I Don't Seem Like That Kind Of Person

Today I took my writing classes to the college library for a teensy schpiel on the perils of plagiarism, as well as to gather some info. for the upcoming Big Paper.

There are all kinds of topics: health care, corn syrup, quitting smoking, female snowboarders, faith-healing, dieting fads.

One younger man came up to me at the end of class and asked how he could flush out his essay on the history of the NBA.

Well, I told him, you could integrate the anthropological implication--like how Dr. J's game and attitude and image were completely different from Allen Iverson's. What would the legendary Larry Bird say about a guy like LeBron James?

These troubled, trash-talking, tattooed players are role models. Even though they don't want to be. Should they be held accountable for values? That could definitely be explored.

So could the media's exploitation of them.

Then there's the economic implication: the salary the players are getting--which is controversial in itself--and the cut their agents and owners take.

Plus, there's the politics: the draft, recruiting, contracts, unions...

My young student looked at me with big eyes. "Wow," he said. "You don't seem like the kind of person who would know all that."

"Vacation"

I'm off to the coast today with Dominic and 59 other fifth graders. Should be fun--and insightful.

We're visiting tide pools, Face Rock, the lighthouse, and a Jurassic-y slough.

I want to listen to the kids. Hear what they're saying to each other: the vocabulary they're using, what they're talking about. Research, always research.

And of course I want to walk along the beach with my boy.

Studying Kids Studying Bugs

For writing research, I took the kids to a couple different places within the same creek. We wanted to see if we could find the same species, and the same general amounts of these species, within the different spots.

We found less crayfish, but huge amounts of hardy water scorpions, in the more polluted part of the creek.

The kids had a great time, studying bugs while I studied them.

Even The Husband got into it:

Check out this crawfish fight (or maybe mating)! The one on top is pinning the other with its claws! And that's a horsetail snake whipping around over both of them.

A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Although, I definitely prefer this method of slogging my feet through water:

A yummy bubble bath. Mmmm...