Dave in computer class

"Let's learn Word!"

Okay...

"Let's get started!"

What the heck is that?!?!?!?

"...and the Word start screen opens."
What the heck is that? Start screen? Since when does Word have a start screen?

"You can open other documents here..."

Dang, this is different. Weird. I'm not used to it. This is new and makes me uncomfortable. It's not 2002 anymore.

(Forty minutes later)

Okay, that was boring.

I can do all this. I just probably don't know it where I can pass a test on it. (Unconscious competence.)

(I write using Google Docs, anyway...)

But I guess I'll need it for future employment.

Wonder what the test will be like.

Hot Technologies. Maybe I'm crazy, but won't everything on this be invalid in about two years? Five at the most. Yelp, Wordle, The Cloud... In five years, they will be but memories....

Ergonomics. There’s a subject we’ll need to know, in this high tech world. If we are spending large amounts of time sitting at a desk, probably at a computer, doing office work or schoolwork, it is possible that injuries can come about. Carpal tunnel, aches or pain from the spine, lower back, or neck can develop from long hours of sitting at a desk. If that makes up the bulk of a student's daily activity of attending school or studying, that can be a concern.

I found a cool article that talked about the Aeron chair. It's a crazy design. The seat is a polyester mesh, no padding, just a plastic network, stretched over a frame. Weird. I'd like to try it out.

☺

Peace,

Dave Roel.

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

- Kahlil Gibran

Active reading

Last semester, I was enrolled in a very intense college reading and writing course. We read many difficult essays and wrote about them. The course encouraged active, engaged reading. The type of reading that causes one to really dig into a piece, and work with it.

I consider myself an active, engaged reader. This is the fun of reading—it's a game of give and take, active, not passive, reading. Reading where you contribute much to the meaning and interpretation of the piece. This type of reading means the engagement with a text is a unique experience—every reader will have a different encounter with a text.

Strong reading is not just reading—it's also thinking and writing. The best writing invites this collaboration. As a collaborator, I take the text as a starting point, and spin off into my own ideas, related or unrelated to the text. Reading in this way is an active act of creation.

I often find that I write to get my own thoughts out, to work out my own thoughts about a text. The process of writing helps me digest the information. Writing is often a process of discovery. I'm often surprised by what I write, and I often learn interesting things about what I think about something, and how my mind works.

Reading enriches our lives. Ultimately, this kind of reading changes us. We become better, sharper, deeper thinkers through strong, active reading of challenging works. And this will help us in every endeavor in life.

Peace,

Dave Roel.

I'm a big fan of pretension. It means trying to exceed your grasp. Which is how things grow.

- Warren Ellis

Computer lab time

So I have to use the computer lab for a class this semester. I wouldn't have needed to, but I need to print out papers. And I don't own a printer. Actually I do, but dang, toner is expensive. So, computer lab. Go in. Need to establish your account. Not logging on. Oh, you wait ten to fifteen minutes. So, sit and read this essay I found in the recycling bin someone tossed. Learn a little about Hinduism. Now I can log on. Dang, screen resolution is enormous and unusable. Adjust to a reasonable size. Get week's assignment. Print. No money in my account. I need to purchase printing credit. At the bookstore. Pack up, and it's over to the bookstore. Buy printing credit at the counter. Get in line. My Fullerton College ID card is too old (I really should get a new one). They need my ID on something official, like a printout of my schedule. Go into the adjacent registration office, sit at a computer, pull up my schedule, print it. Where's the printer? Ask. By the pillar. Now with my schedule printout, my computer printing account can be activated. I put in ten dollars. At fifty cents per week, that means I should have about two dollars left over at the end of the semester. I guess the remainder could be used as a buffer for additional printings, if that becomes needed. Still feel oddly grumpy about it. Back to the lab. Hey, there's a teacher I took a class with ten years ago. Hey, he's lost weight. Good for him. Get my printing. Success. ☺


Peace,

Dave Roel.

Things can never touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; so that disquiet can arise only from fancies.

- Marcus Aurelius

I'm Back!

Hello again FC! I've missed you.

It’s been almost a month since school started and I’m still not quite back in the rhythm of tests and deadlines. My brain is still on summer break and lying out by the pool… well ok I don’t have a pool but I was definitely there every day in my mind.

Hey you freshmen, welcome! How’s your first month in college so far? I hear it was a nightmare to register for classes. That’s an experience in its own! I hope it didn't scare you away completely.


For me once again it’s the dreaded math course looming over head. Then there’s my first love, reporting for The Hornet. And of course blogging, yeah! Oh before I forget, my lovely desk job which makes it possible for me to be here at Fullerton. Three cheers for the desk job! If it weren’t for you… well frankly I would be at the beach soaking up the hot sun. But that’s beside the point.

Actually I’m happy to be back and one step closer to graduation. Although I’m taking a mere two classes this time around; I still have my hands full with projects and taking care of my household.

This summer brought on a few challenges but also some wonderful surprises. My husband and I have a new addition to the family, our puppy Harlee. She’s six months now and FULL of energy! If I would have known what I know now about Boxers I would have opted for a gold fish. Anyone own a Boxer? Yeah you know what I’m talking about then. I swear that dog will eat, chew and pee on anything! I have a strange feeling my blogging this semester will resemble that of the columns which the guy wrote in the movie Marley and Me… yeah strictly puppy talk comin’ right atcha.

If you haven’t seen the movie, rent it and then you will know what it’s like to own a Boxer. Although the dog Marley wasn’t a Boxer, it sure as hell acts like one.

But don’t get me wrong Harlee is the cutest, sweetest, dumbest dog and only a mom could love her. Too bad I’m not her mom. Just teasing I love her and she’s a great addition to the family.

So any advice/stories the Boxer owners may have to offer is welcomed, don't be shy, please.


And now the awww moment… a picture of the demon herself with my other dog Summer.





Stay classy FC,
Janet