Mosaic Table Top

This summer I took a class at A Bashful Rainbow in which we made mosaic table tops.  Diane, the owner, took a picture of mine when I finished it:

Rose Mosaic Table Top Created by Elizabeth Clark

When I started it, I was afraid the rose would look more like a tulip, but from a distance I think the shading works.  I have enough glass that I can make a lampshade or two and maybe some coasters to match.

I still need to attach the legs and put it in the living room.

Resources for Following the 500th Anniversary of Henry VIII’s Coronation

Book:

• Schwarz, Arthur L. Vivat Rex!: An Exhibition Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII. New York: Grolier Club, 2009.

Websites:

• Historic Royal Palaces
• Royal Collection > Henry VIII
• The Anne Boleyn Files
• The National Archives > Henry VIII
• TudorHistory.org
  • “Henry VIII 500th anniversary events“

Social Media:

• Blog:  The Tudor Tutor
• Blog:  Tudor News
• Blog:  TudorHistory.org
• Blog:  TudorHistory.org Questions and Answers
• Facebook:  Henry VIII 2009 Events
• Twitter:  IamHenryVIII (HRP Press Office)
• Twitter:  TheAnneBoleynFiles
• Twitter:  TheHistoryPress

Videos:

• CNN:  “Henry VIII 500 years ago“
• Reuters:  “Henry VIII’s 500th anniversary“
• YouTube:  “David Starkey — Henry VIII 2009 Exhibition“
• YouTube:  “King Henry VIII – despot or cultural icon? – April 22 09“
• YouTube:  “King Henry VIII — Two Compositions for Recorders 1540“

Royal Boar Hunt – Jan. 10

Royal boar hunt followed by feasting and dancing with Queen Elizabeth I and residents of Renaissance Island

Date:  Sat., Jan. 10
Time:  noon SLT (PST)
Location:  Forest, Parish of Reading Primley, Renaissance Island, Second Life
Cost:  Donation of any size to Renaissance Island Continuation Fund

Video: “Discover Ancient Rome in Google Earth”

more about “Video: “Discover Ancient Rome in Goo…“, posted with vodpod

 

Spring Classes

During the January term I’ll be teaching two sections of ENG 121 for Westwood Online, as I did every term last year.

I’m also scheduled to teach one section each of ENG 131, HUM 122, and LIT 127 at Red Rocks this spring.  I taught ENG 131, Technical Writing, last spring and this fall.  HUM 122 covers 800 to 1750 CE.  For LIT 127, Study of the Novel, I’ve selected the following books:

• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
• My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Elvenbane by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey

I picked novels with the same theme, a child growing up, but from different times and places, including the future and another world.  The class might end up being canceled.  The last time I checked, there were only five students registered for it, and there have to be twelve for it to run.

In addition, I’m going to be teaching a section of ENGL 112 online for Mesa State College.  The catalog description for the course is brief:  “Critical writing about literature; research.”  I’m going to use The Bedford Researcher for the class.  I figure the literary resources I need can be found online.

Renaissance Classroom in SL

Here’s a snapshot of me (Floria) outside the Renaissance Classroom on Renaissance Island in Second Life.

Summer Classes for Westwood’s Denver South Campus

For the May term at Westwood’s Denver South campus, I’ll be teaching two sections of HUM 300, which is an overview of the humanities. One section is a blended class, and the other is completely on campus. It will be interesting to compare the two.

Humanities Class for Fall

As of Thursday, I’m scheduled to teach a humanities class at Red Rocks this fall:

HUM 121, Survey of Humanities I–Introduces students to the history of ideas that have defined cultures through a study of the visual arts, literature, drama, music, and philosophy. It emphasizes connections among the arts, values, and diverse cultures, including European and non-European, from the Ancient world to 1000 C.E.

The textbook for the course is Vol. I of The Humanistic Tradition (fth ed.) by Gloria K. Fiero. It’s published by McGraw Hill.

Writing versus Literature and Humanities

I finally realized (duh!) this week that I’d much rather teach literature and humanities courses than writing classes. Of course, that’s what most of my classes are in. I’m working on my c.v. so, hopefully, I can apply to some other colleges or universities to teach more classes in those areas.

I also wouldn’t mind teaching some poetry-writing classes, though I probably need to do more poetry writing myself. All that I’ve done recently has been lyrics for political songs, and I did that more than a year and a half ago.

The other day, I did write another poem that is less political. I was going to make all the lines end in a rhyme with weary, but I decided to break that up:

Snow Weary

skies dreary
eyes bleary–
kids cheery
snowballs forming

still leery
of “theory,”
my query:
global warming?

I do like the way the title rhymes with most of the lines as well as the way I used punctuation but no verbs.

I’m going to have to start carrying a notebook with me so I can do some writing when I have the time–or the inspiration.