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