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Hamlet is a Mute 14 Year Old?

14 year old boy + dogs + Trudy and Claude + Rain dad + Stephen King = Hamlet and one wickedly freaked out Mystic.

I am almost freakishly obsessed with Tolkien, Shakespeare and their works. I know...SHOCKER! The other day, I was at the bookstore, yes, another shocker, and I decided I wanted to step out of my literary comfort zone and read something TOTALLY different. I wanted to read something I would normally look at and say nawh...I'll pass. In fact, that was my criteria for choosing a book. I skimmed through a few titles and found The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. I read the first paragraph of the jacket blurb and decided this was the antithesis of anything I would normally read.

First Paragraph of the Jacket Blurb:
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm—and into Edgar's mother's affections.

Okay...a story about a mute adolescent boy who raises dogs in Wisconsin. Sounds like something I would hit the reject button on after the first paragraph. Bonus points on the "I'm sure I would hate it" meter; it is an Oprah book! Brilliant! I have disliked most of her book picks, so I decided this book would be perfect. Now, I must admit, Stephen King, for whom I have the up most respect as a writer did endorse the book heavily, and after seeing that on the back of the book jacket, I almost put the book down, but I decided that the story sounded just lame enough that I should give 'er a go.

So...I start reading; yep, I found it slow, boring, and absolutely NOT a book I would normally read. For a moment, I lost all respect for my beloved King. I couldn't fathom what he found so stimulating in this book. He even said, "I don't reread many books, because life is too short. I will be rereading this one." Uhhhh what the heck Stephen?

Well, about 1/4 of the way though the book, the protagonist, a mute, 14 year old boy, sees his father die. The general consensus is that he died of an aneurysm, and the boy, though grieving, clings to his mother and together they trudge ahead. The boy's uncle, CLAUDE moves in a few months after his brother's death "to help" TRUDY the boy's mother and Edward manage their dog kennel. In reality, he is "moving in" on Trudy. The boy's FATHER RETURNS AS A GHOST and tells Edward that CLAUDE had something to do with his death. He tells Edward to find the answers. This leads to a break in Edward's sanity... At this point, I'm like Hello! McFly! This book is freaking Hamlet!!!!!!!!

1. Claudius = Claude
2. Gertrued = Trudy
3. Dad Ghost = Dad Ghost
4. Uncle moves in when dad dies = Uncle moves in when dad dies
5. Ghost appears to son; incriminates brother in his death = Ghost appears to son incriminates brother in his death
6. Son is/fains insanity = Son has mental break
7. Son mistakes someone for someone else and kills them = Son mistakes someone for someone else and kills them
There are countless other similarities, but you get the idea.

So, by now you have figured out that the author,David Wroblewski, intentionally used the structure of Hamlet when writing this story. If you google Edgar Sawtelle, there are countless reviews discussing the Sawtell/Hamlet connection, but at the time I picked this book, I had no idea.

Perhaps Shakey's ghost is reminding me that I can not escape the bard's influence.
Perhaps I subconsciously read something in the first paragraph of the book jacket that I connected with Hamlet, although I have no idea what it would be.
Perhaps this was just a HUGE coincidence.

Alas, perhaps, I am destined to maintain my freakish connection to Shakey. Hey, there are worse ghosts to encounter, just ask Hamlet or Edgar.

Cheers!

Anagnorisis and Parapetia

This is brilliant!

Neo Luddite

Many have described J.R.R. Tolkien, one of my literary heroes, as a Luddite. There is no doubt he expressed feelings of ludditism; in fact, his Or cs were symbolic of industry which like an evil monster was methodically swallowing the beautiful English countryside he adored. After an email I received last night, I may join the fellowship of Luddites!
Most of you know I am currently working on my Master's degree. Though I have never stopped attending school, I have not worked on a degree in earnest since 1995 when I was working on an M.B.A.. At that time, the structure and organization of the classes I attended was no different than those I experienced as an undergrad. My classes at Oxford were also face-to-face, Tutor moderated and very traditional. While I was aware of the online revolution in education, I remained fairly traditional in my delivery and receipt of education. I think it is fair to say, I have been more of an adventurer technology wise with my students than I have ever been as a student.
My current degree plan allows for all face-to-face classes IF the classes "make", achieve quota. Thus far, I have twice had to take online classes because the section I wanted failed to meet minimum registration quotas. I consider myself fairly technologically savvy, and what I don't know, I research and learn. In general, I have had very little anxiety or issue with my online classes with the exception of communication, or more accurately, the LACK of reliable communication between students and professors. One of my professors wants us to communicate strictly through Blackboard; we submit our papers via a secure avenue that confirms the receipt of the assignment. One of my instructors wants us to email our assignments. This is an issue for me since frequently he doesn't follow up with a communication of receipt. Those of you who know how type A I am, realize that this not knowing causes me great anxiety. I have also had issues with the communication between myself and fellow students when working on projects. I am often told, "Oh...I'm sorry I'm late getting back to you with the research; I don't' check my emails often." In general, I think communication face-to-face would be an issue with people like those.
Last night, I received an email from my professor proclaiming her failure to receive our group's Alignment Assignment topic, and that it was urgent that she receive it immediately. Well, for God's sake, in her defence, the topic proclamation was due two weeks ago, and I HAD SENT IT TO HER AT THAT TIME. Now, to add to my absolute panic, only one group could do any discipline/grade level. I had spent DAYS collecting, analyzing and posting the information for Math: 9, 10 and 11. The only other member of my team that had assisted on the project thus far was in Paris, and upon checking the board, ANOTHER TEAM HAD SELECTED MATH 9,10 AND 11. I called my professor's cell phone, home phone and office phone with no response. I forwarded the original email that listed our groups choice of topic, and then I sat down and cried. After all I had been through to get this project organized ,and with only one week until it was due, I was mortified that I might have to begin again. I couldn't help but think if this had been a traditional class where you sign an actual piece of paper with your topic listed, then hand it to the professor face to face with witnesses, this never would have happened.
I finally got a hold of my professor; she agreed that the fault was on her end, and since the other group who had selected the Math project turned in their request after I turned in the request for my group, our group would be allowed to proceed with our project as is.
While everything was cleared up, the anxiety this has caused is lingering. I actually submitted the wrong essay last night for another class because I was so shaken. Alas...I know this too shall pass, but this is yet another example, of why I need to become a Hobbit, live in a hole and leave this world of technology behind. Once again, I proclaim; TOLKIEN WAS A GENIUS!

Erin Go Braugh!!!!!!!! What would St. Patrick's Day be without Dropkick Murphys?

Ireland truly is an emerald beauty, and my time spent there was quite memorable. I'm proud to have Irish blood in my veins, and I thank my Irish ancestry for my passionate love of WHISKEY! Erin Go Braugh!


Irish Saint Patrick’s Day toast:

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
Who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see all those snakes again.
‘Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!’
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!







May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Group-Work...What an Oxymoron!

I have two major assignments for my classes that must be done with fellow members of my classes. The professors chose the groups, and thus sealed my fate with their random draw. I am very driven academically; I strive for excellence, and one of my academic goals is to be graduated with my Master's degree with a 4.0 G.P.A.. If I failed to meet that goal because of some break in my passion or some failure to give my best, I could and would have to deal with it; however, I can not tolerate my fate being in the hands of others. I have done probably 75% of both projects including setting up the Wiki formats for my teams; designing text graphics (This is a good site for simple text headings and buttons that I use http://cooltext.com/) and doing the research. I have one team member on my Leadership project who has really pitched in and contributed greatly, but the other two members have yet to contribute anything. In my other group, there has been no contribution by either team member. The deadlines for these projects is drawing near, and the stress of them not being done is really weighing heavily on me. One of the group members just called me because he couldn't figure out that he had to be in edit mode in order to make changes on the page. Dear LORD! I know I was short with him, and I feel badly about that, but I can no longer disguise my frustrations. I had not worked on a Wiki for a school project prior to these assignments, but I took the time to experiment and learn. Being driven can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. I'm typing this now to prevent me from accessing our projects and doing more on them. The grades are given based on the project as a whole. I will receive the "group" grade rather than being graded on the work I have done. I teach my students that the world of academia is not a fair and just one, and this is an excellent example.

Why?

Why?
World's Most Pierced Woman

2009 HLS&R Bar-B-Que: The Original Pearl Cookers

Years ago, some fourteen years ago, one of my ex-husband's best friends invited us to join the Bar-B-Q team that his mother headed up; it was then that I joined The Original Pearl Cookers.The first year I was on the team, we had one "spot",40'X 60'; we were a very small team and operated on a pauper's budget. We started with one small pit, a few tables and a strong team spirit. We all piled into a motor home we parked at one end of our space, and used it as shelter from frigid, biting winds. We didn't have a proper bar; we didn't have a formal system of serving, and we sure didn't have other amenities that we have today. What we did have then and we still have today is a true sense of friendship, family and team.

The 2009 Original Pearl Cookers!
Preporations for cook-off begin MONTHS in advance of the actual event. Sponsors must be wooed, decorations planned, supplies ordered, head-cooks dubbed and practice events held. We meet several times a year as a complete team to discuss the upcoming year.

Set up for the actual weekend begins on the Monday prior to BBQ. On Monday and Tuesday, our team owners, chief cooks and "pit" boss observe the raising of our tents; they move the pits into place, supervise the placement of the port-a-potties, and they run the electricity. Wednesday, the entire team hits the location in full force to put up decorations, set up the hors d'oeuvres area, organize the men's kitchen, erect the V.I.P. stage, and of course we make sure the bar is in proper working order!

This year, because of my commitments to school, I drove the 55 miles back and forth from my home to the cook-off. I was unable to attend Thursday night's feed. Thursday nights are reserved for team members, member's parents, spouses and/or bosses, and our sponsors. It is the slowest night in terms of the number of people we serve, and that usually allows for the team members to have a little time to socialize and enjoy the hard work that has gone into the organization of our event.

Traffic on Friday afternoons is always hideous in Houston, and it took me well over an hour to get there this year. These shots were taken Friday afternoon prior to our serving time.

Our front entrance:


This is looking into Jack Daniel's tent. They are our neighbor's out at BBQ in every sense of the word. If we ever run low on bar towels or whiskey, they are there to lend a hand. Many thanks to Jack Daniel's team!



The calm before the storm. Some of the team members enjoying the day.




This is a good shot of the dining/bar/DJ area of our tent. Remember I told you that when we started the team, we had one spot? We now have three! Basically, many teams out there still operate with a single spot, and they wait YEARS to get one.





The Country Music Channel came out and interviewed our team owner. They shot a few T.V. promotional shots in our tent and joined us for Saturday afternoon "feed".



Because we have three spots, we are able to turn in three meats for competition. There are over 350 teams that compete for prizes in different categories. We enter chicken, brisket, ribs and most colorful team. The next few pictures are of our chief cooks slicing and preparing the competition meat for turn in. The meats are "tagged" the day before by officials from HLS&R to prevent pre-cooking or switching meats.

Mat, assistant brisket, and Dave, chief brisket, discuss how to slice the competition meat!




Stephen Wheedle, (chief ribs) presents his mouth watering ribs!



Bubba, chief chicken, LOL chief chicken...Bubba would kill me for that one. Bubba's chicken!



Unfortunately, the judge's taste buds were taking a vacation this weekend, and TOPC did not place in any of the meat categories. Our buddies over at Jack made finals in chicken, and the tent on the other side of us, I don't recall the team name, made it to the finals in brisket.
Now...don't despair. First, we had a great time this year; many beverages were enjoyed, and approximately 1500 people were served some WORLD CLASS BBQ at TOPC. Last year, 209,000 people attended cook-off, and I hear the attendance records were broken this year. NOW FOR THE BEST NEWS OF ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Yep! We were Runner Up for The Most Colorful TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a lot more to share, and perhaps, after I get caught up on grading and writing, I'll post some more about BBQ. If you have any questions, ask away!
Until we meet again,
Mystic
Oh, P.S. and don't read this if you are squeamish. Last night when I got home, I had to pop eight blister's on my feet. Several of them contained blood and other unmentionable oozing sludge. Needless to say, I don't NORMALLY wear cowboy boots. LOL!
P.P.S. For those of you who want to learn more about HLS&R, this is the official site. HLS&R is a non-for profit that raises money for student scholarships. http://www.hlsr.com/
I used to be on the rabbit committee; then I found out I was allergic to rabbit saliva.