Started Something New: A Memoir

This summer I started an eight day backpacking trip in the Enchanted Valley with one of my best friends, Tami Garrard. She grew up on the peninsula, and she routinely leads the way on amazing hikes. Some of the most inspiring, jaw dropping sights I have ever seen have been by her side. I've also experienced some of the worst weather in an emergency shelter with her, and my memories are all filled with laughter and the scent of wet down. One of the reasons we work so well as hiking partners is that we both divide the labor to survive in the outdoors, and we always get along. She also laughs at my annoying habit to turn poignant statements into memoir titles. 

Recently I've met new people and have exposed this habit beyond my inner circle of close friends. Creating memoir titles is actually very therapeutic. For instance, let's say you did not get a job that you really, really, really wanted. Maybe you received one of the most encouraging rejection letters you've ever read, but you're still kind of blue and it's too cold to ride your bike. Try writing a memoir title. 

Somebody Else Got The Job of My Dreams: A Memoir. 

See, that hypothetical person already feels better, I'm sure. 

The title of this blog signifies the official end to this wonderful blog experiment. I've been inspired by WA's SBCTC FLC grant and we are working on a blog to expose our learning process. So far it feels like a digital record of one of my best failures. 

If you have stumbled upon this blog, please check out Aligning The CC Stars.

I'm also going to give Mike Caulfield's federated wiki a try. He was our keynote speaker at NW eLearn, and his talk helped me figure out what I've been frustrated by with instructional design and the state of OL education. I'm curious to learn more about how he describes the potential of a federated wiki. It blends together something I think is really cool and extremely practical. He writes that the "idea is not to kill StreamMode, but to redirect it, when appropriate, to more recursive and expository tools." I haven't had time to wrap my brain around this yet, but I will.  

Just like those builders of the Enchanted Valley Chalet, I had no idea that my interests--like the river--would shift and change course. It's time to take my ideas someplace else, and let's face it, 2015 is rushing closer everyday. It's time.