First posting of random and not-so-random thoughts

Welcome to my blog!

I have to admit mixed feelings about having a blog. On one hand, I love to talk and share ideas and stay connected with my friends. On the other hand, I have NEVER been good at keeping any sort of journal, even though I have regretted this at certain points in my life when I am trying to remember certain events or lessons learned. That's the problem with a selectively leaky memory!

Not-so-random thoughts: In this blog I plan to post updates that pertain to my online CEL 580 class in which we are learning about tools and techniques for online teaching and learning. This is all new to me, and I feel like I'm in a puddle at the bottom of the learning curve. But I know that I'll pull through it, and occasionally celebrate successes. After all, I can Skype and I managed to create this blog, two things that would have been unthinkable two months ago. If you'd asked me before CEL 580 what a Skype was, I probably would have told you it was a less than flattering reference to a British hooligan.

Random thoughts: This is where I'll talk about stuff going on in my life, some just newsy (I'm getting ready to plant a garden once I'm out of the wheelchair: hey, by the way, I'm in a wheelchair - what's with that?), and some more introspective phil0sophical-type stuff (the value of positive attitudes during difficult times, which isn't always that easy to manage...).

Okey-dokey, that'll do for now. It's a gorgeous day here in Las Cruces, and now matter where you are, I hope some rays of sunshine warm your spirits today!