Still My Heroine, After all These Years

 Photo Credit: Squidney on Homeground via Wikimedia Commons


Kate Bush was and always will be my #1 heroine.  She opened up the music business to women like no other female before or since, and yet, many are still not familiar with her music.  Her dramatic and heartfelt singing and dancing style influenced me no end.  I'm quite sure I owe my ability to stand up in front of a room of 35-100 preteens and hold their attention for more than a few minutes at a time today to my countless hours of watching this woman when I was a teenager.


For those of you who are unfamiliar with her story, you can get it right here--in this short, sweet tribute to her life in music, by Music Matters on Vimeo.

Music Matters - Kate Bush (23-3-10) from Music Matters on Vimeo.

Do you remember some of your heroes from when you were young?  Do those heroes still have an impact on your life today?

The View Outside My Window

 Unleash the Kraken!

Um, not a typical day at Jane Addams...

Multitasking or One Thing at a Time?

 Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/4328834917/


Are you a multitasker?  I know, I know, who isn't nowadays?  I see people in the supermarket trying to pay for groceries, have a cell phone conversation, and control their kids, all at the same time.  I know my students are taking 5-6 hours to do their homework every night because they are also trying to text friends, watch TV, or listen to music.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/2591454436/


But, being familiar only with how my own mind works, and that only sometimes, I can tell that when I am forced to do more than one thing at once, the things don't get done well.  Or as well as I would like them to.  It is much more satisfying to the perfectionist in me to have the luxury of focusing on one task at a time, for a nice, uninterrupted stretch, until I either finish or get tired enough to need a break from it.


I have known this since my meditation studies at UCSB, but this nice, clear video from cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham explains why we can't do two things simultaneously as well as we can do one.

















What is your style--doing several things at once, or one thing at a time?  How do you think this is working for you?

Morning Haiku

Photo credit: Patrick Burghard @ burghi.de

Sitting still and calm

Small, rough tongue licks at my wrist

I am full of love

Snow Kitteh!

Lynx at Muskoka Wildlife Center, originally uploaded by Raymond J Barlow.

Kit kitt kitteh with the massivist of paws!