learn (either in my class or in any other class)? Was there a particularly good or funny moment? Was there a particularly challenging moment? Share your final thoughts in a paragraph.

Deadline for ALL BLOGS

Well guys, it's been fun. The semester is quickly coming to a close. Next week is the last week of classes. By Thursday of next week (12/10), you should have a total of 16 blog posts. Because there has been a lack of posts, commenting has been difficult; therefore, I have shortened the comments requirement to 8 replies. Any posts and/or replies posted AFTER Thurs 12/10 will NOT be considered.

Here is a breakdown of the points assigned:

• Creating and setting up blog = 10 pts
• 8 replies = 1o pts
• 16 posts @ 5 pts each = 80 pts

The total you can earn in the above is 100 pts. HOWEVER, if you go over the 16 posts, you will earn 5 pts extra per post. That translates to extra credit.

Thanksgiving Topic: ALL CLASSES

In honor of Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? Give me one paragraph (minimum), and begin with a topic sentence.

Happy writing! And, Happy Thanksgiving!

Multi-Tasking

I'm sitting out here on a black folding chair with my lap top on my, well, lap. I'm on Blackboard, grading papers, making quizzes, and preparing for this (short) week's assignments. And I'm blogging. I'm not in my house; no. I'm sitting on our front driveway, with a folding table full of white elephants that we've collected over the years. I'm sitting underneath a portable, blue "pop-up" tent that my husband put up, and I'm hoping it won't rain. And I'm enjoying the quiet breeze that tickles my skin. The sky, darkening some, promises rain, although I don't know whether that promise will be kept soon.

I'm multi-tasking.

I also have a somewhat mild case of cabin fever since I haven't really left my house much recently, especially over the last three weekends, particularly because of my son, then my, being sick. Today, I took some Tylenol Multi-Symptom cold meds (because I'm still not feeling great), and decided enough's enough. I have things to do, papers to grade, lessons to plan. If I'm not better (although I'm taking antibiotics, so hopefully, I soon will be better), then I at least have to simulate that I'm better so I can get stuff done. It's been rather productive, thank goodness.

My mom came over to help watch my son, although he's napping now. My husband is starting to put out some Christmas decorations. And I sit here, quietly, grading papers and waiting patiently for some customers who might want to relieve me of these white elephants on my driveway.

Can I Scream?

Can I yell, clenching my fists and waving them like a madwoman? Can I groan, covering my face with my hands in hopes that all goes away? Can I wail and stomp my feet like a frustrated toddler? Can I bury my head in the sand like an ostrich, theoretically of course since ostriches don't really bury their heads in sand.

Why, you ask, do I seem frustrated and angry? I'll tell you why. I'm so sick (pardon the pun - not quite intended) of the flu season! I admit we've been lucky that we haven't been hit (yet) with the actual flu (H1N1 or regular), but it seems as if it's been just as bad. My son is sick AGAIN. He woke up this morning with a barking cough, a runny nose, and a slight fever. This time the lovely culprit is croup (which is really just the name of the symptom caused by one of those wonderful things we call viruses). I mean, seriously? C'mon! He was sick last week with an ear infection and a cold (and I got sick thanks to that). A month before that, he had another ear infection, small cold, and a really nasty case of hand-foot-mouth disease. Oh, and did I mention that his nails are falling off? Yes, that's right. On his hands, one has fallen off completely; another is half-way off. I discovered two more nails that are starting to peel, and I see signs of the same on his toes. We're going to see a dermatologist tomorrow morning.

Today when we went to the doctor's office, one of the nurses saw him and, eyes widening, said, "Now what?!" We've been there three times in the last two weeks. ARGH! I don't want to get sick again, so I've been doubling up with vitamin C, zinc, B-complex and all natural stuff. But I feel awful for my munchkin. It seems as if it's been one thing after another. I'm ready for this flu season to be over. Wake me up when it's done, please.

Another assigned topic: ALL CLASSES

So, just because I've been asked for more assigned topics, here's another one. You may use it for this week or next week.

Finish this thought: ___________ is the best feeling in the world.

(And no mind in gutters, please!)

Write one paragraph that begins with that line. The rest of the sentences in the paragraph should describe that feeling.

Here's mine:

Receiving an unexpected hug or kiss from my son is the best feeling in the world. I am sitting on the sofa at home with the laptop on my lap. My two-year-old son is sitting next to me watching Ni Hao Kai Lan. All of a sudden, he smiles at me and leans over, planting loud smacks on my arm. Then, he stands up (on the sofa) and throws his arms around me, laying his head on my shoulder. It makes my heart melt. I stop grading and hold him for a few seconds, knowing full well that in a matter of years he won't be offering up these moments of affection so easily. He doesn't say "I love you" very well yet, but this is just as good. It's one of those moments that erase easily any sleepless nights, back-talk, stubborn "no's," or pull-your-hair-out episodes. I live for these moments.

Extra Credit: Miami Book Fair

It's here! The Miami Book Fair International, which takes place every year at MDC's Wolfson Campus (by Bayside, Downtown Miami), began today. Every night this week, they have a scheduled author /event. Then, the street fair, which is the highlight of the event, opens its doors this Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15. I strongly urge you to attend as it will be not only educational but fun (gasp!). There are many events, such as readings, discussions, children's events, and yummy food, and everywhere you look you'll see books, books, and more books (in several languages, too)!

Take a look at the website: http://www.miamibookfair.com/.

If you go and attend one of the readings or forums, write a review of it, and you'll receive extra credit. :)

Blog Assignment: ALL CLASSES

Hi guys,

Here's a topic for this (or next) week:

Pick a time when you felt an overwhelming fear and write one paragraph describing and narrating that moment. Begin your paragraph with a topic sentence (e.g. A moment in my life when I felt an overwhelming fear was when __________.) That is just an example, but remember that it has to tell the reader what your paragraph will be about.

Here's mine:

Last week, I had an experience that, up to now, has been the scariest in my life. My husband had gotten home, and my son had already had dinner. It was before Halloween, so we had some candy in our plastic orange bowl appropriately dubbed "the Halloween bowl." In it were pieces of foil-covered chocolates, small yellow boxes of Dots, some miniature versions of favorite candies, and one or two individual-sized Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I felt like picking on something, so I opened up a box of Dots and my son decided he had to have one. Since he'd had them before without a problem, I didn't hesitate to give him one. Meanwhile, my husband had prepared himself a cheese sandwich and my son promptly asked him for "more, " meaning, he wanted what daddy was having. My husband didn't see him chewing, so he assumed my son had already eaten his candy. Moments later, my son begins gagging and trying to cough. As I look up at him, I notice him bent over our coffee table and his face was turning purple. My husband leaped over our sofa to him, picked him up, turned him upside down, and started patting his back and doing the finger sweep. Nothing was coming out and my son's face was turning a darker shade. I scrambled in circles to find the phone and dial 911. When the operator answered, I blurted: "My two-year-old is chocking!" At that moment, I heard my son cry, his sobs coming out almost hysterically. My husband had kept flipping him upside down and doing the sweep until finally the candy had dislodged, and my son had spit out the un-chewed yellow Dots. I have never felt so scared and every time I think about how wrong that could have gone, I feel the same panic overcome me.

Checking In

Well, mid-semester is upon us and I'm checking in on how everyone's doing. Remember to keep your blogs up-to-date, including assigned topics. The last few weeks have been free topics, but for my ENC 1102 - you guys have an assigned one this week. You have to "review" one of the author presentations that you enjoyed or in which you learned something new and interesting.

I have left you all in good hands next week while I'm away at the writer's conference next week. I'm really excited about it because 1) I have a manuscript consultation (my first!) and 2) I get to improve on my writing and learn new things that I can bring to you guys. :) I'm also looking forward to the opportunity to catch up on grading!

Check your Blackboard accounts as I will be communicating via Blackboard!

In Search of Healthy Horizons

Okay, so maybe that title is a bit melodramatic, but I find it funny how the age-old saying "when it rains, it pours" just rings true sometimes. After having that small sinus/ear/throat infection, my son came down with a pretty nasty case of Hand-Foot-Mouth disease. That was not the best way of spending a week, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally began eating well and the rash on his face (his entire chin/mouth area had scabbed from the rash/sores), hands, and feet cleared up. Well, just when everything seems to be going back to normal - he went back to school yesterday and "pushed" me out of the door - I go and break my little toe! I had never broken a bone in my life - until now, that is. It's a small fracture, nothing big, and it could have been worse. So far it seems as if this minor fracture won't set me back much, and I'm very thankful for that. I just find it funny how everything piles up so close together. Oh well.

Oh yea, and while I was at the Urgent Care center, waiting (and waiting...and waiting), cases of flu kept being confirmed (regular flu, not H1N1, but from what the nurse was telling me, they're not exactly testing for H1N1 there anyway). Fun. As soon as I got home, I drank some Airborne and took more vitamin C - just in case. The LAST thing I need is to come down with the flu!

Other than that, the semester is well underway. We're swiftly approaching the mid-way mark, and registration for the winter 2010 term should begin soon (I believe it's Nov 3). I hope everyone's settling nicely and no one is getting overwhelmed with midterms approaching.

Interesting Article

I found this article and thought it was interesting to share, not because of the "treasure found" but because of the history lesson embedded in the article. I know we were talking (albeit briefly) in 1101 about the roots of English, and this has a little information about that.

Largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure found in UK

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press Writer – 15 mins ago

LONDON – An amateur treasure hunter prowling English farmland with a metal detector stumbled upon the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, a massive seventh-century hoard of gold and silver sword decorations, crosses and other items, British archaeologists said Thursday.

One expert said the treasure found by 55-year-old Terry Herbert would revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the fifth century until the Norman conquest in 1066. Another said the find would rank among Britain's best-known historic treasures.

"This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue," Roger Bland, who managed the cache's excavation, told The Associated Press. "It will make us rethink the Dark Ages."

The Anglo-Saxons, a group of Germanic tribes, gradually invaded England by sea starting in the fifth century in the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Originally, they came from what is now the coastal region of northwest Germany.

Their artisans made striking objects out of gold and enamel and created poetry including "Beowulf," an anonymous epic poem about a warrior who does battle with monsters and a dragon.

Archaeologist Kevin Leahy, who catalogued the find, said the stash appeared to be war loot and included dozens of pommel caps — decorative elements attached to the knobs of sword handles. He noted that "Beowulf" contains a reference to warriors stripping the pommels of their enemies' weapons as mementoes.

But much other Anglo-Saxon literature and artwork has been lost through warfare, looting, upheavals and the passage of time, leaving scanty evidence for scholars of the period.

Bland said the hoard was unearthed in what was once Mercia, one of five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and is thought to date to 675-725 AD.

The hoard consists of at least 650 items of gold and 530 silver objects weighing more than 2.2 pounds (1 kilo), along with some copper alloy, garnets and glass.

A total of 1,345 items have been examined by experts and 56 lumps of earth were found to contain metal artifacts detected by an X-ray machine, meaning the total will likely rise to about 1,500.

Most of the objects are ornaments for weapons and other military artifacts, some inlaid with precious stones.

"I think wealth of this kind must have belonged to a king but we cannot say that for absolute certain," Bland said.

Leslie Webster, the former curator of Anglo-Saxon archaeology at the British Museum, said the amount of gold uncovered — about 11 pounds (5 kilograms) — suggested that early medieval England was a far wealthier place than previously believed.

She also said the crosses and other religious artifacts mixed in with the mainly military items, might shed new light on the relationship between Christianity and warfare among the Anglo-Saxons.

Herbert, from the western English town of Burntwood, found the gold on a friend's farm on July 5 and spent the next five days scouring the field for the rest of the hoard, recovering the first items before professional archaeologists took over the excavation.

"Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like," Herbert said. "I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items."

The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner, which means it will now be valued by a committee of experts and offered up for sale to a museum. Proceeds would be split 50-50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact location is being kept secret to deter looters.

Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the worth of the hoard, but he said the treasure hunter could be in line for a "seven-figure sum."

Herbert said the experience had been "more fun than winning the lottery," adding that one expert likened his discovery to finding Tutankhamen's tomb.

"I just flushed all over when he said that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up," Herbert said.

The treasure is in storage at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Some of the items are due to go on display starting Friday.

One of the most intriguing objects in hoard is a small strip of gold inscribed with a warlike Latin quotation from the Old Testament, which translates as: "Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face."

The strip may have been fastened to a shield or a sword belt.

Bland said archaeologists were still baffled by the function of many of the pieces.

"There's lots of mystery in it," he said.

___

Associated Press Writer David McHugh in London contributed to this report.

Extra Credit! Extra Credit! Read All About It!

Here's an extra credit opportunity. Tomorrow is Constitution Day and we're celebrating the 222nd anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution. As such, there will be a presentation tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 17 at South Campus, titled THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CONSTITUTION DAY. If you attend and write a brief summary of the presentation and what you thought about it, I will give you extra credit! Check your Blackboard email for more specific information, such as time and place.

This week's topic - ALL CLASSES

Last Friday, we remembered the events of September 11, 2001. It was a moment in our recent history that most of us remember vividly. So, as Alan Jackson's song says, "where were you when the world stopped turning?" Narrate in at least a paragraph what you were doing the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Where were you? What went through your mind at that moment? We don't need to get into inflammatory remarks as the aftermath took shape and we got shreds of information. What I want to know is, at that precise moment when the events took place, where were you?

At the time, I was working at the FIU Police Department as a secretary. When we heard the news, I can't remember how we heard, just that suddenly we all knew something big was happening, we crowded around a small, battery-operated television set and watched in disbelief. Both towers had already been hit, but none of us imagined that those towers would crumble. When they did, we probably sat with our mouths gaping, tears in our eyes, and images of people jumping from the windows ingrained in our minds. Somewhere in between, we got news about the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania. The rest of that day remains a jumble of chaos and memories as most of us left early to go home, just in case.

Losing more family

Death is a curious thing. We tend to want to hate it, crush it, spit on it and turn it away; we don't like it, especially when it takes someone we love or it hurts those we love. Many of you know I lost my father. It was on Valentine's day last year, forever marking that (for some, overrated) holiday. It was hard, and it lead me to write the book I'm writing. He was the first of his siblings to die. He was the fourth of six. The eldest is eighty-two or eighty-three.

This morning, on my way in, I received a call that my father's brother, the second oldest, had passed away in the early morning hours in Colombia. He died a year and almost 7 months after my father, leaving the rest to wonder who's next, a sentiment that my aunt expressed to me when I spoke with her this afternoon. Two down, four to go. What a sad concept for those of us left behind to comprehend. My uncle leaves behind a wife of over fifty years and eight adult children; the youngest is four months younger than I am. One of them, the youngest girl, just had her second son a week ago. Some are born while others die. It's the cycle of life.

So today was a sad day for me. It brought back the flurry of emotions and the weight and darkness that came when my father died. It cemented my mortality and that of those I love even more.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Last night, my husband and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I had been dying to see it since it came out, but circumstances prevented our being able to see it upon release. We finally got the chance yesterday. Now, I have read the last two books of the Harry Potter series, and I have to admit that reading the book actually made the movie somewhat disappointing. It was still spectacular, and I sat at the edge of my seat waiting for scenes I knew would come with the same anticipation as if I were watching it for the first time (which, technically I was - I was watching the Hollywood portrayal for the first time). But the book was better. When I got home, I immediately took the book out and reread the ending because of course, the movie omitted many scenes from the book and changed other details.

Overall, the movie was good though. We laughed, we cringed, I turned my head away from some wicked scenes (like when the girl gets cursed with the necklace! It seriously made me think Exorcist!). It had all the elements of suspense, drama, romance, and comedy you could want in a movie; it's just that the book had more. I want to re-read the last book for the 3rd time and I wonder what the directors will choose to keep and omit from that one. The wait for the last movies will be excruciating, that's for sure.

1 More Rule for Blogs - Write in English!

I was reading through the blogs and felt I needed to clarify something: please write your posts in English. I mean, it IS an English class that you're in, so everything should be in English. If you've done a post in Spanish or any other language that's not English, please go back and re-write it in English. Otherwise, I won't be able to give you credit for it.

Sunday's Quote of the Day

I really like this quote by Bill Cosby, so I am going to post it here so it doesn't disappear from our minds:

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

This is very true in anything you do in life, not just school. I know many of you don't like writing, or think you're not good at it, etc., when in reality it just takes some hard work, believing in yourself (and a little bit of pixie dust - oops wrong program!). In all seriousness, this quote is marvelous. There's also another quote that I've been applying to my own writing. This one is by Esmeralda Santiago and it applies to writing directly:

"Inspiration is fickle; what you need is perspiration."

So, grab those deodorants and towels and start sweating!

My Summer

Since you're all posting about your summers, I thought I'd post, too. This summer was the first summer I've been off since I was 17. I was anticipating it fully and was excited about all the possibilities it would bring, especially since it meant being able to spend more time with my two-year-old son.

It started out engaging enough. I took a four-day memoir writing workshop with author Esmeralda Santiago (author of When I Was Puerto-Rican, The Turkish Lover, and others) and read her first book When I was Puerto-Rican. This served as the push I needed to really get my writing going, and I ended devoting nap times (a good 3 hours most days!) to writing. During my son's wake times, we'd go to the park, the pool, the zoo, or any other outdoor activity - when it wasn't raining of course. This is the most sun I've received in many MANY years. It felt good getting all that vitamin D.

In between the week-to-week duties, we took a few mini trips to Satellite Beach, Disney (have I mentioned that I love anything Disney?!) and even got to go on our first Disney Cruise - a 4-day magical sea adventure. I could live on that ship (if I didn't have to pay for it). I also got to practice some photography, do a couple scrapbook pages, and planned my son's 2nd birthday party - Go Diego Go themed - or as he says it, "Go Guy."

It was a wonderful summer and I bonded much with my little man. The down side of that is that going back to school (aka daycare for him) has been very rough, much more than any of anticipated. But such is life.

1st Blog Assignment - ALL Classes

Well, the first week of the new semester is well under way, and I thought I'd post here the first "Blog Assignment" as well as some extra info about the blog. This will be true for all my classes, which means that all of you should have your blogs set up and emailed to me by Sunday. You can go through your Blackboard account, or go to http://www.blogger.com, and click "Create Your Account." Once you have your account, log in to Blackboard and then using the course email, send me an email with your Blog URL in the message. The URL will be found on the top of the screen, where you would type in a web address, and it will be in the following format: http://yourblogname.blogspot.com (replace "yourblogname" with your actual blog name). The easiest thing to do is to copy and paste the URL. Once I receive the blogs, I will link them to the main blog (this one), and you will be able to view and comment on your classmates' blogs.

As for the first blog assignment, blog about something you did this summer. We'll start off slow, so it can just be a few sentences, but you're welcome to blog a few paragraphs if you'd like!

Welcome to Fall 2010-1!

New semesters are always full of anticipation, nerves, and imagining the possibilities. New years, too, provide the same sense of beginning. This fall, it's both a new semester and a new academic year; everything is possible, so reach for it!

I'm looking forward to this semester and this academic year. The sense of newness it brings excites me, and I hope that together, we make the most and best of this semester. As you make your way through your classes, whether it's your first semester or your last, enjoy it and think about all that you can, and will, accomplish!

Happy new academic year!

New Semester, New Blogs

I'm getting ready for the upcoming semester, so in the next couple weeks I will be taking down the blogs from here to make room for the new classes. If you're still blogging on here and want to let me know, email me so I can follow your blog; or, if you like following someone's blog, make sure you officially "follow" the blog (there's an icon) because otherwise, you won't be able to track them once I take them off.

I hope you're enjoying what's left of the summer and wish you much luck in the upcoming semester!! :)

Ratemyprofessor.com

Wow. Well, I just took a peak over there and was quite surprised. It almost seems as if someone really didn't like me. And that's okay; I mean, I'm here to teach, not win a popularity contest. I just wish the comments would've been more specific. Actually, that applies to both positive and negative comments and for all instructors: if you're going to leave a comment, leave a detailed one of what worked or didn't work for that professor. Believe me, it's helpful!

I did want to clarify something, though. The title Assistant Professor, is just that - a title. It doesn't mean "assistant" in the sense of being an assistant to someone. When someone starts as a new faculty member (not an adjunct/part-time) with a Master's degree, one starts with that title, and as you all know, I began as a full-time Professor at BC in January. There's a range of titles for Professors: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Senior Professor. They are all titles and usually are attributed to the professor's combination of experience and education.

I can't expect everyone to like me; heck, there are different learning styles and different teaching styles. While I try to do the best that I can, I am constantly learning, and by receiving constructive criticism as to what works or doesn't work helps me become a better instructor. I am a firm believer that we never start learning or modifying how we work, no matter the job, because when we do, we stop being effective.

Hope everyone's having a fun, and safe, summer!

New blog - for anyone that's interested

I wanted to share a new personal blog I created. It contains (or will contain) pictures and writings (poetry, fiction and nonfiction) that I take/do. I know some of you enjoy this stuff ;) so I thought I'd post it here for anyone that's interested.

http://musingsofwriterwannabe.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone's having an awesome summer!

Edwidge Danticat and Tananarive Due: Live at Historical Museum of SoFla

Hi guys,

I don't know how many of you are reading this, but I thought it would be interesting in case you are! In 1102, we read Edwidge Danticat's short story "Night Women," and it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet the author herself.

Here's the link http://www.hmsf.org/ and below is the info directly related to this event.

Event: African Diaspora Authors: Edwidge Danticat and Tananarive Due
Date/Time: Thursday, May 21/6:30 pm
Location: Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Address: 101 West Flagler Street, Miami 33130
Info/RSVP: For information, call 305.375.1492
Description: Miami is home to Black authors of diverse backgrounds. In this program, renowned novelists Tananarive Due, who grew up in Miami, and Edwidge Danticat, who lives here today, read from their best-selling works and discuss how living in South Florida has influenced their writing.

I hope you guys can make it!

The End of the Semester

Well, first of all I wanted to say thank you to all of you for a wonderful semester, craziness and all. You have welcomed me to the BC community and I thank you for that. I have truly enjoyed myself and I hope that you have as well, in between learning a few things here and there. ;)

My hope is that you've learned skills that will help you beyond ENC 1101 or 1102, skills that will help you in your future careers, not just in the rest of your academic stay at BC. These skills include critical thinking, following directions, incorporating research, preparing information, knowing audience and tone, and many more.

For those of you in ENC 1101, I hope that our readings and discussions (circle time anyone?!) were interesting and prodded you to think. After all, we should all be thinkers and not just follow a preset mold. You all have the ability to reason and think critically about topics - use it.

For those of you in ENC 1102, I hope that the selections of short stories and poems were interesting, too. I hope that the discussions we had helped you "read between the lines" and that they allowed you to have more focused strategy. I hope that you enjoyed the projects and that apart from skills discussed above, I was able to interest you (at least slightly!) in the lives and works of the authors we read. And I hope you found some enjoyment in Hamlet, especially when acting the scenes.

For both 1101 and 1102 students, believe it or not, the critical thinking that went into writing the in-class essays and out-of-class essays leaves in you specific skills that will help you in the future.

Thank you again, and in the words of Hamlet's Ghost: Adieu. Adieu. Adieu. Remember me.

I Am

From the Andes and the Amazon rainforest,
and from the sands of SoFi.
A mountain girl in the magic city,
bred with frijoles, sancocho and Burger King.
A speaker of romance whose tongue
becomes a contortionist -
Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril.
Roll your tongue, mija, ole, niña.
A gringa among my people;
a Latina among my people.
Confused for a stranger.
Across two continents, and two
languages, one woman,
mother,
daughter
lover.
A hyphen in an unhyphenated world.
A Paisa and Miamian born in Queens,
who celebrates Noche Buena with
buñuelos and natilla
then spends Christmas morning
unwrapping Santa Claus, Kris Kringle,
Father Christmas, El Niño Dios.
My father used to say in Latin,
de gustibus et coloribus non disputatum,
but we still argued
about the colors of our people.
My mother’s daughter,
a pseudo- perfectionist
who dreams of the Louvre and the Seine
while moving to Cumbia and Vallenato.
My mother’s mother and father’s father;
all the greats in one solitary shape.
Colombia patria querida.
America the beautiful.

© 2009 Alexandra Penaloza Alessandri

Someone stole my credit card number!

UGH! I got an email today from my bank that there were some questionable transactions. Great, I thought, but when we called, I nearly fell off my chair. Turns out that someone took my credit card number (because we had our cards) and charged over $17,000!!! The first transaction was done in Hialeah for the $17K at an auto glass shop 3 days ago, and the others were either gas stations or Home Depots in FL and MD! I felt like saying, are you serious?! I started trying to backtrack and see where I used my card last, but I guess it's almost impossible to track. Sigh. Just be careful with your stuff. You don't need to have the physical cards stolen to get robbed. I am grateful though that we were alerted today instead of when the next statement came in.... that would have been disastrous! And thankfully, it was the credit card and not the ATM/debit card. That would've been worse!

Hope you're all having a better weekend. ;) For those of you that celebrate Easter, Happy Easter! For those that are celebrating Passover, Happy Passover!

Inside a Barnes & Noble Café

I sit in the Starbucks café and look around me at the faces brimming with the aroma of
Café Lattes and Café Mochas.

They peer at the words dancing in front of them,
their rectangular eyes resting
on bridged noses, wondering where
Shakespeare found his talent, and the meaning
of juxtaposition.

Some carry their laptops with them
fidgeting in their seats as
they try to understand the way to
connect with knowledge without seeming
desperate. They hunger at the smell
of curiosity and ability.

Others sit in a huddle, reading
anxiously over algorithms, intervals and
quadratic equations. Their scarlet eyes tell of
desperation and lost scholarships balanced
precariously on final exams.

A few are mothers, breathing in the
caffeine, enough to replace a
few hours of sleep they don’t have. Their children –
some sitting and reading Tigger and Pooh or
the Backyardigans, others running
from their tables – leave them
yearning for solitude.

Most are silent, oblivious to the
cell phone conversations of breakups and
business arrangements or the intermittent
brewing and foaming that takes place
behind the counter. They sit steadily,
eyes fixed, engulfed in metaphysics and Milton.

I wonder if I had ever been like them, noses
insistent on snorting the words and becoming addicted
to layers of philosophy, submerged
in a world of similes and butterflies, oblivious to
antonyms and the bearded man at the counter.

© 2009 Alexandra Penaloza Alessandri

New Additions

I added a "quote of the day" to the blog. I considered adding "word of the day" too, but I couldn't find one whose format/code worked well here. I love quotes, so I thought the quote thing would be nice. I'm also working on a new faculty website that could help everyone. Granted, it's late for this semester (I just went to the class/training on Friday), but I may be able to get it up in time for the last few assignments. It should be informational and helpful, and it would have links to great online resources. We'll see how that goes.

And I know most of your are counting - 3 more weeks (give or take a day or two) until the end of classes! Phew! Most of you are probably planning your next moves, whether they be classes or summer activities. I will be planning my son's 2nd birthday, working on a few writing pieces (bits of the memoir, some short stories, and a poem or two), and maybe taking a couple trips to Disney. I wouldn't mind getting in some scrapbooking time (I have TONS of pics juts laying around that I need to organize) and maybe putting some order at home. Oh yea, and I want to get my son some swimming lessons, too, and maybe try to get in some pool/beach time, too. HA! One summer is not going to be enough time for all that!

But before the summer gets here.... we have the last three weeks of classes and papers to write. We will survive! ;) Hope you guys are having a wonderful (and HOT) weekend!

Blogging and Keeping Up

It seems as if many have forgotten that the blog is part of the grade. While I just don't have enough hours in a day to reply to the posts, I do read. And as I read, I notice that the dates start becoming further and further from the current date. For example, many of the blogs have a last post that is dated back to February, and some even to January! I mean, c'mon people. We're at the END of March. Not only that, but I'm noticing that the responses to posts has been slacking, too. I know it's a PITA, especially for those that aren't used to this, but it's still a requirement.

Now, for those of you that keep up with your blogs and your replies - thank you. I truly enjoy reading them and sometimes find myself either laughing by myself in the office (or at home) or remembering quite vividly being a freshman or sophomore in college (among other reactions).

Anyway, this was really just a reminder that the whole blogging thing is mandatory, and if you haven't kept up or you haven't started, your grade will suffer. It was also a thumbs up for those that are keeping up and contributing worthwhile posts and responses.

Harry Potter

So my newest obsession is Harry Potter. I finally read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in preparation for the film's release this July, and now I'm finding that I have to re-read the last book of the installment: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I started backwards, if you will, with the whole Harry Potter phenomena. I had never read the books when I was younger, and instead found myself fascinated with the movies. Both my husband and I love those types of movies. So, after the 5th movie, The Order of the Phoenix, I couldn't wait any longer and bought the last book of the series. That was the first Harry Potter book that I actually read. Then, I bought book 6 and read that one. I'm now anxiously awaiting the release of the film because I love comparing films and books, and I will finally be able to compare Harry Potter. Up until now, I've only been able to talk about the films. Now I can talk about both!

Other than Harry Potter, I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester! I hope to be able to keep up with the grading (not like I have much of a choice, now do I?). We get into interesting territory now, in both 1101 and 1102 classes! And before we know it, the end will be here and we'll be on our way into summer! Hip, hip, hurray!

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and dry weekend, and I'll see you all next week!

Spring Break is Here!

Okay, so it's been here for the last few days, but only now do I get to blog about it. I have to say that I think teachers look forward to Spring Break just as much as students do! It's either a chance to get away and take a much needed break in between a semester or the chance to play catch up with grading and school stuff. For me, it's the latter. I have been growing very acquainted with Grademark, a grading software from turnitin.com that allows me to grade papers online, with comments and symbols just as if I were writing on the actual paper. That allows you guys to see your essays and grades as soon as I finish your essay; you wouldn't have to wait until I finish everyone's paper. Of course, it's purely online and I'm new to it, so I'm still working out glitches and working on speeding the process, but so far I like it.

Other than that, I'm still nursing my son back to health. Thank goodness it's Spring Break because otherwise I'd be having to take time off! He went back to daycare 3 days last week only to get sick, again. This time, his ear infection from last week did not respond to antibiotics and got worse. He also got another cold which developed into croup. Ironically, I remember talking about croup recently to one of you. :) It really does sound like a barking seal! As a result of being out part of last week and now this week, he missed his class pictures. :( I know it's silly, but I was looking forward to getting a picture of him with all his little friends from school. We missed it last year because he hadn't started yet, so I was eagerly anticipating this year's class pictures (and anyone that knows me knows that I am a sucker for pictures). Stinks.

I am, though, getting tired of walking into daycare only to find kids with green boogers hanging out because that means my son is going to get sick. There's supposed to be a "sick policy" in place but that doesn't seem to be getting upheld. In the meantime, my mom, my husband, my mother-in-law and I (in a new job!) are all having to take time off over a month and a half period because of him being sick. If my son is sick I don't want him a) getting other kids sick and b) getting worse. Sigh. That's part of life in daycare.

Well, I hope you are all enjoying your time off. Hopefully, you can actually enjoy the break and do something fun. If not, well, at least enjoy having some time off from going to classes. ;)

See you all next week!

The adventures of the ER continue...

As you all know from my previous post, my husband's in the hospital. Well, last night I decided to come home to get some rest because what good am I to anyone if I get sick as well. It was a good thought, and I actually believe there was a higher power in making me take that decision. At 2:15 am my mom came frantic to my room with the baby in her arms because he was dry-heaving. She thought he couldn't breathe and was choking; he was actually throwing up massively. In her panic, and in me trying to calm her down and shake off my drowsiness, I grabbed the baby, but as I walked with him towards the room to assess the situation, I slipped on his vomit on the floor and took a nasty fall. Thankfully, I was able to spare L any of the impact; I am now wearing a nice multi-colored bruise on my leg and a small scrape on my arm. Badges of courage.

Anyway, after that scare, L was still throwing up periodically, so I called the doctor's answering service. I had to call THREE TIMES to finally get a call back almost TWO HOURS LATER! I was livid, and you better believe the office is going to hear about that! I was thisclose to calling 911, although I knew it really wasn't that much of an emergency - but he wouldn't stop throwing up. Once they finally called me, around 4ish in the morning, I was told to take him to the ER. Great. So my mom and I gathered everything, Tupperware container and paper towels included, and headed to the nearest children's ER. Well, as if that wasn't bad enough, as soon as we stepped out, we were blanketed by a dense cover of fog. I could barely see five feet in front of me! Driving in that kind of fog at those wee hours of the morning on a Sun morning was not my idea of a fun drive at all. If I don't have to do that ever again, I'll be quite happy. But we made it, in one piece, and five hours later, a couple more sessions of vomit, and a shot to stop the vomiting, we were discharged. He was diagnosed with some sort of stomach virus, and we were told of the lovely possibility of Mr. Diarrhea coming to join Ms. Vomit. Lovely.

I am thankful, though, that the chain of events happened the way they did. If I had not decided to come home to sleep, if L hadn't woken up earlier and my mom hadn't put him in bed with her, the outcome could've been a lot scarier. L didn't start throwing up until my mom picked him up. If he'd remained laying down, he could've choked - a VERY scary thought for me...

SO yes, my weekend has been so much fun. What a wonderful way to spend V-day weekend.

Thank goodness for Wi-fi

I've been seeking some healthy vibes for my family lately. My son had been sick with what appeared to be a mild case of Hand-Foot-Mouth disease, only to get a runny nose and cough right at the tail end of that. Then, my husband has been feeling ill for the last 3+ weeks, only to go in the the ER yesterday and get admitted into the hospital. No one knows what's going on and we get some best case and worst case scenarios. Gotta love those. Ironically, a year ago yesterday, my dad suffered a stroke that sent him to the ER and this morning (V-Day) a year ago he passed away. :*(

We originally got put into a shared room. For the largest part of last night until the early hours of today, the speckled curtains separated our side with our neighbor's side. We could see no one, but we could hear all. Next to us was, it seemed, an older man. I imagined a wrinkly old man with no family. He sounded much like my father did when he had had his amputation surgery back in 1999 (or was it 2000? I can't remember anymore...) and he was on morphine drip to ease the pain. Morphine drip causes the patient to hallucinate. My father would see spiders down the wall and he would act as if he were giving communion (he was a former priest). Well, our neighbor spent most of the night between a seemingly uneasy sleep and crying out random phrases and names, with "Abui" and other names being the ones I remember most. He had a nurse with him at all times, and quite frankly, he was down-right rude at times. But I don't think he knew what he was saying/doing. This morning, out of nowhere, we hear: "Hey, why are you sitting next to that ugly man?" to which the nurse replied, "Papi, you're in the hospital." Needless to say, we didn't sleep much.

In one of the bathroom breaks, the curtain was pulled back some, and to my surprise, the sounds coming from our neighbor were not those of a seventy- or eighty-something-year-old man but of a younger man, probably in his early forties or late thirties. He must have been in some serious pain because of the pain killers, but from the myriad of conversations, we caught that he was on dialysis, that he lived with an aunt, and that he had a wife and child. The few moments he was semi-coherent, we could tell he spoke Spanish and English, but most of the time we could barely decipher the language. It made me sad.

But back to this post's title: thank goodness for wi-fi! Last night, while my mom stayed home with my munchkin, I schlepped my bag with papers to grade, laptop, and some sweaters and miscellaneous gadgets to keep my husband company at the hospital. As it turns out, the hospital now has free wi-fi, so I've been able to keep in contact with you guys via email, and I've been able to go through all the blogs. I've also been able to check my emails and google the various medical terms that have come up during our stay.

So that's about it. It's been a tiring week and it looks like it's going to be a tiring weekend. Is it spring break yet?

Cauley Square and Deering Estates

Today, my husband, son, mother-in-law, and I went down south to Cauley Square. For those of you not familiar with "down south," or to whom "down south" means Miramar or North Dade, Cauley Square is located off of US1 and SW 224 Street. That's on the way down to Homestead and Key Largo, and not too far from home for me.

We originally headed there for breakfast in the Tea Room, one of two restaurants situated in this historic, "nostalgic Village that offers a Glimpse of Old South Florida at its best." All stores and restaurants are housed in quaint, cottage-style homes that lead to the ambiance of Southern comfort. Surrounding these cottages are large trees and ample foliage that are home to many animals, including cats and raccoons. In fact, we saw a crafty family of about 6 raccoons that meandered throughout the trees and roofs of the cottages. At one point, two of the raccoons creeped close to the edge of a roof, peering anxiously downward as if awaiting for someone - or as if looking for who to scare. It was a riot! But I digress. The shops there include antique stores, craft stores, tarot reading stop, and even a wedding location/planner. We only got to wander through one section of Cauley Square, though, because my son was getting very tired (and cranky!) and we new nap time was quickly upon us. If anyone would like to check out the website and plan a visit, here's the website: http://www.cauleysquare.com/.

As soon as we left, my son conched out, so we decided to get gas (15 miles to empty!) and head down historic Old Cutler Road. As we oohed and aahed at the views of the homes and the greens, we decided to make an impromptu stop at the historic Deering Estates at Cutler (http://www.deeringestate.org/pages/our-history.aspx). The Deering Estates at Cutler were the vision of Charles Deering, brother of James Deering (Vizcaya Museum & Gardens founder). As soon as you purchase your tickets, you follow a paved road surrounded by trees and the buzzing of insects. As you look ahead, you see, in the clearing, the Atlantic ocean, crystallized against the winter sun and bordered by swaying palm trees. The paved road empties out into an open space that is composed of the two stone houses, a brick-paved courtyard (which they rent for weddings and which they were setting up today for one), a large field of grass so green you think it's painted, some picnic tables, a plethora of nature trails, and the curved dock lined with palm trees. We made our way to the dock and breathed in the scent of fresh, ocean air. We watched the pelicans dive into the calm sea in search of food, and we watched a lone man paddle in a canoe full of fishing rods.

There were few others there besides us; most were families with young children, enjoying the exquisite weather we were having today. Others were joggers and exercise-enthusiasts taking advantage of the good weather for some outside exercise. One man in the far south corner was doing some movements that resembled yoga, while another man sat on a cement block with his German Shepard. I envisioned sitting on such a cement block with a paper and a pen (or maybe with a laptop with a long-lasting battery...) and writing to my heart's content. Then reality hit - not gonna happen! We left the proximity of the dock and wandered over to the open grass area. We took our son out of the stroller, and he proceeded to run happily throughout the lawn. Every so often he'd trip over and fall, his hands touching the pricking grass, and he'd get back up with his palms outstretched towards us as if saying, please clean! He loved that moment of freedom, away from the constraints of the stroller straps.

Afterwards, we set back out on our quest home. My son fell asleep again in the car, and so our adventure came to an end. It was very nice getting out into that historic landscape, away from the concrete world of our city. It was nice to see nature in all her glory, and to allow ourselves those few hours of not rushing around, meeting deadlines. Of course, that just means that now I have to rush even more to get done what I didn't get done in those few hours, but it's okay. I'll live with that. ;)

"Patchwork Heritage"

Today, our 44th President was sworn in. It was freezing cold in Washington, D.C., but that did not dissuade the sea of people that stood out to witness this historical day. It was a moment that brought most of us to tears - many a grandmother has uttered in disbelief to reporters, "I never thought I would see this day in my lifetime." Barrack Hussein Obama, our 44th President, is also the first of African-American heritage, and coming the day after we celebrate the Reverend Martin Luther King's birthday, this inauguration is especially poignant. It shows us how far we've come as a nation and as a people, and I believe Dr. King would be proud today, very proud.

I was only able to catch about 30 minutes of the inauguration (during lunchtime at my new employee orientation), but those were the best timed 30 minutes - I got to see the new president being sworn in and I got to hear his speech. President Obama is an excellent orator and writer with an almost poetic nature to his words; if anyone gets the chance to read his memoir, Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, I strongly urge you to take that chance and read it. It is amazing and he has a wonderful narrative style. Today was no different. I was particularly struck by his phrase, "patchwork heritage," which I thought was brilliant! This nation, we, are made up of a "patchwork heritage [that] is a strength, not a weakness." Our country is comprised of different cultures, heritages, religions and languages. That's what makes this nation so great! And his words reminded me of how great we can be and how far we've come. He cited examples of important historical events since our nation's inception which added to the wonder of the moment and to the belief that we can change and we can achieve if we want it enough.

I think that was the most important part of the message. Anything is possible if you're willing to work hard, and if you remember what your values and morals are. Don't forget where you came from and work hard to get to where you want to be. If you want to read his speech, check it out here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text.


I hope you all enjoyed viewing the inauguration and that you are proud with how far we've come. This nation is not perfect, but then again, no nation ever is. However, it isn't called the "Land of Opportunity" for nothing.

Extra credit! Extra credit! Read all about it!

There will be an extra credit opportunity for all my classes. This Tuesday is the inauguration of President Elect Barrack Obama. It is a pivotal moment in American History, and one that we should all be extremely proud of - regardless of who you voted for in this election. We are in the middle of history being made; history that will make its way into the history books that our children and grandchildren will read.

Anyway, the extra credit opportunity is this: view the inauguration and write an essay with your thought/comments. Remember that it's still an essay, so when you prewrite, figure out what exactly you want to say and develop your thesis accordingly. Some ideas include:

- impressions you have about this moment in history
- any personal implications this has for you
- comments on the process
- what this particular inauguration means for you

If you have any questions, email me (it's in your syllabus!).

Reading makes the world go round

Reading is one of those activities that many groan about, thinking that it's boring. They'd much rather be doing something physical or watching movies than sitting down with a book. It's also one that many others relish in, taking in every detail, every word as if it were life itself. And yet many others fall somewhere in between. Regardless of where you fall in the reading spectrum, there's one fact which can't be argued: reading improves writing. Reading will improve not only how you write but also the vocabulary you use. So go out and get something to read that interests you and actually read it!

Making observations

It strikes me, as I'm reading through the blogs, that many of us come to the table of journals with the idea that journals (and in this case, blogs) are for writing our feelings down, or writing about our innermost demons, or writing about our personal lives. Of course, journaling can be all that, but it can be so much more.

Good writers use journals to reflect, not only about themselves, but about the world around them. Say you like to people watch. Journaling would be one way to write down all the idiosyncrasies you observed about the strangers that crossed your path. Or say you go to the beach. Writing down the experience, in descriptive detail, can help the flow of creative juices. The idea is to write about the world around you in a manner that shows some critical thinking. Of course, you can simply write about your feelings or reflect on personal matters. But if that's not you, and you're dreading this assignment because of that, think about it in other terms: it'll be your chance to make sense of what's going on around you.

New beginnings and change

The scent of new beginnings is around me. Not only is it a fresh new semester, but it's a new year - a year that holds many promises. I was happy to see 2008 come to an end - it was a rough year for me, and a year that brought about an array of changes. Some of those changes were thrust upon me; I had no choice but to bow my head and accept them. Other changes I sought out and welcomed like a breath of fresh air. Regardless, 2009 brings me to Broward College and the new challenges and joys that await me as faculty here.

C'est la vie. That's life. Right?

So here we are. The first day of classes in January 2009. Teaching three classes in a row during lunch hours is very interesting. I felt my energy doing a major dive by the end of the day, and that mixed with no coffee was a recipe for a headache. Luckily, I found the nearest Starbucks after my last class and relaxed with caffeine and some music.

I look forward to seeing everyone's blogs and what creative energy is brought to the table. Each class has its own unique energy, and every student brings something to the table in creating that energy. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for all of us.