ART

Here is Artist LA with her great masterpiece behind her and the latest in front of her..its not finished yet, but it already looks like another priceless gem. She definitely has the heart and soul of an artist, now to figure out the illusive grad school.

She is fun to watch, fun to be with and definitely on her way to greatness.

Ted Talk Commandments

TED Commandments for Speaking -- If you would like the spreadsheet of all the talks, let me know..you could be in front of your computer for months...and I have to agree with Christine, these commandments apply elsewhere too!



Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick.
Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before.
Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion.
Thou Shalt Tell a Story.
Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the Sake of Blessed Connection and Exquisite Controversy.
Thou Shalt Not Flaunt thine Ego. Be Thou Vulnerable. Speak of thy Failure as well as thy Success.
Thou Shalt Not Sell from the Stage: Neither thy Company, thy Goods, thy Writings, nor thy Desperate need for Funding; Lest Thou be Cast Aside into Outer Darkness.
Thou Shalt Remember all the while: Laughter is Good.
Thou Shalt Not Read thy Speech.
Thou Shalt Not Steal the Time of Them that Follow Thee

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!

It finally happened and in typical "Lane" style! Our daughter graduated with her undergrad degree from Springfield, MO at 10 am on Friday, May 15th..then we drove 3 hours to Columbia, MO, hung out at Trops (yummy adult beverages) and I graduated with my master's from Mizzou at 8 pm.

I couldn't be prouder of our daughter and I couldn't be happier!! It was a very memorable weekend!!

Happiness is......

Why are we so happy? NO MORE COLLEGE TUITION for anyone!

My masters is accomplished, our daughter is done with her undergrad (and looking for that Art Grad School) and well, Life just got easier!!

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

You see two art renderings of Barbie, but you see only ONE LA, why? Ahem, there can be only one..the mold is gone, she is the best, exceptional, skilled, articulate artist I've ever seen. Her Senior Exhibit proves she pushes the boundaries (hmmm, wonder where she got that?) throws back the standard square box and stands before the world to show her thoughts, feelings and talents.

Can't wait to see what her next life will consist of..undergrad is closing soon.. and new doors are opening!

Blogs and Wikis

I'm doing a consulting gig yesterday..(aka too much fun) about using blogs and wikis in the educational arena, and as I'm talking, I realize I have not been consistently blogging and I should. I have been able to look at other educational blogs lately and finding some really good rich material to ponder, utilize and pass on.

So, I'm throwing down-- so to speak -- I will begin my educational/instructional thought processes from here on out..with an occasional relapse to talk about family, friends, and life in general...my life is SOO much more than just my "work"...which is really fun to begin with.

This month has been full of good things and great places and folks...but I've learned alot about ME lately and that's cool too...my mantra these days?

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

I've had that sign posted for EVER...and really, its the ONLY thing we do have control over!

Blog, blog, crazy blog

My life has been FILLED with good moments lately and I have to apologize for my not keeping up with a thought or two down for posterity..BUT...I have a thought!

I am delighted to report that PRESENTATION ZEN has transformed my life/slide presentations and also those of my grad students. They are starting to turn in their final projects and I'm so excited about their LEARNING and now, how many students will

a. stay awake for them

b. understand the message

c. actually retain the knowledge

d. all of the above

D D D D !!! Seriously, jump over to Amazon and buy this easy read, this is NOT a commercial, this is an order...Buy Presentation Zen and transform yourself and your slides!