Little did I know when I agreed to teach the Intro to Painter classes that I would end up having to rewrite them from scratch. It hasn’t even been a week since Vikki called me and I’m already starting to develop a callous on my right ring finger. I’ve managed to get 2/3 of lesson one written……gee whiz….only 5 and 1/3 lessons to go, and they’re supposed to be completed by 8/30. That may sound like a great deal of time, but trust me folks, it’s not.
So, how did I get myself in this pickle? Well, when Vikki phoned, I had the impression that I would just use the lessons from the previous instructor and sort of glide…holding the hands of the Painter newbies as they struggled to learn this very complex graphics program. Well, first I spoke to the previous instructor who told me she didn’t mind my using some of her material, but she wanted me to make the lessons “my own”… which is “polite speak” for, “do your own work, or share the salary with me”, lol (Unlike me, Karen, the previous teacher, is always polite 
). Then I started reading through the lessons and realized that although she was a wonderful teacher, her way of teaching a program was not my way of teaching or learning a program.
Well, I can’t very well teach a class when the teaching style is completely different from mine can I? So here I am, it’s June 25 and I have to have the first Intro class ready for the fall session which begins on August 30, and furthermore, I need to have enough of it done to write a logical syllabus in time for the July 28 registration. Ah well, they say that challenges help you to grow, so except for my sore fingers, I will probably do a lot of growing in the next month or so.
Stay tuned…
p.s. and then there is the matter of the 3 blogs I’m trying to keep up…..I’m such a glutton for punishment 
Posted by *~Nightshadow~* on Jun 19, 2008 in
Miscellaneous This afternoon I received a phone call from Vikki at LvsOnline asking me if I would be interested in teaching the Intro to Painter classes beginning with the Fall semester. Karen Bonaker, the original teacher is leaving to pursue her own online school devoted to digital art. Of course I said “Yes” and then discussed the current lessons with Karen. Well, they were originally written for Painter 9, and so a great deal of rewriting and revising will need to be done. Since the Fall classes begin on August 30, I have quite a bit to do between now and then. Am I bragging or complaining? A little bit of both I think, lol.
Meanwhile, Lee County, where I live, has now gone from being the dryest county in Florida to being the wettest. This is a wonderful thing because it means that the aqifers are filling up and hopefull will continue to do so thoughout this rainy season.
What else is new? Well, I found this stunning plant on E-bay. It’s called a Tricolor Stromanthe sanquinea Pachystachys. So, the plant arrives in the mail, packaged beautifully, healthy, all leaves intact (and did I mention faily expensive too?). I immediately unwrap it and pot it up in nice, rich potting soil complete with organic matter. Well, the plant retains it’s color and seems healthy enough, but all the leaves are curling. I go running around the internet to find out why, and I read that it will do that if the humidity isn’t high enough. Humidity not high enough? I live in Southwest Florida. We have heavy rains at this time of the year almost daily. So, I’m at a bit of a loss here. I’ve written to a member on Dave’s Garden who had a gorgeous photo of this plant. I’m hoping she can enlighten me since she also lives in Florida. Meanwhile, if anyone out there has a clue, please post a comment.
Posted by *~Nightshadow~* on Jun 6, 2008 in
Miscellaneous Our Rainy Season seems to have begun in earnest as of yesterday. There were a few feeble attempts consisting of brief showers earlier in the week, but yesterday we had a true, thunderstorm filled downpour! It was wonderful! By late evening the temperatures had cooled off and the air was finally clean. It’s raining now as I write and I know I should shut down the computer, but I’m so far behind on everything I’m reluctant to do so.
We’re definitely in the midst of our hot weather now. The temperatures are running in the mid to upper 90’s and will remain so for the better part of the next 4 months along with steamy humidity. SouthWest Florida is not the place to live during summer, but when one has no choice, one is also extremely grateful for the luxury of centrail air conditioning.
My photography efforts will now move indoors for the next few months. I have to figure out a way to get extra light into the living room so I don’t have to use flash. It’s amazing how aware one becomes of the harsh shadows caused by flash once they’ve been pointed out. I haven’t felt much like taking pictures for the past week, but I’m hoping that will begin to change soon.
Meanwhile, I need to go clean a bathroom…….ugghhh…..don’t you just hate it when chores get in the way of the things you like to do?
Posted by *~Nightshadow~* on Jun 1, 2008 in
Classes I take,
Miscellaneous,
My new camera The lessons for week 4 have already been posted in the LVS classrooms, but I have yet to complete my homework for week 3.
Part of the problem is that SouthWest Florida is in the midst of “Fire Season” which occurs every year between the beginning of April and the start of the “Rainy Season” (aka “Hurricane Season”) and begins somewhere around June 1. The county I live in is the driest in the state and brush fires have been starting up almost spontaneously for the past 2 weeks. In addition, Lake Okeechobee in the middle of the state is actually on fire! Vegetation floating on the lake caught fire and continues to burn. The end result is smoke, and I’ve been having a very difficult time with my eyes due to the smoke. I can’t stay on the computer and read or write for more than an hour at a time and I find when I try looking in my camera’s viewfinder that my eyes start to burn and tear within the first 5 minutes. Sooooo……taking photos now becomes a very difficult, if not impossible endeavor, not to mention the difficulties in reading lessons and writing blog posts and/or assignments.
The weather forecasters are predicting the Rainy season to begin this coming week which will mean heavy showers and/or thunderstorms late each afternoon. I hope they’re right because I’m fairly chomping at the bit to get out and take some photos. I think I’m suffering from camera withdrawal, especially since I just bought 3 new filters I want to play with.
I think I’ve become an addict.
Tags: Florida brush fires, Lvs classes, Photography
