Last Child in the Woods

This is a great book that I have been reading by Richard Louv. The book describes what the author calls "Nature Deficit Disorder". This so called disorder is based on the fact that people do not spend as much time with nature as they used to and many problems stem from this deficit. Americans are overstimulated and too reliant on material things to bring them happiness and to solve their problems. One quote from the book is from a child who says "I like to play indoors better because that is where all the electrical outlets are." I think that this is unbelievable but totally true. I feel this way, and I am a strong advocate of getting children outside and promoting outdoors activities. I am an avid fisherman, and I have been since middle school. I was an Eagle Scout in the DeMotte Troop 157. I have spent the night outside in all conditions including sub zero temperatures, blizzards, downpours and sweltering heat. I don't think people spend enough time doing things like this. Organized sports are great but the emphasis is on the sport not on the relationship with nature. Too many people have never seen an animal carcass go through processing. People have lost the relationship between what they eat and how it gets to the dinner table.

Our basic needs have been fulfilled since the beginning of time and now people are depending too much on the highly advanced and civilized world that surrounds us all. People don't realize the higher order thinking and problem solving that goes hand in hand with playing outside as children. Building shelters, going camping, cooking outdoors, imagination, and observation all serve as problem based learning that can be done through communion with nature. All in all this is just some things to think about while you ride in a car and watch tv while you are doing it on the way home or when you go somewhere with your parents. Keep your head up and your eyes open. Try to notice what is going on in your environment.

The Quiet Landing

The Quiet Landing is my Rock and Roll band. We started practicing again this week. We are looking to have some more shows on campus like we did last year. We have been practicing so many different genres lately: country, folk, rock, hip hop. We are influenced by the following artists: Weezer, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Clapton, Raconteurs, White Stripes, Counting Crows, Bob Dylan, CCR, Nirvana, P. Diddy lol!, Beatles, Allman Brothers, Oasis, Joe Cocker, Smashing Pumpkins, The Shondells, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Verve Pipe, Everclear, bud lite and beyond. I will be sure to alert the Blogosphere when we decide on show dates, but for now we practice in the choir practice room on the top floor of the Science Bldg. We are looking for someone with similar and different interests to play organ and keyboard. The band contains two guitar players, vocalist, bassist and a drummer. We are looking to play to benefit any organization. If you have any ideas let me know. We are willing to travel to fulfill these needs.

Core 9 Message

Ok. One thing that I know I have gotten out of Core 9 is that we need to do good things to maintain our identity. Its the biblical message that we should look out for one another and do what we can for other people. Could we be judged someday by our actions toward others? I think that anyone who reads my blog today should go out and do something out of the kindness of their heart and then leave a comment on how it changed their day, or if it did anything at all. I think it would be interesting to see what really happens on a casual level. We owe it to our brothers and sisters.

Say What?

Who is Jesus Christ? Why are we getting graded on how we put together our ideas for Core 9? It seems strange that we get graded on spiritual growth, or what it seems to be. Has anyone ever been exposed to Catholic School elsewhere? Is this how its supposed to happen?

I don't think that there should be grades in school. I think that teachers should write a developmental narritive on each of their students, at midterms and at the end of a semester. All papers should be graded according to the commentary and tests should be short answer and graded the same way. Don't you think this would be a better system for all schools across the country? High schools, elementary schools?

I don't think there should be homework, but longer time to work together in classes. If assignments are done together we would have more of a sense of comunity. The assment would be the determining factor not the group work.

I think kids get a.d.d because they don't spend enough time alone in the woods.

A Realization

Last week I had a conversation about school with my friend Steve. Steve is a pretty well to do young man about my age. He decided that he didn't want to go to college after high school. He says that he will go someday, but right now he has decided to enter the real estate business. We were sitting on my porch on a Saturday afternoon drinking beer and I was bitching and complaining about school: my 400 level English class and how I haven't had any English classes since freshmen year, my Doc Ryan class that driving me crazy, and a few other things that I just felt like getting off of my chest. He started to say that he wanted to go to school someday but he just wasn't ready for it now. I think that I made the best decision by going to college right after high school, but the decisions I have made since then have been under investigation...I told Steve about how much school sucked and how I can't believe I am going to be a teacher when I feel like I can barely learn. Then he said something that has made me think long and hard about what is really going on. He said,"Man, aren't you excited about being a teacher? You have been doing this for almost four years and you are going to be making good money for living at home. You get to be around kids and you get to have fun. You won't be rich, but you will be making more money than you ever had at any of your bullshit jobs."

I guess I have been getting too wrapped up into thinking about what my cooperating teachers will think of me, how my cooperating principal will scrutinize me, kids that won't listen, yada yada yada. Its alot to think about. The rest of your life? That is insane, I had no clue what a major or minor entailed when I first entered college nor did I realize my situation as a commuter would be drastically different from that of the residents on campus, but I made those decisions and now graduation is getting close and who knows what will await on the other end.....

North Carolina

The time has come to sign up for the Habitat for Humanity trip to North Carolina. It is going to be so great. I always look forward to getting out of Indiana. I can hardly stand it right now, Thanksgiving break will not get here fast enough. There are so many skills to learn and so many new people to meet through Habitat. I went on the trip last year and had a blast. Our group put shingles on a whole house, we also began to run the electrical wires when we needed to work inside due to weather on the last day. I got to see the ocean, and it was truly amazing. I always thought it would be just like lake Michigan, but it is so much more powerful than that. It was like 50 degrees out and one of our group members decided it would be a great idea for them to jump in for a quick dip. Probably not the best idea but it was all in fun. We got to sleep on army cots at a construction depot that doubled as a used housewares store. We got crazy at night an rode around on an automatic pallet jack as well as went on treasure hunts throughout the store. I think that we drove our sponsor crazy. All in all it was a great life experience that I will never forget and I feel privileged to be able to go again this year.

Across the Universe: My Opinion

Across the Universe is a musical about the 50's and 60's that contains all Beatle songs. All of the Characters in the movie have names from Beatles's songs, which is definitely essential to the tone of this story. It is a love story about a bunch of hippies and they sing and dance to the whole thing, which I guess is why it is a musical. I don't want to give to much away, this movie was great and I had a great time when I went to see it. I went with some other Beatle enthusiasts that really enjoyed it as well. The critics didn't like it, probably because they were judging it from a different standpoint than we were. I liked how the words of the songs were extremely appropriate for the things that were happening in the story. The special effects and the colors used are amazing. The costumes are more of a contemporary interpretation of the hippie, beat nick style. There are many innuendos relating to the pop culture of the time and anyone familiar with the Pranksters and the Cafe Wha? amongst other things are in for a laugh. There were a lot of new twists on the original Beatle songs, some where sang unaccompanied, some where sped up, some where slowed down, and some were sang by Bono. The movie was a great audiovisual experience and if you like Beatle songs and have a taste for the Hippie era you will love this film.

Top Ten Things I Hate About Commuting To SJC

10. People who drive 70 mph in the left lane.
9. Bad weather, and waking up extra early to see if there is a blizzard out.
8. Driving to school when public schools are closed for fog delays.
7. Tractors that drive on county roads that go super slow and are impassable.
6. Not being able to go home during long breaks during the school day in between classes.
5. Semis that pass each other when one is going 65 mph and the passing semi is going 68 mph.
4. Waking up an hour and a half earlier than everyone else to get to school on time, especially when my classes start at 7:35 a.m.
3. Waking up extra early to check the weather when it is bad.
2. Shelling out tons of cash to pay for gas each week.
1. Being ask to drive classmates to field trips further out of town.