LLP: 2009 Fourth Quarter Goals

And here we are. The final quarter of the first year of my Lifetime Learning Project. I have been having a ball with this! I may not accomplish some of the exact goals I set out earlier this year, but I have learned so much about myself and my habits that I'm very excited about continuing the Project next year. I have already begun my Annual Goals post so I don't forget some of the things I want to include. You'll have to wait until later for that though. :-)

In the meantime, here are the things I'd like to do over the next three months toward my 2009 Annual Goals:

1) Finish the rest of my Reading Challenges. I only have eight left, and if I can polish those off I'll have completed all twenty challenges I signed up for this year. This is my main goal.

2) Compose an essay on the use of Reading Challenges for personal growth and self-education. Here it is!

3) Finish watching The Teaching Company DVDs for The Art of Reading.

Let's get started!

LLP: September 2009 Wrap Up

I forgot to do Lifetime Learning Project monthly wrap ups for July and August. Oops. I guess the summer flew by too fast. :-) It's the end of the quarter now, so let's take a look back at the goals I set in July and how close I came:

1) My main focus was the Reading Challenges I signed up for. Because the Countdown Challenge ended Sept. 9, I made that one my primary driver and aimed to finish it along with at least seven others. GOAL ACHIEVED! Yay for me!!

Decades Reading Challenge Completed: 9/9 **Finished July 2, 2009**

2nds Reading Challenge Completed: 12/12 **Finished July 12, 2009**

Pub Challenge Completed: 9/9 **Finished July 29, 2009**

Support Your Local Library Challenge Completed: 50/50 **Finished August 5, 2009**

1% Well Read Challenge Completed: 13/13 **Finished August 10, 2009**

The Countdown Challenge Completed: 45/45 **Finished September 6, 2009** (Yahoo! I did it!!)

100+ Reading Challenge Completed: 100/100 **Finished September 17, 2009** (The rest of the year is gravy!!)

New Author Challenge Completed: 50/50 **Finished September 26, 2009**

2) I wanted to finish up The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. I never looked at it. Not even once.

3) I have at least three Knowledge Blocks in progress, including the one I originally wrote about regarding Art Forgery. I wanted to try to rein in my literary ADD long enough to finish at least one of those blocks and write about it. Nope. Didn't do this. But I thought about it! :-)

4) Continue picking away at books and lectures from my Teaching Company Course "Classic Novels: Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature". Nada on this one, too. I was very busy with those challenges!

I'll call eight finished challenges an enormous success! The rest was evidently too much to ask in concert with that. Live and learn. And that's what this is all about, right? :-) Tomorrow I'll post my Fourth Quarter Lifetime Learning Project goals, and I'm pretty sure I'm going easy on myself. After all, my Timberwolves are about to start playing some basketball, and they need me. GO WOLVES!!

LLP: June 2009 Wrap-Up

July, as quickly as it flew by, was a pretty productive month! Out of my four goals for Third Quarter, my focus for this past month was primarily on my Reading Challenges. I finished three challenges, possibly four if I finish Bleak House later today, and I only have seven books left to finish the Countdown Challenge, which I have an obsession with completing because I made such a mess of the 888 Challenge last year. For some reason they are related in my mind, and I have no reasonable explanation for that. Anyway, here are the challenges I finished off in July:

Decades Reading Challenge **Finished July 2, 2009**

2nds Reading Challenge **Finished July 12, 2009**

Pub Challenge **Finished July 29, 2009**

I have done bits and pieces of the other three goals for the quarter, but nothing I'm ready to report back on. I *really* want to finish up my challenges, because I have some other plans perking and I need those out of the way. I suppose I could abandon them and move on, but I don't want to do that because one of my Lifetime Learning Plan goals for the year is to write about using Reading Challenges for personal growth and self-education. One of the things I'm mulling over is branching out from those challenges into a broader educational tool. I know that is incredibly ambiguous, but I don't have the whole thing worked out in my head yet either. I'm staring at the full bookshelves and piles of books on my desk figuring out where I'm going with it all. I'm getting there!

In the meantime, while my Classic Novels course seems to have stalled while I focus on the challenges, I did pick up a brand new DVD course from The Teaching Company that I started watching last night: The Art of Reading! I watched the first two lectures last night, and I LOVE it! As I progress through it, I'll tell you more about my experience, but you can check out the content of the course by clicking here.

Tomorrow morning I'll announce the winner of the autographed copy of The Blue Notebook, so good luck to everyone who entered! And you all have a great weekend!!

LLP: 2009 Third Quarter Goals

Wow. June has flown by so quickly I nearly forgot I need to set my third quarter goals for my Lifetime Learning Plan! Because these next three months will be spent engaged in outdoor reading as much as possible, I'm going to let the goals be fairly open ended without a lot of "textbooks at the dining room table" time. Here is what I would like to work on between now and September 30, 2009:

1) My main focus will be the Reading Challenges I signed up for. Because the Countdown Challenge will end Sept. 9, I will make that one my primary driver and aim to finish it along with at least seven others.

Decades Reading Challenge **Finished July 2, 2009**

2nds Reading Challenge **Finished July 12, 2009**

Pub Challenge **Finished July 29, 2009**

Support Your Local Library Challenge **Finished August 5, 2009**

1% Well Read Challenge **Finished August 10, 2009**

The Countdown Challenge **Finished September 6, 2009** (Yahoo! Did it!!)

2) Finish up The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative

3) I have at least three Knowledge Blocks in progress, including the one I originally wrote about regarding Art Forgery. I will try to rein in my literary ADD long enough to finish at least one of those blocks and write about it. I'm guessing it will be the one on the Borgias as that is my current obsession. :-) Though I also have one in the works on the Pacific War that I'm finding very interesting also. Decisions, decisions . . .

4) Continue picking away at books and lectures from my Teaching Company Course "Classic Novels: Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature".

I think that should keep me busy for a while. As for monthly goals, I think I'll alter that part of my plan by reporting which parts of these Quarterly Goals I accomplished at the end of each month rather than reporting what I plan to do at the beginning of each month. I tend to change my mind as days roll on, and it's kind of silly overkill for the blog posts. However, I reserve the right to go back to my original plan if I find myself wandering too far astray. Or simply to do whatever I want and quit apologizing to myself like I did something wrong. :-)

I'll link my progress posts as the months continue to fly by far too quickly:

July
August
September

In the meantime, Happy Reading, Everyone!

LLP: June 2009 Monthly Plan

I'm opting for summer vacation! Sort of. :-) This month I will focus on my reading challenges, especially the Countdown Challenge and the TBR Challenge, other random reads that I've had waiting around on shelves at home, and requests that come into the library. I have some ideas fluttering around the edges of my subconscious regarding the "book about books" I keep blathering about writing, so I also want to spend some time seeing if I can mold them into anything concrete.

Beyond that, I make no plans or promises other than to dutifully report on all I discover. Happy reading, everyone!



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LLP: May 2009 Wrap-Up

I know May isn't quite over yet, but I've got a busy weekend of sitting on my behind on the patio looking at all our new flowers and reading planned. Therefore, I'm getting this out of the way now. :-) Looking at the plan for May, it appears as if I didn't do very much. However, in addition to all the other books I read this month (list at the bottom of my blog), I finished The Faerie Queene and I'll be finishing Ulysses tomorrow, so I feel like I've had a smashing month!

On the downside, my eyes got bigger than my free time at the library, so I had to take back 18(!?!) books without reading them. Bummer, because I really wanted to read them all. I added them back to my library wish list, so hopefully I'll get to them eventually.

I'm going to use this evening to decide what my goals will be for June. I'm leaning toward a "summer vacation" and spending the month reading whatever looks good at the moment. (Like I haven't been doing that anyway. Ha!) Maybe I'll modify Andi's plan and read off my own shelves for a few weeks. I'll think of something, have no doubt! :-)



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Inspirational!

Working on a blog which I am slowly but surely dedicating to my personal education and growth as a responsible and compassionate American and world citizen, I can't help but be inspired by Barack Obama's address to the graduating class of Arizona State University. Love him or hate him, you can't help but think about what he has to say: "[O]ne's title -- even a title like president -- says very little about how well one's life has been led. That no matter how much you've done, or how successful you've been, there's always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve."


Politics aside, he makes me want to be a better person. How can that possibly be a bad thing? Now please excuse me. I have some studying to do!

LLP: May 2009 Monthly Plan

I'm going to cut myself a little bit of slack. I planned on too much heavy reading in April and ended up distracted, so I'm going to pick just a couple of things to finish off in May and leave more time for reading challenge and impulse reads.

(Struck out entries are finished as of May 31, 2009. If I've posted about the reading, the link is provided.)

Books To Read:

Managing Your Own Learning by James R. and Adelaide B. Davis
Book V of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
Book VI of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
Book VII of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
(My Thoughts on The Faerie Queene)

Text Chapters To Read:

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative
Chapter 8 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 9 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12

Writing About Literature: Step by Step
Chapter 3

I excused myself from the two textbooks for this month so I could focus on The Faerie Queene. -- May 26, 2009

Finish At Least Three Reading Challenges

Books Awards II Challenge (Completed April 30, 2009)
War Through The Generations Challenge (Completed May 6, 2009)
The Faerie Queene Challenge (Completed May 18, 2009)

Write At Least Two Posts Regarding Learning About Poetry

Does posting about The Faerie Queene count? Sure it does! -- May 26, 2009


This plan will finish off The Faerie Queene and Introduction to Narrative, and I'll be able to focus more on Tristram Shandy and further books in the Teaching Company course in June.



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LLP: April 2009 Wrap Up

So, let's see how I did for my first official month of my Lifetime Learning Project:

Books To Read:

Day by Elie Wiesel (My Thoughts)
Survival In Auschwitz by Primo Levi (My Thoughts)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Stone
Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac
Blindness by Jose Saragamo
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene (My Thoughts)
Managing Your Own Learning by James R. and Adelaide B. Davis
How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch (My Thoughts)
Book III of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
Book IV of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer

Listen to Teaching Company Lectures on:

Tristam Shandy
Dangerous Liaisons
Pere Goriot
Wuthering Heights
Moby Dick

Text Chapters To Read:

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative
Chapter 3 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 4 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 5 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 6 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 7 (My Thoughts)

Writing About Literature: Step by Step
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Finish What's In A Name Challenge

Well, I got a lot read in April (see the bottom of this blog for a full list), just not necessarily what was on this list. :-) I got hung up with The Faerie Queene, Tristram Shady, How To Read A Poem, Introduction To Narrative, and Writing About Literature going all at the same time. Consequently, I got no lectures listened to at all. I need to fix that going forward.

On the upside, I got a lot of good reading done in general, made a dent in my Lifetime Learning Plan, started teaching myself about poetry, and rather than the What's In A Name Challenge, I finished the Chunkster Challenge. I'm calling it a success! On to May . . .



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Experimenting With Knowledge Blocks

The first concept in my 2009 Lifetime Learning Project is "To explore various methods of self-education on various topics in order to identify subjects and techniques I would like to use going forward with my Lifetime Learning Project." One of the methods I am going to begin experimenting with is something I am calling "Knowledge Blocks". Here is my working definition:

"Knowledge Blocks" will consist of a minimum of three books making up a theme. At least one of the books must be non-fiction. After the books are read, I must write about the theme connecting the books, how each book fit in and what I learned.

The reason I have chosen to model the definition this way is three-fold. First, while I will allow myself to include as many books in a Block as I want to read, if I require more than three books, I risk running into problems with my short attention span. Three allows a decent introductory exploration of a topic without it feeling like a chore. Second, I always mean to read more non-fiction but never seem to make room for it. The non-fiction component of the Block provides an incentive. And third, my dream is to someday write a non-fiction book. The writing component of the Block will help to develop the habits of conscious planning, orderly thinking and daily writing.

One of the first examples of these Blocks will most likely be on art forgery. I will be tying together the reading of Girl With A Pearl Earring, The Forgery of Venus, and a book I'm waiting for from the library called The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century.

Let the experiment begin!

Great Accidental Find!

I have been getting some really great feedback on my Lifetime Learning Project. I'm so glad you're enjoying following along, and some of you are even making Projects of your own. If you do, please let me know so I can visit often and cheer you on!

I have a recommendation for those who are interested. I unexpectedly had to bring my car in to be worked on yesterday, and the only book I had in my bag was one I had picked up at the library on a whim. It's called Writing To Learn by William K. Zinsser.


I never had time at an auto-repair place fly so quickly! I'm only maybe 1/3 into it, but I'm loving this book! He talks about the "Writing Across Curriculum" programs at colleges, how they got started and what they're trying to accomplish. It's not a "how to" book, but includes many examples of good writing from various disciplines outside of English/Literature and discusses how writing about a subject helps you to learn it more clearly and can help you overcome fear of unfamiliar topics or topics you feel you're not smart enough to "get".

His greatest point is that writing is not something that can only be done well by "writers". The inability to write well is a manifestation of an inability to reason. The ability to write thoughtfully and clearly is an important life skill that can be accomplished by anyone who is willing to learn to think in an orderly manner.

I'll post my thoughts once I'm finished with this book, but as of right now it's got me all fired up to extend my future Learning Plans into areas I wasn't considering before. Like I needed more ideas for things to read, right? :-)

Class Notes: Introduction To Narrative

Chapter Four: The Rhetoric of Narrative

"[I]nterpreting texts is a complex transaction that invariably has to do with more than what the author consciously intended. . . . [T]he impact of a narrative, including its meaning, is not something that is securely under the author's control." The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, p. 40.

That kind of make me feel better about the concept of "getting it" when I read classics or more difficult literature. Or any literature for that matter. Just because the author didn't necessarily mean something the way I took it, doesn't completely invalidate what I learned from the reading. :-)

This chapter in my text dealt mostly with three things: That we look for cause and effect in narrative, we look for details (or invent them in our minds) that convey a sense of reality or truth in a narrative, and the concept of "masterplots", "masterplots" being stories that are told over and over in myriad forms and that connect vitally with our deepest values, wishes and fears.

I liked the way the author wove these ideas together by discussing jury trials in general, and the O.J. Simpson trial in particular. Overly simplified, the fate of Simpson depended on which narrative version of the facts was the most believable. One side adopted the masterplot of "abused spouse" with Nicole in the pivotal role, one side adopted the story of the black man who is unjustly punished for "stepping out of his place". That there were such strong public reactions in favor of and against both sides showed clearly the potential power of narrative, even amid a real-life situation.

One feature of this text that I look forward to at the end of each chapter is the list of additional primary texts that further exemplify the concepts discussed. Various books and stories are talked about during the "lesson", but if it is a topic you find yourself particularly interested in, he lists more readings with which you can further your study, and talks a little bit about why they're useful examples. This list includes Wright's Native Son (which I read a few weeks ago), Kafka's "Metamorphosis" (which is on my current Teaching Company course list), The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Ellison's Invisible Man (which are on my shelf), and short story by Eudora Welty called "Why I Live at the P.O."

Is it just me, or is there just plain not enough time in the day?? :-)

LLP: March/April 2009 Monthly Plan

OK. Down to the nitty gritty. Here is what I plan to accomplish by April 30, 2009:

(Struck out entries are finished as of April 28, 2009. If I've posted about the reading, the link is provided.)

Books To Read:

Day by Elie Wiesel (My Thoughts)
Survival In Auschwitz by Primo Levi (My Thoughts)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Stone
Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac
Blindness by Jose Saragamo
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene (My Thoughts)
Managing Your Own Learning by James R. and Adelaide B. Davis
How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry by Edward Hirsch (My Thoughts)
Book III of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer
Book IV of The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer

Listen to Teaching Company Lectures on:

Tristam Shandy
Dangerous Liaisons
Pere Goriot
Wuthering Heights
Moby Dick

Text Chapters To Read:

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative
Chapter 3 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 4 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 5 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 6 (My Thoughts)
Chapter 7 (My Thoughts)

Writing About Literature: Step by Step
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Finish What's In A Name Challenge


Good thing the NBA season is just about over for me, isn't it?
:-)



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