94 pages.

94 pages down. 56 pages to go. Let's get it!

Got me working day and nite!!!

This dissertation has me working day and night - OMG! For the past two weeks, I have been up till the 'wee hours of the morning, making all KINDS of progress on the revisions to my first three chapters. I am so close I can taste it!!! My son is helping me out too - this Thursday I was too tired to read some research that I printed out - so he read it to me! He kept saying, whoa, that is a BIG word:) But he made it through about five pages and it was all I needed! Lord willing ('and the creek don't rise') I will have a polished product to deliver to my Chair this Sunday - and that's tomorrow so I'd better get off this blog and get back to working!
Peace.

Yele Haiti.

"Yele was coined by Wyclef in a song and means "a cry for freedom." The logo means STOP THE VIOLENCE with one hand, PEACE with the other... while the heart is LOVE".

On Tuesday, Haiti, the first black nation to gain independence in 1804 (from France), has devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. Today, the images of destruction and despair dominated the airwaves. Words are insufficient.

I stand in proxy tonight for the mothers who have lost children today, who have no idea how they will provide for their loved ones today, tomorrow, next week. May we all stand in prayer and take action. Please, Yele Haiti.

Peace.

ARGS!!!!

Today my son got an interview letter from the Appomattox Regional Governor's School! He is auditioning for a spot in Literary Arts and I just pray that he gets in. I like k12 and all, but ARGS has so many opportunities for students and I know that he will do very well there. Right now, he is working on his second drafts of two poems, one short story, and a memoir to complete his portfolio. I don't have anything to compare his writing to on an eight-grade level, but I think he is pretty talented. His writings are very creative and amusing. Let's hope that the interview panel sees his potential for greatness!

Speaking of greatness, I met with my Dissertation Chair today and it was so encouraging. She read my first three draft chapters and gave me the best suggestions to make it better. She says that I am on the right track and can finish by summer!!! Look out academia, here I come...

ALGEBRA!

Well, my son is having some difficulties with some of the lessons in Algebra this year (school year). I wonder who ever thought of Algebra, and why??? Do I use this tool in my daily life? No. Believe it or not, the photo above is a a page from an Algebra textbook Kitab al-jam’wal tafriq bi hisab al-Hindi ("Book on Addition and Subtraction after the Method of the Indians"). From what I can tell (and my son would back me up on this I'm sure) the books have not gotten much easier to understand since 750-850AD! It is a good thing I have the answer sheets for my son's classwork, otherwise we would be in BIG trouble...

But I have to believe that there is a good reason it is in the grade curriculum...I guess. For those of you who have 8th graders like me, and particularly for those of you who are home schooling, I know you feel my pain! I am thinking about getting a professional tutor, just to make sure he can pass the SOLs. I called Huntington and would you believe those folks charge $43 an hour!?!? For tutoring! Man, I must be in the wrong business! Now I REALLY wish I was better in Algebra - I could open my own tutoring business AND help my son with his classwork.

Peace.

Music and Mentoring

Tonight, after a very peaceful and productive start to the first workweek in 2010, I have music and mentoring on my mind. To begin with, my sister purchased an iPhone (3G 16GB!) for me during the holidays and I have got to say that I love it. Almost more than shoes. Not only do I have my vast personal music collection (ranging from Tracy Chapman to TI, from Shirley Cesar to Carlos Santana, from Adelle to At Last and back to Sam Cooke...well you get the idea - I LOVE most any kind of good MUSIC) neatly arranged and available at my finger tips...I also have my latest and greatest infatuation - PANDORA (thank the good Lord for the music genome project for giving the world such a gift) everywhere I go. I am listening to the smooth sounds of Sade and others inspired by her genius as I type. I think I might just make it through another year at work after all!

I also have mentoring on the mind. January is national mentoring month and I can't wait to get my girl scout troop back in action - we have been on hiatus since September but we re-grouped in December - just in time to see Princess & the Frog as a group - it was great. And with our First Lady Michelle Obama ("Lady O")as Honorary National President, I have one more great thing to encourage our young ladies...maybe we can arrange a visit to the White House next year (you know it takes that long to get a sponsor and get clearance for all of the girls)...yes, that is exactly what we will do. In the meantime, I am open for great scouting ideas for our troop...and yes we ARE selling cookies so be generous - we want to donate some boxes to our faithful troops over seas and go to Great Wolf Lodge!.

That's all for tonight - peace.

Bonne Anne!

Well! It has been since OCTOBER for my last post. As you can probably imagine, I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Updates: K12 still rocks - my son and I are really getting the hang of pseudo-home schooling. I can't tell you how much work it is - but how worth it. My first three chapters of the dissertation are finished - in draft form at least! I am now working on the focus group and survey protocols. I can't WAIT to be finished.

Disney released the Princess and the Frog and it is a HIT in my book - very well done and my son agrees! In one year we have a black Princess on the big screen and a black Queen in the White House - my goodness how the times they are a'changin!

My eight siblings and I have a family retreat last month to close out the year on a HISTORIC note...more coming on that so stay tuned. FAMILY. Live it. Love it.

I am looking forward to each blessed day in 2010 with baited breath and tip-toe anticipation; whatever the Lord has in store for me - IT IS GONNA BE NICE!