Typically when I read letters to the editor like the one written by Michael Ross (The Forum, May 6, 2012), I do not respond to them. I figure all the sensible folks who read it will recognize the absurdity of the position taken and chalk the person up to being some sort of loon. Alas, Ross' [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Have you hugged your fire extinguisher lately?
There was a fire today in West Fargo. The house on fire was one that sits on Sheyenne Court (the street whose backyards abut to the backyards on my street). Mike caught sight of it at about 5:40 PM and was over the fence and heading in that direction before I could even get 911 [...]
I grade, therefore I am.
I am in the throes of end-of-the-semester grading. Oh joy. I am not a huge fan of grading, but I am an educator at a higher education institution and with that identity comes grading. I wish I could just give all my students a simple pass or fail based on their commitment and effort, but [...]
The second coming of the Wild West…
I was not surprised, but still unhappy to read that criminal cases in the oil patch are skyrocketing. We probably all knew that would eventually come to pass. Let's face it, we have the second coming of the Wild West out in Western North Dakota. It just isn't the same place as it was a [...]
Personality +
Every class has its own personality and its own set of personalities. Over the course of a semester the personality comes into its own and by the end of the semester it is typically ripe. Today was the last day of my regular classes this semester. On the last day of my classes the students do a hot wash [...]
The 5 stages of morning…
If you have ever read anything on serious illness, loss or grief you have likely heard of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Kübler-Ross introduced the Five Stages of Grief a few decades ago. The stages are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Kübler-Ross' model has been heavily critiqued over time, but it is still frequently referenced. There have a number of variations on [...]
Fledgling hope…
Yesterday when I backed out of my driveway to pick up Cheyenne from school I saw a small bird sitting on the driveway in the space that my car had covered moments before. I found it curious that it didn't move away from the car as I was backing out. From where I was in [...]
THE NEW FORTY 