by dawn ~ January 3, 2010
I’ve never been really good at promoting myself. It embarasses me. I have a hard time with it because I feel like it puts me in the spotlight too much, and I’m not altogether comfortable in that space.
That being said, I’ve decided this is the year I will try to promote my photography more.
A friend introduced me to RedBubble, an international photography site aimed at creating community and promoting sales. I’ve chosen to use it over all of the others out there because I like the size of the community, the feel of the site, and the way I can promote and sell my photography.
Two final items: 1) I’ve created a calendar, The Nature of Things, for 2010 of my favorite nature photography. You can find it at RedBubble; 2) I’ve created a sales site, inchoate photos, at RedBubble that will carry my favorite photography. If you don’t see something you’d like to purchase up there, let me know and I’ll upload it. RedBubble does all sorts of different types of prints, including matted framed prints, which makes for a nice package to purchase. While I receive much less on the profits side, it does take a lot of the work off of my hands.
Go check it out. Let me know what you think. I am interested in your feedback, good and bad.
by dawn ~ December 25, 2009
Alligator: A Novel by Lisa Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I listened to this on the Between the Covers podcast. The narrator was excellent.
While this book is well-written, I had a hard time connecting to the characters, except for Frank. He was the most likable character. The rest seemed either too selfish or one-dimensional.
The story is mostly setting up the circumstances, building until they quickly crash together and end. The end of the book comes very quickly after, without much of a wrap-up of the characters, their impacts on their environments, or those they leave behind.
View all my reviews >>
by dawn ~ December 19, 2009
One of the problems with studying rhetorical theory is that it makes you question everything. I mean EVERYTHING. What is right and wrong? What is up and down? What is black and white? Are there any of these things or everything?
Sounds a little convoluted, doesn’t it? Then, like so many scholars in the social sciences and medicines, you start to apply it to yourself, that intern syndrome — that you have every disease you study about, or are afflicted with every type of psychological diagnosis.
Who am I? Am I virtuous? Am I good? Would Plato or Aristotle or even Quintilian approve of me? Does being a woman preclude that? Are my ideas valid? What are my ideas exactly?
Am I a good student? Should I even be an academic? Do I belong here? Am I too lazy to be a “good” academic, or even too lazy to be a “good” citizen?
Who am I?
I think. And I think. And I think some more. And sometimes I don’t like what I think, but other times I want to share what I think, because there are others doing the very same thing. They are smart, interesting people, and I want to contemplate these thoughts with them.
If Socrates wanted us to examine our lives, we are doing it. In so many ways.
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by dawn ~ October 5, 2009
I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy since it first came on air. Well, that’s not true. I started watching it because my sister-in-law, a nurse, mentioned it, and, at the time, she really enjoyed it. And I did, too, at first.
My enjoyment of it was purely because of Patrick Dempsey. We had grown up together (well, not together, but at the same time). I watched him in his earlier movies when he was cute, but also a bit geeky. Now he’s McDreamy. Whoa.
My disillusionment with it has come because of inequities portrayed in the program. Out of the main couples (Meredith/Derek, Lexie/Mark, Izzie/Alex, Cristine/Owen, and Arizona/Callie), three are older, established male doctors engaging with younger female residents. There isn’t a case of an older established female doctor engaging with a younger male resident (but, to be fair, that did occur when George was married to Callie).
Ok, I know this is only a television show. But so often what I see portrayed on television is what I see occurring off-screen. There are inequities that seem to be ok in portraying and even celebrating.
This could simply be a case of the older me finding most television problematic. But I think it’s also a case of the older me recognizing that older women are not considered desirable in pop culture (and don’t even get me started on Cougartown, one of the most irritating programs I’ve wasted 23 minutes on lately).
Ok. Three minute rant over.
For now.
by dawn ~ September 26, 2009
Some of my earliest memories consist of tall trees, rivers, and the sweet clean scent of a mountain pass. Some of my best memories consist of high mountain lakes, deep canyons, cliffs overlooking oceans and lakes, and the museums of Washington, D.C.
Most of my vacations are ventures into our national parks. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t go to a national park at least once every summer.
Just thinking about recent years visiting the various parks and monuments in Arizona with my niece with cameras in hand makes me wistful for those moments with her in the stunning landscapes set aside for us to ponder the wonders of life.
by dawn ~ September 22, 2009
No apologies to Aristotle. We can all write “on rhetoric,” can’t we? I mean, we could, if we wanted to. Some of us do. Those of us crazy enough to entertain a PhD in said field; crazy enough to spend an entire day reading assorted writings of Plato and Gorgias and Antiphon.
And speaking of Plato. I was actually cheering him on today. Oh, yes! He made a strong character of Protagoras. One of my all-time favorite speeches in classical Greek speeches that I’ve read so far. Seriously. Finally someone gave it to Socrates good. And Plato wrote it. BEST EVAH.
And that Antiphon. Writing imaginary judicial arguments. Seriously, the boy in the javelin argument wanted to kill himself by running IN FRONT OF A JAVELIN? There must be better ways to die. He killed himself? Oy. Made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of the argument. But it was well done. I give you that (in case you care, 2500 years in the grave).
by dawn ~ September 20, 2009
I heard about the three minute fiction contest on NPR. I started to think that this might be a great way to keep my blog up to date. I can surely take 3 minutes to blog about whatever is on my mind, right?
So, here goes (and note that I’m currently writing on a mobile device so it will probably be shorter than those done on my laptop):
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I’m not a hater of exercise. I’m really not. I can happily walk for hours if I’m amused while doing so (photography, audiobooks). What I do have trouble with is footwear.
My arches don’t fit conventional shoes correctly. Regular closed shoes bind my feet in and hurt. They always have. So I tend to exercise barefoot.
I know. Bad, right? It just works better for me. It feels right.
Today I heard about new running shoes that are made to feel like you’re barefoot. I definitely am checking them out.
by dawn ~ August 12, 2009
Not too long ago I was commenting on how I talk to students about social media, about how much they want to share, not share, communicate, etc. because of the ramifications to education, friendships, and other relationships, not to mention future job prospects. The friend I was talking to said that I post everything, that I don’t really sensor what I post.
Today I posted on Facebook about not getting into the State Fair, then shortly after about my latest round of biopsies coming in benign. I was concerned about posting these (and I did not post them to Twitter). Was it too much? What was I expecting from the posts? Why was I posting them?
I posted the Fair topic because I knew of others who had entered. I wanted them to know I hadn’t made it in. I wasn’t sad so I wasn’t looking for condolences (although the ones that did come in were great — and the friends who enjoy my work made me smile). Maybe I was looking for camaraderie? I wanted them to get in even if I didn’t — but maybe it was that understanding that this was a big deal to enter. I don’t know. I really don’t.
I almost didn’t post anything about the biopsies. After my aunt asked about them (in the fair post), it made me think. I’m linked to a lot of family and long-time friends in Facebook. These are people who have seen me through my bouts with cancer, have been supporting me, encouraging me, and loving me as I have dealt with it. I worried that it seemed like much ado about nothing, but I also know that these are some of the people who care the most about me. I posted so they would know.
I’ve questioned myself (yes, I talk to myself) about how much I post, if I post everything, and if I post too much. When friends drop me because I “post too much,” I question my motives.
I realized, though, that I don’t post a 10th of what actually goes on in my life. Not here, not in Facebook, not in Twitter, not anywhere.
The last three weeks have been an emotional roller coaster, but I haven’t let on about most of that. I’ve kept it to myself, only discussing some of the issues with some people, and only all of the issues with one person — my therapist, because that’s what he’s there for. I really don’t find it necessary to share everything. But I do like sharing some things.
I am choosy about who I share with, and what I do share. I compartmentalize. It keeps me sane.
by dawn ~ July 27, 2009
A quick update: I added a new plug-in to my blog: a library (it’s also in the sidebar to the left). You can see what I’ve read, am reading, and will read.
Mostly I did this for miss ashley, because she likes to know. :-)
Back to your regularly scheduled programming (with an advertisement that I will blog again soon — just as soon as my wrists allow me to write more than the work I’m working on).
by dawn ~ June 20, 2009
I was driving to the the Fourth Street Fantasy Convention this afternoon and, again, because the Twin Cities are so full of life, I saw things that I wanted to capture in words (since driving and photographing, especially with my big tank, would be dangerous). I’ll share a few things, then I expand with my own expository on some of the issues.
- Since I’m staying in Como Park, I’m right off of Lexington. Lexington was backed up almost to Larpenteur with people going to the park. Bikers, walkers, sunbathers, and zoo-goers were flocking to the absolutely gorgeous Como Park. This is one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen. It has gorgeous buildings, rolling green hills covered by multitudes of trees and other vegetation, and captivating bridges. I’m often transported to a different time when I pass through this park.
- After passing through the park, going toward I-94, I passed through a different neighborhood. It’s doesn’t have the finely manicured lawn and gardens with impeccably maintained homes of the more northern Como Park adjacent neighborhoods. The lawns are longer, flowers are leggy, and homes may need a good painting. But this neighborhood makes me think more of childhood memories (although I never lived in a neighborhood like this — ever). I can imagine children riding bikes down the sidewalks, kick-the-can happening in the streets, and the local dog following the child with the dripping ice cream cone, hoping to get a taste.
- For only the second time in my life, I passed through the I-94 tunnel. I love tunnels. I was so excited to pass through it, and since traffic was backed up due to road work, I was able to enjoy it even longer.
- Every time the Basilica comes up on the horizon, I gasp. It is so stunning and large and jumps up out of nowhere. Along those same lines, I feel the same way about the Mississippi River. Today, surrounded by lush green vegetation, I could imagine Huck Finn cruising down it.
Now. I have some other thing to say:
- Are those teenaged girls absolutely insane? Do they not know that lying in the sun can lead to skin cancer? ARGH. I wanted to go be an old lady and admonish them.
- Drivers in the Twin Cities are as passive-aggressive as they are when speaking to them. Speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down. Put on your damn cruise control and go a steady speed!
- The further east I went, I noticed how white the and more expensive the cars got. Suddenly I was surrounded by BMWs, Saabs, Mercedesssss, and gone were the Hondas, Nissans, and Chevy vans (seriously). It’s a bit disconcerting, to say the least.
Ok. I’m done being a cranky old woman. I’m gonna hang out at the con now, and learn more about expository, sex, and all kinds of other things.
