Memorial Monday

I try not to dwell too hard on Memorial Day. I didn't lose any family members to war, thank goodness. My father and father-in-law were veterans, so I think of them on November 11. And unfortunately, I do take for granted the freedoms we are lucky enough to have. But P-Dub's post this morning highlighted some images she had gleaned from others for a contest a couple of years back, and looking at those again brought tears to my eyes. We are so very lucky to live in the US, and I do thank those who gave their lives for our freedoms.

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Spotify

If you haven't discovered Spotify, you are missing out. It's the ability to create playlists of music without having to purchase the songs. I could never get into Pandora, because it was like having an iPod Shuffle—you never had control over what you wanted to listen to, not really. Spotify remedies that. This morning has been an '80s/'90s throwback day with Depeche, Erasure, Yazoo, Benatar, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and others fueling my website editing, along with a bit too much caffeine.

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Coursera

Ever since I got out of college, I've wished I could get back in. I adore learning, and my school focus was so dang average when I was younger, that now that I'm much more stable emotionally, I wish for the opportunity to excel in school again. I'm sure I've documented here before, times when I go through a "school" phase, digging out old textbooks and notebooks and attempting to create a curriculum for myself. Usually it's a project that's abandoned after a couple of days, which is fine....I have my BA for now, and while I do desire to eventually go for a Ph.D., Hubs has only spotty college credits to his name, so he'd be the first of us back in school once our finances are able.

The concept of Open University courses started online several years back, but it's taken years for it to become something...I would peruse the Ivy League's attempts to offer free college courses online, but for the most part they weren't blowing my skirt up. Lil Sis happened upon Coursera recently, and I'm delightfully hooked. Very interesting variety, and while I'm not crazy about the peer-review grading concept, I'm going to give it a try anyway. I'm betting the "statement of accomplishment" won't be taken seriously by society (as something I should put on a resume), but I'm not doing it for that anyway...simply personal edification. I'm starting an Intro to Art course tomorrow, 2 Lit courses next week, and have my eye on a course about global sustainable food systems. Hoping this will also force me into better time management, because I don't want this to be another something that I'm seduced by and then quickly abandon. I can already tell it's opening up my mind a bit and giving me ideas toward my writing.

FYI: There's a nice selection of Yale Open U freebies on iTunes as well!

Goin' Native

Birkenstocks, check!
Hippie purse complete with politically charged button pins, check!

Mom J. was in town this weekend, so we hit downtown on Saturday (mob scene! hello Summer!) so she could check out the bead shop on Lex again. Since Les and I aren't bead folks, we wandered a bit up the street to a little shop right up our alley (bumper stickers, water pipes, hippie apparel), where I found the bag in the picture. I've been wanting one of those cross-body types for awhile, while knowing deep-down that a shoulder bag is more my speed. This shoulder bag with its cockeyed peace symbol and granola button pins will do me nicely for now.

Have a great week, y'all! Get outside!