How does your garden grow?

On Friday I created a garden. The owner of the house where I live designated a 12-by-20-foot area in the front yard for a garden, but in the three years I have lived here, it has only been a pile of dirt-- actually several piles of dirt that were dumped there when she found people willing to give her some good topsoil or manure or compost. She is away on vacation so I hope she doesn't mind that I spent about 6 hours turning over all the soil, mixing it up, raking it out, and creating a lovely space for a vegetable garden. It took all afternoon, and I am still sore, two days later.

On Saturday, I had several things to do, including a four-mile run, which felt great. I also attended a delightful and informative talk by poet Alice Kociemba at the Falmouth Arts Center. I learned some tips about getting poetry published.

In the evening I bought seeds and a few plants, but I got home too late to plant them. Today--Sunday--I had church and a lunchtime meeting with my friend Dan, followed by the Sangha. Then another friend invited me over for dinner, so I still haven't planted anything. Tomorrow I shall plant some vegetables in my new garden.

Fantastic Friday

This is what the sabbatical is all about.

No I have not written anything yet today, but it is only 11 a.m. At 8 a.m. I met my friend Paula, who is working on a book of her own. She had asked me to read two chapters and comment on them. I did so, and we talked about them this morning at Starbucks. I believe my feedback was valuable. Paula sent me an interview with Ernest Hemingway published in the Paris Review, and she compared me to Hemingway's editor. That is a stretch. Nevertheless, by agreeing to help my friend with her book I ended up receiving an enlightening interview which will help me as a writer and a teacher of writing.

Then--by sheer coincidence--I ran into an old friend, Andy, who just happened to be getting coffee at Starbucks. Andy is a spiritual seeker who used to attend my Sangha but moved on about 10 years ago. After my great talk with Paula, I had a great talk with Andy. We compared notes about the spiritual paths we had been walking for he last 10 years and found many common threads. He told me about his teacher Adya Shanti, and the ancient Vedanta tradition he followed. Very interesting.

Somehow mornings like this will make me a better professor, adviser, writer, and a happier person.

A struggle

Today was a struggle. I finished Chapter 5 on Commonly Misused Words, but it was a hard row to hoe. I would have preferred to have been in a real garden actually hoeing a row. I hope Chapter 6 is more fun!

Yesterday (Tuesday) I gave an eight-hour workshop on business writing. It went well, but it was hard physical labor. Perhaps it is because I am not used to teaching, but bring on my feel all day felt difficult. The content was solid, and I think the students enjoyed it.

Richie Havens

Richie Havens died yesterday (April 22, 2014) He was a wonderful musician, performer and humanitarian. I am thrilled that I got to hear him in concert twice at Cape Cod Community College. Everyone could see what a kind and gentle soul he was.
Richie Havens 40 years after Woodstock

Yesterday I spent most of the day preparing for an eight-hour workshop I am giving today at the college WERC program. It stands for Workforce Education Resource Center. I'll be helping business people learn to improve their business writing. My main thrust will be "Keep it simple." I sincerely hope I help them.

Slogging

Today I slogged through a few more paragraphs of commonly misused words for Chapter 5. It is a beautiful day outside--sunny and almost 70 degrees. So I am giving up writing and going for a run.

The news reports on Google News said the FBI had arrested a suspect in the Boston bombings, but then other sources denied the reports. I wish news reporters would make sure they had facts right before publishing them. I guess I am old-fashioned that way.

Tuesday evening I participated in a prayer service to pray for those affected by the bombings. I was quoted in the local media today, and the local reporters got it just right, as far as I am concerned. Good job.

Pray for Peace

Yesterday's tragedy in Boston has been weighing heavily on my mind and heart today. I have several friends who I knew were running, and I have finally learned that they all made it home safely.

I had an appointment with my primary care physician, Dr. Carol Topolewski this afternoon. We have known each other for 30 years, and she knows me as well as anyone. In the middle of the appointment, she pulled out her iPhone and played a beautiful song by Peter, Paul & Mary called 'Wild Places." She took my hand and asked me to pray for peace with her. So we just sat there with our eyes closed, holding hands and praying for peace. It was a beautiful experience.

I don't think my insurance covers that kind of treatment. Perhaps they should.

This evening I have been asked to offer a prayer at an interfaith service to honor those affected by the tragedy. It's an honor.

The Oxford Comma

I'm working on The Elements of Academic Writing this morning and ran across a reference to the optional comma at the end of a series. For the record, MLA Style says to use a comma to separate items in a series, including the last one, which comes before a conjunction. So it should be "red, white, and blue" in MLA Style. However, journalists use AP Style and write, "red, white and blue."
This bizarre little bit of inconsistency is known as a "serial comma," or (especially in Britain) the "Oxford comma."

All this brings us to a great song by a British rock group called Vampire Weekend. The song has the unforgettable refrain, "Who gives a fuck about the Oxford comma?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rob4qqGQKBY

3 p.m. update: Somehow I managed to get back on track and write a lot more of Chapter 5 on commonly misused words. I'll need to return to that chapter tomorrow to finish it.

Do-over

Last week I sent off manuscripts to the Grub Street Manuscript Mart, where professional agents agree to review 20 pages of your work. Unfortunately I sent them in the wrong format--single spaced, instead of double-spaced. A very kind man from Grub Street notified me of the problem and gave me a second chance to get it right. So I spent this morning reformatting (and cutting in half) the manuscripts. I hope that all works out. In any case I am grateful for the second chance.

Last night I participated in the Unity Club Poetry Jam Slam at the college. It was smaller and shorter than usual, but it was still a good time. I had memorized a poem to present that was a tribute to the premier student poet at the event, who goes by the name of "T."

T. 

 

Hey, Ms. T.,

you inspire me

with your poetry.

 

What’s plain to see

is your audacity

and bold temerity,

but you and me

know a reality

that essentiality

has a consistency

of universality

with spirituality

and equanimity.

 

So with timidity

and humility

and deep respect from me,

I say your poetry

creates unity

out of diversity,

and that speaks to me.

So, thank you, T.

--James W. Kershner January 2013

Slow progress

Well, I finished Chapter 4 of The Elements of Academic Writing and I began Chapter 5. It was slow going, but at least I accomplished something.

Maybe I should switch to another project for which I feel greater enthusiasm. I don't know; I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

When I saw the headline today telling me that Margret Thatcher died, I have to admit, my first reaction was "What? Again?" I thought she had died years ago. Apparently not.

Cross-country race

This morning I ran the "Mashpee Shuffle." It was a 5K (3.1-mile) race through trails in the woods behind Mashpee High School. Getting exercise like that is good for my writing and overall disposition.

Writing Again!

Yes!
(Insert fist pump here.)
I sat down and wrote today. I finished chapter 3 of The Elements of Academic Writing, and even began working on Chapter 4. I set up enough of the chapter outline so that it will be easy to pick it up when I work on it next--probably Monday morning.
Now I am going to go for a run.

Writing, running, and meditation. The combination bring me great joy. That is a good thing, because I have not been feeling much joy lately. I just need to remember how good today felt and repeat as often as necessary. My run was my standard three-miles down to the Quashnet River and back. I was slower than usual, but that's OK. At least I was running.

Back on Track

7:30 a.m.: It has been a very rough few days. Complications form a extraction left me with a bad toothache and the effects of pain medication, so I have not been very productive. Today I am determined to get back on track and resume my life as a writer.

Thich Nhat Hanh often says things like, "We are not victims, we are practitioners." I have been feeling and acting like a victim lately. It s time to get back to practicing my craft as a writer.

Dental Debacle

Last Monday (March 25) I had a tooth extracted, in preparation for am implant. When the pain started getting worse, instead of better, I knew I was in trouble. This morning I knew it was so bad it needed immediate attention. Instead of going back to Tufts Dental School (where I had the extraction), I went to my regular dentist, who saw I had a dry socket. This is not a happy complication. The treatment involves reopening the wound and cleaning it out, which was painful in itself. At one point I managed to mumble that anything that hurts so much must be good for me. Dr. B. was very kind and compassionate through it all, and she also gave me a prescription for some heavy-duty painkillers. So I was resting all afternoon and evening, unable to do any writing. Things should be much better tomorrow..