- I didn't know
- were sober
- had heard the poems in a reading
- actually seemed to want to own them
When did the OSR begin? 2008.
1 year ago
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Writing Again
I used to write a lot of poetry in my teens and early twenties. I'm not claiming that it was particularly good but I enjoyed writing it. I even self-published a small volume and sold enough to make a little profit. Most of the sales were to friends but a few were to people who
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Writing on a course
I was on a Learning and Teaching Conference today and enjoyed attending three very different but universally inspirational workshops and just one thoroughly boring one. Not a bad success rate.
My next challenge is to see how much of this inspiration I am able to transfer into my teaching. I have to say I fear for my success. Partly this is because I am often lack confidence in my imagination when it comes to planning lessons. It is also because I don't feel that I am likely to have much support in school for trying out some of the ideas which I saw today.
For example one of the workshops was about using the Nintendo Wii as a source of inspiration for writing. I could see tremendous opportunity here to use this to motivate some of my class but I have serious doubts about my chances of persuading my headteacher of the merits of video games as a stimulus for writing. Similarly I would love to use a blog as a means of publishing my children's writing but I have already hit my head against the wall of using the internet interactively; and that was just with the school's own learning platform.
As part of the workshopon using blogs the course participants were asked to write a poem, publ;ish it on a wiki and experience receiving feedback. I haven't written a poem for ages but I was quite pleased with my effort so I took the opportunity to copy it over here to my blog.
The year turns bringing morning light,
lightness of spirit,
anticipation of warmth.
Yesterday's fog was a disappointment,
but short lived
as the sun burnt through.
This morning there was fog again;
but it had lost its power
to dampen my outlook.
No sun has burnt through today.
Today the fire is metaphorical,
professional inspiration!
My next challenge is to see how much of this inspiration I am able to transfer into my teaching. I have to say I fear for my success. Partly this is because I am often lack confidence in my imagination when it comes to planning lessons. It is also because I don't feel that I am likely to have much support in school for trying out some of the ideas which I saw today.
For example one of the workshops was about using the Nintendo Wii as a source of inspiration for writing. I could see tremendous opportunity here to use this to motivate some of my class but I have serious doubts about my chances of persuading my headteacher of the merits of video games as a stimulus for writing. Similarly I would love to use a blog as a means of publishing my children's writing but I have already hit my head against the wall of using the internet interactively; and that was just with the school's own learning platform.
As part of the workshopon using blogs the course participants were asked to write a poem, publ;ish it on a wiki and experience receiving feedback. I haven't written a poem for ages but I was quite pleased with my effort so I took the opportunity to copy it over here to my blog.
The year turns bringing morning light,
lightness of spirit,
anticipation of warmth.
Yesterday's fog was a disappointment,
but short lived
as the sun burnt through.
This morning there was fog again;
but it had lost its power
to dampen my outlook.
No sun has burnt through today.
Today the fire is metaphorical,
professional inspiration!
Friday, 7 January 2011
Bookcrossing Statistics
After reading some discussions recently on the Bookcrossing forums about the numbers of books which are journalled I decided to look at my own statistics. Obviously there were any number of things which I should have been doing instead but there you go.
Bookcrossers normally categorise their book releases as 'controlled' - when the book is given to a specific person - or 'wild' - when the book is left in a public place for anybody to pick up. Personally I tend to think about my releases slightly differently. I have always felt that leaving a book at an Official Book Crossing Zone (OBCZ) is less wild than leaving it anywhere else. I also decided to distinguish books which I have taken to bookcrossing meets. Obviously I tend to see who takes these books away but when I set off for the meet I have no idea who, if anyone, is going to take them so they aren't quite the same as most controlled releases.
There are various estimates for the percentage of released books which are journalled, often these estimates range from 10% to 20%. I have no idea what research, if any at all, these estimates are based on.
Based on 109 books that I have released since getting involved with bookcrossing in 2008 I have 37% rate of journal entries. This is quite a bit higher than is considered normal.
66 of my releases have been in OBCZ's and 26% of these have been journalled. This is only slightly higher than normal .
Of my 18 truly wild releases only 2 have been journalled. This represents 11% which is within the range normally expected.
My statistics are skewed by the 69% journal rate on my 13 controlled releases and the 100% journal rate on the 12 books which have been taken away from meetings.
On the bookcrossing forums it is not unusual to hear of books being journalled years after being released. The journal entries on my books have sometimes been made on the day they were released, usually for books taken from meets, up to 258 days after the release date.
Bookcrossers normally categorise their book releases as 'controlled' - when the book is given to a specific person - or 'wild' - when the book is left in a public place for anybody to pick up. Personally I tend to think about my releases slightly differently. I have always felt that leaving a book at an Official Book Crossing Zone (OBCZ) is less wild than leaving it anywhere else. I also decided to distinguish books which I have taken to bookcrossing meets. Obviously I tend to see who takes these books away but when I set off for the meet I have no idea who, if anyone, is going to take them so they aren't quite the same as most controlled releases.
There are various estimates for the percentage of released books which are journalled, often these estimates range from 10% to 20%. I have no idea what research, if any at all, these estimates are based on.
Based on 109 books that I have released since getting involved with bookcrossing in 2008 I have 37% rate of journal entries. This is quite a bit higher than is considered normal.
66 of my releases have been in OBCZ's and 26% of these have been journalled. This is only slightly higher than normal .
Of my 18 truly wild releases only 2 have been journalled. This represents 11% which is within the range normally expected.
My statistics are skewed by the 69% journal rate on my 13 controlled releases and the 100% journal rate on the 12 books which have been taken away from meetings.
On the bookcrossing forums it is not unusual to hear of books being journalled years after being released. The journal entries on my books have sometimes been made on the day they were released, usually for books taken from meets, up to 258 days after the release date.
Sunday, 26 December 2010
New Year Plans
Following a big blowout yesterday I weighed in at 98 kilos this morning. Maybe that will go higher before it goes lower as I have belated festive family gatherings tomorrow and the day after as well as loads of good stuff at home which didn't get eaten yesterday.
Now compared to the 82 kilos which I weighed about two years ago it is rather depressing to think how much weight I have put on. On the other hand I have to consider that for the vast majority of my adult life my weight fluctuated from 101 to 120 kilos. Well I'm close to that range again now but I know that I can lose that weight.
So I will have a run either tomorrow or the day after and then again in another two days. On New Years Day I will download an application form for the Woodbridge 10k. Having just looked at some options If I don't get into the Woodbridge race I'm thinking that I might do the Sudbury 5 as well.
Starting from the New Year I'm planning on running 3 times a week. Not sure yet when those runs will be but I'll sort something out. On the days I don't run I would like to do some other form of training too.
I will also be seeing a counsellor during January and February to try to sort out some other issues.
Maybe life does begin at 40!
Now compared to the 82 kilos which I weighed about two years ago it is rather depressing to think how much weight I have put on. On the other hand I have to consider that for the vast majority of my adult life my weight fluctuated from 101 to 120 kilos. Well I'm close to that range again now but I know that I can lose that weight.
So I will have a run either tomorrow or the day after and then again in another two days. On New Years Day I will download an application form for the Woodbridge 10k. Having just looked at some options If I don't get into the Woodbridge race I'm thinking that I might do the Sudbury 5 as well.
Starting from the New Year I'm planning on running 3 times a week. Not sure yet when those runs will be but I'll sort something out. On the days I don't run I would like to do some other form of training too.
I will also be seeing a counsellor during January and February to try to sort out some other issues.
Maybe life does begin at 40!
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Posting Again
It's been a long time since I posted. There have been various reasons for this, both to do with work and personal issues. I'm going to try again. I want to keep track of some of the things I want to change in my life. These include my weight and my running which are clearly connected. Also my self confidence, my work and my family relationships. Some of these posts may end up being kept in the parlour. We shall see.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
The Resurrectionist
This is the first book group book for some time that I might have chosen for myself. Matthew said that he had picked it with a particular member in mind who likes a good horror story and this immediately provoked a discussion on horror stories, horror films. Opinions were quite divided with some members of the group being quite convinced that they would struggle to read this book.
The blurb describes the book as being a gothic horror story. Well it is certainly gothic in it's tone and in it's setting amongst the dissectionists and the body snatchers of early nineteenth century London. However I wasn't at all sure how well it deserved the horror tag. I certainly doubt that it will have caused any sleepless nights for even the most sqeamish of the book groups members. There are very few scenes that depict violence of any kind and even these are described in terms that seem to minimise their impact.
That said, the story does raise some interesting questions. The protaganist becomes drawn into a series of murders begging the question - 'Is he some kind of monster or could a reasonable person find themself in a similar situation?' An episode from his younger life hints at a a sadistic and voyeuristic streak but personally I was left undecided on this issue.
The blurb describes the book as being a gothic horror story. Well it is certainly gothic in it's tone and in it's setting amongst the dissectionists and the body snatchers of early nineteenth century London. However I wasn't at all sure how well it deserved the horror tag. I certainly doubt that it will have caused any sleepless nights for even the most sqeamish of the book groups members. There are very few scenes that depict violence of any kind and even these are described in terms that seem to minimise their impact.
That said, the story does raise some interesting questions. The protaganist becomes drawn into a series of murders begging the question - 'Is he some kind of monster or could a reasonable person find themself in a similar situation?' An episode from his younger life hints at a a sadistic and voyeuristic streak but personally I was left undecided on this issue.
* * *
The discussion at the book group didn't really go quite as I had expected. First of all a couple of the members weren't there. One of them, who had often said she liked horror books, and for whom this one had been chosen, had left a note to say that she had quite liked it until it got to describing the murders which she found too gruesome. The general consensus was that they weren't gruesome at all and we awere all left wondering what kind of horror books she actually likes.
Of the five of us who were there two, including me, had enjoyed the story, two really hadn't liked it and one was on the fence. Those not keen felt that the story wandered rather aimlessly and hadn't been at a ll gripped by it. To me it seemed that this had been deliberate as the central point seemed to be about the way that we re-invent ourselves, or find ourselves re-invented, over time. Perhaps that is me reading my own issues into the book.
There was remarkably little discussion about whether the central character was good, bad, or a victim of circumstance; despite the fact that I tried to start said discussion at least twice. It seemed that some of the other readers wanted to be told by the author rather than to have the discussion themselves.
March
This was book of the month for July, discussed at the beginning of August, so I'm punctual as usual. Once again it is a book that I very much doubt I would have picked for myself but I throrughly enjoyed it.
Brooks has taken the character of Mr March, absent from pretty much the whole of 'Little Women' I understand, and writen the story of what he was up to while he was away from home. Not having read 'Little Women' this did nothing to draw me in. In fact, had I been nrowsing the bookshelves, it might well have put me off. However I was drawn into the story of Mr March almost as soon as I opened the book. From the outset he was an intriguing and likeable character leading an interesting life. Starting out as an itinerant peddlar he becomes, over time, quite a wealthy young man. His progressive ideals lead him into the anti-slavery movement and, eventually, into service during the American Civil War.
In the latter stages of the story some of his weaknesses start to become apparent. At one stage I began to wonder if Brooks wasn't trying to make him into quite a pathetic man and this feeling was shared by several other members of the group. However towards the very end he was shown again in a rather more positive light. The book provoked quite a lot of discussion about attitudes to race and gender, in particularly some of the apparent inconsistencies in March's own attitudes.
Brooks has taken the character of Mr March, absent from pretty much the whole of 'Little Women' I understand, and writen the story of what he was up to while he was away from home. Not having read 'Little Women' this did nothing to draw me in. In fact, had I been nrowsing the bookshelves, it might well have put me off. However I was drawn into the story of Mr March almost as soon as I opened the book. From the outset he was an intriguing and likeable character leading an interesting life. Starting out as an itinerant peddlar he becomes, over time, quite a wealthy young man. His progressive ideals lead him into the anti-slavery movement and, eventually, into service during the American Civil War.
In the latter stages of the story some of his weaknesses start to become apparent. At one stage I began to wonder if Brooks wasn't trying to make him into quite a pathetic man and this feeling was shared by several other members of the group. However towards the very end he was shown again in a rather more positive light. The book provoked quite a lot of discussion about attitudes to race and gender, in particularly some of the apparent inconsistencies in March's own attitudes.
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