Kelly in Kansas

We had a great week in Chicago with teachers learning about European immigration, Asian immigration, and World War I redux. I've done quite a bit of family stuff this weekend as well as just taking care of me - esp. with the bounty from the farmer's market.

We're at the farm - time to weedeat and weedkill again - plus have the time to spend more than one night out here.

There's lots on tap tomorrow morning but it is all doable.

Labels: chicago, TAHPS, teachers, weedeat, weekend

If only all the rain were snow . .. . . . I was able to get some outside work done and also relieve some stress in the process yesterday and this morning . . . until it started sprinkling. I was hoping for one more good snow. What we're getting now is supposed to turn into a wintry mix tomorrow morning. We'll see what the roads are like. I decided to go ahead and stay at the farm and just enjoy the time. I was able to get quite a bit done on one project with only one slow-up before dinner when the internet was out for a little bit. (At least this connection is way more reliable than my Cox cable internet connection in town.)

I'm watching No Reservations on PPV. So far it's a good story. The main character is much like me but even more high strung . . . It would be nice to have a large storage cooler to walk into occasionally.

I changed out the wrong gas (with oil) from the 4 wheeler but still can't get it to start. I'll just have to keep trying and also do some internet searches to see what else I can do to work through the wrong gas. This is the time of year I use it most so it's frustrating - esp. when I'm trying to gather wood to burn - it's good exercise but takes a lot longer without the 4 wheeler.

I'm gradually conditioning myself to not be overwhelmed and the next step is to not let others demand so much of me - I already do that enough to myself. I'm trying to take one project at a time and instead of trying to get everything done every day to concentrate on one or two major tasks and consider anything else a bonus. Then, occasionally there are just catch-up days. I'm not going to volunteer to put together any more programs either. I have one I was asked to join, three I've put together and one at one of our big conferences I was asked to put together to be scholarly and teacher-friendly.

I'm really missing having a dog - esp. now that I'm learning to intersperse downtime as a more regular part of my life (ie not working every evening) but with two meetings so close together at the end of April, I will probably have to wait until then. That will give me a good amount of time to bond before my June meetings. If I don't find the right fit in early May, then I will wait until after I meet with teachers for the ten days in June when we do Kansas City and Chicago - esp. since I don't have someone who can dog sit anymore.

Labels: chicago, conferences, demands, Kansas City, meetings, rain, snow, work

Am in Chicago for the SSHA. This meeting has been on the list for several years (esp. since department colleagues went to the meeting when it was in New Orleans) and now it finally made it. Not only Chicago but also the H-Net presence planned for the meeting.

I had dinner with a colleague I've wanted to talk with in greater detail than in previous meetings. He's doing some great work intersecting teaching and practice and research - but how can we do more? We're hoping for good attendance at tomorrow's session despite the still palpable disengagements between teaching and scholarship as if they were separate entities instead of either side even considering the idea that there is the possibility that good teaching and good scholarship are innertwined. At least with good research, there are definite implementable rules but will people as an ever-changing factor, teaching can be a quite different challenge and, yet, no less "un"-scholarly.

Labels: chicago, H-Net, research, scholarship, SSHA, teaching

I'm off to Chicago to the Second Life Conference. Should be fun meeting some online colleagues in real life. Plus Chicago is always a good thing and will be a nice break from the August Kansas heat!

Labels: chicago, second life