Princess Katera

PAD ~ Spring 2007 Visionary and Creative March 25, 2007

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

It is true how within every good st ry, no matter fact or fiction, has a hero, villain, and a great story line. The e ingredients are necessary to capture the attention of those whom you ish to reach. This book written by Joseph Campbell is proclaimed to demon trate how to make an ordinary story a great one. I was always regarded n my group of friends to always have the best stories. It just seems to me a though everything interesting happens to me in my life. I share my stories with my friends and families. i make

sure that I give them the best storY they ever heard every tirne. There is

to participate in many adventures,

so. I am still living within my comfort not think it has effected me, but it may path that i couid have been on now,

never a dull story that I have told.

I can say I have been offer,

however I have never chosen to d

zone and not ready to explore. I d have hindered me. Who knows th

had i chosen to take risks and foU w someone's crazy adventure. Nothing will be able to show me that it woad have been any different If I had. An adventure is an everyday thing. W king up is an adventure. Going to work is an adventure. Going to school i an adventure. I think as I grow older the less prone I will be to going on ad entures. I think that in my younger years, if I had began at a young age, that it would have been possible for me to seek and partake in crazy, wHd ad entures.

Policy environment

370.025 Marine fisheries; policy and stand~rdS.--

(1) The Legislature hereby declares the p Iicy of the state to be management and preservation of

its renewable marine fishery resources, ~ sed upon th~ bes. t ~vailable i~formation, emphasizing protection and enhancement of the man e and estuanne envIronment In such a manner as to provide for optimum sustained benefits nd use to all the people of this state for present and future generations.

(2) The commission is instructed to mak~ recommendations annually to the Governor and the Legislature regarding marine fisheries r search priorities and funding. All administrative and enforcement responsibilities which are u affected by the specific provisions of this act are the responsibility of the commission.

(3) All rules relating to saltwater fisheries ~dopted by the commission shall be consistent with the following standards:

(a) The paramount concern of conservatif: and management measures shall be the continuing health and abundance of the marine fisher" s resources of this state.

(b) Conservation and management measures shall be based upon the best information available, including biological, sociological, econo ic, and other information deemed relevant by the commission.

(c) Conservation and management meas~res shall permit reasonable means and quantities of annual harvest, consistent with maxim~m practicable sustainable stock abundance on a continuing basis.

(d) When possible and practicable, stocks pf fish shall be managed as a biological unit.

(e) Conservation and management mea~ures shall assure proper quality control of marine resources that enter commerce.

(f) State marine fishery management plars shall be developed to implement management of important marine fishery resources.

(g) Conservation and management decisiqns shall be fair and equitable to all the people of this state and carried out in such a manner !that no individual, corporation, or entity acquires an excessive share of such privileges.

(h) Federal fishery management plans and fishery management plans of other states or interstate commissions should be considered when developing state marine fishery management plans. Inconsistencies should be avoided unless it is determined that it is in the best interest of the fisheries or residents of this state to be inc nsistent.

(4) Pursuant to s. 9, Art. IV of the Stat Constitution, the commission has full constitutional rulemaking authority over marine life, and Ii ted species as defined in s. 372.072(3), except for:

(a) Endangered or threatened marine sp ies for which rulemaking shall be done pursuant to chapter 120; and

(b) The authority to regulate fishing gea~in residential, manmade saltwater canals which is retained by the Legislature and specifically ot delegated to the commission.

(c) Marine aquaculture products produce by an individual certified under s. 597.004. This exception does not apply to snook, prohibi ed and restricted marine species identified by rule of the commission, and rulemaking authority g anted pursuant to s. 370.027.

Policy implementation

370.19 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact; implementing legislation.--

Do u know that I know that u don't know that u don't believe me when I voice my opinion , ..... and all of a $udden u know it true, but wont say

so .......... .

Do u know that I know what ever ~ say I know cant hurt me and If I know its wrong I have the right not to re pond, react, or justify.

I bet u dindnt know that I know it eter than u know it to be ....... .

Uhuh

To the bee eye see eye tee sea HI Tis is the end

This is the start of a paper by *****.

1 was recently thinkin how things have changed from when 1 was growin up as a child to how things are now. Back in the d ys children were to be seen and not heard and toda , children are both seen and heard. Today, children are having rights but 1 think we have given th m too many rights. 1 feel that we need to go bac to the old days were parents could discipli e their children without the fear of being punished (which sometimes lead to their arrest) as a res It. 1 feel that the government has taken t ings too far in regards to discipline and punishm nt versus abuse. Our children are being tau ht that if the parent hit them that they have th right to call the cops but what rights does the p rent have when the child hit them the parent or bet er yet when the right to discipline their child has been taken away and hence the child has be orne and unacceptable member of society how do they deal with that. Just recently 1 heard gentl man said, "1 would rather the cops come pick me p for disciplining my child than for the fact they have broken the law". 1 feel children are allowed t do things and get away with it and in return the p-rents are the one who feel the consequence of it uch having to attend court hearing, bonding the c ildren out of jail and having to visit them i jail because if they don't show any interest in t e child then it could be considered that the pa ent has abandoned the child when all they are tryi g to do is teach them tough love. 1 think this is a "child's" world rather than a "parent" world ince the child is the one with the rights and th parents are the ones with the consequence. Don' get me wrong there are parents who take disci lining their child to the extreme but that is fa and few between. 1 think we should go back to t e point where the village raises the child and n t the government.

This is the end of the paper by*****.

This is the start of a paper by Ilene Dover.

I have come to a very s d personal realization over the past week: a graduate degr e in public administration is not going to benefit my care r in any way. I have a steady employment record, I enjoy my job, and it pays reasonably well, but I always feel like I should be striving for something better. I decided to get a master's degree to assist with moving forward. But, it seems like I am going to be stuck where I am beca se I have "pigeon-holed" myself. I feel like I will ha e to spend the rest of my working years in an indust that I'm not sure I want to be involved in.

I have experience in re earch and development, statistical analysis, and fore asting. It is proving difficult for me to find a position wit higher payor that is better in general because I lack supe isory experience. How am I supposed to get supervisory experience if I can't get a position as a supervisor? It as become frustrating to me and I am wondering if I sho ld be obtaining a master's degree in something other t an Public Administration? Maybe thinking about my " tory" in the coming weeks of class will help me to decide what path I want to take and what I need to do to get ther"".

This is the end of the p~per by Ilene Dover.

- This is the state of a paper by ~ negade.

According to answers.com, oseph Campbell wrote in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, that important myths from around the world, those which have survived for tho sands of years, all share a fundamental structure. This fundamental stru ure contains a number of stages, which includes:

1. a call to adventure, which the~ero has to accept or decline,

2. a road of trials, regarding whic the hero succeeds or fails,

3. achieving the goal or "boon," hich often results in important selfknowledge,

4. a return to the ordinary world, ~gain as to which the hero can succeed or fail, and

5. application of the boon in whic~ what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world.

While I did not read the bo k, I realized that Campbell could have been easily talking about having c ildren.

In the first step noted abov ,the hero has to decide whether to accept the adventure of having c i1dren. In step two, the hero is attempting to have the children. nless his wife is a Fertile Myrtle, it could easily be considered a road of tria s. Although the hero may fail in fertilizing the seed of his woman, think that he succeeds either way.

I believe that the third step kes place in the delivery room. The hero sees his son or daughter for he very first time and realizes that he is a dad. Whether he wants to be a ad or not, he knows that he must succeed because this little life is mpletely dependant on him for many years to come. The hero may hav thought, "I can't do it," but the sight of his newborn may pull something f om deep inside that makes him realize that he can- he must succeed.

The fourth step could be re~trning to a normal life after the pregnancy. New cars have been p rchased, perhaps a new home, the house has been baby-proofed, th relatives are coming over entirely too much now.

Finally, the fifth step is whe~ the child is out on his/her own and is staking their claim on the world: resident, terrorist, violinist, Bill Engvall, FAU professor. How you have trai ed and brought up this child will impact the world- forever.

- This is the end of the paper by Rfenegade.

Ms. Nicky 03/26/07

This is the start of a paper b Ms. Nicky. Somehow it seems natural that we all have a typical human e perience that a vast number of people may be able to relate to. However, when the time comes to present and share these stories, we usually encounte an element of relapse. This may result from our own fears, insecurity an interpretations. Nonetheless, in reading others stories, we see how past an future experience help shape our lives, thus creating archetypes.

This is how I would like to beg n my journey. I grew up in a home in which one would respect her elder and where family was the foundation. Yet despite my upbringing in such a loving family, there was always some element of upheaval. Most of the isorder was amongst my siblings, as a result we were nicknamed Iran & raq. The obstacles that divided us were so insignificant yet we saw our broth r as the villain. He would be so distressed over the thought that his sisters w e constantly at each other that he would portray different characters. Durin his mentoring role, he was able to get through to us by helping us encou ter our demons. Through this experience, I am able to expand on my story b evaluating my life and the question that arises is what type of archetypes a I faced with constantly and how do I overcome them? You may wonder what my purpose is for seeking such information. Well, quite frankly it erves to add to my story. Recently events in both my personal and professio al experience have encouraged me to focus on improving my life. For e ample, I found some of Powers' questions helpful in shaping my Ii e experience:

· If natural events take their curse, how will this look in twenty years?

Could this be, or has this be n, used for anything else?

· Is this fulfilling its original i tent? At the time this was created, what alternatives were discarded? Might they be revived today?

· Who or what has an interest in keeping this the same? Who has an interest in changing it?

· What are the essential featu*s of the whole system of which it is a part? How else could the sy~tem purpose be met?

Therefore, as I continue to reflect ~n those questions, I encourage you to stay tune for the next episode of my stofy. This is the end of the paper by Ms. Nicky.

This is the start of a paper by Bus whacker.

Most of my married life has bee absolute bliss. I have been married for twenty-seven years and live in a 1 vely suburban house in the area. I have had a very successful and fulfill' ng professional working life which has afforded iny three children the v finest of things. My children's names and ages are: Mary (age 26), Cat arine (age 23), and Jonathon (age 20). I love them aU.

, ' ,

Mary has recently compl ted her training and internship as an

anesthesiologist. Her husband as a partnership in one of Palm Beach County's most influential law fi s. They have two children: Anthony (age 17), and Arial (age 15). Th have been raised in a life of luxury and appear to have taken advantage of their position in life. Anthony has completed two years of gener 1 college course work at Palm Beach Community College and is prep . ng to finish his pre-med training at the University of Miami and will go into brain and nervous system disorders, trauma and regenerative resea ch involving fetal and chromosomal enhancement methods. Ariallove music. She has completely mastered the piano, guitar and mid-eastern ar drums. She has gained national recognition through her various ompetitions with University level talent from around the world.

Catherine is completing he first assignment in the United States Air Force. She graduated from the SAF academy in 2003. Afterwards she was commissioned as a second Ii utenant in the service. In four years she has attained the rank of Colonel. he is one of only 75 people in the history of the US Air Force who have r ached this level of success in four years. And lastly there is Jonathon. H is a winner. He has shown interest in medicine and law and will m st assuredly obtain credentials in both professions.

Last Thursday I decided to 0 home for lunch. I usually do not do so because of my very time limited ys. My wife is usually not there either due to her very generous involv ent in the social causes in Palm Beach County. I arrived home and saw y wife's car in the garage and went inside the house. I heard two people's v ices in our upstairs bedroom. As I walked up the stairs toward our bedroom I could hear a man's voice emoting very passionate conversation with exc table tones. My heart was sinking just thinking about what was behind e door of our bedroom. I could not stop going toward the passionate voic s. Feelings of anger, fear, and loss were chocking my breath. Why was thi happening? I stood at the door with tears in my eyes. I opened the door saw what I could not believe. My wife had left our television on with no one in the room. How could she not see the wastefulness of electrical e ergy when no one was watching the television? I looked out the ba k window and saw her working in her garden. I will have a talk with her and hopefully this will not happen again. This is the end of the paper by Bu hwhacker.

This is the start of my paper by J.P. Prewitt.

After noticing the various po tings of mind room depictions. I have decided to share mine as well. The ntry door, which leads to my room, is. that of a dark wood color, almost bl~ck. It is simplistic at first glance with a 1920's doorknob made of black ste I with a thumb latch. The appearance oj the chamber is oval with vaulted cei ing. Dark wooden floors stretch throughout with various oriental rug overlaid. The walls of my mind room consist of ceiling high book cabinet . Library style sliding ladders allow for access to the highest shelf. This she ving of old books spans the entire room except for the wall directly adjacent from the main entrance. There stands a giant fireplace made of stone. Adja1ent to the fireplace on top of the various rugs sits a dark brown leather oxfor~ chair. To the left of the chair is an old world globe, freestanding. My mind I room is dim lighted and smells of old books. The makeup of my viewing rbom is much of the same decor. Old leather furniture, wooden floors ecl. There is a stage with burgundy curtains and an elongated window, which 10 ks out to a placid lake.

I am not sure if there is any eaning or relevance to my mind room. I for such a place was based on mystery and intrigue. Because this mind root is up in the sky, in a surreal setting, I designed my room accordingly.

This is the start of a paper by Iphaba.

After the class discussio this week I went back and read the two links that Dr. Mendell aske us to look at regarding the Hero's Journey and character archety es. From the discussion I know the goal is that we are supposed t create our own life stories and identify those special character in our lives that shape our stories and journeys. I understand the oncepts of the story and the characters, after all I was an E glish major during my undergrad and I specialized in Mythology, there ore this is not foreign to me at all. During class I know I should ha e been trying to adapt this story making into my own life but an ther interest was sparked much more drastically. I have a passion for reading. When I read a book the story plays out in my mind like a mo ie. Somewhere in me is the desire to write novels like the ones I rea . So instead of concentrating on my own life I was getting slammed with ideas for story lines and characters. During the course f the class I came up with six or seven story ideas and two to three ch racters for each story. I am looking forward to graduation in almost a month because I want to start focusing some of my energy in pursuing my writing. I always believed that I hated writing and I would Iways tell people that I was an English major for the reading b t definitely not for the writing. This class has helped me realize th t it's not writing I hate; its technical, boring, essay writing for "_schol rly journals" that I hate writing. If I get nothing more out of this class b t a new found love of writing than I feel that it was definitely worth king.

This is the end of the pap r by Elphaba.

This is the start of a paperlwritten by Princess Leah,

I am really going to iss Professor Mendell because he has been the best teacher I have had in my whole college experience. I have taken im for four classes and wish I could have had him for m reo He has not only been the best professor but also a speci I friend on mine. He is so thoughtful and would do a ything for anybody. He is funny, huh? I am not writing this 0 brown nose because A. He doesn't read the papers, e er, and B. I know I have an A. I am writing this just becau e I appreciate him very much and wish him a happy and rela ing retirement.

This is a very str~ssf I week for me because I have two papers due and a large e m to study for. I have been trying to go in the mind ro m myself to relax and even thought I can't do it the w y Mendell did in class, I can make myself relax.

If anyone in class is ading my paper, maybe you can help out. I am an undergr d in this class but am thinking about the masters in PAD. How is the program? Are there enough classes offered e ch semester? Who is a good teacher to take? How ear y did you apply for it? It is April now, is it too late for me t apply to go in fall? I will be graduating this May. Any dvice? Thank you!

This is the end of a paper ~ritten by Princess Leah.

This is the start of the paper byl world traveler. ..

I am actually looking forw rd to the next few weeks of class. I think it is exciting to hear about people's lives. I know that there are things that we all would rather eep to ourselves but to learn about someone else puts a new and interesting perspective on your own life.

When Dr. Mendell said th t we are going to be looking at our lives in general and in the hero s journey mind frame, it peaked my interest. My first reaction/thoug t was, wow! Look at all that I have done in my life. The next thoug t was, why can't I go back to leading an exciting life? And then my fi al thought was, where is the passion I used to have about life.

Now don't get me wrong, I love being a wife, mother and woman.

But I feel as if my life is stagna t and unorganized. I remember the days in high school when I kne what I wanted to study, where I wanted to go to college, and w at I wanted to do. I attended my dream school! I worked at many of th organizations I dreamed of working for. I studied abroad and travel d throughout Europe. I got my first job and then a year abroad for vol nteer work and ever since then, I have been lost.

My passion for a specific ield is no longer there. My desire to work 11 Oak no longer exists. M ability to choose and feel confident with my choices is gone. I feel s if I came to a crossroads in my life and since then I have not been able to get back on track.

Sometimes I think that re lity has gotten in the way. If I hadn't had to worry about health insu nce, credit, money, job experience, purchasing a home ... 1 might st II be idealistic. However, I also know that without being an adult, I w uld not be able to do many of things I have done and want to do. So s they say, with age comes responsibility.

Thanx for reading throug~ this ... This is the end of the paper by world traveler ...

This is the start of another paper ~y HeavyMetal.

The seventh class, as well s comments from the sixth papers submitted will be the topic. It wa good to get beyond the mind room and move into storytelling. The refer nces to Star Wars in the web links keep the reading interesting, since I like t e movies and can relate. I don't know how successful I'll be trying to relate y life to the Hero's Journey or the archetypes, but I'm sure I can thi of some protagonists and especially some antagonists.

Great comments on the pa ers submitted this week. I loved the Princess Katera advice to move t Okeechobee, probably a good idea considering the cost to buy and k ep a house in Broward or Palm Beach County. Beach Belle made me al 0 think of Spring Break, glad you enjoyed, let the March Madness continue! Go Gators!

I'm curious as to what disg sting topic was discussed in the breakout group by chut*pah18. Must have been something. Driving Range Golfer reminded me, I have the same iss e at work with people holding prayer groups, is there a church/state se aration? Welcome back to reality Princess Leah from Vegas, I assume what ent on in Vegas stays in Vegas! Also food for thought on the political orrectness from Irenegade. Anita Bath, you reminded me of Dr. Farazmand's Org Theory class. Does any of that theory really apply in the real workplace. Everyone also seemed to have similar comments about the mind room a d the Power's questions, interesting how they can be related to the workpl ceo And someone is definitely anti-thong!

This is the end of the pape~ by HeavyMetal.

The old saying, "it's a vision thing", is used to conceal the hard work, ruthless ambition and drive of an individual or 0 'ganization achieve dominance in my opinion. That the company or agency has a 'visi n' is too simplistic or a myth to explain the success of the entity. The hero of the ag ncy, a cop who brave the bullets of criminals to stop crime or save a life; a corporate Ie- der who save the company from bankruptcy are appealing stories and the type of examp es that people enjoy to hear and read about. But did these individuals or entities have vis'on as to where they were headed? Or did they seize the oppOliunity to take action whe those around them were afraid to or unable to act. The question then becomes, is it vis on or action and which comes first?

In management and other organizati ns where human interaction takes place, the heroes, villains, wise men or women, th~ fools or the charlatans all are part of the success or failure of an entity. The problem is th t each one can have a vision and each one can take action. Why is this problem? Becm se the results may differ with each one of these individuals response depend on the situ, tion at hand, which can cause either harm or good considering other variables, So yo 1 could argue that the environment, the circumstances, the individual actions an 1 timing all playa role in the 'vision' of what the organization should look like, its directi' n to achieve certain goals. Therefore, a number of variety characters can become the helo, the villain or the wise one. This is made possible by the individual or entity havir g took action and visualizes the direction they want to go, So you could say that vision without action is a myth, thus no hero will emerge.

The obstacles, the intrigues, the setb cks are all part of the nanative of an organization downfall or success and the individuals nvolved. Wnat make such stories compelling is the actions of all those characters and th ir behavior. Whether hero or villain, the person has a vision of the world that is based in reality or fantasy, which ever suits them? In either case, what happens next is what k eps us interested in the story and the myths that they create. Both organizations and gov mment entities need myth and heroes to exemplify the ideas, goals and aspiratio of all those involved. Story telling is pali of human nature since the stone-age. The c eation of the hero, the vision and the myth enable us to understand that people need something beyond themselves to believe in order to achieve what they want in life. I is how we deal with the trials of life that teaches us what to do al1d how to do it b looking at others in the form a story, a code of ethics or social contract we have with Ol r nation. And to accomplish these goals takes both vision and action.

This is the start of a paper by Rose s~ealth.

When discussing the "hero's jo rney" in class, it was difficult considering myself as a "hero", However, for this purpose, I will attempt to place myself in the shoes of a "hero".

The structure of the typical her's journey is as follows: (1) a call to adventure, (2) refusal of the call, (3) eeting the mentor, (4) tests, allies, enemiesexperimenting with first change, (5) a proach the inmost cave, (6) ordeal, (7) reward, (8) road back, (9) resurrectio ,and (10) final mastery of the problem. I related this hero's journey to my jour ey through this master's program.

My experience through the FA MPA program follows the hero's journey as such:

(1) Call to adventure - I calledfn myself to begin my MPA.

(2) Refusal of the call- I stopp d attending classes to ensure that an MPA was the degree that I truly anted.

(3) Meeting the mentor - I spo e with my supervisor at the time who encouraged me to continu~.

(4) Tests, allies, enemies - Eath class showed me tests (in the literal sense), allies, and enemies. Plus, ~ learned that my closest friends could also be enemies!

(5) Approach the inmost cave + This was my schedule one year prior to

graduation!

(6) Ordeal - I like to call this Research Method's I!

(7) Reward - Graduation (8) Road back - This is the tra~sition from having schoolwork and classes to

nothing at all after work! (9) Resurrection - Probably sp~nding all the missed quality time with family and friends!

(10) Final mastery - I'm assurring this will be when I've balanced my life again without school!

There are also archetypes rela ed with the hero's journey. For instance, the herald often makes the call to advent reo However, I did not have a herald that I can specify for this herald. Another archetype is the threshold guardian. I relate the threshold guardian to the admissi ns office at FAU. The mentor for my MPA program is my prior supervisor who g aduated from FAU with a MPA. She saw my potential, my drive, and the possibilit of my advancement with an MPA degree.

A negative archetype is that of a Shadow. My shadows, oddly enough, are my close friends. While pursuing my master's degree, my friends, as much as they support me and want me to succeed, they also want to go out and have a good time. They can be the enemies to m long term goals by giving me alcohol!!!

This is the end of a paper by R se Stealth.

This is the start of the paper by XII ...

I have enjoyed the recent lect res regarding the use of storytelling as an effective paradigm for the exami ation of one's life. In fact, I believe that many of our lives can be adequat ly characterized as adventures or stories that have yet to have been told or written. The archetypes that are found in stories are often represented in 0 r personal or professional lives to some degree. I believe that these chara ters can be found all around us if we look carefully and closely.

I have had several mentors th have helped me to avoid trouble, take advantage of opportunities and g nerally lead me in a positive direction while guiding me away from pot ntial disasters. We all need mentors in our lives and I hope to find a professi nal mentor once I embark upon my new career.

Dr. Mendel's discussion ofth threshold guardian in relation to some former Phd students was quite di tressing. I cannot imagine pouring three years of time and energy into a ri orous doctoral program only to have the rug pulled out from underneath b someone who was once a mentor. I am sure there are several details miss ng from this story such as a level of incompetence by the student, rep atedly failing the comp exams, or failing to propose a coherent dissertation

The shadow was an interestin concept as well and I believe that there are several people in my life that ould meet this description. They often remain neutral in disputes and lea e others wondering where they actually stand on a given issue. However, hese characters should be treated with a quiet respect, as one is never awa e of the impact that they could have upon our professional or personal lives.

I look forward to our diSCUSSiOtS and lectures on story archetypes and how we can apply this concept in 0 our daily lives. Although there is a loose framework for the course, it has h lped to increase my peripheral view of life and enhance my creativity.

This is the end of the paper by X I \ ....

This is the start of a paper by chut~pah18 March 26, 2007

I realize now that my last entry fit in very well with yesterday's class. I say this because in my last entry I rec mmended some books on writing and last night's class was on the topic on s ory telling. Professor Mendel says he would like the class to look at thei own life as though it was a novel and that they should be the protagonis or the antagonist in the novel which is their life. I already imagine my Ii e as though it was a novel. Maybe this is because I am a writer and I have ad unusual obstacles in my life. I switch roles depending on life's circumst nces. Sometimes I am an antagonist, and sometimes a protagonist. I also D und that when Professor Mendel was going over different types of char cters my characters fits into those roles, and depending on the chapter of t e book that I am working on they often switch roles becoming a different ype of character. For example in one chapter character A can be encour ging character B to do something, giving advice about the life situation of c aracter A. Whereas in another chapter character a can be discouraging c aracter B from performing an action. Professor Mendel also talked a lot about characters in books who seemed very ordinary and who have extra rdinary events occur around them. If anyone is interested in reading a p ge turning mystery which can at times seem amusing, you should check ut my favorite author, Rochelle Krich. Her website is www.RochelleKrih.com. She has written several stand alone mysteries as well as two ser es of books. My favorite series from her has within in it four books at this t' me. I am hoping she will write a fifth book for the series, at the very lea t. So far, the titles in the series are as follows: Blues in the Night, Drea House, Grave Endings, and Now You See Me. I find it interesting how rofessor Mendel compares life to a novel. In the novel Now You See Me, th author compares life to a movie or video. My goals for this week in writing re working on chapter 6 in one of my short stories, and continue to wor on my novel. Last week I thought I would have a lot more time. I sat own at my computer with the intention to work on those projects. Then I go an email from a friend who said she needed something written for a w rkshop so I did that instead. I won't say what kind of workshop because th t would give my classmates a clue as to who I am. I finished the work for hat class, emailed it and she will use it on this coming Sunday.

This is the end of a paper by chutzbah18

This is the start of a pap r by the driving range golfer. I accept calls to adventure fairly well. I ike change, especially when it will be slightly challenging and allow e to experience something new. I realized this about myself duri g a workshop on employee motivatiol The facilitator reviewed the m Itiple characters in Spencer Johnson'~ book: Who Moved M Cheese .. I see myself most like the characte "Sniff." Sniff is normally the s ond person to move when a situation arises that calls for change. H snifts out the situation and happily moves towards that change wi h little caution. My feelings about change allow me to accept cal s to adventure more easily. Over the past several years, I have ac pted several calls to adventure including: traveling abroad, pu chasing a condo, starting the MPA program, accepting two job pr motions, getting married, and playing a more active role in my churc . Unlike the characters in Star Wars, my calls to adventure have be n pretty normal. I have yet to face an irresistable adventure that tur s my world upside down. My adventures thus far have bee rooted more in need or curiosity, thar a call to save the galaxy. I don't even forsee an extreme calls to adventure in my future. I do n t plan to start a campaign to end one of life's tragedies or to sell my place and become a traveling something. I will likely follow t e every day calls to adventure like having children or joining my f mily's business.

Maybe I need a mentor encourage and teach me how to 100 for and accept more extreme ails to adventure. I feel fortunate in th:

I have had many mentors thro ghout my life; the greatest being my father. He taught me I could d anything I wanted and how to evaluate if what I wanted was egitimate, beneficial, and unselfish. Perhaps logic keeps me from hese more glorious calls to adventure Another great mentor in my lif has been my Aunt, who is forever pushing the envelop on what ociety has ignorantly accepted as normal. She would be more Ii ely to move me towards an extreme adventure such as selling eve hing and joing the Peace Corp. (witt or without my spouse).

People accept radical lis to adventure for three reasons.

Some feel "called" and have a ways known that someone day they would dedicate their lives to a urpose. Others have a personal experience that sparks them t accept the call to adventure. Still, other may simply have an unh althy need for risk. Maybe this class will be my call to adventure. T is is the end of a paper by the driving range golfer.

This is the start of a paper b Boss Lady '08. We are now approximately three-fourths of the way through the t rm with the last class scheduled for Monday, April 23, 2007. This has been a ve intriguing and thought-provoking course. Of course, Dr. Mendell is now very well known for his humor, wit and personal storytelling. This brings me to the main t pic for this journal entry and the highlight for last week's class-storytelling.

What better topic could be utilized to conduct a class on creative thinking?

Some of the highlights of the class di cussion included: What makes a good story? What kind of story is your life going t be? Are there theories about story-telling?

All of our lives in more cases t an none, we have been exposed to, forced to listen to, eased dropped on, heard y accident or coincidence a story-whether good, bad, exciting, dramatic, fictitio s, true, humorous or dull. Somehow though, the human mind is in most cases c ptured by the telling of a story. Most young children entering school for the first ime are introduced to the world of education through story-telling in a variety of w ys (lyrics of a song, a fancy tale, poem, or the most popular Mother Goose). Again, somehow the mind embraces the words, lines, lyrics, verses and/or rhymes and mai tains a strong hold for a very, very long time. By the time we enter young adultho d, we have created our own personal stories and enter as main characters, extras or narrators. A transition into As we begin to transition into the golden years, the stories will or have become more detailed, insightful, thought-provoking, humorous, creative and in some instances educational (as evidenced through Dr. Mendell's story-telling tactics.

We were also introduced to a guide to Joseph Campbell's book "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" which so rtistically outlines the art of story-telling with strong emphasis on the role and 0 hestrated actions of the hero. Roles of the central character, protagonist and a tagonist were also introduced, identified and illustrated during this class session. Students were asked to start thinking about their life as a story and to start tel ing the story. Details of Melinda Goodin's "Archetypes in the Hero's Journey" w s an interesting little piece that added flavor to the discussion.

Being asked to move out of on's comfort zone, and to be able to recognize a "call to adventure" sounds inviting-t an extent. Looking forward to more practice with these stunts as it feels this is ju t what I have experienced over the past two years with employment, finances, fait and other everyday experiences. The tasks keep getting more and more difficult i appears. The move from employment in the public sector (which I had grown to 10 e so much) to employment in the private and non-profit sector will certainly be one f the highlights of "my story" and story-telling. Whew-let's talk about a call to adv nture! This is the end of the paper by Boss Lady '08.

My very belief and experience 0 a loving and endlessly creative God has led me to trust in both. I've had t e good fortune of teaching and preaching across the states of Florida, whil also struggling to make sense of my experience in my own tiny world This life journey has led me to love mystery and not feel the need to hange it or make it un-mysterious. This has put me at odds with many other elievers I know who seem to need explanations for everything.

Religious belief has made me co fortable with ambiguity. "Hints and guesses," as T.S. Eliot would say I often spend the season of Lent in a hermitage, where I live alone for the whole 40 days. The more I am alone with the Alone, the more I surren er to ambivalence, to happy contradictions and seeming inconsistencies in yself and almost everything else, including God. Paradoxes don't scare me a ymore.

When I was young, I couldn't to~rate such ambiguity. My education had trained me to have a lust for ans ers and explanations. Now, it's all quite different. I no longer believe this is a quid pro quo universe.

Whenever I think there's a perfee pattern, further reading and study reveal an exception. Whenever I want t say "only" or "always," someone or something proves me wrong. My scientist friends have come up with things like "principles of uncertainty" a d dark holes. They're willing to live inside imagined hypotheses and theorie . But many religious folks insist on answers that are always true. We love closure, resolution and clarity, while thinking that we are people of "f: ith"! How strange that the very word "faith" has come to mean its exa t opposite.

People who have really met the oly are always humble. It's the people who don't know who usually pretend t at they do. People who've had any genuine spiritual experience alw ys know they don't know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They a e in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, an a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind. It is a litmus test for authe tic God experience, and is -- quite sadly -absent from much of our religiou conversation today. My belief and comfort is in the depths of Myste , which should be the very task of religion.

By Dammien