PhD to be, or the untold romance with Blackboard

Ok. So here goes. I am about to start my first class for my PhD studies in Communications at Regent University in 11 hours. I am nervous! I feel like I am a new Jr. High student about to go to school for the first day. I plan on posting updates about my new adventures at least weekly while in this program and to help myself focus on the goal ahead of me. Also, I hope it will be nice to look back on this once I have completed it and see how far I have come! In a later post I will back up and start from the beginning and fill you all in on how I got started down this path, but for now, let's just say here I go. I have read nearly 2000 pages in the past three weeks. (If you know anything about me you will know that this was an amazing feat). I have to admit that I listened to two of the eight text books for the class in audiobook format, but I did get through them. I have written two papers that I just submitted on Blackboard. I have never used blackboard, but now that I am using it I really want to incorporate it into my classes at Faulkner.( Keep Reading)

As for the whole blackboard thing. As I said, I have never used blackboard before, but I now realize that if you are going to use it you have to log into it everyday! I knew this in theory, but not in practice. As I sit here in my hotel room, waiting for the hours to pass by so that I can go to class in the morning and find out what else I have messes up I have to confess that I was an official Blackboard virgin until a few minutes ago. I opened up blackboard a few times and looked it over, but I never really used blackboard until tonight. I knew I needed to submit my papers tonight before the class started in the morning, but I didn't know how or where. It is pretty easy to figure out (it better be seeing as how I am now in a doctoral program.) But as I was looking for the area to post my paper I realized that everyone else in the class has been using the community section for weeks and discussing the books that we are reading and introducing themselves to each other and generally being good A+ students, while I hang out on the back row and daydream. In defense of myself I have to say that over the past month I have been to Florida, Nassau, back to Alabama then to visit my parents, then to to Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma to visit family, and back to Alabama, and then the drive through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and now into Virginia. Who has time for Blackboard? Anyway, now that I have officially started my new relationship with blackboard I guess I'll have to treat her like any good boyfriend should and talk to her everyday and see how she is doing and maybe even bring her flowers! Now off to bed and hopefully to sleep so I can really get this started!
Night Night All

Crispin's response to the "State of The Union" Address

1-27-2010

Crispin South's response to

tonight's "State of The

Union" address.

He is very upset!

This letter will be mailed to

Washington DC

first thing in the morning!

Update - Long time in the making!!!!

One of the last updates I posted had to do with casting trouble for Little Shop of Horrors. I had a little free time this summer to write about things going on in my life. Now is a very different time! I fully intended to keep my blog up to date, but essentially all Hell broke loose on my schedule this past semester. Just as Little shop was coming to a close classes were getting started and that is always a hectic time of year. I planned out my semester and was looking forward to developing a new curriculum for my Technical theatre classes. The semester got off to a great start and by October I was ready to hold Auditions for "The Secret Garden." I have wanted to do this show for years, just from hearing the music. I had never seen a production of the show and really wanted to develop a new twist too it that had my interpretation of this classic story. I feel that I succeeded with this in the end, however I feel it turned out to be much more depressing than it should have been. Depressing is exactly what my life has been throughout most of the past two months. I'll get to the depressing part of my life in a little while, but first a few of the highlights.


Liam has been a joy to watch and play with. He is so smart and such a little rascal. He things he is just as big as his brothers. One of his favorite things to do is climb over the sofa. Imagine a 15 month old curly haired little indian boy flipping over the sofa from the back and flopping down onto the seat and then rolling off into the floor. Repeat at least 30 times and add a lot of laughter and this is his afternoon.


Duncan loves school. He is in K4 this year in Mrs. Murphree's class. He has learned to write most all of the letters and numbers and is starting to really understand how they go together to make words. For his Christmas Program he sang the most precious solo that made me cry. We have a family of performers. He has developed a great since of love and compassion for others. He is so sweet. He loves to give big hugs and praise others for ajob well done.


Crispin has been busy, busy, busy. He is in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of Peter Pan. He is playing Michael Darling and I have to say he is the most adorable little boy ever! I could watch him perform everyday. He has memorized most all of the show and re-enacts it at home with Duncan daily. He is one of the most perfect child actors ever. He is just adorable. On top of this he has also further developed his love for reading. He has read the first two Harry Potter books this semester and had maintained all A's while working on the play! I am very proud of him just as I am all my boys.


Gina has been super busy as well with not only work, but planning family events for everyone coming to see Peter Pan. She has been overworked, but greatly appreciated. Now she is in the midst of studying for the bar, and working on Christmas gifts.

I on the otherhand have not been busy at all. Just kidding. I have been overwhelmed. I am not sure exactly how I was able to finish this last semester, but somehow it is over. Now on to next semester. I will blog another timw about my life this semester, but I really don't want to even think about it anymore. Little Shop is over, and was great. The Secret Garden is over, and was great as well as depressing. Next show I will be directing is The Diary of Anne Frank, I hope it will be great, but I am sure it will be depressing.

Also, I found out recently that I will be going to New York in February for a Stephen Sondheim Symposium. I am so excited. I am going to see "Sunday in the Park with George"while I am there and I hope to see a couple of other shows. I'll update more on the trip as more details come about.

That's about it for now.

Open Mouth Insert Foot

Have you said something that you intended to be funny and as soon as it came out of your mouth you knew that it was received in the absolute worst way possible. There is no way to erase it and no way to convenience others that it is not what you meant. I do. I seem to be getting better and better as I grow older at saying the wrong thing. I never used to talk. Maybe I should just go back to that same state in my life. I really wish I was a better person. I really wish I didn't screw up all the time. Any advice on the subject would be greatly appreciated, and if I have offended you in the past, ancient or recent, please forgive me! I am sorry. I never intend to harm people, but sometimes I mess up!

Sorry

JC

Casting Troubles

If you know anything about, theatre you'll know that casting can be the most important part of any production. I have had my share of successes and failures as far as casting goes. Little Shop of Horrors has been filled with the most unusual casting dilemmas I have ever encountered. To begin with I precast the lead role of Seymore to one of our senior students for his senior project. I am still not positive that senior projects are the correct way to go about in teaching, but it has been done at Faulkner for years and I don't really have a full replacement idea in mind as of yet. Well, the auditions were cut and dry. I picked out the cast (nearly perfect, if I do say so myself) in no time flat. Within the next few weeks, before rehearsals started, the casting woes began to fall upon me. The lead actor that had been precast received an offer that he could not refuse, to work with a professional company in Maine. (The commute was too long). I searched the world over and thought I'd come up with a perfect replacement for him, but alas that too fell through, (Darn those family types!) So I went with my next best solution, another student that has proven himself worthy of this shot. I called him and he turned down the part flat! I was astonished, but understood his reason. I then fell to my last resort (sort of) I am now playing the role. Well, after replacing myself with another director I thought we were rocking along. Well, a couple of days ago that too fell through!!!! I lost one of my Urchins. She got a job in Atlanta (again too far too commute). So off I go (along with the new director) in search of a new female actress. I go with my first choice of students, who was actually next in line for the part from the audition. She was elated by the invitation, but turned it down due to family issues (again someone is moving!!!!) So one to the next choice. Finally success! The stage manager (who actually can act and sing) accepted the part. Now what to do about a stage manager!!!!! Low and behold I did not even have to call for one. One was handed to me on a silver platter. I received a call out of the blue asking if they could help. Thank you kind soul!!! I appreciate you! Well now we're off to rehearsal. Hopefully we won't have anymore drops, but if we do it will just add to this bizarre ordeal.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

There are few tings in life that I enjoy better than taking a nap on Sunday afternoon's. After the hustle and bustle of getting ready for church and then working though Bible class and Children's Church, I love to have a great lunch and take a nap (Usually with one of my kids). Today it was with Liam. He is teething and would not let me out him down for his nap. So I held him and we napped together for about an hour. I feel so refreshed and ready to go now. Last week (Father's day) I missed my nap because we were at Disney World experiencing StarWars Weekend. During our normal nap time Crispin and Duncan were selected for Jedi Training and got to battle with Darth Maul (a great father's day present by the way). See the video's below. After a tiring week at Disney I needed my nap and am so glad that it has finally come around again so that I can face next week.

Disney Done Right

Below are the boys fighting Darth Maul at Disney last Weekend. Enjoy!