Feeding the soul

I'm sitting in my cubicle this morning getting ready for the 2nd bout of microteaching. Since the School of Information (used to be Library and Information Science) teaches a core undergraduate education course (children's lit) and pays for the professors the Education Dept have GRACIOUSLY allowed the TA (me) to have one of 115 herman miller cubicles in this vast (mostly empty) room on the education wing. It really is lovely and quiet a lot of the time.

Recently they have informed our Dean that I need to vacate by the end of August. I'm pretty sure they just don't want to share their space anymore and that it has nothing to do with my behavior....pretty sure.....
And so i am mourning the soon-to-be loss of a nice space where I can store all my crap.

In a somewhat nostalgic state, I got to looking at the quotes tacked up on my bulletin board. They are a few of the things that have struck me and so I stuck them.

Censorship causes blindness READ! -- American Library
Association bookmark (printed like an eye-chart with READ! really big at the bottom)

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. --Eleanor Roosevelt. bumper sticker with her sweet face on it. http://www.peaceproject.com/stickers/genstickers.htm

Keep the faith Baby! (and)
Ann- Feed your Soul! You can't do this on your own. -- two handwritten notes from my friend Bob. He gave them to me in FL when my job was so bad.

She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain. -- postcard with wistfull girl looking off to the left. http://www.stellamarrs.com/catalog/detail.php?product_id=223&type=category&cat=5&offset=0

a handpainted rainbow from my son (then 2 1/2)

"If we don't beleive in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all" - Noam Chomsky
"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeate us." - William O. Douglas (both on an ALA bookmark)

"Not rich enough for a tax break" - political button

hegemonic = predominant influence -- my own handwritten note so I would remember what the hell it meant.

"So committed are some survey researchers to the principle of consistency that they often assume that inconsistent responses undermine the "validity" of respondents' replies. But how can people respond consistently in a complex social order that is itself rent by contradictory expectations?" -- Sjoberg, William, Vaughn & Sjoberg, 1991 I copied this out of a paper for my SOC class. Apparently it spoke to me...perhaps in the context of the quantitative vs qualitative scuffles that go on here.

A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men. - Roald Dahl
a quote from my Zen a Day calendar from 2 years ago. The only one worth keeping. Boy was that a bad calendar choice.

What do these say about me?
I think they reflect some of my passions, some of my political leanings, some of my sentimentality. I'll try not to pack up the concepts when I pack up the scraps of paper for the move.

National Girl

This is a map showing all of the states I have been through/visited.

Until I filled this out, I hadn't realized just how continental I really was. I guess I need to get myself to the SW, far NE and far NW and really round this life experience out. And sorry Nebraska and North Dakota - didn't mean to snub you!

I love that Alaska is "not in scale." It reminds me of the Steven Wright joke, "I have a map of the united states .... it's original size ... it says one mile equals one mile."

create your own visited states map

for more funny funny stuff from Steven Wright

Changes

We are in the midst of some changes. Not only will my son be off to Kindergarten in just 2 short months, but his beloved teacher at the Child Development Center has decided to leave her job next week to take care of her family. She is a terrific person with the patience of a saint and the knack for getting the kids to untie their own shoes - imagine my surprise when I realized I was being played on that one! This was bittersweet news - now we would miss her sooner than later.

Last week, this wonderful woman informed the class (and then the parents since we are just the taxis, really) that she is expecting her first child. What a lucky lucky baby!

So, in the midst of our wrapping a good-bye gift for Miss J, we also picked out a few "baby" things to give her. T was very excited about the tiny socks, the softer than soft blanket, the bright orange wrapping paper. As he touched the blanket he said, "hey, maybe this will be the baby's Lovey!"

Now, Lovey has been in our family for at least 6 years. She had humble beginnings at a yellow cotton t-shirt that could be found in my drawer and that I wore with shorts and jeans. We all discovered her magic powers when T was 10 months old. We had flown all day to visit my mom in North Carolina and he could not get used to the new room, new bed, new everything at mom's. He just stood in the (new) crib and screamed. I was very tired and wearing the yellow t-shirt. Thinking that he might settle down if he had something of mine to cuddle with - much like a new puppy and a clock - I stripped off the t and handed it to him. I swear, he put it to his face, took a deep breath and practically fell asleep standing up. They have been inseparable since - occasionally to my husband's chagrin but he has his own "lovey" in that pack of cigs and we don't want to go there right now.

So my sweet child makes this observation that this sweet soft blanket might be good as a "lovey" and then stops himself - "Hey Mom, what if I give the baby one of my old t-shirts that doesn't fit me anymore so he has a "lovey" all his own?!" I agree that this would indeed be a unique gift so he runs to his closet, pulls out one of the shirts that is starting to get a little small in the shoulders and brings it out to wrap. He lovingly folds it, puts tissue paper around it, tapes the edges and writes "Lovey" on it. My child with his big wide-open heart is making sure that a tiny soul will be comforted through all the changes coming her way.


*************Later*****************
Instead of deleting this or changing the whole thing I'll just make an addendum.

T called me into his room after the reading and tucking and reading and drinks and tucking of the bedtime ritual with tears in his eyes. "Mom, can I not give the baby my shirt? I want to keep it" sniff, hiccup, tear, lower lip.
My response was to tuck Lovey up under his chin and say, "Of course you can keep that t-shirt. The baby will find plenty of "lovey"s of his own."
He exhaled, rolled over, put Lovey to his face and drifted off. Too many changes all at once, I guess.