yikes, I have OPINIONS

who knew? well, okay, so my students know it quite well. also people who've been in classes I took myself as a student. the classroom is, apparently, a forum where I feel comfortable, nay, compelled to air my position-- I sometimes fear, annoyingly so. but in the rest of the world not so much. not so much online, where I've tended to retreat into the un-accountability of my dreams. how's that for slippery? just try to call me on what I said, buster-- it's a dream! ha! hm. possibly a lame device. I certainly hope that's not the only reason I've been doing it all these years. scary thought. the truth is, there are just very different rhetorical goals and strategies that we can serve by writing or talking-- and I've tended to largely steer clear of the argumentative. small wonder, knowing my dad. but somehow I feel like I'm coming into it now. like it's okay-- to use more of my palette, work with more of my toolbox. this morning my thought on waking was how cool it would be if I could assign all my students to learn something in an entirely new (to them) mode-- for example, if the assignment was on the somatic, to take carpentry or knitting. if the assignment was on the proprioceptive, then dance or one of those trapeze school things like carrie did on sex and the city. on the auditory, then voice lessons or flute or what have you. on the visual, painting or photography. see, this way I could really begin to home in on what working in the various semiotic modes really does for us, heuristically-- which is the basis of my dissertation. the only problem would be resources (who to teach these diverse skills?) and, more significantly, time. I mean, a semester's only so long. and learning is excruciatingly gradual. then again, somehow, through tapping novel modes, it seems possible to make cognitive leaps. like, look at me having opinions. for real. that's all about the blogging, I'm pretty sure. having my static, fix-it-up-locally-with-dreamweaver-and-upload-it-via-ftp web site just didn't get me to this particular rhetorical/cognitive place. weird, huh? for years something else, then this. it's kind of overwhelming actually. kinda tempted to pull the plug, at least for a little bit. maybe it's NOT such a good thing I have so much undisturbed time on my hands this week... then again, if my phone stays silent and my inbox empty, at least I have someone to talk to.

nevermind the manic laughter and wide, staring eyes.