Thursday, November 3, 2011

Passion:

Mika, my new pooch.  After 5 dogless years I adopted a new girl's best friend.  The cats are tolerant and Mika is a wonderful companion  who loves her walks, and grooming sessions and watching NCIS with me.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Peeve:

The new definition of "stimulus"   i.e. to bail out, to spend other people's money.  Synonym: WPA, government micromanagement, redistribution of $.

Passion:

I just discovered khanacademy.org on Youtube after seeing the creator on John Stossel's special, Stupid in America.  How exciting.  This is how all education should be.  When I was in college, I thought all learning would be like this: self paced, with corrective feedback and tutorials when you needed special help.  Even then, we B.F Skinner followers knew that "programmed instruction"  worked to help all learners, not to simply bring down the slower weaker ones, as current methods do. Delighted to see some teachers incorporating the web lessons into their classrooms  so that they, the teachers,can really teach. 
I will be upgrading my math and science knowledge, and skill using  Khan's site.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Other more Personal Passions and Peeves

Passion:  Animal husbandry.  I began volunteering at Animal Friends Connection Humane Society this month.  I also nurtured my semi feral semi tamed cat, Marauder, along with my own two fat cats this month.  Not missing work one bit.

Peeve:  People who tame animals and then dispose of them when they become inconvenient or expensive.  Pets should be a lifetime committment. In emergencies contact a rescue, no kill shelter and ask for help!

Union coerced "membership"

February come and gone. 
Passion:  Free markets and free enterprise. I have been following Wisconsin governor's effort to curb the unions.  I was delighted by the teacher who was interviewed  by Fox and pointed out that in none of the meetings she attended were real classroom issues addressed, like the need for new computers.  Only political "give me" issues were addressed by the union.  

Peeve: The original purpose of the unions to arbitrate with management about work conditions is completely lost in the mists with public sector government employee unions. My really major peeve was that they took over $80.00 dollars out of my salary every  month even when I was not a member.  This ostensibly because I got any benefits the union earned through bargaining. I felt and still feel that this is totally illegal and represents financial coercion.  Had I had the money they took without my consent, I would have at least $6,700.00 more in savings or more likely invested in the free enterprise system!  In 7 years working conditions got worse and worse while the union bargained for increases in salary and benefits which were bankrupting the state.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Health and welfare

Passion:  Yoga.  Doing yoga asanas  and breathing daily.  Feeling great and getting healthier every day. Ignoring my physicians desire to put me on statins for LDL = 143.  I don't want  even the whisper of muscle weakness or pain when my workouts are so improving my health.

Peeve:  Unending fog.  Promised myself to enjoy every season of the year, but I am having difficulty letting go of the desire to just curl up and hibernate when the fog sets in and stays all day. 

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

One moment in time

  Passion:  The sun, the moment in time that we had some sunshine yesterday.  It added energy and synergy to my day.  Great yoga class and successful discovery of some needed decor details for my kitchen. 

Peeve: My friend's cell phone that has a message that "it isn't a number in service" when I dial from my home phone.  I can reach it on my cell.  What's with that???

Monday, January 10, 2011

New beginning!
 Passions:  Friends, Home, Pets.  After 7 months off the job, I have finally regained my health, love of life and decreased my anxiety and panic attacks.  " Physician treat thyself "  works well when the time is available!

Peeves:  Our country racing into bankrupcy and redistribution of wealth to cronies only, or the politicians'  pet rojects!

Passion: Long live the Cato Institute and its efforts to educate the legislators. Visit them at  http://www.cato.org/