The grades are in.

It’s funny. Even when you achieve, it is not enough. I am currently arguing with a prof over an A-! Here is the tale of the tape:

AML 3031 Am Lit From Begin to 1860 A-
CRW 3112 Fiction I A-
CRW 3311 Form/Technique of Poetry A
LIT 3374 The Bible As Literature A

For a semester GPA of 3.835 and an overall USF GPA of 3.471. The only problem spot is my transfer GPA, but with USF grades this high…I am not too concerned.

Summer term begins on Monday. I have to take all my classes outside of the English Department this summer. I had to take exit requirements and classes at a 3000 level. Fortunately, I could fill this requirement by taking web courses. These are the same amount of work, but they are self study and condensed into summer. Exams are taken online with strict time limits. Here is the schedule.

Intro to Criminolgy
Issues in Sports
Teaching Literature in Early Education
IT Ethics

12 credits. A fulltime load.

Writing:

I am using editred.com to workshop my writing during the summer. You may look in and see what I am writing by going to www.editred.com/stackman . Everything here is in draft status, so you get a good idea as to what I am writing. However, you don’t get to see the final product until it’s published. Speaking of publishing; yes the rumors are true that my work has been submitted to The New Yorker. More to come on that….

Ed

Myanmar Cyclone caused by Corporate Greed.

Myanmar Cyclone caused by Corporate Greed.
By Reporter-At-Large Ed Stackhouse
AAP 1 hour 31 minutes ago.

YANGON, Myanmar. The death toll soared above 22,000 with an additional 41,000 listed as missing as foreign countries mobilize to rush in aid. Scientists have all agreed on the cause of this massive natural disaster: corporate greed.

Exxon-Mobil corporation was caught red handed in the Indian Ocean just days before by ships from the Republic of Holdtamayo. It would appear that Exxon-Mobil corporation was acting in conjunction with farmers in the United States to raise the price of food to struggling nations and raise oil prices further.

The Exxon-Mobil ships Douie, Cheatham, and Howe were caught burning oil in the middle of the Indian Ocean, warming the water temperature by some 10 degrees Celsius. This miniature global warming model caused the clouds to form, as water from the Indian Ocean evaporated rapidly. A tropical cyclone formed almost immediately.

After the cyclone hit Myanmar, American farmers rushed in with high priced corn and rice to sell the stricken people of the country formerly known as Burma. Commodity prices were already high on corn and rice, and now the pinch is being felt around the world. To make matters worse, oil prices reached $122 per barrel on word that Exxon-Mobil burned some 100 million barrels of oil to create the catastrophe.

At the White House, President Bush responded by saying how proud he was of American ingenuity and that there was no magic wand to lower prices.

“American ingenuity at its best. Exxon-Mobil corporation is to be commended on its research in climate change,” President Bush commented.

When asked about the steep cost of food and gasoline, the President replied, “Let the free market decide the prices for these things. Our strategerie is unchanged. Ethanol is good for the American farmer.”

In Tennessee earlier, we asked former Vice President Al Gore about the disaster. In a statement, he said the following:

|This is just more proof of Global Warming. Americans need to do their part by purchasing carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gasses they are putting out. As a matter of fact, I own several of these companies that offer carbon credits to offset their pollution and I would be more than happy to help. We also need to invest more money in my companies that are researching green alternatives to the filthy stuff we are polluting the earth with. If you do not do something now, more Myanmars will occur and I won’t reach billionaire quick enough.|

Exxon-Mobil had no comment at the time of this publication.

Rachel Jumps More

Coming soon!

Rachel Jumps

It’s been awhile.

I haven’t blogged much because I just have not had the time to do so. I know you folks are tired of hearing about my time issues, so I will not type any more.

Here is what has happened thus far:

1. I suffered my first rejection at getting published. I am not discouraged by this as: A. It was a student press and B. I have a prof who was rejected 99 times before having a piece published on the 100th attempt. I am submitting my work for a sci-fi award, as per a prof’s strong suggestion. Let’s see if I can become an “award winning author.”

2. My next work is nearing final draft status. It is due on Tuesday and will be workshopped by my peers in three weeks.

3. I was asked to submit an anthology entry for Am Lit. I have submitted a bio and letter from Louis Jolliet. It would appear that there is a letter in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society. The letter’s English translation is in my anthology. Jolliet is the more silent of the explorer duo of Marquette and Jolliet, as Jolliet lost his entire journal in a boating accident. All history has is Marquette’s first hand account and Jolliet’s rehashed memories on the discovery of the Mississippi as an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico.

4. I have to pay for summer classes, as I need a few more credits to lift my GPA due to a lower than desirable transfer GPA. Unfortunately, there are no scholarships or grants for summer so I have to take out loans.

5. We need a house. The apartment is so very cluttered that we can barely keep it clean. Houses are too expensive, although we have a lead on one to rent. The only way we can rent this home is if Mindy gets a raise.

6. I am tired. I am sick. I am sick and tired and that is too cliche to happen to me.

7. This weekend: I am taking tonight off. Earlier I put together a 3 page essay on Rowlandson vs. Jogues. I have one 4-6 page essay, and two more 3 page essays due by Tuesday. I have one piece of poetry due by Saturday at midnight and a presentation on Craig Raines to prepare for on Wednesday. I have a 20 page work due on Tuesday, which is in final draft status. Mix in a Mid Term exam in the Bible as Lit, and you have a full weekend.

9pm Friday night. My son is with his Grandmother (as is the case every other weekend) and my wife and daughters are asleep (as is the case every single Friday night).

Folks, I am off and I do promise to write a little more. For those of you still watching this space for blogs…..keep watching.

I am outta here!

When Workshops go bad…

In my Fiction I class, it was workshop time. Last night a classmate and I presented our work and accepted criticism from our peers and the prof. For me, this is usually a wonderful experience where I collect enormous kudos and accept some ideas for revision. That did not happen this time.

Bear in mind, it has been suggested that some of my work be entered for literary awards and I have nothing lower than a “B” affixed to my literary work. The work that I presented has an “A” on it from two different profs. None-the-less, these “peers” (and I use this term very loosely) of mine shredded my work. I swear if I had switched my paper for a James Joyce work, they would have shredded it too! I handled it as cooly as possible. The prof had valuable suggestions atleast, and understood what the work was about. I am STILL the god of vignettes, despite the “peer” shredding.

Things got worse when a classmate submitted her children’s literature piece for workshopping. They shredded it as well. This irked me to no end. I sit on the left side of the room, so I strategically have the last word out of all my peers. (The instructor has the final word in all cases, of course.) After the shredding, I proceded to clean some house. I was forced into lecture mode. I admonished the entire class for not receiving the work as it should have been received…as a 7, 8, or 9 year old child. Sure a cake does not rise using flowers instead of flour, and a person does not wash a car on the inside…but in children’s literature, it works. See Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones. Either way, I lectured the class and my stock in there has probably plummeted lower than the Dow Jones. I gave good advice, that is to say, I told her to ignore the obvious ignorance and do not revise based on those awful peer reviews. The piece was in fact good, with minor attention to small details. The prof didn’t have too much to say, as I stole what he was going to say to the class.

All in all, I have a list of things one should and should not do in a workshop:

Ed’s Rules for Workshopping Creative Fiction.

1. The first words out of your mouth should not be: I do not like the piece, I do not like the genre, I do not like (fill in the blank here). If you do not like a work for whatever reason, find something in the work that is working. Everyone’s work has atleast something good. Try this sentence to start out your critique: There is a lot to like about this piece. or What I liked most about the piece is (fill in the blank). REMEMBER: A workshop is not about what YOU like, it is about an OBJECTIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE critique of a work. That being said, always always always always always start off your critique on a positive note and it would be nice if you end on one.

2. Read the work through the eyes of its intended audience. If it is meant for a kid, look at the work in those terms. If it is meant for a teen, then look at the work in those terms. If it is meant for anyone, then ok…read it with your own peepers carefully.

3. After you have offered the positives up, look at what the work is lacking. Be honest, but not brutal. Explain thoroughly what the issue is and what you think can be improved to resolve the issue.

4. Only offer a critique on those elements that you can offer a suggestion on for revision. You should never say, “The setting seems wrong, but I just can’t put my finger on it,” or “I don’t know why it’s just not working, but it isn’t.” If you do not know why…then don’t mention it.

5. You are not meant to be a nit picking proof reader. Don’t bring up minor typos or punctuation problems.

6. Like is a good word! Use it often. A good thing to say is, “I would like to have seen more/less (fill in the blank).”

7. Always answer the question: Can I, or the intended audience, suspend disbelief willingly? If not, then WHY? What would make me, or the audience, suspend disbelief?

8. End on a positive note. Say something like, “I believe that this can be a good work if the author (fill in the blank with revisions, summarizing what you said.) Again, I believe that you did a good job with (fill in the blank with positive comments you have made.)

9. REMEMBER: The people you workshop will workshop you!

Ed Stackhouse

a day in the life of..me.

First off….I am trying this newkeyboard out, called a flexi. If you see typos in here, you can bet your sweet bippie this keyboardis the cause. Especially the problems with the space key. I am not overly impressed with the keyboard overall. The keys are ultra hard to press and the space baris really hard to hit. My arms are getting wicked tired tpyping.

So, I have been asked….What is your typical day like? I will try try to represent it as best as Ican.

Here is a a typical Monday or Wednesday.

10 am Leave for School.

10:45 Arrive on campus and start the search for parking.

11:00-11:30 Somewhere in this time frame, I have found parking. During this time frame, I eat my lunch, read some of the assigned texts, and occassionally engage in scholarly debates in front of Cooper Hall.

12:00 I make my way upstairs towards the first class. It is best to arrive as early as you can to class, because the best seats are taken quick. In my case, it is essential, as the desks are designed for petite high schoolers and not robust middle aged men. I find my table in the corner.

12:30pm – 1:45 Literary Criticism. No…we do not read literature and critique it as some believe. We read theory of criticism, starting with Plato’s Republic. The reading load can be upwards of 100 pages per week. Class discussions are dry, but exams are take home.

1:45 Meet in the hall for 5 mins with my former Prof for Form/Technique of Fiction. This is actually a productive meeting, as she keeps me well informed of the literary happenings on and off campus…the ones that affect me directly, that is. This is 5 minutes well spent.

1:50 Meet up with Amanda on the way to my Form/Tech of Poetry class. This is my turn to be somewhat of a mentor, as Amanda tells me about what she is reading and writing, and I give my insight.

2:00 Form and Tech of Poetry class. Josef Benson is pretty cool as far as profs go. We disect poetry and steal all we can from aas many authors as we can. I would not take this class if it wasn’t a requirement, but Josef makes it as painless as he can.

3:30 Go Home

4:30 Arrive Home

Spend the rest of the evening reading, writing, eating, and spending time with family.

Tuesday

Same travel time and arrival time….same parking woes…..

12:30 American Lit Pre Civil War.. Prof is very intelligent. She teaches more along the lines of impact on culture than meaning of the text. Many Quizes….

1:45 My lunch and dinner are all screwed up, so I head to the Marshall for a light “second lunch”. Usually it’s sushi.

2:00 Arrive at Marshall

2:30 Arrive at Chem 100 to sit and eat, read, and compose.

3:30 Bible as Literature Class Begins…scattered class with not much reading. Lectures are slow and plodding. Attendance is maditory.

4:45 Head back to Cooper.

5:00 Arrive at Cooper Spend an hour writing, reading, and preparing for final class

6:00 Fiction I Mix of reading, writing, and workshops….long plodding class. Tons of writing.

8:50 Homeward bound.

Thursday…same as Tuesday except no night class…Head home at 4:45

Friday. Study….Poetry is due on Saturday at midnight.

Weekly reading….excess of 200 pages..
Weekly writing….Excess of 20 pages..

As I am also an author, I have to take time in all of this to write for craft sake. I insert this where I can. My mentor/prof is encouraging me to submit certain writings for contests and publication. It is uber nice that she is looking out for me and thinks my work is of this caliber.

Also, I do try to find some time here and there to play a hand or two of cards, play Mancala with Chris and Becca (or whatever the game du jour is), make Rachel laugh, and remind Mindy why she has a husband….then there are the projects that some folks have me working on. I have to say those are on the low priority list. I am looking at managing a website (going slowly)and I manage all the stats for the DkBlueSky.com poker tournies.

And then I have to occassional person who asks me why I don’t work. I am working. In this case, the paycheck comes much later.

Patton on Iraq. WARNING LOTS OF CUSSIN!

Busy, Busy, Oh so Busy!

Many of you have been sending me little things to do here and there. I will get to them as soon as I can. My workload this term is huge, so it will take time. Let me give you an example of this week’s load:

Lit Crit
Read Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Poetics and do the associated worksheets.
Read Horace’s Art of Poetry and do the associated worksheet.

Pages= 200 MOL

AM Lit

Light this week, only have to read 5 handouts and print something on the web. Oh and a quiz.

Poetry

Turn in first poem by email on Saturday.

Bible as Lit

Mark 8, John 1, Matt 5 and Mark 16. Explore text and cannon.

Fiction I

Turn in 10 page final draft for workshop by no later than Tuesday. Read two short stories 50 pages MOL. Oh yes, I am the first….and I drew the first workshop and the workshop after spring break, which means I have to turn my next 12 page paper two weeks before spring break.

Needless to say friends, if I do not get to you and your projects, understand why.

I am taking a little break tonight, for tomorrow through the weekend I will be working hard.

More blogging to come, when I am a little more rested. I will tell you the highlights and lowlights of the week.

Ed

$100 Oil is a good thing?

No….it is not a good thing! I am at my wit’s end reading all these news stories about now $100 oil will start us all on the path to conservation. If gasoline costs more, then, in theory, most people will use less of it and pollute our earth less.

POPPYCOCK!

Now, let’s examine what $100 really does!

1. The poor and lower income families in the US can’t afford newer, more fuel efficient cars. This means these folks are stuck with their late model gas guzzlers. You can’t preach mass transit to many of these folks as they live off of bus routes and commute long distances to work. Move closer to the city or mass transit routes, you say? Housing it too expensive. Net Result: The poor have less money for important bills.

2. The upper middle class will conserve gasoline. NOT. They have moved out to suburbs and have wicked long commutes. Instead of moving to the mass transit hassle, they will just cut down on spending on things such as going out to eat or buying things that they dont really need. Net Result: Less money injected into the service economy and less money injected into retail outlets. Feeling the burn yet economy?

3. Heating oil prices skyrocket! Shall we tell those folks up north to turn off their heaters? How about upgrade to natural gas? Oh wait, natural gas prices are high too. How about turning to electric heat? Oh wait, powered by fossil fuels. Net Result: Families have to pay more for heat which means less money saved or spent. Ouch the economy starts to slow.

4. Those uncaring truck drivers who have to raise prices to cover fuel costs. Oh wait, they need profit to make a living and pay their own bills at home. Net Result: Higher transportation costs for goods. Higher cost for goods because they have to be transported. Inflation. Wicked cycle begins. Inflation, followed by slowed spending, followed by higher interest rates, followed by less borrowing, followed by less spending, followed by recession.

5. Oil companies make record profits. Well, they were until traders started trading up oil prices. Now it’s the traders making profit. Oil companies already own the rights to resources, delivery methods to refineries, the refineries themselves, delivery methods to the stations and royalties from stations they don’t already own. Standard Oil Trust anyone? Right now, the oil companies aren’t the bad guys but they were and will be again. About those traders… They are willing to tank the entire world economy for their profit. Net Result: Worldwide recession. Higher government taxes on oil profits. Lower profit per share on oil stocks. Stock markets drop further. Worldwide depression.

6. Politician come up with lame answers.

6a. You will have some that will push for more ethanol. Net Result: Currently it takes more fossil fuel to create ethanol than it replaces. Food stocks will start to run low until cellular ethanol technologies are perfected in the next 10-20 years. Higher prices for food. Worldwide hunger increases.

6b. Some will try to tack a windfall on oil companies. Net Result: Either lower per share profits and harm to a great number of portfolios (retirement funds, pensions, 401Ks, small investors, large investors, government funds etc.) or oil companies will pass the expense along to the consumer, raising prices further. Worldwide recession or depression.

6c. Some will pump more money into future technologies that lower fuel consumption. Net Result: lower consumption in 20+ years. No solution to the current problem.

Overall, you can see where all of this is going. Short-sighted traders are going to tank the world economy and there will be no way out. The US dollar is at historic lows. Oil is at historic highs. If China decides to dump it’s reserve of US dollars, then the US dollar will be as worthless as the old peso was in Mexico.

So…what do we do?

A. Encourage immediate exploration on US soil for fossil fuels. Do it now! We need to be less dependent on foriegn oil.

B. Break up the oil company trusts. Oil companies should not be allowed to hold all of the following: mineral rights and deposits, transport, refineries, and stations. There is no incentive for oil companies to build more refineries if they get more money out of less. If oil companies were made to sell their refineries off, there would be competition among refineries. Competition is the only way prices will remain in check.

C. Quit deluting gas with ethanol. Ethanol takes more fossil fuels currently than it replaces. When cellular ethanol technologies are perfected, perhaps we can reexamine the issue. Right now, ethanol is costing us more money than it’s worth. The reason politicians love it is because it raises the prices farmers can get. With apologies to the farmers, it’s not right to steal and ethanol is theft on a global scale.

It’s an A!

Turns out Form and Technique of Fiction is a solid “A.”

That means my GPA this term will be a 3.0. There is room for improvement, but I am not unsatisfied with a 3.0. The tale of the tape:

CRW3111: Form/Technique of Fiction A 4.0

ENL3251: British Lit 1780-1900 C 2.0

LIN4671: Traditional English Grammar B 3.0

As for the Modern Short Novels class, I score a W because of the prof’s policy of two absences = F period. A W only hurts my attempt/pass ratio, but has no effect on my GPA. One summer course should put me on track.

Brit Lit Final….

I just looked online for my results. I expected him to be hard, but another “C” on this final–that I did not expect! I am not an idiot, and I feel I did much better than his grade reflects. Quite frankly, I am glad to be rid of this prof! As I said earlier, I would be lucky to escape this class with a “C” and with a “C” I escape (76%).

I am not sure what the jackass dinged, unless he didn’t like my essays. I am pretty sure that my answers on the ID/significance portion of the exam were right on. I recognized the works. I recognized the contexts. I recognized the authors. I listed at least three significant points on each. Further, I know my points were ones that we discussed in class. He can take his exam and cram it!

Thus far I know my grades. Grammar = B and Brit Lit = C. Form and Tech of Fiction could be an A or A-. Lets hope for an A.

Surfaces

College is just a bunch of surfaces molded together. Profs try to create a surface that they are academics facilitating higher learning, but underneath all they want is a place to subsidize their half-baked papers in obscure literary journals. Students try to create a surface by withholding what they actually learned, settling on what the prof tells them to learn. The profs maintain the appearance of teaching and the students maintain the appearance of learning. Now, I shouldn’t generalize; some profs actually care about their students and what they actually learn. I would venture that most could care less what is actually learned, just that something is learned their way. Of course, the profs have the PhDs and are infallible, just like the Pope.

This all reminds me of the play The Importance of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde reminds us that it’s not about being earnest; it’s about being Ernest. Earnest represents being honestly serious about something and Ernest represents everything that is superficial. Ernest was just a name, but a name was the requisite to getting the girl. The girl wanted someone with earnest qualities, but would only settle for an Ernest. The guy was earnest about getting the girl, but in the end, finding out he was Ernest was far more important. In college, it would appear, it means little if you are earnest about your education. All you have to do is put on their pattern hat and become Ernest.

I have been blessed in college by the fact that at least 50% of my classes do not require me to be Ernest. I am saddened that the other half do. In my writing classes, I can be myself. I can work in earnest at being the creative individual I am. In the other classes, I must be the Ernest the prof wants.

I took my Brit Lit final last night. I was surprised with a question (worth a small 2 points of extra credit) that asked the question, what have you learned in this class that you will always remember. I answered honestly, which probably negated the two points. My answer was akin to the following:

I learned that Oscar Wilde was right when he said that those who delve deep into the works, do so at their own peril. By analyzing the meaning of every nuance of what the professor or scholars perceive that an author meant, we lose the inherent beauty of the piece’s craft. I learned that by studying every fine point of a writing, I have dulled myself to the craft that I could have used to my advantage in my own work. I learned that, like in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, that I must keep up a surface. I must keep up a surface of learning just what I am told to learn, whether I earnestly believe it will enhance my writing or not.

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy college. I honestly believe that, for the most part, the essential classes I have to take will help my writing and have already helped it a great deal. However, the non essential classes are the ones that, in my opinion, do more harm than good. A better system would be allowing students to meet with an academic advisor, when they decide on a major, to hand craft a program specifically designed for the individual’s learning. Wow, when did I become a radical? This, of course, will never happen. It would result in the laying off of hundreds of profs that teach thousands of unnecessary courses.

In other news….

As I said earlier, my last class was Wednesday. It was the Brit Lit final exam. I am confident that I escaped with my academic life from the course with a solid “C.” I am not proud of a “C” to be sure, but this was an extrodinarily hard class. My GPA this term should reflect a 3.0, unless, for some strange reason, one of my grades has a “-” affixed to it. USF uses the +/- system of grading. This means that an “A-” = 3.67 and an “A” = 4.0. On the other hand, should I be lucky enough to have a “+,” I would gain .33 (ie “B+” = 3.33).

Believe it or not, the one I am worried about is Form and Tech of Fiction, where I could possibly get an “A-” because of one paper that received a “B+.” Danita Berg is an awesome Creative Writing prof, but she doesn’t just give away “A’s.” If your writing received an “A” in her class, it is truely a superior work. On several occassions I argued an “A-” with her. She said, “Grammar, grammar, grammar.” With that being said, if my grammar was perfect on every paper, might I have a Pulitzer by now? LOL.

Car is running well, thanks Mom and Dad.

Time to go get eats….

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone elses opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” Oscar Wilde

Political ad that is too political and other random musings…

NBC recently rejected an ad from Freedom’s Watch, a conservative group that supports the Whitehouse’s Iraq policy. The reason: The website displayed in the ad was “too political.” This begs the question: What is too political for a political website? If Clinton or Obama aired a political ad that had featured their URL, would that be too political to be aired? If Budweiser aired an ad for it’s beer website: Would that be too capitalistic?

I suppose it’s ok to air curse words in primetime and allow blatant sexual themes during primetime, but God forbid a political group be too political. I could pay for an ad showing bouncing boobs on bikini clad women drinking beer and that would be fine, but if I advance a political message –Oh my!

(The source information for this little blurb is a news story by JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer, appearing on Yahoo! News on Friday, December 7th.)

(Note to those blogging: Whenever possible, do cite your sources, even if it is informally, like I did here. These writers do a lot of work, and it is not right to steal their work. If you borrow my work, kindly cite it…even if it’s an informal citation like the one I have done above.)

Today is December 7th, the day that will live on in American history in infamy. This marks the 66th anniversary of Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack brought large numbers of casualties on our side and limited casualties on Japan’s side.

Japan made fatal errors that day. First of all, they under estimated the resolve of the American people; much like the terrorists did on 9/11. This is a deadly mistake that I hope no enemy makes again. The American people are at their best when they are given a bloody nose. We may stop to clean up the blood, but we will not stop until justice is rendered. Pray that the next administration believes the same.

Secondly, they missed the submarine pens and fuel depots in Hawaii. Submarines would go on to sink almost 1300 Japanese merchant vessels and many Japanese warships. The US only lost about 50 of the nearly 300 submarines in service during WWII. These losses caused the slow strangulation of their military and contributed to allied successes in the Pacific.

The third mistake the Japanese made that day was not taking out the massive fuel depots in Hawaii. These fuel depots would support our carriers, support vessels, and submarines for months. Had the fuel depots been taken out, carriers and submarines would have had to return to the US to resupply. This would have caused a more serious blow than the loss of our battleships in Pearl Harbor.

The largest tactical error for Japan was not catching our aircraft carriers in port. In the wake of the destruction of our battleships, the aircraft carrier became the queen of the fleet. The turning point of the Pacific war, Midway, was a battle of carriers. The battleship became almost obsolete when the US Navy saw the carriers winning battles. The carriers could project power far deeper inland and much farther at sea than battleships. The irony is that it was still the battleship that was regarded highly by older naval officers. It was also the battleship that saw the surrender of Japan in 1945. Today, there are no battleships in active service, but there are several carriers. Without the loss of our battleships at Pearl Harbor, we many not have realized the power of the remarkable aircraft carrier.

To the survivors of Pearl Harbor and the families of those fallen: we say a hearty thanks. There has not been a generation so great; a generation so willing to fight for freedom, honor, and American way. And yes, the American Way is not a bad term, world. Without the sacrifices of these fine men and women, the US might just be another minor power on the globe. To whom would you turn when the next natural disaster strikes your country or the next despot threatens your way of life?

In other news…..

I have one class left for next week. It’s the Brit Lit final exam. I am not looking forward to it. I hate bad grades, but it would appear that I am on course for a “C” in this class. With that being said, I will have a miserable 3.0 GPA this term. A flat, boring “B.”

“The Underground Radio,” a short story well received in my Form/Tech of Fiction class, has been submitted for publication in the Thread. I will get a decision in February, and the Thread will circulated in April. Here’s hoping!

Mindy goes back to work on Monday. Pray for her!

Should hostilities once break out between Japan and the United States, it is not enough that we take Guam and the Philippines, nor even Hawaii and San Francisco. We would have to march into Washington and sign the treaty in the White House. I wonder if our politicians (who speak so lightly of a Japanese-American war) have confidence as to the outcome and are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. -Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Chris’s art

Here is Chris’s tree. Enjoy!

No submission from Chris

Chris said he was just not ready yet! As for that tree, Becca did that in MS Paint. I love that my kids are able so well educated on how to use the computer. I am one monitor and a desk short of a PC for Chris. He wants a gaming rig. Don’t we all?

It’s that Christmas time of year! The temperatures are in the 70’s, and they drop to the upper 50’s at night, the water is too cold to swim, and the birds are arriving from up north. All of this makes for a winter wonderland here in Florida.

I remember two Decembers long ago (1991 and 1977) where it snowed. In 1977, the snow actually stuck to the ground for a few hours. I was four years old back then, but I remeber the car covered in snow and how I didn’t much care for how cold that snow was. I was bundled up in Florida winter gear, which included two windbreakers, long sleeve shirt, pants, and a pair of socks on my hands.

In 1991 it was nineteen degrees on the ninteenth of December. I was on the phone with a good friend of mine, and I looked out the window and saw snow. I told John, and he thought I was kidding. John looked out, and there it was — snow. I am not sure he had ever seen snow before. I remembered that our terazzo floor was incredibly cold. I had shoes and socks on, yet my feet would not warm up. I stepped into a warm bathtub…and it hurt like hell! My feet seemed to be chilled for atleast the next few days. I suppose it was practice for living in the NW Chicago burbs some ten years later.

Of all the places I have lived, I never experienced Christmas in New Orleans. Katrina wiped us out months before our first New Orleans Christmas would have occurred. It’s just as well; I never liked New Orleans much. That particular Christmas, it seemed, was one of our best Christmases of all time. The kids got numerous gifts from friends and family; even my former card playing group kicked in some goodies for the kids. That year, we lost alot; money given to us by friends at our old church which we used up quickly; feeble FEMA money was used up pretty easily; we had to take out a loan which we are still paying on to this day; money that we owed family members for the sale of our house in Chicago evaporated and I am not even sure when that can be repayed. But Christmas — Christmas was special that year. There were no worries that Christmas. Everything was well taken care of. God seemed to provide something special that Christmas.

This Christmas is a little tighter than Christmasses past but it will still be special. Somehow, we have managed to cut some corners and come up with decent gifts for the kids. Family will be in town, so that makes Christmas that much more special. There is an extra face in the Stackhouse family. Her first Christmas will be special to us. Rachel will never remember the day, but we will always treasure it. Who needs money and gifts when we have been given the gift of life. Perhapes our babe will remind us this year of the original Christmas babe born two thousand years ago in a stable. When you think about the Christ child born in a manger, surrounded by animals, hay, bugs, and animal dung–money just doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Christmas Tree

Here is a pic of Rachel and a wonderful tree my daughter Becca made. I will showcase the marvelous Christopher in the next blog! ENJOY!

You cannot know how much I love you.

You cannot know how much I love you,
As I hold you in my arms tightly.
You eyes look at me, shining mirrors,
I see me in your deep blue oceans.
The reflection is only the good,
The stains of my life are not seen there.
As I hold you in my arms tightly,
You cannot know how much I love you.

My love, I see in you what I saw,
When first I gazed in your mother’s eyes.
The gentle creature, so lovely and kind,
Your mother’s love, fragile as your form.
She saw the reflection your eyes show,
No stains of life seen looking at me.
When first I gazed in your mother’s eyes,
My love, I saw what I see in you.

Your little hand grasps my finger tight,
I dare not to move my hand away.
What thoughts do you think as you squeeze tight,
As you look at me with eyes so bright.
Your skin is soft like a gentle snow,
Your hair is soft like the finest silk.
I dare not to move my hand away,
Your little hand grasps my finger tight.

Your face does not smile at me today,
Your tears like spring time rains are falling
What saddens you my love, my darling,
Is it food? A change? Your sleepiness?
Whatever it is, Daddy is here,
I will make it better, I promise.
I will dry your tears that fall like rain,
And your face will smile at me again,

There is no way to understand it,
For you are far too young to know it.
I love you now more than you can know,
Every day it grows stronger and full.
When older you grow, you will know it,
When you hold your own babe upon your lap.
But now you are far too young to know,
You have no way to understand it.

-Ed Stackhouse

The wife goes to school.

On Monday, I brought Mindy (with Rachel in tow) to school with me.  She got to experience first hand my Form and Tech of Fiction class.  (Special thanks to Danita Berg, who let Mindy and Rachel sit in.)  I think Mindy was rather surprised to see that we had to write “on command.”  The prof says this is what you write on, go…and well you go.  Mindy got to see the crazy Buddhist wanna be out there doing his thing in front of Cooper Hall, she got to experience parking light, and she had some of the over priced Subway food.  Mindy also got to meet the crazy folks I go to class with.  I would say it was a good day. 

I have a piece of work that I may be entering into some contests pretty soon.  It is a really good short story piece.  Let’s see if I can be a “published” author before my senior year.  This particular work got an “A,” which is not a given in my writing class.  So, we shall see.  I may submit it to the “Thread.”  The “Thread” is USF’s English Department Literary Mag. 

USF has just created another program of interest to me.  New for 2008 is an MFA in Creative Writing.  An MFA is a little more rigorous than an MA but is not quite as rigorous as a PhD.  The MFA is designed as a terminal degree and is not usually a path to a PhD.  However, the MFA in Creative Writing is sufficient to teach at the university level.  A PhD in Creative Writing is extremely rare.  Many of the profs in the Creative Writing program at USF have MFAs from other universities.  I find this option intriguing.  I will look more closely at this program in my senior year.  What is really good about this program; you can teach Comp I classes while you are pursuing the MFA.  This means that you get paid for teaching and an 80% break on tuition. 

 In other news: 

Chris will be Elvis this year.  He was the best Elvis for the job in the school Christmas play.  Mindy gets the job of shaping his hair.  Good luck!

Final exams in 2 weeks.  Brit Lit will be the killer.  I expect that, despite all the problems with Brit Lit, I will maintain a 3.0 GPA this term.  Anything less would be uncivilized!

Boston Lobster Feast…   I don’t know what brought that place to mind, but oh how delicious and oh how messy.  All you can eat lobster, crab, shrimp, everything….  The only catch, you have to get the meat out of the shell yourself and out of the tail yourself.  It has been a long, long time since we have been there.  Too long to be sure!  If you are ever in Orlando, check it out.  For the cost of one lobster at Red Lobster, you can eat as many as you like at this place.  Why am I writing about it?  I have no clue.  I just feel in the mood for some sweet lobster.

House is on now.  It is 9:19pm.  Diagnosis expected at 9:55pm.

Enjoy the week!

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.   -Charles Dickens

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!  There are so many great things to be thankful about this holiday.  So as you sit at your table and give thanks for your many blessings, reflect on some Thanksgiving history that I will share with you.  Enjoy your history lesson!

Most scholars date the first Thanksgiving circa 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusettes or circa 1619 at Berkley Plantation in Virginia.  This traditional Thanksgiving would have been more of a harvest celebration and held in October or September.  Of the two stories, the more traditional date is autumn of 1621. 

The settlers in Plymouth (pilgrims) had named a time to give thanks for their harvest.  This was an autumn feast that praised God for their bounty.  The traditional story is that the Governor of Plymouth invited Massasoit and the Wampanoag people to join them in appreciation of their help and support.  They feasted with the Wampanoag for three whole days. 

It is interesting to note that one scholar disagrees that this is the first ever Thanksgiving in what is now the United States.  One must remember that while Plymouth colony was yet a youngster, St. Augustine Florida was up for urban renewal already.  On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles celebrated a meal of thanksgiving with the Timuca indians near present day St. Augustine.  They dined on and were thankful for….bean soup.

Which ever tradition you prefer to follow, the US as a whole has decided to follow one of the “English” pilgrim variants.  George Washington issued a proclaimation in 1789 that read: 

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country…for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed…and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually…To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”

Six national Proclamations of Thanksgiving were issued in the first thirty years after the founding of the United States of America as an independent federation of States. President George Washington issued two, President John Adams issued two, President Thomas Jefferson made none and President James Madison issued two. After 1815 there were no more Thanksgiving Proclamations.

If it weren’t for Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the popular women’s journal of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day would not have existed beyond that.

She wrote editorials and lobbied “that the LAST THURSDAY IN NOVEMBER shall be the DAY OF NATIONAL THANKSGIVING for the American people.”

President Lincoln succumbed to her pressure and proclaimed the last Thursday in November a “prayerful day of Thanksgiving.”

Since then every U.S. President has always made an official Thanksgiving Proclamation on behalf of the nation.

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.” The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VI, “Proclamation of Thanksgiving” (October 3, 1863), p. 497.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941).  (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving for appropriate references)

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