I firmly believe that we are all teachers. We all possess unique sets of talents, skills, and abilities that we pass down informally - for instance, to friends when we show them how to fold an origami crane because we’ve been doing it since we were a kid. Among us walk very talented photographers, calligraphers, artists, poets, crafters, chefs, but we would never know it because we’re not part of their informal circle. We walk by them every day - professors, staff, students. This flows naturally to my philosophy of learning - that we can learn inside and outside the classroom, and that we learn best when we are engaged with the material and the teacher, working in small groups, when we are able to make meaning of what we’re doing. Somehow what we’re learning has to vibe us from the inside and is important to us.

****

I was asked the questions about my philosophy on teaching and learning from a reporter from our campus newspaper, and I this was the hardest, then easiest paragraph to write. It just makes sense to me.

Strangely enough, I was a little leery of who was going to see this philosophy. But if you know me, then you know this to be exactly what I’m all about and why I’m in higher education. To help students make meaning of their education, and to help the students see that they are cultural and academic producers just as much as their teachers are.

Students are powerful too. If only they can embrace that sense of power when they are more often content to be passive receivers of their education. The revolution continues.

Charlene

When I was in college, that rebellious time of my life that I look back on with an evil grin, I stole discovered a brick of lucite. I pulled up Word on my computer (this was before the days of Pages), and typed up the following phrase: Fuck that weak shit.

That was, oh goodness, 17 years ago. Pause. I feel old. Whatever. Anyways, that was 17 years ago. Since then, it’s graced my desk during my masters. My doctorate. And even though I’ve moved a few times since those days, I still have it. The thought has crossed my mind to toss the damn thing, but I can’t seem to do that.

So today, as I was perusing graduate programs in psychology (PhD level. But we’ll discuss that another time…), I remembered this sign. It motivated me to do better when things were difficult. It kept me going when I was ready to believe that people thought I was not good enough. It reminded me that I would never be that weak shit.

The sign sits, where it has for the last 5 years or so, on my dresser. I look forward to the day when I can put it on my desk again to plot my world domination.

Charbo

This is my go to recipe for Pound Cake. If you ever want to make people really really happy, this is the recipe for you. And your house will smell delicious for hours.

Char

From The New Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen

Prep: 15 mins

Baking time: 50-60  mins

Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

Butter and flour for the pans

1 lb. (4 sticks) butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

4 cups flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

2. in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy.

3. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Set aside.

4. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Mix together the milk and vanilla. Add dry and wet alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry. Mix by hand - just enough to blend thoroughly without excess beating.

5. Spread the butter into the prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted all the way down comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a plate. Cool completely before slicing.

What’s the most delicious meal you’ve ever had?

It’s hard to think of the most delicious meal I’ve ever had because you don’t just eat something that’s grand. Usually if I’m out eating, it’s because there’s an occasion. Or there’s a gathering. Or there’s company. Those are often times the seasoning that makes a meal really worth while and interesting. That being said, here are some of my fave meals EVAR:

1. Any meal I’ve ever eaten at Chez Papa. Neighborhood french resto, straight forward french food. Great wait staff, and I’m always there with Husbandido. LOVE that place. Open faced mushroom ravioli, a pinot grigio from france, halibut with mashed potatoes, and amazing lavender creme brulee.

and

2. Any meal I’ve ever had on a retreat with my students. Granted, they’re not uber fancy, but there’s something about being away from civilization, having dinner with some really good people and cooking for each other that’s particularly amazing and wonderful. V. delicious. Word.

There are others, but I’ll leave those for us to have together.

Ask me anything

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/charlobo

I was reluctant to post a resolution because I haven’t even really picked one. Or two. Or three. I just went into the new year thinking that, well, I hope I remember to write 2010 on my checks.

really? who writes checks anymore? i do, jerks. although they’re not frequently written.

Anywhoo, I figured I should think of something because it’s mid-January, and I should start my year off with some productivity. Automatically, I’m going to throw out diet because THAT’S WHAT EVERYONE DOES. And if you know me, I’m not trying to do what everyone else does. Although I may want to because my mom, god bless her, said to me this morning “Maybe you shouldn’t go in Petites anymore.” FML.

What is it about Filipino moms and the not-so-direct route? It’s not subtle, it’s quite overt. It’s not even remotely gentle. It’s a slap. Wow. Thanks. Okay, so back to my resolutions.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Don’t complain - be grateful. In this day and age, it’s real easy to say, FM Boss or my husband is a tool. But it’s also really important to say I am grateful that I have a job. Or my boss could be a total jerkface when this one is quite pleasant. Or at least my husband isn’t a cheating douchebag. It’s reframing. And it’s also reality.
2. Write more. Voila, bitches.
3. Follow through on my projects. Not that I haven’t been, but I want to be able to have my year of creativity vibe back. It was the whole purposeful thing that I miss. I have some cool stuff down the pipeline that I’d like to make real. BRL book #2. Photography. BRL websites.
4. Cook. Christmas present? Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Holy shit, it’s so on.
5. Meditate. I’d love to make this one legit.

So there you go. Five easy ones. It’s not cause they’re easy that I’m doing them, it’s because it’s important, and it’s gonna be done, hon.

Char

I took this picture on 4th Street in Berkeley on a Sunday afternoon. The street was packed with cars looking for spots, and as we were getting Bambina into the car, and a truck waiting for my spot, I whipped out my camera, waved to the truck waiting and snapped this. It was too cool to not snap a pic of.

Table for 20?

I trucked the Little Family out to Richmond/Pinole (I never know which one it is) for dinner with some friends. It was a no-brainer. Something we’ve done as friends for a few years. I don’t even remember when/where we started.

All I know is that it’s always a good time, and all I know is that these are the ties that bind.

The holidays leave me thinking…leave me wondering about what’s coming up or what’s next in my life. The New Year brings loads of resolutions, reflections, and moments whereupon I wonder what new challenge to take on or what thing to redo. As you can tell, I’ve decided to retake up blogging on a more deeper level than the 140 I’ve been giving you. No, you’re welcome.

Anyway, for the last few days I’ve been playing full-time moms; my folks have been away and I have some time off from work. It’s been nice. Busy, but nice. It’s wonderful to see Bambina do Bambina things. Fun to see Husbandido do Husbandido things (pass out in Bambina’s tent…wtf). I’ve lost track of days - I don’t even know what the numeric date is. 2nd? 4th? Monday? Life is delicious like that.

But my routine is still there. Wake up a little early, quality time with Bambina, make coffee for Husbandido, feed parrot. Watch hours upon hours of Sprout. Do Wiggles dances. Geez. No, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It seems simple, uncomplicated. I read books (A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Lovely Bones, Beautiful Struggle, Mountain Man Dance Moves, all the Twilight Books…all in the last month). It’s simple. I tweet. I read updates. Barrel through my RSS feeds. I move through the day fluidly. Certain days it feels languid.

But without the pressure of work and the constant need to produce and serve others, I’m turning inside to listen to myself more and find out not just resolutions, but revolutions and reflections. Three R’s? Maybe.

I am reeling from a friend’s passing. Just a few days ago. I don’t even know how to talk about it or how to put it out there other than this. Over dinner we talked about it in hushed terms, that rawness making it hard to say more than, wow. This whole post, this is the paragraph that I am literally staring at the screen trying to figure out what to say.

Sometimes you don’t have to say anything.

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