irony

iro·ny Pronunciation: \ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē\

Date: 1502

3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play —called also dramatic irony, tragic irony

Curious as to why I would open with the definition of irony? I applied for a position as a high school French teacher, but was unsuccessful mostly because I do not coach a sport - it would be truer to say that the successful candidate will bring a lot to the extra-curricular table, whereas my sports experience is pretty limited. In fact, the past thirteen years have been dedicated exclusively to the spectators' side of the gym, and even at that I spend most of my time "connecting" with other parents (some might call it socializing, but I prefer the former). Hey! I've made important friendships with the parents of my sons' team-mates. That would be one example of irony - all that time spent in a gym and no coaching skills to speak of.

The other shortfall mentioned in the brief post-mortem I had with one of the interviewers was that the successful candidate uses "21st century teaching practices". I actually had to ask for an example of a 21st century teaching practice. Not a good sign. The answer? Using Blogs, Wikis, and Twitter (among other things) as teaching tools. Isn't that ironic? Here I am spilling my thoughts on this particular shortcoming on to what? A blog! I'm pretty sure I lost points for my lack of techno savvy. The truth is, using blogs in the classroom was not on my radar screen. Will I run out and sign up for a course on just that? Good question. I am curious as to how they are used to enhance teaching, especially the teaching of a living language, so I will do a little research into the matter. Perhaps then I will be able to make a more informed decision as to its value as a teaching tool.

The most valuable lesson I learned from this latest foray into the job market is that you can't leave the world of teaching for 13 years and expect things to remain the same. Now I hear some of you saying "Duh! Captain Obvious", but on many levels teaching does remain the same. One still has to connect with the students, one still has curriculum to deliver, assessing, evaluating, reporting all still in integral part of the job. It's the approaches that change. And parents are changing. I may one day come back and report something completely different, but that's what growing in one's profession is all about.

What is going in the world of Campbell/Burns cousins?

I received an email form my Dad's first cousin, Susan Smith from Edmonton, Alberta, notifying us of the loss of another of their first cousins.

Hello to my Crowe family -

A note to let everyone know that our cousin, Randy Strause (George Randall), Elsie's son, passed away quietly before midnight last night from a brain tumor.

Elsie would be Grandma Burns's sister.

A whole gang of Campbell cousins travelled to Venice to celebrate Alex Wright's 45th birthday (April 18th). They were of course grounded in the travel bottleneck that Europe became while the volcano spewed ash into the air. Hopefully one of the members of that travel party will share photos.

Norm (my husband) is in San Diego attending a Math conference, and was planning to hook up with our cousin Mary Naimish. We'll see how well they follow directions as they are supposed to take photos as well.

How many of you took the time to click on the link to Benjamin Zander's talk on classical music? I promise you will not be disappointed. In fact, www.ted.com is a great web site to find all sorts of speakers on all sorts of topics.

I will leave you today with a photo of our my boys (David-Louis in the very fashionable blaze orange tuque & Liam) and me with Dad in his last week at Riverview. Some might think it odd to be snapping photos of their father as he lay on his deathbed, but to me he was still very much alive and the moment was right.

Be well!

Love,

Shannon

Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com

Benjamin Zander on music and passion Video on TED.com

I know that I have been absent for several days, but only because life has been carrying on at the speed of light. In fact, I am preparing a skit that I must present to my eager grade five students, and so this post will short.

The above link is to a favourite clip on a favourite site. If you are unfamiliar with Ted.com, you are in for a treat. I hope you will have time to listen to Benjamin Zander as it is a wonderful way to spend twenty minutes. Enjoy!

Good Saturday morning everyone,

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of Dad's passing. I feel worse, rather than better. I watched the Pixar movie "Up" with my grade five students yesterday (I owed them a treat due to a failure on my part to daily physical activity. TMI?). I sat at the back of the room because I found myself fighting back tears on a couple of occasions. Around 5:30 last evening there was a knock on the door. I let Norm answer it as I was feeling sorry for myself and didn't want to see anyone, but then I recognized the voice of my WONDERFUL friend, Nicole Kirouac Luke - a friend who's sense of compassion is such that she took the time out of her hectic schedule to bring me a bunch of tulips and hyacinths. It was she who reminded me that it was the month anniversary. I cried, she cried and I finally understood why I had been moping around all day. Thanks Nicole.

Here's a great photo of Dad, Sonya and Livy (Sonya's middle child) taken Christmas '09.

If you've read this far, thanks for sticking with me. Have a great day, Be well, and TTYL.

It is Tuesday evening, Canada is trailing the USA in the Women's World Curling Championship, a load of jeans will soon be ready for the dryer and the dog climbed up on the table to clean up what her brother left behind of his dinner. This will be a short post as the news around this household hardly seems noteworthy.

I do, however, have something encouraging to share with you. Sandy has landed an interesting job working in the kitchen of a northern inn. He is in Resolute Bay, just a few degrees south of Santa's Workshop. Apparently he can see the Arctic Ocean, but it is still a day's walk from the inn. His first request from Mum was a pair of long unders. Seems to me one might have thought about that before leaving, but then from where he was standing (balmy 'Peg) one wouldn't need winter gear in April. Not so. -51! That's cold, even for a Toban.

Here is the link to the Inn's web site. I'm sure he would love a letter from family members. Remember, Sandy does not use a computer.

http://www.innsnorth.com/html/inns-acc-nun-resolute.htm

Lastly, someone suggested that one of the photos of Ashley was unflattering. Here's a better one:

On the occasion of the 3+3+3+1 weekend (3 Wrights, 3 Tallins, 3 Burns, 1 Arnason)

Good night all. I'll be back.

BE WELL

Good Sunday morning to you all,

It is a good morning indeed as I had a call from Sandy last night and he is safe and sound (and I imagine very cold) in Resolute Bay, just a day's walk from the Arctic Ocean. He is the chief cook and bottle washer at an inn where explorers and scientists go to train for extreme exploring. I'm quite happy hearing about it from the relative balmy climate of the 'Peg.

Some of my cousins have asked how one goes about signing on as a follower. To the right of what you are at this very moment reading you will find the "tools" & "gadgets" of a blog. Click on the rectangular box featuring the small Google "g" and the word "Follow". You will be prompted to create a Google, Yahoo or Twitter account. This costs nothing and will not alter your life in any way. I'm afraid I have forgotten the next step, but one only has to keep in mind that Google has tried to make the process as user friendly as possible. I'm confident that the number of followers will soon soar as my cousins figure out the mysteries of a blog.

This post was supposed to be short, so I'll get to the remaining two items without further chit chat.

I have added the eulogies made by two of Dad's dear friends, Taras from the Real Estate industry, and Terry Braunstein from the curling world. They will offer insight into Dad's two passions. I hope you enjoy them both. We are going to attempt to convert the audio cassette tape of the service to a CD as some of our rellies have expressed an interest in hearing the service. We'll keep you posted on the progress of that project.

Finally, I asked Clive to send a couple more photos that will fill in a couple of blanks. Welcome to the blogosphere Terry (Clive's wife); I think Terry deserves to be featured along side her amazing sons. And, in case anyone else was wondering why Phil had his name embroidered on the left side of his white coat and Einstien's on the right, it is because he attends Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Terry and Clive Campbell with their first grandchild, Jack

A better photo of Jack

(a good one to show future love interests too;

women appreciate a man who takes oral hygiene seriously!)

Jack's parents, Ross Campbell and his wife Joanne.

Joanne is a home-care case manager nurse.

Thanks again for the wonderful photos Clive. Ben, when I see you, I think of your father twenty - no, more like 40 years ago. Except for the red hair, and you don't seem to have the same gold tooth (or was it silver?). Clive, you were famous for that.

À la prochaine les amis.

Good morning Rellies,

Mum and I were treated to a fabulous performance by the young Russian pianist Daria Rabotkina. I shouldn't have quit my piano lessons... she performed the Ravel piece for left hand flawlessly, but my favourite was Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

I thought I would point out that following yesterday's post, Clive called Ashley - they both live in Ottawa, and they had a chat. Lynne Arnason (Campbell Wright's wife) called Lindsay and invited her to dinner because she thought that Linds might be alone given Mum was attending the concert. And finally, Dean emailed me to ask how he could sign on as a follower of Penned in the 'Peg. Thanks Dean! When the Penned in the 'Peg page opens, the most recent post is always on the left. On the right side one will find things like "Pages" (allows the blogger to create that a page that will not fall further and further down the archive page. I only have one and it is dedicated to Dad's eulogy); the "Labels" tool allows me to identify a photo or post so that it is easy to find (I've labelled Clive's kids' photos now) Then we come upon Blogger followed by, well, "Followers". There is a Google box: "g" Follow Click on it and follow the prompts.

As further encouragement to send me photos, I will continue to post the ones I already have in my library.

Like these ones for instance, taken at Aunt Sonya's 75th birthday party (November, 2007) - it was a theme party in case you are wondering why your Aunt Dilly is wearing a tunic.

Ashley toasts Aunt Sonya

Dilly and Dawn in "period" costumes

Alex and Dawn in sartorial splendour

Liz Wright and Dilly Burns

See what I'm saying? It is in your best interest to send me recent photos of your gang. And to my cousins on the Burns side, I promise equal real estate to you too.

Have a wonderful and productive day.

It is Friday 6 pm, and the weekend has begun not a moment too soon. This has been a week of challenges; parenting challenges and professional challenges. However, tonight Mom and I will

enjoy two hours of sweet diversion at the Concert Hall where the Winnipeg Symphony orchestra is presenting Bernstein, Gershwin and Ravel. Dad would have loved it.

This is a weekend dedicated to cultural activities: symphony tonight, Cercle Molière's "Doubt" tomorrow afternoon and fundraising brunch for "La Maison Gabrielle Roy" on Sunday. Throw a little grade five science and social studies prep in the mix and I should come out a well-rounded individual by Monday morning.

One of my goals in launching this blog was to keep cousins in the loop with what is going on in one another's big picture lives. Not the daily stuff, rather what it is the next generation is up to. Think about it... we had a unique opportunity in that on at least two occasions cousins, aunts and uncles were reunited for a milestone celebration: Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary, and then a Grandpa's 90th at the farm (I trust someone will correct me if those occasions are wrong), and, it wasn't too many years ago that we had the well-attended cousins' reunion right here in the 'Peg. We may get another such reunion organized, but until then, I invite my first cousins to send me photos and "bios" of the next generation.

Clive will show you how it's done:

Ross (30), is a financial executive recruiter, he and his wife Joanne, a home-care nurse, live in Toronto with their only grandchild Jack (almost 2). Ben is featured in this photo with our wonderful Aunt Enid who is holding her great-grandson Jack, accompanied by Clive and Scott Campbell.

Clive and Terry's son Ben (27), is a biophysics/neuroscience PhD candidate; he and his wife Julia, a kindergarten teacher, live in New York City. Clive, does Ben look more like Terry's side of the family? Cousins, Judge for yourselves...

Phil, their third son, (23 in April), is an MD/PhD candidate, and lives in the Bronx. Clive has already admitted that he and Terry will be travelling frequently to NYC.

If Clive's children are any indication of the brain power this next generation possesses, there is high hope indeed. Thanks for the pix and update Clive. The photo of your mom was a nice surprise. It's not too late to send one of you & Terry; it would complete the genetic picture (no pun intended), and she might like some of the credit for the wonderful boys you have raised.

In the field of education we speak of modeling...showing the students what a successful piece looks like. The above photo-bio is perfect: short informative update and accompanying photos. N.B. The Blogger reserves the right to edit those submissions that prove to be circumlocutory (there are "advantages" to having a Thesaurus at one's fingertips!).

If that isn't incentive enough, if you don't send me photos and updates of your children, I'll be forced to feature my own offspring, and just how much do you want to know about basketball and X-box? And to my Burns cousins, this invitation includes you too.

Speaking of circumlocutory, I will sign off for today, and conclude by inviting you, nay, begging you to sign up as a follower of Penned in the 'Peg. Consider it your familial duty.

SB