Wednesday, January 30, 2008

To Take or Not to Take, That is the Question!

As you can see, we really did chuck the entire thing. Why? Well, life...that's why. After getting out for the summer, which was lovely, I literally fell apart as expected. Sleeping for days on end becomes the theme of the moment. Greece and Turkey were amazing, and left me with memories for a lifetime! Doc and I read a million books while we were on the trip. I really think it has something to do with being able to really let go of life and enjoy a good book. You so rarely are allowed to really let yourself enjoy a good book when you have a million things on your mind. So, let's see. Upon returning from our trip, Doc started medical school, Breezy started a masters program in Middle Eastern Studies, and I went back to work with about a billion students to stress me out of my mind! Doc seemed more stressed than I'd ever seen her, and I think I had a monumentally hideous fall myself. I finally broke things off my Raj (whoa, I accidentally typed "rat" there...how appropriate actually :) ), and it about killed me in the process. I'm praying that life takes on new meaning and that I find myself again!

All right, so where is the reading at? Well, I'm not sure I want to take the GRE now. I do, but I don't. Is that going to make me happy? Is it what I really want? What DO I really want? Okay, I know the answer there, but I have to consider those things that I CAN do something about, and not those that I can not. In some ways, with all my passion with literature, I still think that my talents lie in the future of education. At some point we really do have to figure out how to incorporate more technology into curriculum and daily teaching. Once we do that, I feel we'll tap into more of our modern senses of literacy and not feel like we're losing a generation of kids! Having said that, I haven't totally given up on reading altogether, but am still reading things as I can. I recently cut back on my online courses and am only teaching AP Literature (more up my alley anyway), which then gives me more time to read and consider what I want. What that is, I still don't know!

So, I am reading or have read the following:

Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
The Doll House by Henry Ibsen
The Awakening by Kate Chopin (Strangely disturbing to me. I want that life?)
Tess of the D'Urberveilles by Thomas Hardy (This one made me thoroughly hate men!)
The Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne (This book is brilliant so far. Disregard the ignoramous who reveiwed it on amazon. They gave themself away by stating that they didn't understand it! I think it's beautifully written and have found it charming as I reunite with Turkey and the culture I saw there.)
Paging Aphrodite by Kim Green (This has been a great book so far about single or discouraged women who have escaped to the Greek island of Corfu to "find" themselves again. I really have enjoyed it so far!)

Well, let's hope that I don't take as long to write here as I had before! Best regards--Cheerio!