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Black Friday and Cyber Monday–No Thanks

Posted by rusvw on 11/29/10 7:32 AM in Blessings

Greetings, all: Since yesterday, I have received 11 Cyber Monday emails from three companies alone. The blitz to get my e-business is frantic, desperate, and embarrassing. My wife and I did not participate in any Black Friday sales, nor did we shop at all this weekend in any stores or online. We spent the time [...]

 
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Flowing with Van Gogh

Posted by rusvw on 08/28/10 9:36 AM in Blessings, Nature, Teaching

I was struck this morning by the satellite image of the three storms brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center is predicting an above-average likelihood for storms to hit the east coast this year, making the stretch between North Carolina and Massachusetts as likely to get hit as Florida or the other Gulf [...]

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It’s all coming back…

Posted by rusvw on 06/13/10 9:36 PM in Blessings, fitness/health/nutrition

Really, it is. Your provide a little space in your life, some breathing room, some opportunity for clarity, and the reason why we’re here presents itself….clearly. I’ve spent most of the weekend NOT running here or there, grading this or that, but rather reading, writing, biking, spending time with old friends, family, and some new [...]

 
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Sunday Prayers

Posted by rusvw on 09/13/09 11:33 AM in Blessings, Nature

Good Sunday, everyone. A few days ago, I arrived home and was greeted by my screaming son, who wanted to know if I saw the praying mantis outside. I told him that I did not, and just as quickly as he told me all about the green-brown bug standing sentry by the front door. he [...]

 
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Tranquility: Peace in Process

Posted by rusvw on 07/25/09 9:05 AM in Blessings, Nature, the spiritual

photo: http://alittlecrafty.com I’ve always been fascinated with Chinese characters, and the symbol for Tranquility is one that means a great deal to me. Quite literally, the symbol depicts male dominance in the Chinese tradition, where the smaller symbol of a man’s “roof” hovers over the symbol for “woman.” I like the explanation provided in The [...]

 
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30-Second Life Check: What Are You Telling The World?

Posted by rusvw on 07/24/09 9:24 AM in Blessings

Thank God for stop lights. If you are like me, it’s not hard to get caught up in the whirlwind of life, sweeping you off your feet as you try desperately to keep up with family, work, and various social networks—real and virtual—that matter a great deal to you. In fact, we often get swept [...]

 
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Grains of Faith

Posted by rusvw on 03/29/09 9:12 PM in Blessings, Nature

My day ended on Friday with a few of my students performing an impromptu and largely unintentional intervention. They gathered around my desk–again, unintentionally–and randomly offered some stern advice that I needed to take a breather, that Spring Break couldn’t come soon enough. They even offered that my tension had worn off on a few [...]

 
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Solstice Thoughts: Footsteps in History Aren’t Made Sitting Down

Posted by rusvw on 06/20/08 10:15 AM in Blessings, Memorials, solstice!

My friend Michelle blogged about a young girl who lost her battle with cystic fibrosis last week, and I was drawn to her caringbridge site for so many different reasons. As a teacher, I’ve lost too many kids to tragedies–some in their control (drugs, car accidents) and some not (murder, cancer, cystic fibrosis). So when [...]

 
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A Mac Worth Rebuilding

Posted by rusvw on 11/3/07 8:01 PM in autumn, Blessings

I feel like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein, though I just got all my hair chopped off today and I can’t do that mad laugh that he does so, so well. All else, though, applies. Me -n- my Mac, we’re Puttin’ on the Ritz. Here’s the background: I bought my G4 Titanium Powerbook at the [...]

 
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Blueberries for Us

Posted by rusvw on 07/24/07 9:20 PM in Blessings, fitness/health/nutrition

Blueberries for Sal….Do you remember reading this book when you were younger? I have wonderful memories of my mother reading this book to me before I had learned to read. I remember asking her to read it over and over again so I could memorize the text that went along with the pictures. I wish [...]

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