spotlight on...sarojaede!

[silverwhisper]

the long-absent sarojaede, a good friend, is the subject of this spotlight. i'd like to remind folks of the very simple ground rules under which all spotlight subjects agreed to participate:

the ground rules are:
1. questions or simple comments only. this is not a place to argue with someone, challenge them or attempt to engage in debate. save the arguing for another time.

2. don't be an asshat: don't ask deliberately embarrassing questions, or stuff that treads on the sacred. the purpose is to get someone to open up, not shut down.

3. have fun. try to think of engaging questions that will get someone talking.

4. anyone can ignore or refuse to answer questions they don't like, without explanation.

5. when this thread's run its course, SJ should review the original thread and select any of the people who said they would be willing to be spotlighted.

and with that understanding...



SJ, it's gonna be good to see you spending time here again.

let's begin with the usual:

1. what is your favorite word?
2. what is your least favorite word?
3. what turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
4. what turns you off?
5. what is your favorite curse word?
6. what sound or noise do you love?
7. what sound or noise do you hate?
8. what profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. what profession would you not like to do?
10. if heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

but in addition to these...

11. what was the first book you remember reading?
12. as a parent, what elements of your childhood or upbringing do you want to replicate for your son? what elements do you wish to avoid?
13. when you're active on lit, what other forums do you frequent besides HT/HT cafe?
14. i know it's common for instructors to experience some anxiety re: the kinds of ignorance or sheer stupidity exhibited by some of their students each year--i know, b/c my sister usually spends the first 2 weeks garnering such stories for the rest of the family. :> are the expressed examples of ignorance or stupidity actually becoming worse in your view, or just shifting to remain relevant to each class?

ed

 

[Cathleen]

Welcome back SJ, it's nice to see you again.

What is the first thing you think of when you see this:

As a bonus question, for me... who do you think of as you look at it.

 

[Sarojaede]

the long-absent sarojaede, a good friend, is the subject of this spotlight.

Hey, what do you mean long-absent??!? I pop in occasionally between. Unfortunately it's mostly a quick read of threads and not a great deal of "whooo, I popped in. So, you wouldn't actually know I do pop in.



1. what is your favorite word?

Hmmm...there are oh so many good ones to choose from. If I had multiple children that would be kind of like asking me which was my favorite child.

Loquacious ranks up there as one of my favorites because I simply like the sound of the letter combinations all together. I like the "feel" of the word in my mouth.

2. what is your least favorite word?

It's not so much a word as it is an expression: "I can't". I hate it when people say that with the tone that implies "It's too difficult; it's too hard, so I don't want to try."


3. what turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?

So many things...

For me, it's hard to separate what turns me on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally because it's such an interconnection in my life.

Creative endeavors, whether mine or another's, feed my spirit in many ways. I love to sink myself into a good book, for instance. Good books feed my writing spirit. I love a book in which the author does a really good job playing with the language and demonstrates an understanding of the rhythm of language. The book doesn't necessarily have to be a powerful story, per se, but it needs to speak to me on some level.

The inherent beauty of nature feeds my soul as well. When I find the time, I love nothing better than to just walk around our neighborhood and some of the metroparks or around the lake drinking in what I see and taking pictures. I think it reconnects me to the pulse of Life.

And finally...no, not finally because there are many other things, but I don't think you want me to spend a day and long long screens on just this one question...one of the things that feeds the most is "seeing" the light bulb go off for my students. There's nothing quite like that feeling, except when I see it my son as he's working on understanding something new. (Keep in mind he's much younger than the college students I teach so it's a different experience watching him grasp something.

4. what turns you off?

intellectual laziness; a lack of intellectual curiosity; people who just don't bother to try to understand something (hence the dislike for "I can't".


5. what is your favorite curse word? "Fuck" because it's so versatile

6. what sound or noise do you love?

The sound of my son's laughter when it's a full bore belly laugh.

And the little inhale my husband makes when he comes home from work and wraps his arms around my waist to hug me.



7. what sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of my cat hacking up a hairball.


8. what profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

This one is a real toss-up for me. There's a huge part of me that would like to write full-time.

But lately, I've been drawn more to my photography and improving those skills. So, I would rather like to attempt being a professional photographer, but not studio photography.


9. what profession would you not like to do?

I wouldn't want to be a tax accountant.

10. if heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

You lived your life to the fullest and can proud of the way you raised your son.

.

11. what was the first book you remember reading?

Green Eggs and Ham

 

[Sarojaede]

but in addition to these...

12. as a parent, what elements of your childhood or upbringing do you want to replicate for your son? what elements do you wish to avoid?

My parents were always very encouraging of everything I did. They would let me pretty much try anything because their attitude was to always try something to see how good you were at it. I think that's where much of my intellectual curiosity about things came from.

So, I hope to encourage my son to always try things.

My parents also provided an atmosphere that was conducive to inspiring creativity--books, materials for crafts, etc. And I want to make sure that continues in my household. I think that's one of the reasons why I didn't think twice about handing my really expensive digital camera to my son the first time he asked if he could try it to take pictures with. He has possession of the older one that he can use any time he wants, but he has to ask to use the really new one. He's becoming quite the little shutterbug.

Another thing that my parents were very good at encourage was keeping your word and having respect for making commitments. So, when I was in middle school and high school, I never had a curfew, per se. My parents didn't set one. Instead, they would ask me what time I would be home and no matter what time I gave them, they would simply say, "Okay, then we expect you home at that time and no later." And I was always home by that time, if not earlier.

I think that was a small portion of helping me understand that it's important for people to believe that they can trust not only what you say but that it's important to show that you will follow through on things. So, I hope to help the little man understand that as well.

Aspects I want to avoid emulating? Well...Despite my parents always encouraging me to try things, they were kind of bad at recognizing when I did have self-esteem issues. So, I would like to avoid that lack of the ability to recognize when such things crop up in my own son.


13. when you're active on lit, what other forums do you frequent besides HT/HT cafe?


Honestly, I haven't frequented any of the other forums in well over a year.


14. i know it's common for instructors to experience some anxiety re: the kinds of ignorance or sheer stupidity exhibited by some of their students each year--i know, b/c my sister usually spends the first 2 weeks garnering such stories for the rest of the family. :> are the expressed examples of ignorance or stupidity actually becoming worse in your view, or just shifting to remain relevant to each class?


To be honest, I'm not really sure how to answer this question. I'm not sure what you mean by "shifting to remain relevant to each class".

I need to think about this a bit more.

 

[Sarojaede]

Welcome back SJ, it's nice to see you again.

What is the first thing you think of when you see this:

As a bonus question, for me... who do you think of as you look at it.

Thanks, Cathleen. It's good to see you again too, and it's good to be back even if it is sporadically and infrequently.


The first thing I think of is my recent summer vacation because it kind of reminds me of the view of Lake Yellowstone from the Fishing Bridge.

But it also reminds me of Alaska, where I spent part of my childhood, for some reason.

So, when I see it, I think of my parents, who I spent my summer vacation with, as well as my child for whom this past summer's vacation was a grand road trip across country and his first visit to Yellowstone.

 

[bobsgirl]

Jaede!

If financial reasons were irrelevant, would you consider becoming a stay-at-home mom?

What always brings a smile to your face?

If you won the lottery, what is the first luxury you would give yourself?

 

[Sarojaede]

Jaede!

If financial reasons were irrelevant, would you consider becoming a stay-at-home mom?

What always brings a smile to your face?

If you won the lottery, what is the first luxury you would give yourself?

BG: I honestly don't know if I would or not. With my teaching career, I can request to have the classes I teach during the hours that the little man is at school and be home before he gets out of school.

I would, however, enjoy a career that would let me work completely from home.


My son's laughter always brings a smile to my face. And the sound of our cat's purring contentedly when the curl up on the foot of the bed.

I don't think I would give myself a luxury. I would pay off all my student loans and all of my husband's student loans first. Then I would pay off our credit cards.

I would consider buying a new car, but even before that, I would probably invest money in doing some renovations to our house. Or, I would sell this house and build one with my dream kitchen in it.

LOL. Yes, I know we just bought this one, but we made some sacrifices in size for the school district, which was well worth it given it's the top school district in not just our city but the state and one of the top 5 school districts in the country.

 

[fire_breeze]

Hello Sarojaede!

Do you have any pet peeves?

What are 5 non-essentials and/or personal luxury items that you feel that you can't live without?

 

[Eilan]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

 

[Quoll]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

 

[bobsgirl]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

LOL After school detention for you!

 

[Eilan]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

I see you've met some of my former students.

 

[Kikori]

How long did that sucker last? ^_^

 

[Sarojaede]

Hello Sarojaede!

Do you have any pet peeves?

What are 5 non-essentials and/or personal luxury items that you feel that you can't live without?

Hmmmm....pet peeves. Where or where do I begin.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't actually look at you when talking to you; in other words, they look anywhere but your face--over your shoulder, slightly above your head, your chest, etc.

Gum chomping and popping (not bubble popping, mind you) drives me batty. Chew your gum with your mouth closed please.

Oh, and that goes for food too. I don't want to see what you are eating once it's passed betwixt your lips.

And I distinctly dislike it when people overdose themselves in cologne or perfume so much that it makes my eyes water and my nose burn.




Sad but true, I don't think I could live without my cell phone now. I'm on the go so much that I'm impossible to get in touch with at home. And as some here would attest to, nearly impossible to get in touch with via cell phone many days. (Come to think of it, if I'm nearly impossible to get in touch with via my cell phone, maybe I really could live without it!)


My digital camera. I recently invested in a really nice one along with some additional lenses. It seems to be my constant companion.

And I might hurt someone if I had to live without my favorite coffee mug. Sure we have tons more but there's just something about the heft of this one particular mug. It's like coffee's not quite the same without it.

Hmmmm...I'm honestly not sure there is anything else that's a non-essential that I couldn't absolutely live without.

 

[Sarojaede]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

When I was teaching in Texas, I had put sample documents up on the class website for the technical writing class I was teaching. One of the sample documents happened to have been a recommendation report that had been written by my husband two years earlier when he took a technical writing class. (My husband's name was removed from the report and a pseudonym was used instead.)

A student taking my class, downloaded the paper (which was a PDF file), replace the words Management Information Systems in the report with the words Mechanical Engineering, changed the name of the report title page and submitted it as his own.

Unfortunately, the bozo forgot to change the running headers and footers on the document, so the running headers still had the pseudonym in them and the running footers still had reference to Management Information Systems in them. Further, he didn't change the table of contents for the report.

But even if he had, the report would have still made no sense whatsoever because the report was about technology training in the MIS program at the university I was teaching at.

 

[Sarojaede]

What's the most outlandish example of plagiarism you've ever encountered?

BRAVO!!!

 

[Sarojaede]

How long did that sucker last? ^_^

Long enough for a really good tease.

 

[Kikori]

Do you have any more stories in the works? ^__^
(Yes, I liked the one you have uploaded.)

 

[silverwhisper]

given that you've got a favorite coffee mug, do you have a particular favorite coffee with which to fill it? :>

ed

 

[Sarojaede]

Do you have any more stories in the works? ^__^
(Yes, I liked the one you have uploaded.)

I honestly haven't had time for any non-work related writing in quite some time, much to my disappointment.

I need to carve out some time or find more hours in the day. And I need to get some creative spark going.

 

[Sarojaede]

given that you've got a favorite coffee mug, do you have a particular favorite coffee with which to fill it? :>

ed

I seen insomnia bit again.

And no, I don't particularly have a favorite coffee brand or flavor. It's really whatever I'm in the mood for. Heck, you might even find tea in my coffee mug!

 

[Eilan]

What classic/critically acclaimed works of literature have you read and then wondered, "What was so great about that?"

 

[silverwhisper]

SJ quoth:
i see insomnia bit again.

yep. suffice it to say it was a difficult day after. :>



i really enjoyed your answers to the previous questions, incidentally: i ought to have mentioned earlier.

what things do you now appreciate about home ownership that you didn't prior?

ed

 

[Quoll]

What classic/critically acclaimed works of literature have you read and then wondered, "What was so great about that?"

Oooh, I've got to answer this one.
Dan Brown.
Except for the part about classic, critically acclaimed and work of literature.

 

[Sarojaede]

What classic/critically acclaimed works of literature have you read and then wondered, "What was so great about that?"

Sorry it's taken a bit for me to reply. Work has piled up on me a bit.


Let's see....

I remember reading The Catcher in the Rye in high school and enjoying it. I recently re-read it and well, didn't enjoy it so much.

I can't figure out what's so great about The Kite Runner. I didn't think it was well written, and I found the characters hard to connect with.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of those books that got lots of great press and was touted as being a huge critical success. I absolutely HATED it.

Olive Kitteridge grew on me. When I first read it completely through, I wasn't very fond of it, but I went back and revisited it and found that I kept getting more from it, which, to me, is the mark of a good text.

Housekeeping: A Novel, I absolutely loathed for oh so many reasons, chief of which was that the novel was repetitive and the descriptions of the town and characters were morose and repeated over and over and over again. Just how many times can a lake be described in one relatively short novel?