I Made It!

After two grueling weeks, I've made it through our institution's intensive training program for faculty. It was excellent--I learned soo much. But goodness I am exhausted. The program was just further confirmation that I am fortunate to not have a job that requires me to sit at a desk from 8-5. Just the sitting for so long was rough. Add to that hours of techno-speak that was at times too remedial and at other times too advance--it was a demanding program. The rewards, however, definitely outweighed the demands. I have so many wonderful classroom ideas and so much great software and hardware to work with. My favorite new program of the day is Audacity which you can do a lot of easy sound recording and editing with.

I'm also itching even more now for a new personal computer. I've been using my school laptop all year because my dissertation machine crashes every day. I had serious Mac-envy during this seminar, but today I fell in love with the Tablet PC. How cool would it be to read and comment on papers on the screen?? After lugging a stack of 75 student writing packs of 20-40 pages around at the end of last year, I definitely would love to go entirely electronic one of these days.

I'm completely exhausted, but still awake. Why? I have to give a speech in the morning in Hometown. So I'll be up at 6 in the morning again to take the drive. Dr. J and I also have another counseling session tomorrow so we'll be in Hometown all day. I wish I hadn't packed so much into my end of the summer schedule because Dr. J is leaving town NEXT WEEK. The summer has gone by too fast and I do wish I had a bit more time to spend with him. But now I have to seriously get back into school mode. In the words of one of my colleagues yesterday, "well, I guess that's what August is for."


On a separate note: GO BONDS!!! 754 BABY!!! SHAKE THOSE HATERS OFF!!!
(another day I must address the disproportionate negative media treatment of a Black male athlete who has repeatedly tested negatively)

So Hot

Today I learned how to edit videos using Adobe Premiere--I know how to make DVDs!! I think this is so Hot!! Adobe even has templates just for wedding DVDs. I am seriously considering editing our wedding video now--it is incredibly easy to use video editing software once you get the hang of it. We've been thinking about ways to cut cost and had slated the videographer route as "tentative." So maybe I'll get someone to record the footage and do my own video crafting. Just yesterday I saw a videographer online who charges a much lower rate to provide unedited footage. Something to think about...

It is also very hot in our classroom--a nice change from the normally frigid temperatures.

Speaking of hotness, I am loving the new Kanye West songs. He is setting the bar high for his forthcoming CD--the first two early releases are GREAT. I keep going back and forth on which one is my favorite. I think it depends on my mood. Today I have "Stronger" on repeat. Too hot.