Updated! (pronounce that like "arrowed" in Strongbad)

It's been really really busy, so I've been ignoring this venue in favor of sleepin' eatin' readin' (Which reminds me that I forgot to pick up wednesdays reading which i must do on monday).
Some reflections in less than chronological order - what floats to the top gets a mention.

#1 - I got a new Job! (in fact a couple)

This fall I'll be working with my amazing conspiritors John and Jen on a project with the inestimably cool Nancy White . Can you spell intimidating, I can, it's "w-o-r-k-i-n-g w-i-t-h o-n-e-'-s h-e-r-o" Anyways, I'm sure we'll do fine, we're already doing fine, except for one dodgy skype connection, a wandering doggy, and some kiboshed data the whole project is off to a roaring good start. right?

I'll also be doing a couple of days a week at the Atwater Library where I have been asked to develop a workshop series for downtown area anglo youth on technological tools for creativity. The first part is a needs assesment and marketing analysis. I have found these nidty looking organizations who are providing similiar services in other cities,JustThink.org, Street-level Youth Media, Reel Girls and Make a Better Place, if anyone knows of other similar projects please delicious them for me or send me an email (I turned off comments sorry...).

The library itself is a beautiful place, I spent the majority of my elementary school free times reading in the aisles of the school stacks, so I can think of no better place to spend my time then a slightly worn around the edges old library full of wooden trim and dust motes.

I will bring my camera next week and do a little photoshoot of the coolness. Like the set of spiral stairs next to my desk that leads to the roof, and the rooms full of old books hidden one inside the other in the basement.

Oh yeah, the director wants to do an event for halloween "Pumpkin People" where a gang of us creative types get together and carve faces onto pumpkins but then, to go one better than your standard jack-o-lantern we'll build bodies on them as well. Hey! sounds fun. Again, send an email if you want to come and make some giant pumpkin people that may or may not get destroyed by the local rummies and drug addicts (look it's all about the doing anyways right?).

Even more importantly if you think you have somethiing to contribute to this new program as a teacher, volunteer, participant or other (marketer!) please please please send me an email. mverburg@atwaterlibrary.ca

#2 School is very hard

Do I sound like wind-up Barbie when I say that? First things first, I tried to drop a course and was told in no uncertain terms that dropping that particular course is a total no-no. So I signed back up. Which means on top of everything else I have some Derrida to look forward to in the coming months. Kind of like seeing a tree branch approaching at head-height while I am zooming down the highway of life on my favorite moterbike. Kind of, but much worse.

The point being that all this fabulous life work stuff is having a serious effect on my capacity to read 100 pages of theory a week +. Wisely the MA program director pointed out that part of the learning assciated with an MA is learning to focus on what's important and to *manage my time*. Which I obviously can't do because If I could I would be writing part of my 1000 word abstract on consumer as producer in online social networks instead of this blog entry.

Anyways, At least I have idenified the problem. Next up it's the "yo I'll solve it" part.

#3 Delicious still wrockin'

I am now part of Cyan and Millettes network. I never need to do research again, I just go an look at their links. The question is; what is the verb for what I am doing? Am I a link-voyeaur? A link-thief? Am I taking linkvantage? Whatever. It's great, you go millette!