Thursday, August 31, 2006

been busy!

This has been a very busy week! The kids are in Chicago visiting grandparents (except for Gavin). So, you would expect things to be quieter!

I have been working on finalizing my syllabi and curriculum for the 4 courses I am teaching this semester. Of course, only one of which I have taught before. So, I do feel as if there is a fairly high learning curve. One of the courses is an advanced graphic design course. I will be having them work on a Public Service Announcement based around the idea of "Living Responsibly in the 21st Century." I am leaving the topics associated with this theme open to interpretation, however I want them to think about issues that we are now facing. Some ideas would be climate change, peak oil, clean water, energy conservation, etc. I know that I will be showing the "The Corporation", "End of Surburbia", and once it is available, "An Inconvenient Truth." I look forward to what comes out of this group. They will have print, web, and film components to this project. I also want them to come up with an object which will help our local society. I want them to think about the Cradle to Cradle model.

Also, this week has been busy as Jonathan has decided to moonlight this year. He spent an entire day filling out his Iowa State Medical License and another day to fill our an application to work within a particular medical group. He decided that he wants to work with the underserved rural hospitals..... Some day we would love for him to moonlight and for us to live sustainably in a rural area. Jonathan was also out of town from early July until now (with the exception of a few weekends). There has been a lot to catch up on!

On top of everything, one neighbor stopped by with almost a bushel of cucumbers. So, I had to stop and make pickles (I think we now have 15 quarts of pickles). Another neighbor stopped by with eggplant, tomatoes, peppers..... I love it and really appreciate it. However, it is something that you have to deal with immediately. You can't put off preserving them until you have time. So, I have blanched and frozen the eggplant (we used two immediately for eggplant parmesean). I will be flash freezing the peppers this afternoon. I may make some more spaghetti sauce today (or I will simply can the tomatoes). Busy!

Well, time to get back to work!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooh, I want that many people dropping me off some fruits and veggies!

I think you can make a nice community by serving underserved areas with medical care. One of the reasons my father became an attorney was to serve underserved people. Occasionally we would get paid in eggs or some other random barter instead of money.

Anyway, I think your ideas for your students are fantastic! I hope it will open their minds to the vastness of what needs to change. People like graphic artists can draw the public in to change by making it more appealing.

Emme said...

I think it is important for the students to realize how powerful of a voice they can have. They know how to advertise - so now they will focus on advertising *ideas* not *things*! :)