A year of study, potential study ideas.

I have lots of ideas for potential study, some of them I have been kicking around for a while, some are quite new. I would love to hear your thoughts.

- The Bible. Now, I have read the Bible cover to cover a couple of times, and I enjoy being able to argue with conservative Christians and stump them with Bible knowledge. But, I would like to read the bible along with various commentary from different sources, dig into the history and the socio-economic origins of the rules and stories. My reason for wanting to do this is probably not very holy. I feel that the more I know about the book, the better able I am to argue with people who use The Bible as a rationale for cruel and inhumane behavior. We live in a time of war within Christian ideology and knowing is half the battle.

- Religious Texts. Somewhat related to a Bible study, obviously, but with a different intent in mind. Reading the Bible, the Apocrypha, The Koran, the Buddhist Book of Compassion, The Book of Mormon, and any other religious text I could get my hands on would be an interesting way of analyzing religion as a human need as opposed to deciphering some specific dogma.

- Physics. Dave mentioned this in the comments of my last Year of Study post, but it was already in my head as a possibility, partly because my knowledge of math and science is so very limited and partly so I could understand what the hell Dave is talking about when he goes off on a space rant. I would like, at minimum, understand what the hell the Theory of Relativity actually is.

- Authors and Filmmakers. Lots of random authors and filmmakers whose life work I would study. Heinlein, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Garcia Marquez, Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas for the authors. De Palma, Terry Gilliam, Bergman, Kurisawa for the filmmakers. This would sort of be cheating as I have seen almost everything these guys have done, but never in an organized, methodical way. I also toyed with Kubrick, as I have never been he was that great (except for Clockwork Orange).

- The Civil War. I would love to know about the figures and battles of the Civil War, especially because there are so many interesting stories that few people have heard of. I am always in a strange position in regards to the Civil War, because, while I am proud of being a Texan and a Southerner, I would never have supported the goals of the Confederacy, and I would like to believe I would have been one of those who joined with the Union to fight.

- Languages, Musical Instruments and other skills. To answer Craig, yes these count, and I would love to work on something like this. Piano or guitar for an instrument, Spanish or ASL for a language. I am kind of shying away from these this year however, because I think they would require set classes with instructors, and I am not sure my schedule will permit it. I would however put Kung Fu in this category and I am working on that.

- Conspiracy Theories. Sure, I can always just go to Adam, as he and I have very similar opinions of conspiracy theories and those who expound them (except for the JFK assassination) and he is extremely well read on the subject, but it might be fun to know these things for myself. Again, I would like to know them so I can shoot them down.

- Politics. I would enjoy delving into the history and key figures of American politics, with a specific focus on the origins and evolutions of the Political Parties.

Well, that is it. I have no idea which one of these I will pick, or if I will come up with a new one between now and August First, but at least it is a beginning.

The summer has FLOWN

I blinked and the summer was gone. I start work in a week and a half. July 28. Sad in a way, as I needed a break between a very stressful last year and probably a stressful coming year, but also very good as the end of summer means the beginning of my paycheck. I have been shocked at how stressful not making money was to me. I am more of a capitolist that I had imagined.

We traveled numerous times to Vernon to see Merideth's parents. (a 6 hour drive to North Texas). Everyone has been forced to see the doctor numerous times for various illnesses (I think my body decided it needed to get sick after he year I put it through.) I did some significant work on my new screenplay, Merideth went to a three week writing workshop and a 3 day teaching workshop in Santa Cruz, CA. I got a job, that is an important one, although getting the job entailed jumping through a lot of hoops.

That is it, not terribly exciting, but packed with random stuff. We are planning a road trip for next summer, going up to Seattle through California. Work progresses on my screenplay and work will soon be kicking my butt.

I have given a lot of thought to my Study something for a year plan, and have lots of potential ideas, which I will throw onto the blog later today.

Ramblings on ways to make me a smarter person

I have been kicking this idea around for a while, and I wanted to throw it out there for suggestions, criticisms and comments.

As I took my education courses last year, a large focus was on teaching students not content (for example, The Great Gatsby), but strategies so that students could learn how to educate themselves. (Using the Great Gatsby to teach students how to interact with literature on their own).

I am a huge believer in this, and I have always prided myself on being a very fast learner with high retention of skills. Show me something once, twice at the most, and I have it. I think I have excellent tools for educating myself, but I now find I am having difficulty with the second part of life-long learning. What should I learn now? I know how to learn, but am unsure on what to learn. I know enough to know I will never be able to learn everything, so how do I pick and choose in a way that makes me a better person?

So, here is the idea. I want to pick a topic, a topic that interests me but that I have only a passive knowledge of and spend 12 months studying it. And keep a very specific journal of what I am learning, how I am learning it and the impact it is having on me. The topic can be something general, like The Civil War, or something very specific, like the works of Van Gogh. Both topics afford plenty to study, although in very different ways. The Civil War would have to be studied broadly, learning key people, battles and motivations. Van Gogh would be a lot more detailed. Studying every work of art and placing it in chronological, historical, and artistic contexts.

This would obviously be separate and in addition to my other goals in life; be a good father, a good husband, make a movie, make teaching a career, lose a little weight. I have trouble juggling these goals already, so adding one more would be tricky, but I feel like if I can get into a rhythm (which I admit is the tricky part), all of these goals would coalesce into making me a better person. Stronger. Smarter. More aware.

Does this make sense? Has anyone attempted something like this? Any ideas? I really got to thinking about this after I got a really cool CD mix from my friend Chris, containing Christmas songs of the Vietnam War era, because he had been obsessing about Vietnam in the months before Christmas, and the two blending into a very interesting mix of hope and despair.

I want to start August 1st. I need a topic. I need parameters. I need a way of documenting how and what I am learning. Hmmmmm.

I want to begin this August 1. I will see what happens.

Today marks the beginning of the end of Roe v, Wade, unless we fight Tooth and Nail

Sandra Day O'Conner, a crucial swing vote in matters of choice and woman's rights, announced her retirement from the Supreme Court today. This means that the balance of power on abortion issues on the Supreme Court will shift to the conservatives.

This is not a conspiracy theorist talking and if you believe for one moment that Bush will not move on abortion, you have not been paying attention. Bush was elected and funded by right-wing ideological social conservatives, and this issue is their prize. Bush has no choice but to appoint someone who will outlaw abortion.

So, what to do. A few things ideas from Daily Kos.

If you have a cell phone, sign up for People at the American Way's Mass Immediate Response site. This way, you'll be able to receive text message action items instantly as events break. (If you signed up during the nuclear option fight, you'll need to re-sign up.)

Also sign up with the Save the Court, another PFAW website devoted specifically to this issue.

Recruit friends and family members to the cause.

Write to the President, telling him he should choose a consensus candidate to replace O'Connor.

Contact your Senators to tell them the same thing.

But, the main thing you can do is give money to the organizations that need it. NARAL is the best start. They need cash, because cash is what will convince the moderates in the Senate to not support an anti-abortion candidate.