Two of Wands

Two of Wands

I'm back. Spring Break wasn't much to write home about --- or blog about. I've been sick with a bad cold, lying on the couch watching Court TV and CNN (the Shaivo case). I guess the Tarot is appropriate:

Two of Wands: Watch and Wait

Wait to see if plans bear fruit.
Kindness, generosity, intellect
Well-balanced individual, creative
Good things coming, fulfillment

(Sounds nice!!)

I have a busy busy day with student appointments, so I'll have to freewrite more tomorrow.

Justice

Justice

My tarot card for today features a woman named "Justice" with ivy leaves in her hair --- scarlet robes with a ruby pendant gathering her green scarf at the center, just below her throat. She carries balances in one hand and a sword in the other.

She represents

Fairness, balance, equality, rightness, legal matters (uhoh), negotations

or

bias, prejudice, bigotry, intolerance, a bad judgment (legal -- double uhoh), and cruel punishment

It's the Friday before Spring Break, and I'm just too near a vacation to think of anything else. So this is the end of today's blog. I'll try to get back to it in a day or two, from home, with my hair in a towel and sitting happily in my p.j.'s.

queen of wands

"My Problem is You"

Just listening to a little Jackson Browne:

I have no problem with this crooked world
I play the cards I drew
No problem with the changes life has hurled
My problem is you

The song is called "Waiting for You," actually --- if anybody's interesting in looking it up.

I have no problem telling right from wrong
the way some people do
I know exactly where these arms belong
my problem is you

waiting for you --- waiting here for you

I don't worry about the ozone layer
just let those rays come through
when I'm outside I keep my clothes on
my problem is you

I don't worry about Madonna
or the next thing she might do
I don't worry about your Mama
my problem is you

Okay --- after a few days off the blog, I'm back with a lot on my mind. I'm about to read an article from the Christian Science Monitor called "Teens Ready to Prove Text-Messaging Skills Can Score SAT Points." It should be interesting, and I'm hoping it will have some tidbits I can include in an article I'm working on about technology and writing here at OC Tech.

My tarot card for today: Queen of Wands, a lady in a yellow and red dress with cascading sleeves and pictures of the sun. She's got a great smile --- and dimples. Sunflowers in the background. Cool.

Meaning:

A woman of considerable energy
very active, very passionate
fond of nature, generous, and practical

or

Strict, domineering, jealous,
vengeful. A deceitful woman.
Passion overrules all other concerns
A tendency toward unfaithfulness.

Uh oh. :>)

Page of Pentacles

Check-ups

I have finally made doctor's and dentist's appointments after a long hiatus. It's been a rough two and a half years, and during that time my health has taken a back seat to all the other demands of my life. Maybe I am on the road to a healthier me, starting with the dental appointment I just made for Friday.

Still on my mind: the art of listening (I'm going to try some new strategies)

My tarot card: Page of Pentacles

Deep concentration
scholarship
news
a bringer of messages
a young person makes the seeker proud
a careful child

or

bad news
delinquency
illogical thoughts
wastefulness

I had a very scary dream in which I apparently had breast cancer. Thus, the sense of urgency has arisen to go to the doctor and have my parts checked out.

Ten of Cups

Doing the Budget

Preparing a Budget

I'm preparing my first professional budget as the director of the Writing and Professional Skills Studio at OC Tech. I don't enjoy the process, but it is becoming more clear and perhaps more manageable, now that I've received some guidance from the experts.

On my mind today: listening

I'm considering attending a "Deep Listening Retreat" in New Mexico in August. It sounds cool, and they need volunteers to prepare for the retreat --- free room and board. We'll see if I can come up with the money for the flight.

Today I am going to practice the fine art of listening and see how it turns out.

Tarot card: Ten of Cups (Welcome Home)

home
joy
familial bliss
peace
plenty
contentment of the heart
respect from your neighbors

(appropriate and timely, after a weekend visit home to Alabama)

or

the loss of a friendship
sadness or great disappointment
indignation

I've known a few of those lost friendships and sadnesses, but I try not to be indignant about it. "I think it's about forgiveness --- even if you don't love me anymore." (Don Henley)

Knight of Cups

Knight of Cups

I'm a little slow getting back in the groove today after a weekend trip to Alabama to see family and friends. I've been looking at political cartoons this morning, after I read the Writing Center Journal's blog about the importance of laughter --- because I like smart humor. I started the Atkins diet today. That's about all the news.

Knight of Cups reading:

an opportunity may be presented to the seeker
the arrival of a lover
approach, appeal, creativity, inspiration

or

a person capable of trickery
warning against fraud
competition for a love

Bring on the opportunities!

5 of Wands

Why Johnny CAN Write

I had a consultation with a student named Johnny today, and it went very well; there were all kinds of light bulbs going off as we talked about strategies for writing, etc. Sometimes I know that I was meant to do this job --- and this was one of those times. He left feeling more confident and capable. That's what it's all about.

Things are more tricky in my personal life, so I guess I'd have to agree with today's tarot.

Today's card: the 5 of wands (Unfulfilled Struggle)

Conflict
Obstacles
Unsatisfied desires
internal strife
indecision

or

Trickery
Complexity
Involvement

My daughter sent me a quote that applies here: "The next rock in your path may be a stepping stone."

The empress

Concepts in Composition

It's been a great day for ideas and collaboration so far. I've been sharing with my colleague, Leah, what I've learned from Irene L. Clark's Concepts in Composition: Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Writing, (see below), and she and others have been providing feedback on my first effort at producing a studio newsletter.

Tidbits from the book:

to help students understand audience, teach them the difference between reflection, conversation, correspondence, and publication

to help them understand the basic principles of written and spoken communication, emphasize the 5 keys to rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery

Our temporary title for the studio newsletter is Entitled. I'll try to attach a copy here when I figure out how to do it.

Tarot card for today: "The Empress," a pregnant lady with a spinning wheel and a female gender symbol (so she's expecting a girl?)

Pregnancy
Fertility
Good advice
Safety
Security
Hidden Actions
A competent woman, safe and secure, who is building a future for herself and her family.

or:

Lack of satisfaction
the unraveling of involved matters (hmmm)
Uncertainty
Infidelity
Infertility

I suspect that the reading for me is closer to "the unraveling of involved matters"

Page of Swords

Drum roll, please

It's Tuesday. I'm listening to Ryan Adams' music and trying to get organized. Really. I am determined to get some things done today that I've been putting off.

Today's card: the Page of Swords, a happy leaping girl with long, wild reddish brown hair and her sword raised to the sun. She's wearing my favorite color, cobalt blue.

Vigilance
Agility
Insight
Keenness of vision
Service done in secret
The seeker obtains the help of a younger person

or

Childish cruelty
unfortunate circumstances
the unforeseen
vulnerability in the face of opposing force

It's that unforeseen that gets me every time. :>)