well, dang. 

I know I had already started moving my Xanga “best of” over to a WordPress site so my “public face” would reside somewhere more …. interesting? lively? stable?  But I am still kinda sad to hear that Xanga is on its death bed.

Granted, it’s been dying for years, and only a few people really keep it running anymore. Anybody who used to write truly interesting content fled to other sites years ago. I’m just here because I’ve already got such a history here, and because the “protected posting” feature is still unparalleled.  You can hack WordPress to do something similar, via password protected posting but it’s not as secure. Blogger has a login feature for Google users (and who doesn’t have a gmail account these days) but it’s a clunky interface.

Anyway…. I’ve been writing on Xanga since March of 2005.  A pretty significant 8 years of my life, to be honest.  Not all of my best writing is here, but I’ve run across some posts that frankly surprised me because I hadn’t even remembered having those thoughts! 

If you follow me here, go check out the WordPress site. It’s starting to look better, I think. Still a bit clunky….WP.com (free) themes go only so far. But I’m trying to write regularly…..

 

Geez. Eight years.  This would have been easier if I’d been writing in paper journals, right? 

But what amazing community I would have missed out on….

David Spearman’s valedictorian speech at the NCS graduation last week was just awesome — so cool to see him handle big ideas with agility and eloquence. It’s always an amazing thing to see one of your own students “get it” and make it their own. 

Very proud of my 10 years at New Covenant School, and thankful for the incredible students who touched my life in so many ways.

 

well, mini-review

Going to avoid spoilers and simply say this:  J J Abrams has managed to craft a film that BOTH trekkers AND non-Trek fans can love.

If you grew up on TOS and relish the character interplay among Spock, McCoy, Kirk, Scotty, Uhura – then you’ll love the way Abrams’ alt-universe reboot of Trek gives you ample reasons to enjoy discovering those friendships all over again.  Nothing is a given…. you get to see these young officers grow up into men and women who are willing to sacrifice for each other. The alt-universe differences enhance the story, sometimes giving you the joy of seeing “how it could have been” back in 1968 had the writers gone a different way.

If you’re just looking for a great sci-movie to entertain you on a warm summer day, Into Darkness may be the best film you’ll find this summer. It’s got wall to wall action, gorgeous shots and scenes, good dialogue & writing, pacing that won’t wear you out or bore you, and plenty of material to keep your attention all the way through. I mean, what do you really need to know in order to understand a Star Trek story?  If it’s written well, all you need is an understanding of humanity and the knowledge that they’re in a starship in space. 

The homages in the film to some of the best Trek moments in the original series & movie delighted me.  Loved every minute.

This is also an ideal film to see in IMAX.

So while I expect to enjoy many of this summer’s movies, and already have found something to enjoy in Iron Man 3 and something to think about in Oblivion, I have to put Into Darkness high up on my list of forever favorites. 

quick life update and all before I continue my journey through older posts, rescuing the good stuff…

Currently scoring a particular state’s standardized / end of year short answer questions for the major education company that I work for (from home, occasionally). It always serves to remind me that education has become a trillion-dollar business, and a huge portion of that now flows into the companies who prepare and score the tests that have become the new backbone of the public school system. Getting real change in the high-stakes testing culture will be extremely difficult now that so much money is involved. 

I will say that I’ve seen improvement over the past few years in the way test authors are constructing tests to make them more valid and useful. Still, so much of what a student needs to know and what students learn in daily classroom life cannot be measured in a multiple choice test.

It always seems to come back to our fundamental misunderstanding (or forgetting) of what it means to be human. Reducing learning to statistics also reduces the LEARNER to a statistic…. and that diminishes their humanity overall. 

****

15 YEARS.

Whoa. Big number (in my life, at least).  That’s how long we’ve been married! What a journey.  Couldn’t have predicted the events in any of those years, or where our lives would have taken us. All I know is that I’m so incredibly grateful to have such an incredible man on this journey with me. 

It’s been a hard year, no lie. But watching my husband’s faith grow and mine as well – totally worth it. 

*raises glass* Hoping the 16th year is a little calmer but willing to let the Lord take us where He thinks we need to be.

****
Shout out to Don & Martha Hall for giving us an incredible weekend getaway in their lovely house in the middle of nowhere for our anniversary. Sure, they asked us to “house sit” while they were away…but I’m pretty sure the timing was on purpose.

I hope if I ever get the money/time/ability to build the proverbial “dream house” (and I like how Don & Martha were patient & waited years until the time was right, then took their time getting everything done the way they wanted it) that I have such amazing taste and style.  

It’s built like a great old farmhouse with roomy living areas, plenty of natural wood, a friendly cat, huge porches, and a master bathroom that nearly yells “Please come soak in my tub!” lol

 

Approaching the house — the big front porch is to your left. What looks like an “addition” on back (to the right) is the master suite.

Sorry it’s sideways. Xanga uploaded the photo weirdly. This is an inset shelf in the bathroom: 

Speaking of that amazing bathroom…. here’s half of it.

The cat was ridiculously happy to see us. And caught a mouse on day 1. lol

Even sideways, you can tell these are epic porches….

 

 

 

 

Currently Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film The Great Gatsby (Deluxe ) [Explicit] see related

Currently loving this song from the Gatsby soundtrack, along with the Jack White theme for the trailer.

 

 

We also liked the Gatsby movie a lot. I know that’s controversial because a lot of the literary purists don’t appreciate the director’s changes to the feel of the story. *shrugs*  I have always appreciated a more lively reincarnation of favorite written works, as long as the film catches the “heart” of what the author was trying to say.

And I think this new film gives us a really good portrait of just how empty and vacuous a rich man’s life can be, even when surrounded by the drunken materialism of the Roaring 20s. It was all just one big gold-dipped kegger, and the nation work up with a gigantic economic hangover. 

Fitzgerald was brilliant. The Great Gatsby is a masterful book, possibly “the” great American novel. Every sentence stabs you with its beauty. 

The film can’t possibly live up to THAT. But open your eyes and mind and you’ll find much to appreciate on the big screen for this one.