I Speak of Dreams

Post Countdown: Hitting the Wall

Today: worked out, went to class.   The Internets were not co-operating.  Can't even access the assignment & class email is not working.  Phooey.

Came home, expecting my pal Sue to jointly tackle mega-mess.  No Sue.  She'd been co-opted by her partner for a giant installation project.

Deep blue funk.  I miss Jumper Girl lots.

I'll go do sumpin soon, to change the channel.

School Report

Each of my classes has met.  The developmental psychology class is partially online, and I'm having a hard time getting the hang of on-line studying.  It doesn't help that it is hot--my fingers are sticky.

I should have taken my computer with me to Bad Mom's Coffee--could have gone up to the cool air-conditioned library at school, or over to Badger's office.  Ah well.

Fire Images

The Castle Rock  fire is still going, but edging toward control.  Looks like the ski mountain won't be affected.

Mountain web cams and fire video.

Note to Self: Avoid Raw Spinach

I had a spinach & beet salad for dinner last night.  Raw spinach just doesn't agree with me.

Labor Day in Sun Valley: Cancelled

Just now, the Ketchum City Council cancelled the Labor Day celebrations in Sun Valley. Link: SunValleyOnline: Wagon Day Events Canceled - Monday 2:30pm update:.

Wagon Days and the other events over Labor Day Weekend have been the premier events of the Wood River Valley for the last 48 years. It is one of the most anticipated weekends of the year.

"Therefore, it is with deep regret that I announce that the 2007 Wagon Days Celebration and other events that have been cancelled due to the unprecedented effect of the Castle Rock Fire on the Ketchum area", said Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall.

The events cancelled include the Wagon Days Parade, Atkinson's Market Ketchum Crit, the Coors Light BaseCamp Music Experience concerts, the Great Wagon Days Duck Race, and all other related events.

Brain Injury: The Hidden Danger in Youth Sports

Have you, or your child, ever suffered a "ding" or a "bellringer" when playing a sport?  That's a concussion: mild traumatic brain injury.

Mark Emmons published an excellent article on concussion in youth sports in the Mercury News, which you should read if your child is involved in any type of sport. 

Then head over to Heads Up, the CDC's initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of concussion in youth sport.

Teach athletes and parents that it’s not smart to play with a concussion. Sometimes players and parents wrongly believe that it shows strength and courage to play injured. Discourage others from pressuring injured athletes to play. Don’t let athletes persuade you that they’re “just fine” after they have sustained any bump or blow to the head. Ask if players have ever had a concussion.

   

In Which We Both Start Class

I'm taking Psych 101 and Developmental Psych, and (I hope) a philosophy course.   Had the first class of Psych 101 this morning--have to wait & see if I get into the philo. course. Jumper Girl also had her first classes today. She is taking....well she hasn't told me yet, other than her Freshman Seminar and International Studies seminar.  Possibly conversational Spanish.  A full load at Clark is 4 courses.

Milestone Approaching

A mere 492 page views short of 1,000,000.  Amazing.

General Strike, 9/11/07

Frank Paynter has invited me to join the General Strike  group on Facebook.

Why strike? Why on 9/11?

September 11 is a day of mourning and reflection, but it should also be a day of dissent and action.
[snip]
he General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens. It is not about a single issue. It is not an anti-war protest, a civil rights protest, an election fraud protest. It is not about torture, surveillance, corporate media, the 9/11 coverup, or the environment. This strike is about all these issues and more.

We all have different concerns, but we all have the same concern: we are being lied to and this government does not represent us. Join other Americans in demanding truth, justice, and accountability.

I'm hesitating over participating, and I can't really put my finger on why.

One Reason Jumper Girl Chose Clark

How many institutions of higher learning can say this?

Clark offers free tuition to residents who meet the University's admissions requirements and who have lived in UPP's targeted Main South neighborhood for at least five years. Currently, 11 neighborhood residents are enrolled at Clark under this scholarship program and a total of 33 have participated.

Read more about the University Park Partnership.

It wasn't always that way:

A Town-gown friction had become so rough that Clark University trustees seriously considered moving the school from its century-old campus in the heart of an old New England mill town.

But that was in the bad old days in the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts. Things are much better today—and really have been for years—ever since Clark and Main South began working together.

The change started with the arrival of Richard P. Traina as Clark's new president, in 1984. You should also read Clark President John Bassett's essay on what it takes for an educational institution to build at strong relationship with its  community.