tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50060382011-09-20T18:05:43.415+10:00Pleasant IslandCONTACT: mikereda@comfsm.fmMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comBlogger671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1144359592228555052006-04-07T07:37:00.001+10:002006-04-07T07:46:24.110+10:00For the First Few Years Overseas
For the first few years overseas, I couldn’t get enough time to write down all the impressions that were streaming through my mind like a waterfall. Whenever I had time, I would be in a coffee shop with my notebook trying to capture at least some of this, but feeling overwhelmed at all that was lost.
Now, I don’t have that much to say. Part of this is probably Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1140158421895496402006-02-17T17:39:00.000+11:002006-04-07T07:58:20.636+10:00I Have My Music Going, My Computer – But No Coffee. Is This Really Me?
I have just finished my classes AND my week. Although I like my classes – and my students – it always feels good to reach the end of a week. But then, this is the case for most people; it is certainly the case for all sane people.
It would not be that easy to describe why I like my classes. There is not really much dialogue Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1138845062459444862006-02-02T12:27:00.000+11:002006-04-07T08:03:28.366+10:00It Has Been a Long Long Time Since I Have Posted Anything Here.
I vaguely remember something I read in my freshman sociology – can it be 40 years ago – about how, in life (especially as we get older) there are more and more elements and forces in our lives which are working with the persistence and irrevocableness of incline planes, each trying to consume all of our free time and energy.
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1081049650412152892004-04-04T13:34:00.000+10:002004-04-04T13:37:46.793+10:00Some Changes
It is a rainy Sunday here in Micronesia.
This time of year we get 'on & off' rain almost every day. When you want to go snorkeling, you have to kind of sit waiting for what looks like a break in the weather then take off for the ocean.
Some news since my last entry:
1. I am in the process of 'upgrading' from a canoe to an ocean going kayak. This will be a mega change.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1075600488182527512004-02-01T12:54:00.000+11:002004-02-01T12:57:00.856+11:00Swimming with the Whale
Yesterday I went snorkeling with a small group at an island that is a few miles from here. The snorkeling there was great, but that is not what I want to tell you about.
On the way back we spotted a whale. At first I didn't take it serriously, but then, sure enough, I saw it was a whale. We went toward it and as we got near one guy put on fins and mask, jumped in, Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1074382362285561262004-01-18T10:32:00.000+11:002004-01-18T10:34:36.640+11:00Answer To Roy
To my surprise, it seems I do have a reader or two. How great!!
Roy sent me a letter asking some questions about my island. I thought others might be interested in the same things so I will include some of my reply to Roy here. By the way, my 'guest book' doesn't seem to work, so if you want to reach me, please email.
Answers to Roy's Questions:
The College where I work Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1074379550504780512004-01-18T09:45:00.000+11:002004-01-18T09:47:44.640+11:00After Christmas
Dear faithful readers, sorry it has been so long since I have written. Christmas was a busy time for me.
By the way, I went back State Side, this was the first Christmas at home in over 15 years and the first time back in 4 1/2. It sure felt good.
Did it seem strange to go from my island which hardly has a town and has very few people to places like Seattle, Detroit, Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1070520748731376842003-12-04T17:52:00.000+11:002003-12-04T17:53:23.966+11:00Spare us from Personalities
Back to my private invisible ink. I am at a public place, the college computer lab, so I have my Âbackground and my Âfont color set to similar colors, so the casual eye canÂt read what I write.
This morning I spent about an hour before class sitting in front of our college library writing on my Psion palmtop. It was so much more relaxing there then ÂmyÂMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1070486011214094402003-12-04T08:13:00.000+11:002003-12-04T08:14:26.466+11:00A Quick Note
I have a nice system for using a public computer so people walking around can’t read what I am writing. First I make my font and background almost the same color – at present they are both different shades of blue. Then I reduce my screen so that only three lines of print show. Mind you, this is probably not ‘fool proof,’ but I am not CIA of some stealth type, so this is enough toMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1068686104296131962003-11-13T12:14:00.000+11:002003-11-13T12:15:31.153+11:00Blog in the Classroom
I am in our computer class teaching an intro class to research writing. For this I use my blog "spiralstaircase.blogspot.com." This has worked out really great. I have tried web pages, but they have been too time consuming. Blogs are so quick and easy, and they really work. Typically I will check out sites on a topic and paste in the links to these in my blog. Then type Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1068685485893550662003-11-13T12:02:00.000+11:002003-11-13T12:05:12.873+11:00Rain on Pleasant Island
It is another rainy day here. As readers of this blog know, we get a lot of rain here in Micronesia. Maybe because of living on a small island (Pohnpei, my island, is about 10 miles across) we get tremendous cloud formations here. As you probably know, the sun heats land more than the water during the day, so this creates a vacuum, which pulls in clouds. In the evening,Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1066015082435646162003-10-13T13:18:00.000+10:002003-10-13T13:21:15.300+10:00Students meet my Psion
"I am sitting outside the library now. Today the sky is very blue. My next class starts at three this afternoon."
The above was written by one of my students on my Psion (my new palmtop). I just got it; this is the first day I have set outside writing, and, let me tell you, it is great to be away from the office computer.
None of my students here in Micronesia Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1066014781583970402003-10-13T13:13:00.000+10:002003-10-13T13:13:01.680+10:00My New Psion
I am way behind on this Blog. Partly this is do because I am busy teaching extra classes. Partly this is because I have been reading lots of SF a good site for downloading free SF books is LINK. There I was able to down load some good stuff like some vintage Heinlein. What a treat to have a good selection of his work available.
Although we have a small library here on my islandMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1066014443976628652003-10-13T13:07:00.000+10:002003-10-13T13:07:24.136+10:00Cultural Shock
I am finishing up my midterm grades. The record keeping part of teaching is what I like least. Fortunately that is not that much of this needed here in Micronesia.
I will be going home to the States for Christmas. It has been FOUR years since I have been back. That is a LONG LONG time.
After you have lived overseas you undergo a bit of 'Cultural Shock' when you return. For Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1065157354717970282003-10-03T15:02:00.000+10:002003-10-03T15:02:34.850+10:00New Psion
"I am sitting outside the library now. Today the sky is very blue. My next class starts at three this afternoon."
The above was written by one of my students on my Psion (my new palmtop). I just got it; this is the first day I have set outside writing, and, let me tell you, it is great to be away from the office computer.
None of my students here in Micronesia have seen a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1063856447500011872003-09-18T13:40:00.000+10:002003-09-18T13:40:47.103+10:00Storms & the new Terminator movie
Another day here on Pleasant Island. We have been getting a real consistent weather pattern here: mornings are nice till about 10 then we get heavy storms in the afternoon.
If you have been reading this for awhile, then you know that i am a lover of storms. It has pretty much been that way all my life. Storms just seem to reach part of my soul in a special Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1063597415259572792003-09-15T13:43:00.000+10:002003-09-15T13:43:35.250+10:00.
View the novel I am writting. It is free at LINK
Carl Rogers & Micronesia
Sorry I have been away so long; I have been a bit sick and busy. Mostly I have been really tired of late.
But I have take my usual 'medicine' in such cases, I have curled up with a good book for several days - the fifth Harry Potter book in this case - and now I feel a recharge of energy. This was the first Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1062549815864891192003-09-03T10:43:00.000+10:002003-09-15T13:42:31.320+10:00Rainy Days
We have had rain here on my island all night (I live and teach on an island in Micronesia). This morning the atoll which is about two miles out was completely invisible because the rain was so heavy.
I am one of those who like rainy days, especially rainy days like this. There is something that appeals to the soul when the world starts to vanish in misty rain. There is Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1062475670699442022003-09-02T14:07:00.000+10:002003-09-03T10:42:48.660+10:00Thoughts on "AND"
When I was young I used to get into these situations where I was torn between two alternatives and had a very difficult time making a decession. I would decide first one way then another, then change my mind again. This used to be such a drain. This pattern lasted for 7 or 8 years. Then one day when I was in my early twenties I sat down and had a talk with myself. I decided Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1061933377227537432003-08-27T07:29:00.000+10:002003-09-02T13:54:30.593+10:00Oz & my simple E-business plan
I was going to spend the half hour I have free this morning getting some of my grades recorded in the old grade book. However, the idea of listening to Blues, sipping Jasmine tea, and writing in my blog had a lot more appeal.
Today, after teaching I want to put at least one hour into my novel (you can read what I have been writing free at http://Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1061869269390181522003-08-26T13:41:00.000+10:002003-08-27T07:28:15.476+10:00Blues & Randy's Record Station
I have some Blues playing and a bit more time.
When I was in high school, I used to listen to Blues on Rand's Record Station in Nashville Tennessee when I could get it on my car radio. At that time my family was living in a small town in South Carolina, so reception of Nashville was none too great nor none too frequent. I almost always only listened to Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1061869134664013982003-08-26T13:38:00.000+10:002003-08-26T13:41:49.140+10:00Chit Chat
It seems that I have so little free time now. I remember in the past teaching more classes, yet having lots more time to just "lean and loaf my soul."
Anyway, I have set aside some time for this blog today and maybe I will get to write a bit on my book. I really want to do both of these things on a daily basses. That was how I finished my first book (I will try to get some of it Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1060826479523887662003-08-14T12:01:00.000+10:002003-08-26T13:39:33.980+10:00 Clarification
Classes are starting Monday. This week is student advising & registration, syllabi making, and planning and getting organized for classes.
I am kind of a believer in planning. It is nice to sit down for a bit and just reflect on what has happened in the past and what you want to see happen in the future.
A long time ago i was on my way to Alaska for the first time; I Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1060495408259551632003-08-10T16:03:00.000+10:002003-08-14T12:06:55.436+10:00A break in the weather
We have been having a lot of storms here in Micronesia. You get up, look at the sky. "What are the clouds like, does it look like we will get a 'widow' to go snorkeling? How about the trees? Do the show much wind (this is because palm trees shake easily in the wind)?"
Last night the weather looked great, high very wispy clouds. There was no rain, but brooding clouds Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1060404699683896022003-08-09T14:51:00.000+10:002003-08-10T16:02:38.676+10:00Having an office
How nice to have an office. It is Saturday; the weather is stormy - and so is my marriage; but at least their is a place I can go to feel at home - my office.
Next week is registration at my college, which will be a busy time although not much of any consequence will be done. When I went to college I had to figure out how to register by myself; if I didn't know, I had to readMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1059974601997311512003-08-04T15:23:00.000+10:002003-08-09T14:49:50.616+10:00I have been busy starting back teaching (I had a week break) and getting my first web site up. I am writing a book online.
So far I have enjoyed writing this book a lot. Of course, one big consideration is whither one can keep the story going or not. I started with a beginning and an ending hoping that the middle would come together if I went ahead on faith, so to speak.
We have been Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1059802715294504742003-08-02T15:38:00.000+10:002003-08-02T15:38:35.266+10:00Starting a novel - Oz the Blunderer - on the net
I am starting a site where I am writing a novel (which is offered FREE), keeping a journal on the process, and where reader's can send in comments on the story. Please drop by and visit it. LINKMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1059711661342176972003-08-01T14:21:00.000+10:002003-08-01T14:21:01.290+10:00My novel "Oz the Blunderer"
Yesterday was spent starting my first web site. I did it at Tripod.com (LINK) and found it amazingly easy. This is especially true after having put in endless hours learning HTML code and later in learning Dreamweaver, yet having never created a site.
Mind you, it was not as easy as setting up a Blog, but I am really happy with the results.
The site is on a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1059611370107633682003-07-31T10:29:00.000+10:002003-07-31T10:29:30.016+10:00Arriving in Micronesia
We have been really socked in on my island. It has been raining for days.
I should go visit my canoe, it is probably lonely sitting under its shed feeling abandoned. It has been weeks since I have been out to the reefs.
So what does one do on a rainy day in the middle of the Pacific? That is a good question. The island of Pohnpei does not really have a downtown. Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1059529637268156612003-07-30T11:47:00.000+10:002003-08-02T15:34:16.930+10:00450 Visitors
The grand plan for today was to go snorkeling in the lagoon; however, the weather is wild, so it is probably not he best of ideas.
I have started my first novel. I might create a web site where i can showcase it. The plan is to have a sort of ongoing site where I comment on the process, put down the rough sections as I write them, and receive comments on what is written and Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1057272265916162752003-07-04T08:44:00.000+10:002003-07-04T08:44:25.803+10:00On Walls and Doors
I am still trying to find a focus for this blog. I am not really sure where I want to go with it.
Sometimes it is best to hang lose when there is no real plan, give things time, and see what evolves. If one does this long enough a pattern or direction often appears. There is a story (I can't remember the name) which had as a theme "When you run into a wall that you can't Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-1057206709822535832003-07-03T14:31:00.000+10:002003-07-03T14:31:49.823+10:00Wood Carving
I have been sick the last couple of weeks, so I apologize for not writing in this blog for so long.
I have just started carving again; it has been ten years since I have done this. I thought you might be a little interested in the process, although the first project was quite simple. By the way, I used to do a lot of this at one time.
We had a piece of pine left over from Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-951455862003-06-01T17:13:00.000+10:002003-06-01T17:13:13.456+10:00A bit of a Vacation
So we are into June. I have been having a bit of a vacation for the last week. Has it felt good. It is sure nice to be able to spend a few days living as one should live.
As you can probably guess, I spent most of my vacation out in the lagoon snorkeling. I have been swimming so much lately that I am starting to feel like a fish.
My wife and I have moved into a new Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-946096042003-05-20T11:42:00.000+10:002003-05-20T11:42:13.790+10:00Rainy Days
I haven't been around to my old blog lately.
Today it is pouring rain in Micronesia. Nothing new. We get lots and lots of rain here. I lived almost 6 years in Southeast Alaska, another rainy spot of the world, so have developed a bit of duck consciousness: rain doesn't bother me. In fact it has a sort of cozy envelop your in warm arms kind of feel; there is mist, mountains. Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-942934682003-05-14T09:07:00.000+10:002003-05-14T09:07:11.106+10:00Let's keep those Dreams and Illusions
Reaching the end of the semester here, so all kinds of things have to be done in limited time: there are tons of papers to read and grades to get together. After this I have several weeks before summer classes start.
Anyway, in a few weeks things should be back to a much more relaxed pattern. That will be welcomed. Why would one come to a pacific Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-938284642003-05-06T09:05:00.000+10:002003-05-06T09:05:03.403+10:00How nice it is to have this Blog
Something there is that certainly loves having a space.
Of course I am eluding to Robert Frost's Poem "Mending Walls" (LINK). His actual words were:
"Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it
And spills the upper boulder in the sun,
And make gaps even two can pass abreast."
I guess there is 'something' Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-935810382003-05-01T16:31:00.000+10:002003-05-01T17:14:41.000+10:00Pebbles Dropped into a Pond
I am up a bit early this morning and have some time before I have to go to work. It has been a great morning so far. I started with a nice round of exercise, so now I feel energy flowing through me.
I have been thinking again about giving more focus to this blog. One thought that keeps coming up is to center it on the "Cold Mountain" Chinese poems. It is NOT Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-934983422003-04-30T10:22:00.000+10:002003-04-30T10:22:43.830+10:00The Hallways of Doors
I have started a new entry for this blog several times over the last few days, but have had trouble getting on a train of thought I have liked. This is a bit unusual; usually I don't have much trouble finding something I want to talk about.
I had better get going today, because I only have about 15 free minutes.
It is strange how busy we can get in our lives. This Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-930820202003-04-23T11:25:00.000+10:002003-04-23T11:25:11.066+10:00Freeware Countdown Timers
Listening to Kenny G, have my ear phones on so office noises are blocked, and a hot cup of coffee on my desk – “is paradise enow” (The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam). Have you read these Poems of Omar Khayyam? Here is probably the most famous:
A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread-and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness-
OhMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-929521652003-04-21T09:58:00.000+10:002003-04-21T09:59:52.000+10:00Just how much space there is
Some day I will give you a good description of what the reef heads here on my island look like (I live in Micronesia). Today I want to talk about why I like snorkeling. I really got into scuba diving and snorkeling when I was young. However it became a very important part of my life when I lived in Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea. While living there Islam was so much Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-929514002003-04-21T09:36:00.000+10:002003-04-21T09:59:06.000+10:00Background to Snorkeling on my Island
Last Saturday I went snorkeling. Usually I do this at least once a week. What is the sense of living on a Pacific island if one doesn’t go snorkeling? Very true. However this was the first time in the water in about a month. First, I was sick with a supper whammy flue. Then it had rained like crazy. Since my island is mountainous (rather than an atoll, forMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-926145792003-04-15T09:53:00.001+10:002003-04-21T10:01:51.000+10:00What could be better comedy?
It is another rainy day on my island. Sitting on my porch this morning I watched the faint almost silent drizzle make the world around me disappear. Then the heavy rain came and near by trees came alive tossing in the winds of the strong rains.
Now I am at work a bit early – I am a college teacher in Micronesia – with some time to sit and write a bit for this Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-926145832003-04-15T09:53:00.000+10:002003-04-15T09:53:29.263+10:00What could be better comedy?
It is another rainy day on my island. Sitting on my porch this morning I watched the faint almost silent drizzle make the world around me disappear. Then the heavy rain came and near by trees came alive tossing in the winds of the strong rains.
Now I am at work a bit early – I am a college teacher in Micronesia – with some time to sit and write a bit for this Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-924753872003-04-12T17:46:00.000+10:002003-04-12T17:46:55.390+10:00Passing Tropical Storm
We have just had one of our tropical storms her in Micronesia. During heavy rainstorms the whole world practically disappears and all you see is sky and rain. The rain becomes this huge thick mist covering the earth, which blends imperceptibly into the sky. The palm trees take on this wild but silent dance in the wind. Things all around become quiet except for rain and Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-921831272003-04-08T09:56:00.000+10:002003-04-08T09:56:23.686+10:00Blues and Jazz
Some days music is sure a thing that keeps you going. Right now I am at work listening to some of my Blues and Jazz music. This is what I really needed.
I guess one of the most essential things for a person is having a space. Sometimes that space gets mighty mighty thin. Right now it is down to writing this blog and listening to my Blues.
I remember when I was getting my Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-916715022003-03-31T09:33:00.000+10:002003-03-31T09:33:08.796+10:00The 6 by 8 cubicle
I used to seriously wonder about people who worked all the time, even on their weekends and holidays. Why don’t these people have a life? Can’t they think of anything better to do than work? Isn’t there a better place to go than their office?
Then I got married and learned!!!
Here it is a holiday (in Micronesia where I live). I’m I home sipping coffee, relaxing, and Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-915248072003-03-28T15:26:00.000+11:002003-04-15T09:54:33.000+10:00Busyness
It has been awhile since I have written. I guess I should have put a note here stating that I was going to be too busy and may not be writing much.
I will be moving to a new apartment this weekend. Like most humans, I will be glad when this is over and I am settled in.
Today I noticed how seldom I go out for walks anymore. Granted, I have my, "I am busy" excuse, but that is a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-910892342003-03-21T10:47:00.000+11:002003-03-21T10:53:45.000+11:00Chomsky and Mystification
The present topic in my writing classes is Leonardo da Vinci. There seem to be two approaches to da Vinci: one is to mystify him the other is to show how what he did - although admittedly grand - was based on simple principles which most of us can learn.
Noam Chomsky ( for an example see LINK ) has written a lot on how intellectuals tend to mystify things. Even Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-910304492003-03-20T13:41:00.000+11:002003-03-20T13:41:05.950+11:00William James and 'bottled lightning'
I have been sick for the last couple of days, so have been unable to write a new entry for you, my readers.
I am getting better than I used to be. In the past when I started getting sick I would say to myself, "You are getting lazy, stop being a wimp, go out for a long hard run." Since this was bad advice, I always followed it. The end result was I Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-906136642003-03-13T09:56:00.000+11:002003-03-21T10:58:27.000+11:00Being an Outsider
We are getting to another weekend here in Micronesia. Maybe we should talk a little about living and working overseas. I have been doing this for about twenty years in more places than I want to count, so I have some experience in this area.
Let me just state one fact, most people who do this don’t really like it. I am not really sure why this is. Maybe, to quote the BibleMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-904280162003-03-10T12:36:00.000+11:002003-03-21T11:00:42.000+11:00You Either Cry or You Laugh
One of the surprise - frustrations - of teaching is seeing how long it takes to learn things that seem very simple. When you teach English overseas it is amassing how much time it takes for people to pick up simple bits of grammar, or, if you teach writing, it is amassing how much trouble people have learning to make paragraphs.
In the same way, it seems that we Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-904232062003-03-10T10:47:00.000+11:002003-03-10T10:47:08.606+11:00A Single Strand of Silk
I saw a beautiful Chinese movie last night, The Mask King. It is such a pleasure to see what can be done on a relatively small budget and with rather simple dialogue. It reminds me a bit of the origins of drama in the West in Greece. There was only a small stage and possibly some very simple stage settings, yet on this stage were presented some of the worlds greatest Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-900329112003-03-03T15:53:00.000+11:002003-03-03T15:53:41.436+11:00Benedictan Monkish Mumblings
Today I received the enclosed response to my blog (see the end of this entry). There is, of course, a lot of wisdom to it so I have included it here.
Will the "Benedictan" nature of my blog change as time goes on. No promises, but it is something to think of. Actually, I am a firm lover of the "Flashman" stories, and as such I owe it to Flashman’s creator Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-898700382003-02-28T11:32:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:47:10.163+10:00A Watcher of Clouds and Waves
The weekend is coming up soon - Micronesia is about 12 hours ahead of US time.
If things go right I will be getting my canoe this weekend and putting some time into poking mole and river rat like (The Wind and the Willows) down the streams that go through the mangrove marshes here on my island. There are also visions of going out to prime coral heads in our lagoonMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-896834062003-02-25T13:29:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:45:00.096+10:00Leonardo da Vinci and Tracing
I usually teach two different classes in Micronesia: philosophy and research writing. The current project (for the next five weeks) is Leonardo da Vinci. This is a lot of fun for me because I can research da Vinci and talk about him in class.
Of course students here know something about him, but it is really very little.
I was introduced to da Vinci by a Canadian Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-893551182003-02-19T16:25:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:39:45.263+10:00On Rambling
Hi dear Reader (or readers if there is more than one),
Today is a "get the place clean and orderly" type day.
Almost twenty years ago, I was a custom builder and fabricator (I built and designed museum exhibits). As I worked my way up from "unskilled labor" to fairly "highly skilled labor" I learned that when I couldn’t find things and started to feel frustrated that it was time toMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-892887262003-02-18T16:58:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:37:03.100+10:00Cold Mountin
Yesterday I stopped to watch the rain on the near by mountains. It was coming down in huge sheets partially obscuring the mountains behind. Watching the rain I started remembering the old Cold Mountain Poems from China. These poems were written, supposedly, by a wild half mad mountain recluse type monk. Just my kind of guy.
According to tradition this monk is supposed to be Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-892096202003-02-17T11:21:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:34:24.980+10:00An Observer of Life
Suday some friends in I went out in the lagoon to a coral head and went snorkeling (I live on a Pacific Island half way between Hawaii and the Philippines). This is one of my favorite activities here. In the movie "Never Cry Wolf" (based on the book by Farley Mowat) the main character asks himself the question, "When did I become an observer of life." I think a lot of us are Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-889415582003-02-12T11:20:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:32:44.796+10:00Memories of Thompson Manitoba
Like a lot of Blog Hounds, I often backtrack to my "Contact" email site to see if anyone has responded to my Blog. As of yet no responses. Oh my poor poor Blog.
This weekend my wife, some friends, and I will be going to a nearby island to camp for the weekend. I have heard a lot about the beauty of this place, so I am looking forward to it. One thing planned is Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-888821482003-02-11T11:56:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:29:50.896+10:00Putting a "Contact" On My Blog
I finally figured out how to include a "Contact" to my Blog. For those like me that seem to always have trouble doing things (which others seem to be able to do with ease) I will tell how I figured out how to put in my "Contact."
1st. I tried the "help" pages. The information was clear; however, when I tried to apply it, it didn’t work.
2nd. Then I had the brightMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-888198872003-02-10T11:05:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:26:25.203+10:00"Positiveness"
Today is Monday, and a very tired Monday it is for me. I had planned to go snorkeling last weekend (remember I live on a Pacific island near the equator); however, I was busy Saturday and it was stormy Sunday. So I spent my snorkeling time sitting on the porch of a local hotel sipping beer and chatting with a friend.
Sipping beer and watching the rain on the bay was a great way Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-886354422003-02-06T17:39:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:23:50.820+10:00On Teaching
I am having a bit of difficulty starting to write today. So far I have made several attempts at a beginning, but keep deleting it. No, this is not because some soul searching problem is plaguing me, nor is it because I have some true confession to make. It is mostly that the old brain is not functioning to good. Maybe I need a cup of coffee.
Teaching is an interesting profession. I Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-885711072003-02-05T15:17:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:20:31.983+10:00More Thoughts on Blogs
I have been keeping this Blog for a few days now. I wonder if anyone has read it yet. I don’t know if there is a way of letting other people send me comments and having these posted directly. I will have to read up on this. It would be nice to get some reactions to this site, so I will have to research up on this.
One way of doing this is to link this Blog to other Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-885631302003-02-05T12:41:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:17:46.590+10:00Thoughts on Blogs
I have been telling my students about Blogs and Blogger.com. To me the whole thing is exciting, but then maybe I am going through my second childhood - some would argue that I entered it shortly after leaving my first and have been in my second childhood ever since.
I am not really sure where I want to go with Blogs. Of course, the obvious is to use it to just keep a Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-884556312003-02-03T15:54:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:14:50.516+10:00Afloat, Cast Off, and On My Way
I have been here in Micronesia for one year now. It is not that surprising that I am in what may seem like a very remote place. No, nothing romantic, like the escape in the movie Shawshank, led to my coming here. I am an international teacher, which simply means that I teach in countries outside USA.
From day one, since my arrival here, I have been thinking Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-884555272003-02-03T15:52:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:08:14.240+10:00Voices in the Wind
It is high tide. Where I live now is about twenty feet from the water; I couldn’t be much closer if I lived on a boat. In a way, I do sort of live on a boat: I live on Pohnpei, a small island in the middle of the Pacific (in the Federated States of Micronesia). As always, the weather today is mild. We often get a lot of rain here, but now it is sunny and windy. What strikes meMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5006038.post-882977692003-01-31T11:45:00.000+11:002006-04-07T17:05:16.030+10:00Pleasant Island
I have wanted to start a web page for quite awhile. Probably like a lot of people, I learned HTML code (the bare basics) but didn’t start a web page, I have also learned Dreamweaver (the basics) but again did not start a page.
Last week I first read about Blogs and became interested. Now here goes my first web page.
I have been a journal writer for quite awhile. Most of these Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753742359067541663noreply@blogger.com