Hello there, remember me?

It's been about six months since I've posted in this blog; that's a long time! I haven't been making blogs mandatory, and I've been updating my own personal blog, so there hasn't been a need for coming on here. Still, I feel like a neglectful parent.

But I've seen a few of you around campus. It always makes me smile to see former students finishing what they started! I've seen some of you at graduation, too! Keep up the amazing work you're all doing.

In the meantime, you'll see me here sporadically. I have my Course Preview BC blog, where I update all my upcoming courses. And, of course, I have my personal blog where you can keep up with what's going on in my world or where you can get creative writing exercises (if you want them).

Take care, and hasta pronto!

J.K. Rowling's Commencement Speech at Harvard

This is a "must-see." As we start discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I want you to view these videos of J.K. Rowling's Commencement Speech at Harvard in 2008. Listen, really listen, to what she says. It's in three parts.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

A First Look Behind the Scenes of Deathly Hallows - Part 2

ASSIGNED TOPIC 3: Sterilization Laws

Check out this article in Yahoo News about the ongoing battle between a mother and the courts to have her 21-year-old, mentally disabled daughter, sterilized, so the daugher can no longer have children.

Do you agree or disagree with this? In a blog post, on your own class blog, respond to this article. Share with us your thoughts and concerns.

ASSIGNED TOPIC 2: FIU Bans Smoking

This article, titled "Florida International University Bans Smoking on Campus, Even in Cars," came out recently, and it's been hotly debated among my friends. Read it, and then, in your own blog, write a reaction post to this article. What do you think? Do you agree with the ban, completely? Do you disagree with it? Do you agree with some parts, but not with others? Why?

ASSIGNED TOPIC 1: Winter Break

The winter break was a nice break from school, though I'm sure most of you (if not all) would agree it wasn't long enough. With celebrating holidays and gathering with family, before we knew it, it was time to buckle up and get back to school. That leads me to the first assigned topic of the semester: what did you do this winter break? Did you travel? Visit family? Stayed locally and worked? How did you celebrate the holidays, if you celebrated at all? Remember to keep posts at about 150 words (minimum).

Welcome to Winter Term!

It's a new year and a new semester. Everyone seems to be shinning with possibilities. At the beginning, we start strong, with momentum. We can tackle the world and we can make it.

Let's try to keep that momentum going throughout the semester!

It's so easy, half-way, to get discouraged, derailed. With the mounting pressure of deadlines and projects, some of us get unnerved and wonder whether we will, in fact, succeed. We will - if we remind ourselves that, like a good run, we have to keep it steady and even, or we will burn out. If we start out fast, we run out of breath and won't make it to the end. But if we keep ourselves at a pace that we can handle, we will finish that race, or, in our case, this semester.

So, here's to a great year and a great semester. Let it be one of success, knowledge, and possibility. We CAN do it all. :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

I finally watched it and it was disappointing. I liked it, sure, but I wasn't wowed. I'll be writing a longer, more detailed review in my personal blog once I get some sleep, but, in a nutshell, I was not impressed. Though I know the movies will never be the same as the books, and usually, the book is way better than the movie, I was expecting a certain faithfulness to the order of events, scenes, and characters. This first part of the two-part finale fell short (in my humble opinion) of what the storyline offered. It felt rushed (possibly because they crammed two-thirds of the book into the first part (almost three hours). The scenes felt choppy, unfinished; before I was finished figuring out what was going on in one, the next one happened. It's like they had to get all this stuff in so they jumped around.

Some things worked (like the shortening of the beginning, before the trio leaves - it worked for me) but some things didn't (the whole added dance scene in the forest after Ron leaves - eh. Didn't work for me AT ALL). But that's movie-making.

But again, I will be writing a more detailed review, in case anyone's interested. :)

"Behind the Scenes: The Score"

This is for all you music enthusiasts. In films, music is as important as the characters; in fact, it can be said that music is a character.

Cafe Attack in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

After today's class discussion, I looked it up and here it is: A sneak peak of the "Cafe Attack" scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. Anyone pick up on the differences from the book? It's maddening!

ASSIGNED TOPIC: ALL CLASSES

Since I haven't done this in a while, here's an assigned topic:

What movie have you recently seen that you absolutely loved? Why? What was so great about it? If you can't think of one you loved, you can write about a movie you hated, and why.

REMINDER: Blogs Count

I know I haven't been keeping up with the blogging as well as I should. The requirement, however, remains: Blogging is part of your grade! You need one blog post per week, for a total of 15, to earn credit.

I'm just sayin'.

Miscellaneous Madness

Keeping up with five blogs is exhausting, and a much harder job than I anticipated. Poor excuse, perhaps, but eh, it's all I've got right now.

I spent the latter part of last week, and the weekend, in Sanibel, attending the Sanibel Island Writer's Conference. It was much needed, and while I didn't get the grading I expected, I did write and I did get my writing critiqued. It was a break I needed. I'm blogging about the experience here.

Registration for winter term is also here. The last few weeks were spent working the winter term Learning Communities schedule. It's finally complete and I'll be updating the LC blog soon. I never got a chance to blog about the Celebrating Success in Learning Communities Luncheon and Percussion Workshop, which was fabulous. I hope to be doing that soon, and maybe I'll even include some pics from the event. This'll all be on the LC blog.

I hope everyone's hanging on tight; this semester's almost over and it's sure to be a bumpy ride!

Catching Up

Wow. Midterm already and I'm feeling the pressure. I know you guys are, too. It's just that time of the semester. I've been so busy trying to keep up with the routine that I have neglected this blog somewhat. I'm sorry! I did blog in the Learning Communities Blog, though. Check it out here. I'm getting ready to host the Celebrating Success in Learning Communities Luncheon this Friday, and I'm busy planning LC courses for next semester! Oh yea, and I'm grading, grading, grading! Fun. ;)

I did get a quick break, though not complete. I went with my family to Disney this past weekend. We did Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and some outlets. I saw family from Colombia who I hadn't seen in over two years. It was nice.

For now, I'm going to keep playing catch up and eventually, it'll work. ;)

New Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows Trailer!

Sweet! I just came across this new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! It's a small preview of what's to come in less than two months! Yea!

ASSIGNED TOPIC: ALL CLASSES

We just passed the 9th anniversary of the attacks of Sept 11. It is an anniversary that many would like to forget but can't, because it affects them personally or because of the magnitude of the tragedy. Like previous historical moments of tragedy, anyone who witnessed this unfold will forever remember what s/he was doing at the precise moment the Twin Towers were hit and collapsed, and the moment the plane crashed into the Pentagon, and the moment the last plane fell into the plains of Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. It's hard not to remember, or to forget.

So my questions to you are: What were you doing when this tragedy unfolded? Where were you? What went across your mind? Who did you reach out for?

There's a beautiful song by Alan Jackson about this. It's called "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning," and these are the lyrics:

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Assigned Topic: ALL CLASSES

I hope everyone's had a good first week and a half of school, and that you're all settling into your academic routines. It's always harder to start up in the fall than in the winter term because summer breaks our school routine. But summer's nice. It's a much needed break for many of us. SO, the first official assigned topic for the semester, which should be posted by this Sunday, 9/5, is: What did you do this summer?

I spent the summer teaching online, readings (read all 7 Harry Potter books, all 4 Twilight books, Eat, Pray, Love, and The Glass Castle) writing (essays and short stories), and spending time with my son. We went to Disney, the zoo, Music Time (a music program for kids). I also started a new endeavor: bookmarks! It's not something I planned; it just sort of happened. One day, I'm at Barnes & Noble in line, looking at cute bookmarks, and the next, I'm creating designs. I decided to incorporate hand-painted, thin wood with beaded jewelry and charms. Some have quotes on them, while others have decorative "gemstones." It's nothing fancy (as in, I'm not working with real gemstones, etc.), but they're cute and unique - no two are the same. You can check them out on my personal blog.

I also started taking an online course through UCLA's Writer's Extension program. I'm loving it, and I have two weeks left before I submit my final portfolio. I love it because it's been a great way for me to stay focused with my writing, and I'm hoping to get some of the essays published. One of my areas of concentration is creative nonfiction, and more specifically, the memoir. So if you're interested in that, we can chat!

New Academic Year, First Assigned Topic!

Welcome all! It's going to be a great semester; I can already feel it. I hope you're settling into your classes nicely at the wrap of this first week of classes.

Our first assigned topic - for all classes - for the semester (for the blogs, that is) is this: Tell me something interesting you did this summer. One paragraph. Go. ;)

Writing and the Philosophy of Harry Potter - Fall 2011-1

I've updated my Course Preview blog to include information on a very anticipated course. This fall, I will be teaching an ENC 1101 course (paired with PHI 2010, taught by Professor Mayberry) titled Writing and the Philosophy of Harry Potter. In the Course Preview blog, you will get more information, including books and, when done, the syllabus. If you haven't taken 1101 yet and you love the Harry Potter series, think about it! It should prove to be a fun semester, I think! Even better is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 comes out in November! Woohoo! I'm excited.

On a side note: I finally gave in and indulged in reading the entire Twilight series, from Twilight to Breaking Dawn. And I loved it. I also watched New Moon and Eclipse on film (not crazy about the films OR the acting). I succumbed to its allure and will be writing a review on my personal blog (see the link to it on the left). I have yet another obsession. But that wasn't the point of this side note. The point is that I'm considering using this somewhere in a future class. There's so much material with which to work in this series, especially thematically. :)

Checking In

Well, it's already the end of June. In less than two months, fall term begins. Man does time go quickly. Teaching in the summer, even online, makes it go faster. It's been nice, though. May went by quickly and I enjoyed some quiet time while my son was still in school. We went on the Disney Cruise and it was fabulous! It was nice to get away with the my husband, son, and two moms. It was the perfect blend of fun and (much needed) relaxation! June also went quickly. My son got out of school and we've been hanging out, going to the pool, the zoo, and mommy-and-me play dates. I'm enjoying spending this time with him and I keep getting astounded at how quickly he's growing. I'm sure July will be here and gone just as quickly as May and June. I'm set to start an online writing class, to which I'm looking forward. It's titled Postcard Memoirs: Crafting the Bite Sized Essay. It should be fun and interesting. I miss being in school (gasp!); funny, I know, seeing as how many of you are anxious to get OUT of school!

Before the fall term begins, I will be taking down the blog links to make way for the new classes. If you want to keep in touch, and you still keep up with your blog, let me know here by replying to this post. I'll "Follow" your blog that way and you can "Follow" mine. lol.

If you're interested, you can also see my other blogs on the left-hand side of this one. One is my personal blog, the other my course preview blog. You can see what courses I'll be teaching when, if you wanted to.

Well, I hope everyone's having a good, and safe, summer!