23 Things Kansas - Fail

For those of you who were following my "amazing" progress in the 23 Things Kansas program - I flunked.  It worked well for the first few weeks when the topics were things like blogging and twitter that I already knew about.  I was able to complete the lessons in under an hour and go along my merry way.  Then we got into some topics with which I was not so familiar...not so merry.  While I don't deny that the topics of these lessons were useful and the lessons were well presented, due to my complete unfamiliarity with the subject matter, many of them were going to require several hours to research and complete. I realize this was the point - to spend some time learning new skills - but the time just wasn't there.

Many of the topics, while interesting, do not pertain directly to my job duties.  Therefore, I felt guilty using too many office hours on the lessons and kept pushing them to the bottom of my "to do" list in favor of the actual work I get paid to do.  Also, the reward for completing the project - other than the knowledge gained and the satisfaction of a job well done - is 30 hours of continuing education credit. My library discontinued raises based on CE credits shortly after I started working here (I suspect for just this reason - too much work time spent earning CE credits that don't pertain), so there is no longer a financial incentive.  Maybe if there was chocolate involved?

At this point, the twenty-three weeks are nearly up and I am so far behind that finishing is not feasable.  My apologies to the organizers of this fantastic program.  They put in a lot of hours to provide a great learning opportunity. 

The website - http://www.23thingskansas.org/ - is still available so I (and you) can still complete any lessons we wish.  Be sure and check it out.

That Was Then, This Is Now

Our baby will be graduating from high school in seventeen days.  We dug through boxes and albums to collect pictures from infancy through her senior year for use in the video that will be shown during the graduation ceremony.  Brought back lots of memories and laughs - and ok, maybe Mom had a few tears.  How did my little blond cheerleader turn into this brunette beauty?  (Well ok, although her hair has darkened considerably on it's own, some of that brunette comes from a bottle.)  It is amazing how fast time passes!  At the time of the first picture, I would scoff at people who said that.  I thought the only time that passed quickly was nap time but, sadly, they were correct. In keeping with the great words of wisdom given to me by my sister, whose nest emptied out about six years ago: "She's not leaving the day after graduation" so we're looking forward to a fun gathering of family and friends to celebrate Dear Daughter's accomplishments - not to mention the end of school lunches, late night washings of sports uniforms, forgotten homework, and teen girl drama.  Congratulations, Sweet Baby!

In Cold Blood and Other True Crime Questions

Our daughter was asked to write a literary review of In Cold Blood by Truman Capote as part of her college-level composition class.  Over the years, I have tried to read along with whatever the kids were assigned at school, but this one caused some hesitation.  I have never been a true-crime fan or even an advocate of violent detail in fiction, so I was unsure that I wanted these pictures in my head.  I was also unsure about a 17-year-old having these images, but she sees much worse during the average Saturday night trip to the cinema and she didn't seem concerned.  This brought up a slew of questions so, since she had the assignment, I decided to join in and look at some of the issues.  I will admit that I'm finding the story fascinating in ways, but disturbing in so many others.

We live about forty-five miles from Holcomb, where these events occurred, and Dave lived in Holcomb as a child (moving there nine years after the murders).  This connection gives the story another layer of interest - Dave remembers some of the people and places involved - but it also adds an incredible feeling of disrespect.  Turning a tragedy into entertainment feels like voyeurism of the worst kind to me.

My next issue is with this book - or any true-crime book - as an assignment for teens, and especially for teens in this area who's parents and grandparents may have painful memories of that time (the Clutter family was killed in 1959, so there are still many residents here who were friends and acquaintances of those involved).  I have met some adults who have declined to read the book or see the movie and are reluctant to even discuss the crimes. Should their grandchildren be forced to as a school assignment?  Does the passage of time make a difference? 

What do you think of true-crime books in general?  The Columbine killings are a good example.  There are several books out covering those events and delving into the lives of both the victims and the killers.  Is it disrespectful to the victims and their families?  Are they appropriate for high school/college reading assignments?  Does it encourage future perpetraters who envision themselves as the villians of a bestseller or even a movie?

And finally, the movie.  Our daughter was planning to watch the black and white, Robert Blake version, but I am encouraging her not to because I know that the violence is naturally more graphic than the book.  This is a girl who loves horror films, so I'm not afraid of her having nightmares, but a group of girls viewing this film in the same context as Texas Chainsaw Massacre strikes me as dancing on someone's grave.  I just don't think they are able to recognize the film as depicting actual events, and to them 50 years ago may as well have been 500.  What's the difference between watching this and watching Braveheart?

Let me hear from you, please.  Am I being too touchy or is the world being cold-hearted?  Does tabloid journalism anesthetize us to the tragedies around us or does knowing the details help protect us?

Walks the Fire by Stephanie Grace Whitson

A while back I wrote a post about re-reading favorite books from years past - in particular the Prairie Winds Series by Stephanie Grace Whitson.  I remembered this three-book series as being un-put-down-able and that we passed them around my circle of friends as fast as we could read.  However, I questioned my memory - I am just a few days past 40, you know - and hesitated to part with the money to re-purchase the lost copies in case they weren't as amazing as I remembered.  So, I tracked down the first book, Walks the Fire, through paperback swap and by page thirty I had ordered new copies of the next two for myself and all three for the library.  It was every bit as wonderful as I remembered - and I'm so proud of myself for hanging on to a thought for fifteen years!

Walks the Fire is the story of Jesse King, young wife and mother, who sets out across the Nebraska prairie, bound for Oregon.  She meets tragedy, friends, death, love, fear... I don't want to spoil the story, but I don't think it's giving away too much (seeing as it's the title of the book) to tell you that Jesse is taken in by the Lakota people and becomes Walks the Fire.  Her strength in the face of challenges beyond my imagination, and her unwavering faith in spite of them all, are inspiring.  If she can face loss, derision, and learning an entire new culture and language, surely I can cope with car repairs and the Audrey II-type ivy that refuses to loosen it's grip on my house.

Having lived for twelve years on the same Nebraska plains and even longer on the Kansas prairie, I have a special love for pioneer stories and especially for ones that include Native American lore.  The second book of the series, Soaring Eagle, picks up the story with Jesse's son.  I am eagerly awaitng the UPS man each day so I can dive into the next part of this wonderful journey.

Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers

The ultimate organizing resource for book-lovers.

This is a fun resource for list-oriented types and the memory challenged.  Six sections - brightly color coded - help you keep track of what you have read, what you thought of it, and what you want to read.

Section I - Awards and Notable Lists:  I think every fiction list ever compiled is included in this section - from the famous Pulitzer Prize to the lesser known Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction by an American Woman to lists from the American Library Association and even Target. Plus some blank forms for making your own prize-worthy lists.  Each page includes space for you to mark if the item is owned, recommended, TBR, or to purchase. 

Section II - To Read:  Pretty self-explanatory - a place to list title and author, record any notes, and mark if book is owned, to be purchased, etc.

Section III - Journal Pages:  Pages for title listings of books read and date completed, plus pages for more in-depth notes such as "reason for reading", "comments and thoughts"  and notation for book, e-book or audio.

Section IV - Recommendations:  Use this list to record books you'd like to recommend to others.  In the middle of reading a book, ever think "Mom would love this.  Gotta rememeber to tell her about it."  But then when she asks you what good things you've been reading, you go completely blank?  Now you have a place to jot it down so you won't forget.

Section V - References and Resources:  Info concerning online book sites, blogs, bookstores, publications, social networking sites, etc.

I am usually the total opposite of organized and I'm not sure how dedicated I'll be to keeping up with this journal - but I love the concept and I'm determined to give it a try.  It could be an incredibly useful tool for blogging if I can get my books in a row, so to speak, and use it.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Last Tuesday we traveled to Hays, Kansas, where our son goes to college, to see Jesus Christ Superstar on stage.  This was the national touring company starring Ted Neeley, who starred in the 1973 film version for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.  We had heard the music before, and Dave saw the movie in high school, but this was a first for the stage production.  It was phenomenal!

The show depicts the final seven days of Jesus' life - performed entirely in 60's-70's-style rock music.  Without spoken words there were parts that were difficult to follow unless you were familiar with the scripture on which it's based - we had to give some additional explanations to the kids during intermission, but we were pleased with how closely it followed the scriptural story.

The talent of the performers - singers and orchestra - was amazing.  John Twiford, who played Judas, has a gorgeous voice.  Among his credits he lists a "run" on American Idol in season 8, where he made it to the top 52.  We were shocked, especially after hearing some of those who have made the top ten on that same show, that he didn't make it further.  He has an incredible talent.

Even though it was produced in a small theater, the dramatic lighting and sound made for an enthralling experience.   The tour heads west from here, through Colorado and Wyoming then into Canada.  If you get the change to see it, it's well worth the cost and travel.

Survival of Rural America: Small Victories and Bitter Harvests by Richard E. Wood

Small farming communities are the heart and soul of America, but it's no secret that they're under siege.  Schools close, jobs vanish, and local stores can't survive.  Richard Wood knows that rural communities need more than jobs or money to survive: they need to become valued again as desirable places to live. He takes a closer look at what has happened in several Kansas farming towns and shows that there is much more depth and diversity to rural life than meets the eye.

Kansas farming towns are our heritage and our livlihood.  One of my (Tami's) grandpas was a farmer - working small rental farms during the depression - and my dad still farms in north-central Kansas.  The other grandpa was the manager of the local grain elevator.  Dave comes from hardscrabble farmers in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle.  Since we married nearly 28 years ago, he has worked in the grain elevator business in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska.  We are no strangers to agriculture, rural lifestyles or the hardships that small towns are facing.

The small town where we both attended high school, and where my family still lives, closed it's school this past year due to declining numbers.  Already the difference is apparent in the town.  As all parent's know, the family's social life and recreation center around school activities and friends.  Parent's who's children must now commute to school in neighboring towns will naturally commute there for social functions and business.  The feelings of pride and community that are the heartbeat of a rural town are fading.

In this book, Mr. Wood examines several Kansas towns that have faced these same challenges and found a way to survive.  It's a tribute to the ingenuity and perseverance of towns that refuse to give in to changing times.  You don't have to be from Kansas to enjoy this book - it could just as easily be set in Oklahoma, South Dakota or any other mid-west state.  Even if you're a life-long urban dweller, this book is fascinating insight into the people who forged a life on the prairie and who continue the fight to keep it.