I posted Mid-Term Memory too hasti-
ly and got the format all messed up.
It is now corrected. Sorry, Dan.
And by the way, bro, you are registered through isp.cz@gtempaccount.com.
Post notices will still be emailed to you at your yahoo address. If you want to try it again, I will send the invite to the yahoo address, but see if it will work the other way.
Meanwhile, to all of you, Mom helped me figure out that you can get to a postable blogsite by signing on at blogger.com, where you will find a dashboard that will have Stillwater Symposia on it. Josh, you still need to accept the invitation, which I will send yet again.
This can be done!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Blogsite Takes Flight
Inauguration Day 2011? The full-grown blogsite? Not sure what to call this posting, but it is the first being posted directly to our Stillwater Symposia site and automatically sent from there to each of you. And each of you can now do the same! With just one holdout (name begins with Josh), you are all registered authors on the site. Meanwhile, Josh and anyone else, if you'd rather just keep sending emails, I will be happy to post these for you, but please, give it a try!
In compiling what we've got so far, I gave myself just two rules: emails to or from less than all of you are not posted, and emails that didn't seem intended for a symposium are not posted. Not much fell into that last category ---a more personal prayer request, one more general newsletter ---but let me know if I've over- or understepped on this. Better, from here on out, each of you as authors can choose for yourself what is postable.
There are no other rules, as far as I'm concerned, but take note of a few format guidelines. First, as noted already, the titles. No more strings of emails with recycled subject lines, now you've gotta name your posting.
Second, and more trickier, using the pages. It took me some time (and no instructions from Blogger!), but I figured out how to link the categorizable posts through the different pages. I'm happy to do this for you, but to make it easier, please post what would have been your attachments as separate postings, in order to give them their own linkable address. And if you want to figure out how to do the page links yourself, just copy the linkable address, press the edit (the pencil) button on the page getting the link, use the Edit HTML tab and follow a prior example on that page.
Third, and least importantly, follow your font (Dan=Georgia, Mom and Dick=Times, Josh=Trebuchet and Anne=Verdana), post your name in the Labels section and give your more creative postings the full-justified blue-grey font I've chosen to set them apart.
Finally, and most importantly, post away! Anne, we've got two handmade postings from you ---they are fun to read, please send more! Dick, one Arizona picture inspired a week's worth of postings ---how about one from Wisconsin? Dan, we're ready for Act Two! Mom, feel free at any time to turn us back to our faith base! And Josh, no excuses!
As for myself, I will, at Dan's prompting, eventually post Mathematics, and I'd like to share a little more of my Walled Gardens project with you all, especially as it is probably my most faith-based set of poems. But let me know what you think of what you've seen so far.
Apart from the Symposia, also at Dan's prompting, I've started adding the third party poems to my Thirty Birds site, not within the blogtext itself but as comments after each poem. This is actually just a trick to avoid having to get permissions (although most of what I've posted are public domain poems), but I've also, on the opening page of the site, offered a general invitation for anyone to add their own favorite bird poems in the comment sections. Dan, in that spirit, feel free to add Havranci as a comment to my Raven poem.
See you all Saturday,
love, Jon
In compiling what we've got so far, I gave myself just two rules: emails to or from less than all of you are not posted, and emails that didn't seem intended for a symposium are not posted. Not much fell into that last category ---a more personal prayer request, one more general newsletter ---but let me know if I've over- or understepped on this. Better, from here on out, each of you as authors can choose for yourself what is postable.
There are no other rules, as far as I'm concerned, but take note of a few format guidelines. First, as noted already, the titles. No more strings of emails with recycled subject lines, now you've gotta name your posting.
Second, and more trickier, using the pages. It took me some time (and no instructions from Blogger!), but I figured out how to link the categorizable posts through the different pages. I'm happy to do this for you, but to make it easier, please post what would have been your attachments as separate postings, in order to give them their own linkable address. And if you want to figure out how to do the page links yourself, just copy the linkable address, press the edit (the pencil) button on the page getting the link, use the Edit HTML tab and follow a prior example on that page.
Third, and least importantly, follow your font (Dan=Georgia, Mom and Dick=Times, Josh=Trebuchet and Anne=Verdana), post your name in the Labels section and give your more creative postings the full-justified blue-grey font I've chosen to set them apart.
Finally, and most importantly, post away! Anne, we've got two handmade postings from you ---they are fun to read, please send more! Dick, one Arizona picture inspired a week's worth of postings ---how about one from Wisconsin? Dan, we're ready for Act Two! Mom, feel free at any time to turn us back to our faith base! And Josh, no excuses!
As for myself, I will, at Dan's prompting, eventually post Mathematics, and I'd like to share a little more of my Walled Gardens project with you all, especially as it is probably my most faith-based set of poems. But let me know what you think of what you've seen so far.
Apart from the Symposia, also at Dan's prompting, I've started adding the third party poems to my Thirty Birds site, not within the blogtext itself but as comments after each poem. This is actually just a trick to avoid having to get permissions (although most of what I've posted are public domain poems), but I've also, on the opening page of the site, offered a general invitation for anyone to add their own favorite bird poems in the comment sections. Dan, in that spirit, feel free to add Havranci as a comment to my Raven poem.
See you all Saturday,
love, Jon
Thursday, April 14, 2011
On My Father's Side
This is for all the 12-year-olds and those who have already been and those who will be.
Emmanuel! Love, Mom
Click here: YouTube - On My Father's Side by The Born Again Gang
Emmanuel! Love, Mom
Click here: YouTube - On My Father's Side by The Born Again Gang
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Earthworm Theology
God knows what depths and shallows
each soul can navigate,
the draught of every creature. God creates...
– Sanai, tr. Coleman Barks
...and through this sacred rhythm
I come to appreciate
that everything is sacred. God creates
and bestows each godly wisdom
within. There is no mind.
Another knowing lives outside of time,
beyond the basic neurons
that spark our mortal fire,
above the carnal pulse of our desire;
nor can I have desire
of such capacity
to wish for all that God has given me.
Before this altar silence
becomes my eloquence
and emptiness my path to sustenance,
and I will find tomorrow
connected to today,
and I will learn to celebrate the way
that God has set before me,
this day, my daily earth,
the life I live, the wisdom I am worth.
each soul can navigate,
the draught of every creature. God creates...
– Sanai, tr. Coleman Barks
...and through this sacred rhythm
I come to appreciate
that everything is sacred. God creates
and bestows each godly wisdom
within. There is no mind.
Another knowing lives outside of time,
beyond the basic neurons
that spark our mortal fire,
above the carnal pulse of our desire;
nor can I have desire
of such capacity
to wish for all that God has given me.
Before this altar silence
becomes my eloquence
and emptiness my path to sustenance,
and I will find tomorrow
connected to today,
and I will learn to celebrate the way
that God has set before me,
this day, my daily earth,
the life I live, the wisdom I am worth.
Random Wisdom from Andrew
Dear fellow sentimentalists,
Random wisdom from Andrew today, unaware of Dan’s email and I think unprompted by the 40th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight. “It’s funny. Most kids want to grow up to be astronauts and train conductors, and almost none of them succeed.” Actually I don’t have any idea what prompted this, as he just said it an hour ago as I dropped him off at fencing class, and now I won’t see him for two more hours. Could they have commemorated Gagarin in an American middle school today? I’m guessing not. More likely Andrew had just seen the conductor in a passing Metra train.
I did not know it was the first spaceflight anniversary until Dan brought it up, but I was prompted to check out Wikipedia to learn more. Interesting stuff, especially given Dan’s suggested context of the Soviet “spin” to his singular orbit. He was apparently later quoted by Kruschev as having said “I don’t see any God up here,” but others claimed he more likely said “Someone who never met God on earth would never meet Him in space.” Or could that have been in response to Kruschev? Three years later, after visiting a monastery he said to a friend, “Just think on these words, ‘who art in heaven.’”
Neither Gagarin nor Kruschev will have the last word on God in heaven, but Gagarin will always be the first human in space —and he was apparently well favored for the task. Wikipedia reports that the cosmonaut candidates were asked to vote anonymously on their own choice for “first to fly,” and 17 of 20 voted for Yuri.
So here’s to Yuri, and sentimentalism, and all kids wanting to be Astronauts, and any one of them succeeding.
Meanwhile, back on earth, again prompted by Dan but also, I hope, in the spirit of Matthew 4: 5-11 (and 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, and, interestingly enough, Yuri’s thoughts), here’s my Earthworm Theology:
http://walledgardenpoetry.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthworm-theology.html
Now, isn’t that much easier than attachments? This was inspired by the opening rhythm of an otherwise blank-versed Coleman Barks poem. I took the liberty of rewriting it, but I tried to make it my own poem too. I do not have a copy of the Barks’ poem where I am writing this (it’s at home, I’m at the office), but if anyone is interested I’ll send it later.
(Dan, I have no answers on what to do to sign in as a blog author, but if you or anyone else has continuing difficulties, I will be happy to post your pieces for you until we figure it out. I also do not use my gmail address for anything else, but I guess that’s the trend - AT&T now wants me to have another email address just to check my voice mails.)
love to all, Jon
I meant 50th anniversary. Old math.
Coleman Barks' original poem is now posted as a comment on the same link.
Andrew's inspiration, it turns out, was the conversation we were having about Scott Kuntz, my colleague, who is driving to Pennsylvania today for a model train convention.
Enjoy your days!
Random wisdom from Andrew today, unaware of Dan’s email and I think unprompted by the 40th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight. “It’s funny. Most kids want to grow up to be astronauts and train conductors, and almost none of them succeed.” Actually I don’t have any idea what prompted this, as he just said it an hour ago as I dropped him off at fencing class, and now I won’t see him for two more hours. Could they have commemorated Gagarin in an American middle school today? I’m guessing not. More likely Andrew had just seen the conductor in a passing Metra train.
I did not know it was the first spaceflight anniversary until Dan brought it up, but I was prompted to check out Wikipedia to learn more. Interesting stuff, especially given Dan’s suggested context of the Soviet “spin” to his singular orbit. He was apparently later quoted by Kruschev as having said “I don’t see any God up here,” but others claimed he more likely said “Someone who never met God on earth would never meet Him in space.” Or could that have been in response to Kruschev? Three years later, after visiting a monastery he said to a friend, “Just think on these words, ‘who art in heaven.’”
Neither Gagarin nor Kruschev will have the last word on God in heaven, but Gagarin will always be the first human in space —and he was apparently well favored for the task. Wikipedia reports that the cosmonaut candidates were asked to vote anonymously on their own choice for “first to fly,” and 17 of 20 voted for Yuri.
So here’s to Yuri, and sentimentalism, and all kids wanting to be Astronauts, and any one of them succeeding.
Meanwhile, back on earth, again prompted by Dan but also, I hope, in the spirit of Matthew 4: 5-11 (and 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, and, interestingly enough, Yuri’s thoughts), here’s my Earthworm Theology:
http://walledgardenpoetry.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthworm-theology.html
Now, isn’t that much easier than attachments? This was inspired by the opening rhythm of an otherwise blank-versed Coleman Barks poem. I took the liberty of rewriting it, but I tried to make it my own poem too. I do not have a copy of the Barks’ poem where I am writing this (it’s at home, I’m at the office), but if anyone is interested I’ll send it later.
(Dan, I have no answers on what to do to sign in as a blog author, but if you or anyone else has continuing difficulties, I will be happy to post your pieces for you until we figure it out. I also do not use my gmail address for anything else, but I guess that’s the trend - AT&T now wants me to have another email address just to check my voice mails.)
love to all, Jon
...
Next Day Postscript
I meant 50th anniversary. Old math.
Coleman Barks' original poem is now posted as a comment on the same link.
Andrew's inspiration, it turns out, was the conversation we were having about Scott Kuntz, my colleague, who is driving to Pennsylvania today for a model train convention.
Enjoy your days!
Mid-Term Memory
Decidedly, without a doubt the ele-
phant within the fishbowl wanted out: not
because the curvature was cramped or that
phant within the fishbowl wanted out: not
because the curvature was cramped or that
the oxygen was scant—her snorkel took care
of that—and not because she was alone:
while dreams of pachyderms at home preoc-
cupied her most reflective hours, the tickle
of her funny bone was only sometimes dour:
the bowl was filled with someone else, a
goldfish swimming (as it were) ‘tween folds of flesh,
forgetting seconds past for present tasks and
minding business own against what fatso’d ask
which resonated thus: ‘Remind me, golden friend,
how came we to this end: my memory renowned
is worthless here, as nothing—see—is worth
remembering. How on earth do you go on?’
Said goldfish feint, without much thought:
‘I remember naught but how to eat—your trainers
call that instinct and I might stop at that, to
think through nothing else but what is here, not
to dwell on what is not. I get the umpteen
screeds on what-and-how I soon forget; if
so, I’d always never know I’m bound in glass…
alas, I always am—my seconds never pass.
I won’t and can’t recall your fate; I vaguely
know you don’t relate to this milieu. I feel
quite bad for you; if pity fades and flits I’m
glad you’re in it here, with me—or so I try to think.’
‘Don’t bother,’ elephant rejoined: her power
to objectively employ a reasonable riposte
was wrapped beyond a prayer to what she all-
too-clear remembered then and there:
The plummet in to present fate (tsunami years
ago) crushed goldy’s mate and stuffed the hole
that would have lured him to a senseless search,
a flip book look for what was lost, a blurred
and lurid chase: the elephant knew that
nothing old or no one new would matter here
and now. The pair was cut. A mutant mix—
Decidedly, a shared mnemonic shut.
of that—and not because she was alone:
while dreams of pachyderms at home preoc-
cupied her most reflective hours, the tickle
of her funny bone was only sometimes dour:
the bowl was filled with someone else, a
goldfish swimming (as it were) ‘tween folds of flesh,
forgetting seconds past for present tasks and
minding business own against what fatso’d ask
which resonated thus: ‘Remind me, golden friend,
how came we to this end: my memory renowned
is worthless here, as nothing—see—is worth
remembering. How on earth do you go on?’
Said goldfish feint, without much thought:
‘I remember naught but how to eat—your trainers
call that instinct and I might stop at that, to
think through nothing else but what is here, not
to dwell on what is not. I get the umpteen
screeds on what-and-how I soon forget; if
so, I’d always never know I’m bound in glass…
alas, I always am—my seconds never pass.
I won’t and can’t recall your fate; I vaguely
know you don’t relate to this milieu. I feel
quite bad for you; if pity fades and flits I’m
glad you’re in it here, with me—or so I try to think.’
‘Don’t bother,’ elephant rejoined: her power
to objectively employ a reasonable riposte
was wrapped beyond a prayer to what she all-
too-clear remembered then and there:
The plummet in to present fate (tsunami years
ago) crushed goldy’s mate and stuffed the hole
that would have lured him to a senseless search,
a flip book look for what was lost, a blurred
and lurid chase: the elephant knew that
nothing old or no one new would matter here
and now. The pair was cut. A mutant mix—
Decidedly, a shared mnemonic shut.
Havranci (little ravens)
Veteran's Day, the armistice of killing time with
apple-picking cheer against the chill and
pallor... Meanwhile, I'm Weeping more of late,
I'm less old than I am if Frost cannot rub the
strangeness from his sight, daft to think I can.
Black crows have come back to stakehold leafless trees
and caw the closed penultima and brashly animate the
freeze.
'Nevermore' belies the constance of their mob— a
fledgling plague Ukraine expels for virgin winter
wheat to rob.
apple-picking cheer against the chill and
pallor... Meanwhile, I'm Weeping more of late,
I'm less old than I am if Frost cannot rub the
strangeness from his sight, daft to think I can.
Black crows have come back to stakehold leafless trees
and caw the closed penultima and brashly animate the
freeze.
'Nevermore' belies the constance of their mob— a
fledgling plague Ukraine expels for virgin winter
wheat to rob.
Then I hear a 'kraa kraa' in an aping pitch,
naive and fresh, familiar, bright… my frosty
eye begins to twitch:
Advent Emma's turning two—November now
extends the warmth of autumn (the sole
season to remember)
naive and fresh, familiar, bright… my frosty
eye begins to twitch:
Advent Emma's turning two—November now
extends the warmth of autumn (the sole
season to remember)
Go Gagarin
Dear all,
Forever sentimental, I'm celebrating Gagarin's universal (not strictly Soviet) venture into space. Of course the poor man was a propaganda pawn, of course the ubiquitous 'microregions' of Turkmenistan and everywhere else I managed to spy into during the early-mid 90's named in honor of this man were wrapped up in the larger-than-life zeitgeist of the moment-beyond-the-passing-days of the 1960's. In fact, I never once thought of that precursory decade while I walked around dilapidated Turkmenistan. Gagarin was probably just a dude who wanted to leave a personal legacy; I wonder what he really though of the subtle sabotage that followed.
We're in it for less demagogic gain. I love what Jon has done and want to leave things temporarily at that. I'm still having some log-in struggles on these lines: blogspot.com always converts to a Czech line of instructions I usually understand, but they get cross-wired when they pose ultimata like, 'Do you want to change your log-in from [my school-issued gmail] to another gmail account?' [I don't even administrate my gmail account!!] or less clear questions whether I am signing in to an existing account, new account, create-an-account, etc (all in Czech). In other words, I'm still rather stupid/stupefied by the labyrinth we may be in.
But--positive forces unite!--the spirit is working where the web as we know it is weak! I thought I had tapped into Jon's 30 Birds but I guess I was at his Walled Garden site--still couldn't 'post a comment' there, despite trying to sign in (as a 'Follower'? I'm in over my head). Read that whole site--you can link into it if you type Jon's "About Me"--and see specifically the poems I most wanted to comment on, "Mathematics", "The Elephant" (which Jon shared after I wrote "Mid-Term Memory", attached) and "Earthworm Theology". I'm rather into slimy creatures, for whatever reason!
Go further to the Calendrums site--I was, by coincidence, thinking of penning a Palm Sunday poem this year, and "March" is a wonderful impetus. I think I like lower-case "gray" as a better poem, however. Another eBlogger (the other name for blogspot.com) site Jon has created is March to December, a wonderful double entendre. Read the Beckett/Pirandello-inspired "Story" or the more plot-apparent "Disappearance of Walter Herring"--again, I wanted to 'comment' to these entries but couldn't figure out the cyber-keys.
Finally, alas, the Thirty Birds that I took to heart poem-by-poem when they were written in the summer of 2008 (yes?). I hope these poems on this site will have their companions from renowned poets, doubling the 30 to 60 with names like Ted Hughes, Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, et al. My favorites in that collection are "At the Bus Stop", "Social Creatures" and "Hawk Diode".
Anyway, this is everything I would have hoped by now and more. A la Greg Loftness, I was hoping we'd have a repository, a family legacy, an internship for whomever interested. As a 19th-century man, compelled to teach Web 2.0-sort-of-things, I don't much care about the confines of cyberspace. But I do love the spirit that both complements and prevails over the ether. In that sense, go Gagarin--not for jingoistic glory but for the metaphor that space cannot confine the aesthetic endeavor to touch the stars and return to earth unharmed. What's deeper in our pursuit, we have Matthew 4: 5-11.
love,
Dan
Forever sentimental, I'm celebrating Gagarin's universal (not strictly Soviet) venture into space. Of course the poor man was a propaganda pawn, of course the ubiquitous 'microregions' of Turkmenistan and everywhere else I managed to spy into during the early-mid 90's named in honor of this man were wrapped up in the larger-than-life zeitgeist of the moment-beyond-the-passing-days of the 1960's. In fact, I never once thought of that precursory decade while I walked around dilapidated Turkmenistan. Gagarin was probably just a dude who wanted to leave a personal legacy; I wonder what he really though of the subtle sabotage that followed.
We're in it for less demagogic gain. I love what Jon has done and want to leave things temporarily at that. I'm still having some log-in struggles on these lines: blogspot.com always converts to a Czech line of instructions I usually understand, but they get cross-wired when they pose ultimata like, 'Do you want to change your log-in from [my school-issued gmail] to another gmail account?' [I don't even administrate my gmail account!!] or less clear questions whether I am signing in to an existing account, new account, create-an-account, etc (all in Czech). In other words, I'm still rather stupid/stupefied by the labyrinth we may be in.
But--positive forces unite!--the spirit is working where the web as we know it is weak! I thought I had tapped into Jon's 30 Birds but I guess I was at his Walled Garden site--still couldn't 'post a comment' there, despite trying to sign in (as a 'Follower'? I'm in over my head). Read that whole site--you can link into it if you type Jon's "About Me"--and see specifically the poems I most wanted to comment on, "Mathematics", "The Elephant" (which Jon shared after I wrote "Mid-Term Memory", attached) and "Earthworm Theology". I'm rather into slimy creatures, for whatever reason!
Go further to the Calendrums site--I was, by coincidence, thinking of penning a Palm Sunday poem this year, and "March" is a wonderful impetus. I think I like lower-case "gray" as a better poem, however. Another eBlogger (the other name for blogspot.com) site Jon has created is March to December, a wonderful double entendre. Read the Beckett/Pirandello-inspired "Story" or the more plot-apparent "Disappearance of Walter Herring"--again, I wanted to 'comment' to these entries but couldn't figure out the cyber-keys.
Finally, alas, the Thirty Birds that I took to heart poem-by-poem when they were written in the summer of 2008 (yes?). I hope these poems on this site will have their companions from renowned poets, doubling the 30 to 60 with names like Ted Hughes, Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, et al. My favorites in that collection are "At the Bus Stop", "Social Creatures" and "Hawk Diode".
Anyway, this is everything I would have hoped by now and more. A la Greg Loftness, I was hoping we'd have a repository, a family legacy, an internship for whomever interested. As a 19th-century man, compelled to teach Web 2.0-sort-of-things, I don't much care about the confines of cyberspace. But I do love the spirit that both complements and prevails over the ether. In that sense, go Gagarin--not for jingoistic glory but for the metaphor that space cannot confine the aesthetic endeavor to touch the stars and return to earth unharmed. What's deeper in our pursuit, we have Matthew 4: 5-11.
love,
Dan
Monday, April 11, 2011
Somewhat Reluctantly, a Designer
Hey Dan, and all,
I’ll send the invites out again to hopefully allow you to sign in as an author. So far just Josh and Anne are called “followers,” which I think is something different than authors, and I wonder, were you, Dan, also unable to sign in as a follower, too? And Josh, Anne, did you also have difficulty accepting author invitations? For that matter, I don’t even know what a follower is, as distinct from an author or someone who simply looks at the site without being a follower or author, as apparently you did, Dan. Mom, too. You are, it seems, iconless “visitors.”
Meanwhile, I don’t even know how one gets an icon, if that’s even the right name for it. All I know is what my kids did to Josh on my smart phone. Any time Josh calls, a picture slightly different than his symposian icon pops up, and any time I want to call him, I have to scroll past the J’s and the L’s to O, for Old Man Lamken. I swear, Josh, I’d change that if I knew how to. Guess I need Smart Phones for Dummies. Or less clownish kids.
So there would seem to be authors, followers, visitors. And, somewhat reluctantly, a designer. For the record, I don’t mind being an even keeled co-author, or symposian visitor, or, yes, a fellow follower of Christ, but designer? What? Wait... Oh, okay.
According to the design page – how do I let others into the design page? — I am currently the only author. It seems, if we are bashing our bosses and bringing up personal stuff, we ought to limit the site to authors only, but until you guys get signed in as authors or direct me otherwise, I will have to keep this as an open access blog. No, wait, I can limit the site to “only people I choose.” Which means there are authors, followers, visitors and then ...the chosen. However, I can only choose people with gmail addresses, so, until you all get on board, we’re back to an “anyone” site.
Not that anyone else is looking. There are stats on the design page that indicate only two countries, US and Czech, have signed in to this site so far. By comparison, my Thirty Birds site somehow has people looking in from the Phillippines, India, Germany (but not, by the way, Czech). I’m guessing this is because I gave it a registered domain name.
Anyway, for now, I don’t mind doing the posting of our first couple months of sympofied emails. If ever we get into multiple authorship, though, I propose a few rules. First, to allow us to keep the more personal stuff to the side, no posts unless they are directed to all. I wouldn’t mind sharing what I sent to Mom for her birthday, or talking Dan into sharing a poem or two he has sent to me separately, but I’ll let the authors do the sharing first. Second... Oh, heck, there is no second.
In the mean time, if there wasn’t already enough for a designer to think about, I am trying to give you all separate fonts. The blog only gives seven options, so I started going in alpha order by age. I’m Ariel, Dan’s Georgia, Josh is Trebuchet and Anne’s Verdana. Except I forgot Mom, so I guess she will get Courier. If there are any objections, please speak up, although your only other options are Helvetica and Times.
For now,
Designer Jon
In the mean time, if there wasn’t already enough for a designer to think about, I am trying to give you all separate fonts. The blog only gives seven options, so I started going in alpha order by age. I’m Ariel, Dan’s Georgia, Josh is Trebuchet and Anne’s Verdana. Except I forgot Mom, so I guess she will get Courier. If there are any objections, please speak up, although your only other options are Helvetica and Times.
For now,
Designer Jon
The Woebegone Feel
Hello family,
My first online IB workshop is over--whew! A lot more work than the face2face workshops, and not more cash on the contract. What's rewarding is that I'm among the first to teach a new IB literature course online, and it went swimmingly (not belly up, as did a few pilots before mine). Had I known this would be an eventuality, I would not have signed into the Paris workshop, but that one will be big, with a different type of networking, so I shant regret it too much. At any rate, thanks for taking in Katerina and the kids a full five days before I can get there.
Jon, a belated thank you for the site--I like how you've stylized it as a chronicle, and the ducks and reeds in the background casts a wonderful mood. I tried to subscribe as a "follower" several times but I'm being rebuffed; the way I had subscribers for my erstwhile "Lamken's Philology Central" (same eBlogger platform, still accessible) was to type in their emails in an 'invite' box. As the sole editor, only I could post articles for subscribers' comments, only I could control the gate who was in or out (and 100 people max, at that), so unless the settings on this one are different, we won't necessarily have discernible 'surf' traffic. But that's a detail that can be sorted later. I'm just so appreciative of the archive and possibilities to keep writing.
I liked re-reading the letters among our other writings, and perhaps some content therein can be excised--I refer to my ISP boss unflatteringly, for instance! But the lovely part of it is the Woebegon feel, the notion that this is an effort to leave (in part) to the generation(s) that follow. I guess I'm thinking in those terms because I was asked to speak at graduation again--I begged to do the less formal 'Senior Banquet' on graduation eve, as being the main speaker twice in three years wouldn't be comfortable. I like this senior class quite a bit, and recently we've been workshopping poetry. I want to write something on the theme of 'walking to run', a bit because no less than 20% of the senior class came out for cross-country, including the 1st and 3rd place finishers in the conference. I also liked hearing an interview on The Daily Show of an Argentinian brain researcher who is working on synapse technology by which paralyzed people can 'think' themselves back to a walking status (real medicine, not hokus-pokus). Of course Jesus with the paralytic comes to mind--I'll craftily work that in! And something about passing a baton--a relay whether in a fast race or deliberate saunter (walks for cancer research come to mind--our annual Breast Cancer Walk is this Saturday). So if y'all have any ideas toward this theme, send 'em my way; eventually Stillwater Symposia may feature a message board or wiki space, I imagine... For now, let's celebrate this launch along with 30 Birds, the work that goes into avocations and the relaxation that may result in our vocations.
love,
Dan
My first online IB workshop is over--whew! A lot more work than the face2face workshops, and not more cash on the contract. What's rewarding is that I'm among the first to teach a new IB literature course online, and it went swimmingly (not belly up, as did a few pilots before mine). Had I known this would be an eventuality, I would not have signed into the Paris workshop, but that one will be big, with a different type of networking, so I shant regret it too much. At any rate, thanks for taking in Katerina and the kids a full five days before I can get there.
Jon, a belated thank you for the site--I like how you've stylized it as a chronicle, and the ducks and reeds in the background casts a wonderful mood. I tried to subscribe as a "follower" several times but I'm being rebuffed; the way I had subscribers for my erstwhile "Lamken's Philology Central" (same eBlogger platform, still accessible) was to type in their emails in an 'invite' box. As the sole editor, only I could post articles for subscribers' comments, only I could control the gate who was in or out (and 100 people max, at that), so unless the settings on this one are different, we won't necessarily have discernible 'surf' traffic. But that's a detail that can be sorted later. I'm just so appreciative of the archive and possibilities to keep writing.
I liked re-reading the letters among our other writings, and perhaps some content therein can be excised--I refer to my ISP boss unflatteringly, for instance! But the lovely part of it is the Woebegon feel, the notion that this is an effort to leave (in part) to the generation(s) that follow. I guess I'm thinking in those terms because I was asked to speak at graduation again--I begged to do the less formal 'Senior Banquet' on graduation eve, as being the main speaker twice in three years wouldn't be comfortable. I like this senior class quite a bit, and recently we've been workshopping poetry. I want to write something on the theme of 'walking to run', a bit because no less than 20% of the senior class came out for cross-country, including the 1st and 3rd place finishers in the conference. I also liked hearing an interview on The Daily Show of an Argentinian brain researcher who is working on synapse technology by which paralyzed people can 'think' themselves back to a walking status (real medicine, not hokus-pokus). Of course Jesus with the paralytic comes to mind--I'll craftily work that in! And something about passing a baton--a relay whether in a fast race or deliberate saunter (walks for cancer research come to mind--our annual Breast Cancer Walk is this Saturday). So if y'all have any ideas toward this theme, send 'em my way; eventually Stillwater Symposia may feature a message board or wiki space, I imagine... For now, let's celebrate this launch along with 30 Birds, the work that goes into avocations and the relaxation that may result in our vocations.
love,
Dan
Saturday, April 9, 2011
GOOD to be Home
Hi - Thanks for the reminder - and all the early-hour work - of getting in to the blog. Loved reading through it this morning, and I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get into your blog, Anne - now I can. Again I ask, do you want me to transfer over en masse the emails and writings which I arbitrarily put into a file called "Birthday 2011"? How do I do that? Is that what g-mail is all about? And how much purging can you do once it is passed on? Actually, I have the feeling that you have kept pretty much everything that I did, so I'll just let it ride and wait as you continue your blogwork. Of course, the ancient history (1988+) is precious to read, too.
It is SO GOOD to be home. We slaved on the land one day, cleaning up after Wayne the patrolman on the Loyalty bank below our house. That's when we came up and sat on the porch swing and talked to you, Josh and Anne, and watched bluebirds build next in our birdhouses.
So catching up with friends, and getting into church music and an actual wedding I have for April 30, and doing women's club stuff, and modifying our southwest-US basement corner, has delighted us. Dick's knees hurt, and they didn't in Arizona. Phooey. It has been rainy the last few days, so that adds to it, for some reason. Today we're going in to Verona to pick up the two bikes Ken (Dick's brother) gave us that Anne and Eric and Jon tried out and they had some problems. Hopefully problems are gone.
Really looking forward to Easter Saturday and seeing all but Prague branch. Excited that that will happen come summer!
Meanwhile, Jon, Andrew's 12th is coming up, and since we can't duplicate his sister's treasure hunt, we have some other expanded ideas that involve a whole weekend. Any chance you can come up near his birthday???
Hugs to all of you. Mom
Easter Invitation
Jon, thank you so much for pulling this blog together! I am away from home today, but I will feast on literary genius tonight.
Please come celebrate Easter at our house on Saturday, April 23nd. Come around noon and we'll have dinner at around 2. Email me if you want to bring something, but no pressure at all.
I can't wait to see EVERYBODY soon!
Take care,
Annie
Please come celebrate Easter at our house on Saturday, April 23nd. Come around noon and we'll have dinner at around 2. Email me if you want to bring something, but no pressure at all.
I can't wait to see EVERYBODY soon!
Take care,
Annie
www.handmadebyannepotter.etsy.com
50% of all proceeds go towards missions
50% of all proceeds go towards missions
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Fledgling Blogsite
Hello family -
After 9 days, The Stillwater Symposia blogsite I tried to start has gained one "follower" (Thanks Josh) and no comments from the symposian gallery other than in a non-group email (thanks Dan). I have never tried my hand at this blogging stuff, though, and I suppose the gmail hurdle is daunting. And yes, we are all allowed to be busy with other priorities, as I have been myself. But check it out, all, and please, any suggestions on how to do this right are welcome.
Actually, if you had checked it out before today, the site has been sitting empty. But tonight I started posting the emails beginning in mid January when Dan first came up with this idea. I spent about an hour on this, and it is a little bit of work sorting through old emails and attachments, and there is at least one post that is certainly too long (my 1990 Dostoevsky final, which I had shared before we roped the rest of you into this project). But overall I think it will be nice to see this come together. So far, I'm just at the point where Dan first opened it up to all with his turtle poem. I haven't even gotten to the duck photo and the haikus, not to mention the point when we came up with the name. But take a look - and feel free to help me post some of the older emails (just be sure to time/date stampt them on the post-options). Again, the address is http://stillwatersymposia.blogspot.com/
In fact, blogspot.com is itself pretty easy to work with. And it is not hard to give yourself a gmail address. I told you I had first tested this with one of my poetry books; I have since put all three of my poetry books into blog format, and for one of them, yes the bird book, I went even further, populating it with photos and giving it a separate non-blogspot domain, which means you do not need gmail to check this one out: www.thirtybirdspoetry.com
See you all in two weeks. Anne, what time should we show up?
Love, jon
After 9 days, The Stillwater Symposia blogsite I tried to start has gained one "follower" (Thanks Josh) and no comments from the symposian gallery other than in a non-group email (thanks Dan). I have never tried my hand at this blogging stuff, though, and I suppose the gmail hurdle is daunting. And yes, we are all allowed to be busy with other priorities, as I have been myself. But check it out, all, and please, any suggestions on how to do this right are welcome.
Actually, if you had checked it out before today, the site has been sitting empty. But tonight I started posting the emails beginning in mid January when Dan first came up with this idea. I spent about an hour on this, and it is a little bit of work sorting through old emails and attachments, and there is at least one post that is certainly too long (my 1990 Dostoevsky final, which I had shared before we roped the rest of you into this project). But overall I think it will be nice to see this come together. So far, I'm just at the point where Dan first opened it up to all with his turtle poem. I haven't even gotten to the duck photo and the haikus, not to mention the point when we came up with the name. But take a look - and feel free to help me post some of the older emails (just be sure to time/date stampt them on the post-options). Again, the address is http://stillwatersymposia.blogspot.com/
In fact, blogspot.com is itself pretty easy to work with. And it is not hard to give yourself a gmail address. I told you I had first tested this with one of my poetry books; I have since put all three of my poetry books into blog format, and for one of them, yes the bird book, I went even further, populating it with photos and giving it a separate non-blogspot domain, which means you do not need gmail to check this one out: www.thirtybirdspoetry.com
See you all in two weeks. Anne, what time should we show up?
Love, jon
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