Why does the world have to move so quickly?
If only it would slow down;
And allow us more opportunity
To enjoy all that surrounds;
Just to be quiet and listen to nature;
And acquaint ourselves with its stature;
We might find peace;
And maybe some relief;
From this world that never seems to slow down
-JD
I see beauty everywhere;
In the heavens;
In nature;
In the eyes, the smile, the voice, and the words of a loved one;
In a song;
In a painting, sculpture, architecture, and prose;
In love expressed;
In happiness;
This world is full of beauty;
Where do you see it?
My small collection of pocket knives are among my most prized possessions. I come by this interest naturally. My father, grandfather (who passed away when I was a child), and great uncle have all carried one in their pockets for years.
The W.R. Case & Sons knife company started right after the turn of the nineteenth century after several brothers, who had been manufacturing and selling knives separately, joined forces. The pocket knife was (and I would argue, still is) an indispensable tool for daily use. Opening boxes and letters, cutting strings, and many other tasks become much easier when you can reach in your pocket and produce a knife for these uses. Case knives are my favorite brand, mostly because it has always been my father’s favorite.
I own four Case knives as well as a few other brands. My collection also includes Swiss Army knives, Buck, Barlow, and Winchester knives. But more often than not, I am carrying a Case knife. I received my first one as a gift when I was nine years old, and hardly a day goes by that I don’t have one in my pocket. I am so used to carrying one that if I reach into my pocket and don’t feel one, I feel out of sorts- like I’m not quite prepared for what my day might bring.
In the event of a fire, my knives would probably be the first items I would attempt to save. Here are a few from my collection. (Note: the Case Eisenhower is the only knife that I never use. I have it as a display knife because I want to keep it in mint condition. Also, all of these knives are Case and are not my actual knives- only stock photos). I use all of the rest of my knives. The mini copperhead is the knife that I carry most often. The small pen knife is my dad’s preferred knife.
I would love to hear your stories about pocket knives. Do you carry a pocket knife? What brand(s) do you like and carry?
Case Eisenhower
Music has been a big part of my life since I can remember. Several of my aunts and uncles can play an instrument or sing; and a few are music/vocal teachers. My mom and brother play the piano very well. I can play “Fur Elise” by Beethoven in my head because I heard my brother play it so much. As for playing it myself, that doesn’t go very well. I know very elementary piano and a few guitar chords, but I don’t play well at all. I love tambourines, shakers, eggs and percussion instruments in that family. Somewhere along the way I picked up decent rhythm and a good ear for music. In other words, as I listen I can tell if the player’s timing is on or not. And I can generally tell when somebody plays a bad note.
Music was always played around the house and in the car as I grew up. Everything from gospel to country, rock to pop, old and new was fair game. That had a big influence on me as I enjoy many different styles. Also, it seems the artists I enjoy most blend different styles together: Norah Jones, The Beatles, The Eagles, Dave Matthews Band, etc.
One genre that I seem to have acquired a taste for somewhat independently is orchestral/classical music. I love the way those pieces tell a story- even with just the music and no vocal component. Listening to a symphony moves me in a way that few other experiences can. I got a chance to hear my local symphony play this past weekend and was reminded of this. If I chose to I could have sat there for the entire concert with eyes closed, taking in the music. I didn’t want to for several reasons. For one, the conductor has such a dynamic personality that comes out in his conducting. And also, I figured the people around me would think I had nodded off if they saw me with closed eyes. The grand concert halls that orchestral music is typically performed in are another bonus to me. It adds a uniqueness to the whole experience. I have included a picture below of the hall where I attended the concert. (Also decided to include a picture with my friend Molly Wilkins who I ran into that evening).
Attending the symphony is the main reason I decided to write about music. When I started this blog more than a year ago music was one of the subjects I knew I wanted to write about. And after realizing this weekend that I had not written that post yet, I knew it was time.
The Grand Opera House
In the interest of not making this post extremely long, I’ll end it here. But, as with books, I’m always interested in talking about music. Thanks for reading!
Molly & me
I decided to write a bit about my experience of the 9/11 terrorist attacks- mostly because I never have. A few friends and family have heard all or most of the story over the years, but I have never written thoroughly about it. No particular reason for it. This year I wanted to share.
I don’t know anyone personally who was killed in the attacks. But I know people who did lose family and/or friend. I was working at Barnes & Noble bookstore. I had been there for about a year and a half. It was a time for me to unwind from school (I had finished my undergraduate degree) and think about the next step, as I knew I wanted to go back to school. My dad was supposed to fly from Atlanta to Philadelphia that morning for work. Mom was teaching and my brother was in school in Atlanta.
Our morning meeting at the bookstore was happening as the planes hit the World Trade Center. I worked at the front of the store so I got the story bit by bit from customers throughout the morning. The first tower hit; the second tower hit; the Pentagon; the field in Shanksville, PA. I had no visual picture in my mind since I was not able to watch in front of a television. Part of me wishes it had stayed that way. It took what felt like an eternity, but my dad was finally able to call and say that he was in Atlanta and waiting for the chance to get back home. A co-worker had a sister who worked in the Towers, but was not there that morning. A former teacher/coach regularly visited and worked in the Pentagon. Thankfully he was unharmed as well.
I remember the relief I felt when I found out that no one I knew was injured or killed. I remember the hurt I felt for those who had lost someone. I remember the feeling of anticipation for what would happen next. I remember thinking about how my life and the lives of all Americans would be different from that day forward- and that I would always remember.
I have paid attention to the smells around me from a young age. The honeysuckle at the edge where our yard ended and the woods beside my childhood home began; the smell of the grass just after it had been mowed and after a rain; dirt and mud- all these are smells in nature that I carry from childhood. My mother is a very good cook, and many childhood memories are tied to spending time in the kitchen with her and enjoying the aromas of whatever she was cooking at the time.
Years later, roughly coinciding with the time I began needing to shave, I became interested in fragrances. First came a few aftershaves I bought from the drugstore. Old Spice and Brut I am sure were the first two. Then I discovered one called Pinaud Clubman, which many American males will recognize from trips to the local barbershop for a haircut. This was my first experience with the power of our sense of smell. Smelling Clubman still transports me back to the barber chair as a child- a very fond memory, indeed.
In high school, one of my best friends came over to the house one day wearing a cologne. It was the original Polo by Ralph Lauren, and it smelled very good. I found out what it was and immediately and, in short order, went out and bought a bottle. Thus began in earnest my interest in fragrances. It has been aided by web forums such as Basenotes and Badger & Blade. And I can always find people on Twitter to converse with about fragrances.
I am thinking about writing a few blogs about some of my favorite fragrances since this is a subject I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts about what I write, or anything about fragrances in general. Take care, everyone.
This summer has been a busy one for travel for me. I usually have a couple of trips during the season, but have had more than usual lately. Typical summer trips for me include drives across Georgia and Mississippi to visit family. I had those, and two more trips that I thought I would take a few minutes to recap.
The most recent was an opportunity to see one of my favorite artists in concert. As an early birthday present, I got tickets to see Norah Jones in Atlanta. I had never seen her live before, so that was a fun experience that I hope to have again soon.
I also took a long weekend and drove to South Carolina with my parents and brother. We spent two days in Myrtle Beach and a day and a half in Charleston. Both towns were nice, but Charleston was especially enjoyable. I definitely want to visit it again soon as there is much more I want to see there that I didn’t have time for this trip. I may write more about that trip in the future. But for now I want to switch to a different topic.
On the subject of South Carolina, the last book I read is “The Water Is Wide”- a book about the short teaching experience of native son, Pat Conroy. He is, of course, known for his fiction. But after deciding to read a Conroy book along with my friend, Tosha, this one caught my eye.
I was interested in his experiences as I am a teacher by education. One of the things that resonated deeply with me is his concern for the students in his class. My only experience so far teaching is as a student-teacher and substitute teacher. But even in those situations I found myself longing to be a positive influence in their lives, and to do my best to spark a love of learning in them.
I certainly cannot give a wholehearted endorsement of Conroy’s teaching methods and his tone with his students. But some of you who work with students might find something interesting about the book. As always, I hope you all are doing well and I look forward to hearing from you. Keep cool!
This post is a spinoff of my post about reading. I love to write just as much as I love to read. It is one of my favorite means of communication. I get excited when I see words that I have written in print. I’m sure this is one reason for deciding to finally start a blog of my own. Since I am not a student anymore, I don’t have anyone telling me to write. So it’s up to me to practice and try to improve (or at least maintain the status quo).
My first memory of enjoying the activity of writing was when I was eleven years old. I was in sixth grade and the curriculum called for an emphasis on creative writing. In order to progress to the seventh grade, my classmates and I had to do well on a writing test at the end of the school year. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit.
I didn’t have much prior experience with writing so I was very unsure of how I was going to do. With every assignment I received more positive feedback, which led me to work harder and see just how well I could do. At the same time, I was discovering a fun, new means of communication as well as a new hobby. And my essay ended up as one of my teacher’s favorites.
In middle and high school creative writing was replaced more by term papers and research papers. But I still enjoyed it as a means of expressing myself. My experience as a college undergraduate served to encourage my love of writing even more. The Sociology department sponsored a journal in which the chair of the department picked what she considered the best student writing over a two or three year period. These essays were published in a professionally done journal that I still take pleasure in looking at even now. I was fortunate to have three of my essays published in the two years I attended Mercer University.
I set my dreams of being a published writer aside for a bit while I worked at a bookstore and then studied for my Masters degree. But something brought it back to the front of my mind. That something was a test by Longridge Writer’s Group. This is the equivalent of a school course of study on writing. I decided not to enter since I was already in graduate school at the time. But the group touted a test that you took to determine whether you were a good enough writer to enter the program.
They accepted me, which was another means of positive reinforcement about my writing. Since then, I have actively pursued a teaching career, while keeping the writing in the back of my mind. I hope I can somehow combine the two careers, academics and writing, in the future. Maybe as a college professor. I thank those of you who have stuck with me through this long-winded ramble of a post. As always, thanks for reading.
My inspiration for this post comes from the Friends of the Library Old Book sale that happens here every Spring. I’m pretty sure I have heard that it is one of- if not the- biggest book sales in the southeastern US. This year is significant because it is in a new, bigger site. It happens over four days and I usually visit at least two or three times, to give myself the best chance of not missing something I would love.
I love books. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom reading to my brother and me. I also remember spending lots of time in the library during the Summers picking out and reading books as part of the Summer reading program. Reading a certain amount of books won you prizes. I don’t remember any of the prizes. But many of the books remain fresh on my memory. “The Fox and the Hound”, “My Side of the Mountain”, The Hardy Boys books. These were a few of my favorites when I was a child. I have always had very bad allergies, which have limited the amount of time I could play outside and not be miserable. So, reading has always given me enjoyment since I can do it anywhere.
I enjoy books as entertainment and as tools for learning. In college, I had to read and write a lot. This was fine by me as I do not do many things well, but I love to read and consider myself a fairly good writer, too. (I suppose you can judge that for yourself as you read my blog. But I digress. . .) My first job after college was as a bookseller. And, as I have mentioned in a few previous blog entries, my chosen career is in academics. It seems that whatever stage I am in my life, books play an important role. One of the things I want to do in my career is to try to inspire a love of books and learning that my parents, teachers, and professors encouraged in me.
Whenever you ever read a book that you enjoy and you can’t wait to tell somebody about it, I would love to hear about it. Taking about books is one of my favorite things. I’ll do the same for you. That is one of the things I miss most about not working at the bookstore. We might not have the same taste in books, but we can share our love of books.
I would never be a teacher. I always knew this. I come from a long line of teachers, you see. I know how difficult it is. The relatively low pay; the high stress level- these were things I was aware of because my mom is a teacher. Additionally, I like the idea of a job I can go to every day and leave it at work when I go home. None of these things apply to the teaching profession.
My mom suggested a few times during my time as an undergraduate that I study education. She had that sense familiar to moms of what your children would be likely to do well as a career. I resisted, and she didn’t push the issue. She let me decide for myself. I found that I was interested in many different areas, but decided to focus on Sociology and History. (I also took several English classes, finishing just short of a minor). I did fairly well and enjoyed myself. I had a few Sociology papers published in an on-campus journal, which is one of the things I am most proud of.
During this time I began feeling the allure of an academic career. This was partly at my professor’s urging, but the feeling became stronger as time went on. I was not accustomed to this level of academic accomplishment, and the attention and compliments from professors took some getting used to. But I liked it. What if teaching might be the career I chose after all? This was a big deal.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I loved college. I am a naturally curious person. And I love to read, write, and talk about what I am reading and writing. Things started clearing up in my mind.
So, after working at a local bookstore for a few years to save money and clarify things in my mind, I went back to school for my Masters degree and teaching certificate. With the job market so tight, I wonder if now is the time to see if a doctorate is possible for me. I know that this is a goal I will have until I either fulfill it or not. And I know that there are people who will be there to support me as I pursue it.
The main reason I chose this subject is that I love learning and love the idea of helping others learn. My hope is that this first few blog posts will give anyone who might be reading these more of an idea of what I am passionate about and interested in.
jamesdennard.com 