Day 8: Beautifully Different

Today's #reverb10 Prompt: Beautifully different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

______

This prompt is tough but useful. A nice meditation for a time when all I seem to be doing is running from one thing to another. I've noticed that many other people have completed this prompt in list form--a sort of here's what you need to know about me list of distinctiveness. The truth is, we're all different from one another--have our own likes, dislikes, quirks and foibles. And I think our prompter is correct--what makes you different, makes you beautiful--because our differences are what makes us unique individuals. I was at a conference recently, and a fellow participant made a reference to how everyone thinks they're a special snowflake, and that just made me laugh, because in a sense it's true, and, in a sense, at least in the context he was using the phrase, it's definitely not. Sometimes, it's our commonalities that matter--sometimes our differences--our special snowflake-ness if you will. So here's what makes me, at least in my opinion, a special snowflake. Friends may agree or disagree, or even add to the list. Feel free.

1) I'm the oldest of 6 children [this is a different experience, let me tell you. If you're from a big family you understand why, if you're not, well, you probably understand why too].

2) My friends use my name as an adjective for things. As in: San Francisco is a very "Libby" city. Or, that scarf is very "Libby."

3) I feel I see the world differently than most--I'm hyper-observant. This is largely a product of moving many, many times over as a kid. I can read a room and make very quick judgements on people out of necessity. I'm wrong every once in awhile. Not often in this regard. I also pick up on subtleties in texts. It's helpful in what I do. I'm great at finding relevant quotes/evidence.

4) I read differently than most people. I read very fast, and also, I don't really read left to right. I see the whole sentence/paragraph/page and sort of drink in the text that way. I devour images in similar fashion.

5) I will bend over backwards to try and help you succeed. This is true, I think, especially in regards to my students. I take great pleasure in teaching someone new information, or how to do something. I will drag you, kicking and screaming, to make yourself better than you ever thought you could be. I will challenge you, and expect a lot. But I will give you a lot in return.

6) I'm very good at reconstructing and understanding past events. I'm terrible at things that require projection [calculus, chess, etc]. This is one reason, I think, why I was drawn to history very early on in life.

7) I do too much. But this is partially a result of my WIDELY varying interests. For instance, I'm a college history professor and I also coach collegiate level track and field throwing events. It's neither an easy nor an expected combination--this statement is true of many things in my life.

8) I was a very good hammer thrower in college. If you participate in this event, you are different, without a doubt.

9) I'm a terribly hard worker who has also been very, very, lucky.

10) I'm a cancer-survivor--a badge of differentness in some ways. I have battle scars. I wear them proudly.

11) I'm strong, mentally and physically.

12) I have a lot of gray hair at a relatively young age...and I love it.

13) I have a gift for healing that I've not even begun to fully explore--this is for career #2. If you're hurt, I can pinpoint the spot almost immediately. I'm a certified Reiki practitioner who doesn't often practice. This gift sometimes frightens me, but it often manifests itself in useful ways for others, so I like it.

14) I like to think on my feet.

15) I'm addicted to diet coke.

16) I recently returned to vegetarianism and am loving it.

17) I like wearing scarves, and vibrant colors, and slightly weird sneakers and other shoes.

18) I LOVE talking to people--sharing their stories. I love listening. I'm good at both.

19. I wish I had more time to take pictures. I'm fairly good at it--always catching a different angle or seeing something others don't.

20. I have a tremendous amount of patience with others. Very little for myself, and I am a TERRIBLE patient.

21. I always wanted to live in Maine, and now I do.

22. I'm honest but fair.

23. I'm fiercely loyal.

24. It takes me a long time to fully trust people--but when I do, it's lasting.

25. You want me around in a crisis.

26. I like things that sparkle.

27. My eyes are my favorite feature. They're very different with green and blue and yellow--always changing.

28. I'm stubborn to a fault and not overly fond of boundaries. I'm a big believer in merit.

And finally, one time, when we were in college, on the occasion of my 21st birthday, my roommate and dear friend Kiera wrote to me, when we were on the island of Martha's Vineyard, that I reminded her of the ocean--always calming, never at peace. She wrote that about me 12 years ago. It's still true, and one of the best characterizations of myself I've ever heard.

Day 7: Finding Community

The #Reverb10 Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I was delighted to see this prompt in my inbox yesterday. Didn't have time to get to it what with classes, draft grading, and a great colloquium with K-12 teachers in Western Maine, but I promised I'd return to it, and so I have.

This post is less an explanatory post and more an expression of gratitude.

For me, my new place of community in 2010 has been twitter. I have never been someone to fully embrace online communication [see previous posts--I'm a nineteenth century historian--I love the tangible]. Sure, I'm occasionally on facebook to keep up with siblings, friends, grad school pals and former students, and of course I email, mostly professionally. But I've never thought of the online world for me as community. I'm connected with the people I email with in real ways. I know everybody I'm "friends" with on facebook. But this year, at the behest of a friend who works in social media and marketing [@peplau] I joined the site, not sure what I would find.

What I found, to my tremendous surprise, was a series of communities and conversations I was eager to get involved with. Here were all of my favorite museums, libraries and historical societies. Here were others who worked in my field and were interested in digital humanities. Here were others who like to cook, read, make snarky comments, follow the news, and I could follow them, and they could follow me back. Through twitter I've find out about great new restaurants, gotten terrific recommendations about B&B's, found new art shows to attend, and kept track of conferences and growing new fields [THATCamp comes to mind].

And most importantly, to my great surprise, here were the Mainers I'd been longing to meet. When my husband and I moved up here 3 years ago for me to take an academic position at a local college, I connected with my colleagues and my students and my athletes, all of widely varying ages, but I had a very difficult time meeting people my age--other 30-somethings. Lo and behold, here they were, on twitter. And sure, they could have stayed my online community, but one of the lovely things about twitter, especially in Maine, is that people are into meeting in real life. And so, stepping out of my comfort zone, my twitter community has moved from strictly online, to real. In fact, I'm having lunch tomorrow with two delightful, smart, and funny women I'm grateful to have met via twitter. And the best thing--because we've been conversing in tweets--it's like we already knew each other. And it's lovely.

As far as community for 2011.... Well, I suppose there's two things I wish--to get back into yoga in a serious way--and rejoin that community. And also, and this is a true wish, to get back to ceramics and pottery, and re-enter that community. That's intention. We'll see.

Day 6: Making Stuff!

The #reverb10 prompt from today:

Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Day six already. Where is day 5 you ask, well, that one never happened due to some necessary draft grading for my methods class, but tonight, after my students have just departed from dinner at my house, I'm making a little time for me before going back to work!

The last thing I made, literally, was lasagna for my class. I consider cooking making something. In fact, I love to cook, especially for an appreciative crowd. It's artful, meditative. I only like cooking when I have time to make a mess and clean up--when I have time to create and enjoy the experience. Cooking is no fun when I'm rushed for time. It's more of a relaxing creative process for me. Hence I don't do it nearly enough during the academic year, and I should!

But that's not really what this prompt made me think about. When I read it very early this morning I both smiled and sighed. Smiled because really, it's just a great prompt. Sighed because the type of things I like to make I just don't have much time to do anymore.

Recently, I made some Christmas cards. I adore making cards actually. I'm obsessed with paper--my favorite cards that I make are artful torn paper collages--often with a poignant quote or some line of poetry that strikes me. Sometimes my christmas cards are arty--sometimes they're funky. This year--they're just plain weird.

When my parents downsized, I took my mom's circa 1971 plastic Betty Crocker recipe card box filled with awkward seventies recipes and really terrific food staging. I'll include one here so you get a sense of what I mean:



Knowing that I did not have much time to create Christmas cards this year, I knew I still wanted to make some of them. So I compromised. I bought gorgeous letter press cards from a small island press in Maine with a delightful Rilke quote on them ["Let us welcome the New Year, full of things that have never been."] And then I decided I would make 20 cards, and a challenge. I like a good interactive Christmas card as much as the next girl. So, I sifted through the Betty Crocker Super Seventies recipe box, culled twenty recipes that had something to do with Christmas or winter holidays, or just required red and green ingredients. I ordered some blank cards from Paper source. Copied the recipe on the back of the card, cut out the recipe, and pasted the card on the front of the cardstock. Everyone getting one of these cards was challenged to make the recipe before Christmas, take a picture of the recipe in 70s style staging, and send me a picture, which I will add to a blog I created for the occasion. The materials: Double-sided tape, a sharpie, red cardstock cards, gold envelopes, recipe cards, and a pen. Not elaborate, but hey, I created something, which, during the last week of school, is rather impressive, if I do say so myself.

I need to make more things. Creating makes me happy, less stressed, and hey, 2011 is all about finding balance. So, here's to more torn-paper cards. Maybe you'll get one in the mail. I'm a nineteenth century historian, and I LOVE the tangible nature of written mail. And the post office has the loveliest pine bough stamps for this holiday season, so all the more reason to start making things to mail.

If I get more ambitious in 2011, I'll go back to making ceramics, but that's a story for another day....

Day 4--Cultivating a Sense of Wonder

Today's #reverb10 prompt asks us to consider: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

This may be the easiest of the reverb 10 prompts thus far, partially because the answer to this question is rather immediate for me. Even though it's been a stressful and often times confusing year, there are many ways in which I still cultivate wonder in my life. It is, in many ways, when my mind is unfogged, a natural state of being for me.

For some reason, when I thought of wonder, I thought of the Portland, Maine Farmer's Market held every Saturday at Deering Oaks Park. I love going to this incredible farmer's market. The vegetables and flowers are stunning, and I often walk around as if in a trance, collecting new delights in my big old bag. The other reason I think the farmer's market came to mind is because I often take photographs at the farmer's market and the process of photography always provokes a sense of wonder for me. When I got my new iphone in September, the first app I downloaded was the hipstamatic, a camera function that mimics old processes. I LOVE taking photos with my fancy digital camera, but I love the surprising results I often get with my hipstamatic more. I'll include some of them below so you can see what I mean.

I would also say that in some ways teaching provides a sense of wonder, because I always wonder how my students will react to the material I present, and how they will reckon with it in their own writing. Sometimes I do marvel at what they come up with, in good and bad ways. But I also think the very act of teaching, at its best, is the process of cultivating a sense of wonder in your students. And I work hard at this. Very hard--with varying degrees of success depending upon the topic, and the students.

While I am guilty as the next person regarding getting into routines and habits and living in my own little bubble, I've not yet lost my sense of wonder--and for that, I'm grateful. It's easy to get back. I can wander by the ocean. I can open a book. I can start taking pictures. I can teach something I'm passionate about. It all works.

As an afterthought, I also started canning for the first time this year, and that was totally wonder provoking. A satisfying sense of I made this, and it's lovely.

Day 3: Moment/s

The Prompt: December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards) #reverb10

I didn't have time to write this post yesterday, but I DID give the prompt some thought. What I really came up with was three moments--one physical, one intellectual, one emotional. All made me feel alive in 2010, but in very different ways.

The Physical:



On Columbus Day weekend, my husband Steve and I took a much needed mini-vacation weekend up the Maine coast, into Spruce Harbor--right outside of Rockland. We stayed at the lovely Craignair Inn [http://www.craignair.com/] an out of the way spot perfect for exploring. I felt very alive the whole weekend. We spent a lot of time outside, took some walks/hikes, explored the surrounding towns, ate some unbelievable food, including a great dinner at Primo, arguably Maine's best foodie destination [http://www.primorestaurant.com/]. But the time I felt most alive that weekend had nothing to do with our food choices, or lighthouse touring, it had to do with the hike I didn't want to take.

As we were leaving the Midcoast, we decided to pop over to the town of Camden--where I'd never been but always wanted to visit--especially because I'm such a fan of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry, and Camden is her home town. We passed over the crowded downtown shops and went straight to the lovely Camden Hills State Park, site of Mount Battie. We drove up to the top of Mount Battie ["All I saw from where I stood was three long mountains and a wood. Over these things I could not see. These were the things that bounded me" --Millay, Renascence] and partook in the striking views, and then we decided to explore the park on foot. In the mood for a 20 minute jaunt, Steve studied the trail maps, we parked at a trail head and set out. I wasn't really dressed for a hike, I was tired, and admittedly, had sort of a sour attitude. Needless to say, the map was VERY deceiving. What should have been a 20 minute hike, turned into an 80+ minute hike, a very, very, steep 80 minute hike. And I grumbled, and complained, and rolled my eyes while rolling up my sleeves. But then I stopped complaining and I looked around at the beauty that surrounded me, and kept climbing. When we finally reached our destination, I was treated to the view pictured above, and it was worth it. We made our way down, climbed into the car for the ride home, and I felt great. Tired. Exhilarated. Alive. The hike reminded of how good exercise makes me feel when I make the time to do it, how it challenges the body. How I need the challenge of the body at this juncture of my life that is so driven by the exhilaration of the mind. Much like the weekend, the hike embodied the need for a different sort of balance in my life. Something I'm cultivating for 2011.

The Intellectual:

This one is easy. Intellectually, I felt most alive this year when I got my first set of sample pages back from the publisher a month or two ago. My first book is coming out in June. I've spent the better part of 10 years working on this project in one way or another and to see my words in print, so beautifully illustrated and wonderfully laid out by the talented folks at Yale University Press just took my breath away. I thought, "All of this has just been SO worth it." It was a terrific moment, and one that we don't get to experience very often, even as academics.

The Emotional:

Last month a friend called and asked me a favor. She is friends with an older couple and the husband had just been diagnosed with the same sort of melanoma I had five years ago. In fact, he was about to begin the same year long course of chemotherapy I underwent in 2005-2006, and even had my same doctor. She asked me if I would talk to the husband and wife. They had many questions, wanted to talk to someone who had similar experiences. I of course said yes. I wonder if people realize that when they ask you to talk about your cancer experience that in some way, this request causes you to relive the experience. This is not always a good thing. It's not always a bad thing. I never minded talking about it when I was going through it--it helped me to know that other people knew what I was going through and I hoped they would never have to experience it themselves. But the further you're removed from the physical and mental experience of cancer, you tend to forget just how tough the whole experience really was. This July marked my fifth year anniversary of diagnosis, and I'm still cancer free--for my particular type of cancer, this is really a milestone. I should have felt most alive in this sense [really, physically alive] in July, but instead it happened in November.

I was driving home from a conference in Boston when I got the call from the couple. He asked me many questions about the treatment--he was a straightforward kind of guy--like me--asked me not to pull any punches. I didn't, the treatment is hard. And as he asked me to describe the side effects of the drug, I did. And I remembered them, all of them. The whole year just came back to me in such a visceral way, and I thought to myself--HOW did I do that? How did I take this course of therapy, go to Field Hockey Practice, stand up in front of a room of 250 students and lecture, work every day? Short answer: I'm so stubborn--I refused to let a drug define how I lived my life. But speaking to this man twice my age about to embark upon this treatment, I also remembered how, during this treatment, I could not ignore signals from my body. When I was tired, I slept. There was no pushing through fatigue and grading just five more papers. There was no pushing through fatigue and answering a few more emails. There was fatigue, acceptance, and rest. And how I've managed to forget the best part of the treatment--this acceptance of rest, is beyond me. How I've returned to the same bad habits of working too hard and not listening to my body is also beyond me. But this phone conversation brought it all back. I'm glad I spoke with this gentleman. I know I helped him. But I know he understands now what he could not have understood on the phone--no matter what someone tells you about the side effects, you can not fully understand how difficult a drug this is until you start taking it. And I think about him every day, and hope he's doing OK. And after we hung up the phone, I felt very alive, simply because, five years later, perhaps because of this course of treatment, I am.

Day 2: Writing--And What Gets in the Way

December 2 - Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

How long can the list of things that get in the way of writing be? Not sure this blog can contain that many characters.

Truth be told folks, for me, writing gets in the way of writing. Now that sounds rather paradoxical, no? Yes. Let me explain:

I write all day long--answering emails, putting lengthy comments on student papers, editing the work of others, writing new lectures, crafting challenging essay topics, conjuring up review letters, etc. I tweet. I comment. I live my life in words.

And yet, somehow, when I think of "Writing" [with a decidedly capital W] I don't think of any of these things. For me, "Writing" means my research, my intellectual life, and that's the writing that often gets pushed to the bottom of the pile during the sturm un drang of the semester.

I need three things to write well: a sizable chunk of time with minimal intellectual commitments aside from the writing [this can be as little as 2 days--preferably closer to 2-3 weeks]; a deadline; and a catalyst [these are often unexpected].

I write best in stressful situations--i.e. right before a deadline. This has always been true. It's a flawed system, admittedly.

And also, I just finished a major writing project that is the culmination of 10 years of research and hard work. I'm letting the well of inspiration fill up. I have an exciting new project [a BIG monograph] that I want to do and that I've spent a good deal of time conceptualizing, but my writing takes RESEARCH, and research takes time. We'll see if any of those precious grants come true. [If this is about setting intention for 2011--I'm setting intention for that!!]

But all these things, while valid, still sound like excuses.

So what can I remove?

Well, for starters, I can probably remove my preconceived notions about what I "need" to write well. Perhaps instead of having a clear head [not teaching 3 different classes on 3 wildly different topics] for sustained periods of time, I could clear my head for a few hours each morning, or each evening. Perhaps next semester, I can declare a "writing day" and set a page goal. All things to think about.

Writing for me takes an unbelievable amount of discipline. This is not to say I don't enjoy it--sometimes I do. *A-ha moment* I just had a realization that for me, writing takes a SINGULAR focus. I must concentrate on my writing while writing, and honestly, not much else. This concept of singular focus is utterly foreign to my normal daily existence where I'm apt to engage in a wondrous variety of activities [teaching different classes, meeting with students, grading, coaching track, working with local historical organizations, working on an exhibit, researching, going to committee meetings, having some semblance of a life separate from work, etc]. And so that's what I'm going to cultivate--a more intentional singular focus--less multi-tasking.

And deadlines, don't forget those!

December 1: One Word

Today's #reverb10 Prompt: One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

I read the prompt for today when I first got up this morning; many words flooded my mind. How to describe 2010 in just one word? It's been a challenging year in some ways, professionally rewarding in others, and for me, emotionally, it's also been a very confusing year, with many highs and lows, times of joy, and times of stress. So, what I've decided upon for the one word that truly embodies and encapsulates 2010 for me is: CROSSROADS.

I feel, in many ways, that at 33, 4 years into my "official" academic career, with my first book coming out in June, and my first major curated show going up at the same time, and with many new and interesting lines on my CV, and interesting students to interact with every day, that I'm in a good place career-wise. But there's also something missing. This has been a year of DOING, DOING, DOING, and when I get overwhelmed in the DOING, I lose my sense of groundedness, a characteristic at the core of my very being. For awhile in October, the few weeks of questioning everything about what I do, I nearly lost the groundedness completely, but it's coming back, slowly. I'm back to yoga--I have a wonderful new teacher who really emphasizes mindfulness and restorative poses. I'm back to acupuncture, which balances me. Three days ago, I went back to being a vegetarian [I already feel better] and I'm making a pledge to listen to my body more, to work towards restoration and not burn out. So the word for 2011, then, what I'm going to try and manifest, is RESTORATIVE.
I'm going to cultivate groundedness, seek it out. And I'm going to need help, and reminders, and support.



[I took this picture at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine in October. I took a day for myself, went and walked around, and visited the Shaker community, one of the most peaceful and restorative places I know. I need to do more of this].

Re-flection: Oh what a difference a year makes.

[View from a walk on the Presumpscot River, very close to where I live in Maine, taken just a few short weeks ago].

I've been thinking about taking to the blog again as of late, and now I have a perfect excuse! Reverb 10 begins tomorrow, and I'm delighted to be participating in 31 [prompted] days of reflection on 2010 and manifestation for 2011.

If you're interested in joining the project, check it out here: http://www.reverb10.com

For me, well, it's been a hell of a year, and I'm pleased to have a month to begin to process it all! Enjoy.

2009: An Itemized Reflection

So last year right around this time [and consequently one of my last blog posts--tenure-track life is NOT conducive to blogging] I reflected on the passing year in list form. I enjoyed trying to remember the previous 12 months, and so I thought, it being a frigid Maine night during my winter break from USM, that I'd try my hand at a 2009 version of the year in lists. I am going to try and refrain from any "Best of the Decade" lists, mostly because I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we are entering into a new decade, but one or two may slip in. Was Y2K really ten years ago? Seriously? I'm getting old. Happy reading [if anyone else besides me even reads this--blogs are almost as self-indulgent as twitter and facebook] and I'd love to read some of your 2009 lists!

Biggest 2009 Life Changes:

Giving up Diet-Coke [and all caffeine, actually]. This occurred in early August.
Becoming a Vegetarian [This also occurred in August, though I now occasionally eat fish]
Becoming a Level-II Reiki practitioner [Hoping to be Level-III in 2010--energy healing is amazing--let me know if you want to have a session]

Best Overall 2009 Discovery:

Acupuncture. It's changed my life--I don't know what I'd do without it. Thanks Jason at Rocky Coast Family Acupuncture in Portland--you are AMAZING!

Random Facts:

This is the first year of this decade that we attended no weddings.
At one time over the course of 2009, we knew 11 people who were pregnant.
2009 marked our 7th year of marriage :).

Proudest Moment of 2009:

Finishing the Maine Half-Marathon in October. 13.1 miles is far, even when you walk most of the way!

Newest Internet Time Suck:

Twitter [Thanks to Derek Peplau] But I must admit, it's fun, informative, and useful on personal and professional levels!

Most Exciting Professional Moment of 2009:

Seeing my name in print in a book in my chapter in Tom O'Connor's Two Centuries of Faith.

Most Exciting Professional Development of 2009:

The exhibit on Modernism in Georgetown, Maine is definitely a reality [Summer 2011, Portland Museum of Art]; I'm co-curating it; Yale is publishing the catalogue.

Best Books I Read [or am reading right now] This Year [in no particular order]:

Tim O'Brien, Going After Cacciato [One of the only ones of his I hadn't yet read--the culminating book to my senior seminar on history through film and fiction--and a brilliant novel]
Michael Pollen, In Defense of Food [and the companion Food Rules: An Eater's Manual]
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle [yes, I only read this for the first time this year, before I taught it]
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath [same comment as above--some classics just slip by....]
Chuck Klosterman, Downtown Owi: A Novel
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kittredge
Richard Russo, That Old Cape Magic
Charlaine Harris' Nine Sookie Stackhouse Novels [pure trash--vampires, faeries, etc. but I loved every moment of them]
Juhmpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth [wonderful short stories]
Ruth Moore, The Weir [Classic 1940s Maine novel--worth the read!]
Carolyn Chute, The Beans of Egypt Maine

Top 10 movies I saw this year [in no particular order]:

Up [I cried for the first 30 minutes, I think]
Precious [So disturbing and yet, so powerful]
Food Inc. [Everyone should watch this]
Avatar [not for the plot--just for the beautiful 3-D world]
Fantastic Mr. Fox [brilliantly done by Wes Anderson--the vignettes are perfect--I laughed the whole time]
Up in the Air [Required viewing in this economy--esp. if you or anyone you know has spent time jobless]
Away We Go [Sweet and believable]
Adventureland [Great Indie flick--good tunes, too]
500 Days of Summer [One of the better love stories I've watched]
Zombieland [Steve made me see this--I thought I would hate it--it was great]
The Hangover [This is only on here because it made me laugh so hard--believe me, it was dumb, funny, but dumb]
[Star Trek should probably be on here too]

The Five TV shows I make time to watch even when I shouldn't [Thank Goodness for Tivo]:

Mad Men
True Blood
30 Rock
Friday Night Lights [I promise you this is the best show you're not watching]
Glee
[And also Gossip Girl, but that's too embarrassing to admit, oops.....]

Number of Movies on Moviefone's 50 Best Movies of 2009 that I have seen: 17

Sites most Frequently visited by me on the interwebs in 2009:

Google
Google Book
Facebook
Twitter
Post Secret
New York Times
JStor
Sirius Satellite Radio On-line listening
The USM Homepage and Mainestreet

The Best Professional Conference I Attended in 2009:

The 50th Anniversary Conference of the Maine Women Writers Collection in June entitled "Women in the Archives"--great panels, great connections, and fascinating inter-disciplinary folks from all over the country.

The Best Christmas Card of 2009:
It's a tie between the George Bischof Christmas letter and Morgan Lake Adams and Tim Schneider's story card.

Best Maine Adventures of 2009:

Open Lighthouse Day hike to Squirrel Head Light in Arrowsic
The one day trip to Lubec [and back--10 hours in the car] this fall--gorgeous place, gorgeous drive--can't wait to go back!
The Kingfield adventure in search of Chansonetta Stanley Emmons at the Stanley Museum
Popham Beach and Fort with Megan and Steve.
Sebago Lake in the rain with Mike and Erica.

New Record for longest houseguest [at 59 Underhill]:

Megan MacDonald--most of Summer 2009.

Books Assigned this semester that resulted in the best overall papers from my students:

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
Jack Kerouac's On the Road
Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Best New [to me] Cookbook:

The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen [vegetarian]

Best Technology Purchase of 2009:

My Nikon D60--it's one sweet camera.

Most Unique Party We Attended:

Morgan and Tim's Sake Tasting Party

My best YouTube Discovery [other than clips I pull for class like Superman shorts from the 1940s]:

Any of the "Drunk Histories"
The one on the Burr/Hamilton Duel is particularly good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V_DsL1x1uY

Favorite New Class I Taught:

It's a tie between my Spring Semester Photographing American History and my Fall Semester Senior Seminar--History through Film and Fiction [this might be the best class I've ever had the privilege of being a part of--never mind teaching]

Most Interesting Research Trip of 2009:

A Month at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson in Arizona. Lesson learned--avoid the desert in June and July because 109 is REALLY HOT!

Favorite Coaching Moments of 2009:

When Hannah broke 140' in the discus; when Katie PR'd in the weight; when Vanessa broke 35' in the shot-put; when Matt PR'd in both the shot and the weight with a dislocated thumb at our first indoor meet.

Biggest Disappointments on the 2009 Chicago Bear Roster [Most Disappointing to Least] [This is so obviously Steve's list]:

1. Jay Cutler
2. Orlando Pace
3. Nathan Vasher
4. Tommy Harris
5. Matt Forte
6. Lovie Smith [the Coach]

Top Five Reasons You should Hate Brett Favre [This is also Steve's list]

1. He's selfish.
2. He thinks he's the coach.
3. He always chokes late in the season.
4. Those [expletive] Wrangler ads.
5. He's a waffling little girl.

If you need more lists, might I suggest Time Magazine's 'The Top Ten of Everything--2009:'
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1945379,00.html

2010 Resolutions:

Write more.
Exercise for at least 30 minutes EVERY DAY.

Happy New Year to All! May this decade bring us all peace, health, jobs and joy.

Libby