Product Review - Arbonne Creme Concealer

My friend Natalie gave me the Arbonne Creme Concealer for Christmas! I had been using a drug store brand that I was not exactly happy with because I had been too busy to really check out brands that I would like. I used to be pretty loyal to Mary Kay (that was about 10 years ago), but since then I have not found one company that I really liked. AND then I heard about Arbonne. It's vegan certified and NOT tested on animals.

This concealer lasts so long that I will only have to buy one per year - which actually saves me money in the long run. Buying the cheap stuff a few times a year would actually cost me more. Here is my video review of the product.

Painting with Coffee

My experiments in painting with coffee have positive reception. I have been using instant coffee applied with paintbrushes and makeup sponges. I like that these paintings are not clear-coated, so if they get wet, they're gone. Below are a few of those paintings.

The first one I ever tried is called "Morning Pain." This one hangs in my bathroom.

This is called "Where the Angels Wait to Join Us." It was given to the healer, Atanna.

This one is called "Eye on You."

This one is "Notasulga." It's the road going into Notasulga, Alabama, which I always found a little creepy. This one belongs to my boss at MTSU.

This one is called "Clouds Do Not Come in Straight Lines." It took two days to dry.

I'm not sure if I will continue trying out coffee as a painting material. I enjoy using it - and my paintings always smell yummy!

Flipping the Classroom

I've been working on a project that will become a presentation I am giving at the MTSU curriculum meeting this coming February. The video presentation will be based on the research I am doing on creativity in the classroom and transversal learning. (Thanks, Bryan Reynolds.)

I was inspired today by this amazing video presentation by Gabe Zincherman : How Games Make Kids Smarter. I've been talking with my students who are also avid gamers and what I have found is that learning preferences of gamers tend to be the same as non-gamers. It's the way in which young people think that we are disconnected from. Education expectations have changed - and are changing - very quickly. This video explains that quite well.

I Heart Tom Nelson!

The Future Adjunct Spring?

I’m no protestor. My idea of civil disobedience is usually a pithy comment on a news story I’ve seen posted on Facebook. But I surprised myself (and my family) last Thursday when I stood with a few hundred other people on the side of West End Boulevard in Nashville as part of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests. What brought me there was not, as the media claims, a secret liberal agenda, or a need to be a part of something I could not or was unable to explain. I knew exactly why I needed to stand with the rest of the 99%.

I’m an adjunct. I teach two part-time jobs at schools 45 minutes apart. But I’m not complaining. I know how lucky I am to be working.  For six months I was unemployed, living off the generosity of my boyfriend, and scared as hell. These two jobs this fall have saved my life and my self-esteem.  But even though I’m getting a check, I know I’m not out of the woods. I’m still afraid that more cuts will come and I will lose my job to an economy that keeps falling apart and pulling its most capable down with it. And I’m not the only one.

Adjunct teachers are increasing on college campuses as more full-time, tenured teachers are phased out. And since colleges save money hiring part-time teachers who do not qualify for any benefits, the trend will only increase as economic outlooks decrease. Since adjuncts don’t have offices, they often use rolling carts as their own portable offices, filled with student writing journals, water bottles, and lunch bags.  Adjuncts drive older cars sporting several different school parking tags and bumper stickers.  These educational nomads are often seen sitting in their cars eating their lunches – no way can an adjunct afford to buy lunch on campus. And since grading is sometimes done while eating lunch in the car, students’ papers occasionally sport stains along with well thought out comments.

We adjuncts are grateful to work where we can – when we can. We are committed to our students as much as any full-time professor; we just have to do our work on the run to keep up.  If we’re lucky, we’re splitting our time at two or three different schools - that means we teach more classes each semester than most professors.  We have more papers to grade, more names to learn. Each school has different rules, deadlines, goals, etc., so we have to learn those as well.  There are different offices to find, different email and online databases to check, and different expectations to live up to.

Adjuncts are certainly part of the 99%.  I don’t know the number of us considered poor, but I can only imagine that the available part-time jobs compared to the number of applicants with Master’s Degrees would show that we are not only underemployed, most of us live well under the survival line.  There’s a critical mass coming. Colleges are employing adjuncts to save money, yes, but some of the unintended consequences of that are making this large, non-represented and marginalized group rethink its rights.

  Will there be an Adjunct Spring? Probably not.  We’re too tired from all that driving to organize and protest and start our own union. But that doesn’t mean that colleges shouldn’t pay attention to what is coming. In fact, there are things that colleges can do to before its adjuncts outnumber its full-time faculty, creating a critical mass of underemployed and pissed off academics. Before colleges are caught off guard, there are several things they could do to pacify the growing majority of adjuncts –at little or no cost to the institutions. In fact, considering how much schools are getting for so little investment, I would think the following list would be a welcome shift in how colleges think of adjuncts and how they choose to treat them.

•         Adjuncts should have first choice of class schedules. Of course, administration must take many things into consideration, but adjunct schedules should always be at the top of the list.
•         Adjuncts should get special parking. The list of parking priority should go like this: Handicapped, Dean, Adjuncts, and then the rest (Full Timers, Maintenance, and Students).
•         Adjuncts should have special ID cards that give discounts on everything on campus. This card will also grant special access to the new adjunct office/lounge. (But more on that later.)
•         Adjuncts should make up a new voting group that has a say in department issues. This means that there should also be a “Head Adjunct” or “Special Adjunct Coordinator.” Whatever the title, this person heads up a powerful lobby of adjunct teachers at the school.
•         Golf cart rides – anywhere, anytime. Remember those damn rolling carts?

•         Special Adjunct teaching awards and named adjunctships.

•         The Adjunct offices must change from corner closets with shared old desks and computers to workspaces akin to Google, or Ebay headquarters. And of course, there must be free printing. This office must also have an Adjunct Secretary! How can the University pay for this? – Hire more adjuncts!

<!--[if !supportLists]-->

Of course, this is just a start. The main thing that colleges and universities should keep in mind is that they can do something to pacify the growing number of adjuncts they hire. Treating adjuncts like rock stars is the first step, because if you can’t give money, special privileges go a long way. Sure, what I really want is a full-time job with benefits; but I will certainly take help and appreciation when it’s offered.  I want to be recognized as part of this dedicated work force – and not just by a “thank you” email.

Schools should be rushing to do this, not just to avoid blame when the underemployed also claim to be exploited. Schools should do this to slow the inevitability of all of us being outsourced to another country like India.  For those of you who have used Skype and video conferencing, you know this is very possible.  Because once schools see that video outsourcing is a viable way to replace all of their employees with qualified people who will work cheaper in countries where benefits are not required, the only employees left on campus will be IT staff and security.

Vern - A Hero's Journey

Some people sit in the comfort and safety of mediocrity, never really living life to the fullest, and some people take the hero's journey through the worst, scariest, and ultimately the best, of what life has to offer. At least, that's how the expert on mythology, Joseph Campbell, explains it. The reason that Campbell is read by so many is not that he knows so much about gods of our past, but because he knows that mythology is really the story of the best of us - the hero.

 I was thinking about the "hero" in all of us when I heard about the passing of a dear friend, Vern.  Vern was that very hero - a man who stood up to all the dragons that ever came his way. Vern was a man as brave as anyone you might ever meet. And yes, Vern was a super hero. He had the strength to hold his family together through tough and strange times. He overcame more in a lifetime than most couch potatoes could ever comprehend. He was a man who had slain many dragons (and even a few turtles). And he did it all with grace and an amazing laugh that I can hear in my head right now. What a laugh he had!

And he had some amazing stories! I can think of one he told me about sitting around the table as a kid listening to Hank Williams on the radio - and buddy you better not say a word or BAM! - his dad would knock you on the head for talking. Man, how his dad loved Hank Williams.

Just a couple of months ago, Vern did something that would have amazed his dad. Vern arranged a private concert at his house with Hank III playing. He commented on the circle of life that concert was for him - how his family and Hank Williams' family were bound to come together - after all those years. And he told Hank III that at the end of the night - when the two of them were walking together down a dark driveway on Vern's property - Hank III a tall, lanky figure next to Vern, in socks, no shoes.

And that night was so special in many other ways for Vern. He was with the woman he loved, Jamie. Just a few weeks later, Vern would propose to her. After she said yes, Vern told me that he was so happy and proud.  He said that he had found "The One." He also told me that he had actually gone to her father to ask for her hand - like a hero. And he told me that he wanted to have kids with her - soon. My heart is breaking for Jamie right now because I know she has lost her hero.

We all have lost a hero. You see, Vern leaves behind more than his fiance Jamie, his sisters, his niece, his grand-niece, numerous friends and family members, his dogs Pete and Pete Jr.; Vern leaves behind a legacy - the legacy of a hero - one that will not soon be forgotten. I believe that Vern would want us to know that it is bravery that makes life satisfying. It is in his example of living - of being the hero of his own life - where we see that magic really happens. What we do with our lives, with the all the bad stuff (and the good) is what makes us heroes. And I thank Vern for being a shining example of that.

(Me and Vern at Vern's house on the night of the Hank III show.)

New Project Ideas

A new semester has started and I'm already thinking of projects that inform and improve my teaching. The first project will deal with my basic writing classes at Nashville State. I would like to actually rethink the way we are teaching remedial courses from refreshers to being ESL based. I'll have details later after I do some initial research, but I am starting to feel that we need to redo the course as if it is a NEW language altogether. The second project will be based on using Skype for student-teacher conferences at MTSU. I feel that students are more comfortable with video chat than actual human interaction - especially when it comes to communicating with a teacher. Of course, I'll start with a little research before I continue.

Notes from Big Red - 5

It’s been such a long time since I’ve written about life at Big Red. Since I’ve missed the opportunity to tell some great stories, I thought it was time to start up again.

Yesterday, while taking out a particularly toxic bag of trash (I’m cat sitting – so we have two now.) a Metro Police car pulled up. The officer waved – I waved back –and then walked on. Seconds later he was out of his car, asking me if I lived there.  Turns out, the Medical Direct Club offices had a silent alarm tripped and he was checking on the situation.

The officer was very curious about Big Red. He said he had no idea it was an apartment building and he was quite surprised that I would live there since this was “The most dangerous area in the city.”

What?

Oh yeah. Turns out that all the homeless services across the street are not so much a haven for the down and out as much as for the serious sexual offender. Sure, I would expect some crime in that area – cars get broken into all the time. But the officer told me that stabbings, rapes, etc. are the norm over at Catholic Charities and Room In the Inn almost weekly. He said I should be packing a gun at all times of the day. Turns out there are some serial rapists who enjoy the charities of our civic and religious outreaches.

He made serious suggestions for me to protect myself.  First – get a gun permit. Second – get a .32 and carry it on my person at all times. (Jesus, really?) Third – also carry a knife – just in case. Fourth – remember to start shooting sooner than later. (This part he demonstrated, showing several different scenarios of all the bad things that could happen if I allowed an attacker to come too close.)

In the mean time, he suggested I get mace immediately and hold it (ready to spray) in my hand at all times outside the building.

Now I’m sufficiently freaked out.

The last thing he said to me: “Don’t forget to shake the can of mace before you spray.”

Why The Contributor's Lawsuit is Important

I really shouldn't have to explain this. It's called the First Amendment. It's the most endangered amendment along with the second, and now the fourth (thanks to the TSA).

If you don't know THE BILL OF RIGHTS, well, it's time that you learned.

I understand what the city of Brentwood is trying to do - insulate itself from the sight of the homeless on their streets. If you've driven through there, you have seen the McMansions with manicured lawns and decorative desperate attempts to hide the fact that they are actually in Tennessee. You only have to see the names of some subdivisions to prove that: Agin Court, Arden Woods, Barrington Place, Camelot Acres, Governor's Club, Montclair, Taramore Manor, etc.  (Basically, if it sounds like the name of a soap opera, then it might be a subdivision in Brentwood.) But this township is only a couple of ordinances away from DNA testing the dog poop left on its sidewalks. In their attempts to maintain their property values, they have forgotten that the right to call one of their subdivisions "Valhalla" is the same right that protects the homeless man at the corner selling newspapers.  We're all the same in this, dumbasses!

If you are a local, you know that The Contributor gives the homeless who are willing to work a chance to make a real living. Selling The Contributor helps these people get off the street. And, quite frankly, every time I buy one at any given intersection in Nashville, I feel like I'm really helping. It feels good. I hope that Brentwood residents are making an effort to buy The Contributor somewhere else until this lawsuit is over.

To the Brentwood council I say: get over yourself. It's too late in the game to act like this. And think, just think, if you changed your attitudes and decided to help instead of prohibit what amazing things could happen. None of us (not even you) are that far from where those guys are. None of us. Get your head out of your ass and your heart out of your wallet and do the right thing.

Don't You Just Hate George Bush?

George Bush was such an asshole.

He expanded the federal budget by more than double.

He told a bunch of lies to “get” Bin Laden.

He lied about his past.

He played golf almost every weekend while soldiers were dying in the fields of several wars that he supported.

In those wars, he seldom took the advice of his generals.

Two words: Guantanamo Bay

He opposed the decriminalization of marijuana.

He was for the death penalty.

He thought that Iran posed one of our greatest threats.

Two more words: Patriot Act

He chose to engage in military action against another country without congressional approval – as the law requires.

He let Sudan off the hook for the Darfur genocide.

He lowered America’s standing in the world.

What an asshole, right? Well, actually ALL of these statements are about Barack Obama. Are you surprised at how many apply to George Bush as well? (Take note that George Bush did not play golf as president after the Iraq War started – he thought it looked disrespectful.) They’re not that different, those two. They just want you to believe they are. Do you actually think that anyone in politics is so different from another??? (Ron Paul may be the rare exception.)

And yes, I’ve heard the bullshit excuse that poor Barack Obama is just dealing with multiple situations left to him by George Bush.

But fixing George Bush’s mistakes does not mean doing the same things as George Bush and then expecting different results. That’s not only a good explanation for insanity; it’s the very definition of stupid. But is Barack Obama the one who is stupid? No, he just thinks that you are. (And so did George Bush.) Stop giving our individual rights away to these people. All these guys are assholes who can’t be trusted with it. And stop blindly believing what the media tells you. (They think you are stupid too, by the way.) Get your news from people who aren’t TOLD what to report but who look for the truth themselves. The essayist Paul Graham said it best in “What You Can’t Say,”  If you believe everything you are supposed to believe now (what the media and the government tell you), how can you be sure you wouldn’t believe everything you were told in the Pre-Civil War South, or in Nazi Germany? Chances are you would.

Some Links:

http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2008/07/unshakable-core-beliefs-of-barack-obama.html

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100083104/the-u-turn-president-barack-obama-top-ten-flip-flops/

A Philosophy of Wellness

A Philosophy of Wellness

            I grew up eating the most amazing homegrown foods. My grandparents had a rather large garden every summer where they grew rows and rows of corn, cantaloupe, peas, butter beans, squash, and most importantly, watermelon. I had no idea how “food rich” we were back then. My granddaddy and I would walk through the watermelon patch every summer day and pick out a long green striped watermelon and bust it right there on the ground. He would cut out the heart (the best part with no seeds) and we would eat it right there in the garden leaving the rest to rot. Imagine doing that now with your $8 store bought watermelon!

            As time went by, the food we ate changed. It became easier and sometimes cheaper to buy food than make it or grow it ourselves. How great technology was! But we had no idea that the new processed foods on our plates were harming us. Our food wasn’t the thing we put our sweat and love into – it became the thing that other people carelessly cooked and slung at us - or just something unrecognizable from a box. 

            Through those years I lost touch with the importance of food and the people who prepare it. I forgot about a lot of things that were really important. But there were little lights trying to get through – lights like friends who insisted on eating well and shopping at new places like Whole Foods. Then there was Food, Inc.  – an amazing documentary about where our food actually comes from and who is actually in control of it. That video scared me straight! Since then, I have been trying to correct all the harm I have done by eating without thinking. And I’ve tried to convince others too.

            Now I believe that everything we put in our bodies is either doing us harm or good; there is no in-between.  And I believe that it is our God given right to eat healthy food.  And we’d have healthy food if we hadn’t allowed companies and scientists to play God with it in the pursuit of obscene profits. What did we get from pimping out our own food supply?

            It’s a very short road from our backward thinking on food to similar mistakes with our health care. Much of this backward thinking started with Germ Theory. Of course we are not sterile beings who sometimes get invaded by germs – we are (as all peoples connected to nature have always known) part of the earth, co-existing with good bacteria and organisms that live in and around us.  We really messed up when we allowed scientists and doctors to convince us of our other-ness from nature. That is the essential problem with Germ Theory and it’s what our entire modern medical system is based on – a lie. It’s also the way that pharmaceutical companies make billions and billions while causing more problems than they cure.

            There is a reason that we naturally have more bacterial cells in our bodies than human cells…because that is the way we are supposed to exist. That is the way God made us. We are supposed to be a part of the world around us. And that world is supposed to be natural and healthy.  My philosophy is based on the truth that we must get back to our natural state. And I believe that the only way to do that is through love for ourselves and for those who live after us. We have to be brave enough now to stand up for who we really are. That starts with knowing what we put in our bodies and how those things heal or hurt us. It’s time. Nothing else will matter until we right this wrong.  Let’s start with this one thing and see how much we can heal.

Danan Whiddon

             

           

            

Crazy Croutons - Made from Scratch

Tired of paying for over-priced croutons?

Here's a multi-step but easy and super CHEAP way to make your own. I make my own bread for these because the recipe is so easy and inexpensive and so I can put the spices in before I cook the bread!

Step 1 - Make the Bread


1. Stir in 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons each of Yeast and Kosher Salt to 3 cups of lukewarm water in large bowl

2.  Add 6 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

3.  Stir in any spice you want while stirring in the flour - I used Crushed Red Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, and Turmeric!

4. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit for 2-5 hours.

5. On a sheet of parchment paper, use some more flour and corn meal to separate the mixture into two loaf pans that have bee sprayed with cooking spray. (I use organic olive oil spray.) You do not have to knead this bread!

6. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

7. Left the loaves cool completely. Then cut into slices.

8. Cut them into squares and freeze. When it's time to use them on your salad, then put them on a baking sheet and cover with Garlic soaked olive oil. Heat them just enough to soak in the garlic and oil and then get toasty and crunchy. Then let them cool down before throwing them on the salad.

My recipe makes a very spicy crouton. You may want to change the spices used depending on your taste.

I use the garlic at the end so that it is as fresh as possible. Garlic is so good for you  - and all the better if it's fresh!

This recipe makes about 6 plastic sandwich bags of croutons - enough for at least 12 salads. And the total cost is significantly less than one pack of croutons at the store!

Oprah

If you asked, I would not classify myself as an Oprahrian. I certainly haven't devoted all my afternoons to her show. I've never read her magazine. I don't have her new cable channel. And I don't agree with everything she says. And yet, even I owe a giant thanks to her majesty, Oprah.

When I started watching The Oprah Winfrey show, I was in my twenties, and the last thing on my mind was reading a book. Oh I had better things to do!  It was 1996, and I hadn't read a book since high school - in almost 8 years. Somehow, I had forgotten the magic in reading. How did I take for granted such a precious gift?  

I'm glad that Oprah reminded me.  I started with The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard and then there was The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton. Many more followed, some on her list like She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi, Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts, The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve, Tara Road by Maeve Binchy, Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, and many, many more on my own list. 

In my renewed passion for reading, I somehow found the courage to go back to school after so many years away, and after losing confidence in my academic abilities. And something magical happened. I found Shakespeare - and a professor who believed in me.  Dr. Loomis at UNO might have scoffed at my Oprah Book Club had she known that it got me in her class. But maybe not. After all, everyone knows Oprah.  Eventually, I got my Masters Degree in English from the University of Alabama. Could I have done that without Oprah? 

There are so many other things that I have to thank Oprah for: Gratitude Journals, Random Acts of Kindness, A-HA Moments, and my favorite quote from Oprah: "When someone tells you who they are, believe them." 

I've cried so many times watching her show - in grief and joy. I've remembered so many of her guests' stories - especially the ones that made me appreciate what I have or made me believe in what I am capable of.  And yet, I don't consider myself a regular viewer. That is the power of Oprah.

Oprah is a force for good in this world, not just because of the things she did, but because of what she inspired in other people. Even in people like me.

So, on this last day of the Oprah show, I plan to sit back on the sofa one last time, throw my feet up, grab a tissue, and celebrate Miss O!

A Formula for Making a Thesis Statement

Recently, a friend posted on Facebook her frustrations of students writing their thesis statements incorrectly. I have seen students struggle with this in every English Composition class I've taught. Eventually, with the help of a really great Internet post (that I am no longer able to find) I was able to come up with what I call a "Mathematical Formula" for composing a thesis statement.

The definitions and examples are from the Internet sample that I found years ago. Basically, I am not able to cite my source on this since I am unable to provide the link. (I suppose this is a great example of Plagiarism!)

Here is how I break down the lesson:

There are 3 elements of a thesis statement

1. Qualification

2. Why your thesis is valid

3. Your exact position

Steps:

1. Your Topic: What is the general category your essay is about. (For this example we will use School.)

2.  Your Position: What is the one thing about your topic that you believe to be TRUE? If you don't have a specific opinion yet, then map out your topic. (This example: Schools have too many people in them.)

3.  The Qualification: 

     A. Is what you say always true?

     B. Are there exceptions?

     C. Are there good reasons your position will have a downside?

     D. What reasons would your position have any problems and can you admit them up front?

     (Example: Although schools of over a thousand students have flourished in America......")

4.  The Reason: Why do you think your position is correct in spite of your qualification? What is the good to be gained by your position? (Example: Small school populations lend themselves to building a good community of learners.)

5.  Put them together:

     Use this order - Qualification + Reason + Position  

     3+4+2 = Thesis

     (Example - Although schools of over a thousand students have flourished in America, small school populations lend themselves to building a good community of learners, and therefore we should consider limiting school populations to a hundred.) 

I take my time with this assignment, using an entire class to explain it and work with examples from students.  I have students take turns at the board using ridiculous and funny examples. I hope this helps....and of course, if anyone finds the original link, I would love to give them the credit for this work!!!

Happy Joy Juice

Recently, a friend of mine weaned himself off some very dangerous depression medication. You've seen the commercials - the side effects always sound way worse than what the medication is treating:

• Dry mouth
• Urinary retention 
• Blurred vision
• Constipation
• Sedation (can interfere with driving or operating machinery)
• Sleep disruption
• Weight gain
• Headache
• Nausea
• Gastrointestinal disturbance/diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Inability to achieve an erection
• Inability to achieve an orgasm (men and women)
• Loss of libido
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Thoughts of suicide

Although my friend has been feeling better, the stress from working on the road for a major tour was still causing anxiety and depression.  But he really wanted a more natural alternative to prescribed medication. I decided to try the tincture recipe from one of Shoshana's videos called:

Shoshanna's Kitchen - Episode 14 - Depression Tea and Tincture 

I'm calling my tincture Happy Joy Juice!

The ingredients are: Vodka, Ginseng, Ginkgo, and St. John's Wort. They have soaked (or cooked) in a mason jar for over a month now....in total darkness. I shook the jar every day to mix the ingredients. Then, I waited.

I made enough for my friend to have a couple of month's worth. I also made extra for me and my friends. I can't sell this tincture because it is Vodka based. And of course, it isn't safe for everyone. Kids and people who shouldn't drink shouldn't take it.

If you think this kind of tincture might help you, let me know. I can talk you through making your own. Shoshana's video is really all you need to make it for yourself.