Farmer’s Markets in Columbus

We didn’t really have farmer’s markets in San Antonio, so I didn’t know what I was missing until I moved to Ohio. Last year, we sometimes spent Saturday mornings biking up to the Clintonville’s farmer’s market and fighting crowds to buy the tiny, dense strawberries or some exotic squash I’d never before seen. This year, my husband and I decided to buy a CSA (community supported agriculture) share, and we pick it up every Saturday morning at North Market.

So Saturdays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. I love getting up early and either catching the bus or riding our bikes downtown (we tried to drive once and parking on Saturday morning at North Market is not advised). Our share is made up of whatever is ready to be harvested on our farm that week, and yes, we’ve started thinking of it as “our farm” even though we’ve never been within ten miles of it.

Because we don’t get to choose what we’re getting, we end up with a lot of stuff that we honestly have no idea what to do with, but a few good cookbooks have helped us, and we’re having the best time trying things like broccoli rabe or scarlet queen turnips. And it really is all new to me – before last week, I had never eaten peas that hadn’t come out of a silver can.

Whenever I talk to my Ohio friends about how lucky they are to get such great food in the summer, they tell me it’s nothing unusual, but it is. You can tell in the grocery stores here; there are no melons or corn in January, and when there’s snow on the ground, you can buy strawberries but you’re going to pay for them. In San Antonio, the strawberries you buy in May and June are the same ones you buy all year long – big California strawberries whose red color is only skin deep.

It took a lot of effort to convince my husband to invest in the CSA share, and it’s not without risk, because if something happens to “our farm”, some drought or flood or blight, we lose our investment. But so far it has been absolutely worth it. We’ve eaten so well, and so nutritiously and responsibly, and for a lot less than we would pay if we bought everything individually every week. And what a novel thing for us that we know where our food came from. If you’re from Ohio, you’re already used to this.

What are your favorite farmer’s markets in the area, and what are the best things to buy?

Do you find it harder to go to school in the summer?

I wonder if my twelve years of summers off before college got me used to taking a nice long summer break. I’m finding it hard to get back to work! I feel like I studied really hard all year long, and I’m proud of what I accomplished, and now I just want to take my son to the pool by our house and grill on the back patio, and maybe if it gets too hot, we’d go to the library or see a movie. Instead, I need to get myself going. School started Monday, and I’m embarrassed to tell you I haven’t even really logged on or read a syllabus, and I’m usually the student who has all of this stuff printed out the second it goes up on Blackboard.

I tried to find statistics or anecdotal evidence about student motivation in summer quarter but didn’t come up with much. Does anybody else feel that your drive to study is inversely related to the amount of sunshine outside? I know the previous blogger Erin polled students about why they skipped class, and 13% checked the reply: “Nice weather – better to be outside.” Don’t you think that with the six months of winter we enjoy in Ohio we’d better soak up the sunshine while we can?

Of course, I’m just rationalizing. I think I’d better log on to Blackboard and introduce myself to my new classmates. Welcome back to school, everyone, and don’t forget that campus is closed this Friday and Saturday for Independence Day!

Have you seen the Columbus Clippers at their new ballpark yet?

My family and I decided to attend the first “dime-a-dog” night last Monday, and we were shocked by how busy the new stadium was. I guess there’s a lot to draw a crowd this year, though, what with the new facility, and the Clippers’ new affiliation with the Cleveland Indians, and of course, the ten cent hot dogs. The size of the crowd and the newness and niceness of the ballpark made me feel like I was watching a really inexpensive majors game.

We did have an issue with sound, however. We were in the lawn seats, which aren’t actually on a lawn, and we couldn’t hear the announcer. You know how it’s sometimes hard to follow live games because there are so many distractions? Without being able to hear anything, there was definitely a separation between us and the action on the field. Nobody really knew what was going on at any given moment. And we probably won’t go again on a dime-a-dog night either; it took five innings for the people in the row behind us to go and come back with their hot dogs. But the hot dogs looked good, so we’d be willing to pay full price if we could get them and come back in one inning.

It was a beautiful park, and we watched the sun set, and my son loved the Clippers’ mascot Louseal (which is a seal but he was convinced it was a cat – there aren’t a lot of seals in our neighborhood). Everybody around us was in such a fantastic mood, which frankly is a little surprising given the size of the crowd and the wait for hot dogs. We didn’t make it to the end of the game, which won’t surprise any parents of two year olds, but we made it long enough to have a really pleasant summer-y evening.

Did you read the article about CSCC in the Sunday Dispatch?

Two days after I attended graduation, I found myself seated at my kitchen table with a big cup of coffee and maybe five minutes of quiet to read (scan, really) the Sunday paper. (Before I had a child, this used to be one of my favorite things to do but now it happens maybe once a month, if I’m lucky.)

On the front page, there was an article about CSCC entitled “At the Crossroads,” and it discussed how CSCC is changing, and how we’re setting enrollment records, but how we’re still not reaching “enough of the people who experts say need education the most: working adults.” The article echoed a lot of the things I’d heard on Friday, particularly the things Ohio’s Treasurer of State, Kevin L. Boyce, had to say.

Encarnacion Pyle, the writer of the article, states that: “Without qualified workers, Ohio can’t attract and grow business,” and she adds that “Education also translates into higher pay.”

Kevin Boyce told the graduating class that the blue collar jobs that used to support a family are disappearing and that education is going to be key in the new economy. He emphasized the importance of an educated workforce in attracting jobs to our region.

The article profiled several older adults, and the roles they sometimes play at the college: transfer student, displaced worker, and those in search of a second career.

In order to attract and retain older students, CSCC is expanding online and accelerated course options, opening a new campus in Delaware, Ohio, and recruiting older students at “charities, churches, GED centers and even the unemployment office.” Statewide, tuition has been frozen at all Ohio public schools for the last two years, and the budget currently before the legislature would continue that tuition freeze at community colleges for the next two years, which is fantastic news for all of us students.

It was also interesting to me to hear that more than half of community college students work more than 20 hours per week, more than a third are the first in their families to go to college, and that thirty percent have children at home.

To me, it seems that CSCC is all things to all people. As the article noted in the “Student profiles” section: “Teens who are looking for job skills, high-school graduates who want an affordable bridge to a four-year college and older adults who need retraining are all potential Columbus State Community College students.”

Last Friday, there were graduates from 49 different career and technical programs, ranging from early childhood development, to real estate, to digital design and graphics, to the many varieties of allied health and nursing programs. If you were at spring graduation, you heard Dr. Moeller tell the crowd that Columbus is full of CSCC graduates, working in all lines of work, and in all industries.

Everybody’s welcome here, and we’re here for such different reasons.

Congratulations, graduates!

I cry way more at graduations than I do at weddings. Really, I get teary as soon as I hear the beginning strains of Pomp and Circumstance, and as soon as I see the broad smiles underneath the tasseled caps. Is there any other event that’s so universally happy and meaningful? There was so much pride in the audience at Friday’s graduation, and so many stories, and so much hard work and accomplishment. I saw cell phones, camcorders, and cameras all recording the event, and families craning to find their own graduate in a sea of black robes.

“You succeeded for one reason: the quality of your work,” Dr. Valeriana Moeller, the college president, told the crowd. She then added that there were almost 40,000 CSCC graduates in Columbus, in all lines of work: in construction, in health care, in education. “My one request,” she told the graduates, “is that you join them, working hard for this community. With great education comes great responsibility.”

Ohio’s Treasurer of State, Kevin Boyce, added to this theme of continued work and responsibility by crediting his own success to being prepared for opportunity, and by advising graduates to do the same. He also gave some stats that I found interesting: on average, a person with an associate’s degree earns 20% more than a high school graduate, and a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn a million dollars more in their lifetime. He addressed the changes in our economy, and the disappearance of many blue collar jobs, and the need for education for tomorrow’s jobs.

Boyce told the crowd that they have a responsibility toward their communities, too. He quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that we are in an “inescapable network of mutuality,” a phrase I had not heard before, but that I liked very much. “We’re all in this together, basically.”

And when Paul Case, the valedictorian, rose to deliver his speech, he began by telling the crowd how he found himself back in a classroom after many years working in construction. On September 11, 2004, he was working at a construction site and he fell thirty feet, and he was confined to a wheelchair. He decided to go back to school, and now he’s graduating at the top of his class with a degree in Construction Management.

It’s not easy to go to college. All of us have other responsibilities, and some people have more demands on their time and energies than do others. And yet, even graduating into a recession, the lives of the men and women who graduated last Friday will be immeasurably better for the education, for the accomplishment, and for the examples they have set for their children. Sitting in the audience and hearing the names called as the graduates crossed the stage, I wasn’t the only one blinking back a tear or two.

Motherhood, wifehood, studenthood… How do you fit everything in?

So I have 1) a husband in grad school at OSU, 2) an almost two year old son and 3) a full load of courses at CSCC.

I know some of you have your time limited even further than I do – some of you have one or two jobs to contend with as well, and some of you have even larger families. I’m interested in finding out how people are juggling all of these responsibilities, especially because there are a lot of parents at CSCC.

How do you study for exams (with me it’s especially hard because this is the exact time my husband is studying for his exams and he’s at school all day for basically two weeks) and finish your papers and get everybody fed and get everybody to doctor’s appointments etc?

If anybody has ever read the Judy Brady essay “I Want a Wife,” or you have children yourselves, you know what I mean. Sometimes I feel like the narrator of the essay does, only much much less bitter.

And if you are having a hard time fitting everything in, what’s the first thing to go? Your classes or grades? Or do you start feeding your family from a dollar menu? And does your family understand and support your educational goals, or is it something you have to figure out on your own?

Will the Amazon Kindle Propel a Digital Ignition?

Amazon.com is getting ready to launch the Kindle DX with the first pre-orders being sent out June 10^th, followed by new orders being processed on a first come, first serve basis.  As a student at Columbus State, majoring in Electronics Engineering Technology, I was excited about the prospects of owning a Kindle DX.  As I looked over the technical details, my mind and lower back were delighted with the notion that I could soon be carrying around an 18.9 ounce portable device filled with all my textbooks.

I had heard of the Amazon Kindle before, but never really paid any attention to all the hype.  I was once the proud owner of a Nuvomedia Rocket eBook, one of the first eBook readers that could hold approximately 10 novels.  The Rocket eBook was eventually bought out and is not currently being manufactured.  I guess my previous eBook experience did not go over so well and I disregarded anything that mentioned “eBooks” for fear it was just an over-hyped fad that was going to slowly fizzle out along with any money I spent with it.

This time around however, I feel the Kindle is going to be the fuel that propels the eBook world to whole new levels.  Amazon has sparked my interest to once again evaluate the possibilities of a digital resource.  One of the best things I quickly noticed with the Kindle was being able to purchase newspaper subscriptions.  This feature alone is a big selling point to me.  There are several papers to which I would like to subscribe, but have been reluctant to because I don’t want to deal with all the papers piling up and needing to haul them off to be recycled.  I have also disliked the size of newspapers.  Images of my father sipping on some coffee with the newspaper spread out across the table and falling onto the floor quickly come to mind.  I would prefer a much more organized, cleaner and paperless method of getting my news.

With newspapers all across the country declining in circulation and profitability, I would think they would be one of the first in line to transform over to this new media and help push it forward.  In the article, “Should newspapers shut down their presses?” James Moore states “It is argued that papers still make money and that many people still don’t have computers.  There was once a time when a lot of people didn’t have telephones or televisions either.  Those devices are now ubiquitous, and computers can also be publicly accessed just as easily.”(289)

I could easily subscribe to any of these online newspapers and read them on my desktop or on the go through my laptop… but I want a platform the size of the Kindle DX (9.7″ diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, Size: 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″) which is easier to carry around and more convenient for reading than with my Apple iTouch.  The auto rotating screen, built in 3G wireless, ability to hold up to 3,500 books and PDF reader are all bonuses that help to make this a much more attractive reader to me than my past experience with the Rocket eBook.

While reading through some blog posts, I discovered that others may not be as excited as I am with the possibilities that the Kindle brings.  One of the biggest arguments was on whether or not eBooks would replace traditional printed books.  I feel there were always be a need for printed books to reach certain markets, but for publishers to be able to grow profits they need to seriously consider the upside of eBooks and new markets of readers.  ePublishing can be a huge factor in cost savings.  Former Random House Editorial Director Jason Epstein states in the article “The Future of Books” by Sarah Glazer that the publishing model of the last 500 years is headed for extinction.  “Today you go directly from the digital file to the end user with nothing in between.  That means you can store in theory every book ever written in whatever language at practically no cost.  And deliver that file practically anywhere on Earth at no cost.”  (476)

I for one would think that journalist and authors would also embrace this media.  I have read countless articles mentioning the freezing of manuscripts and layoffs in editorial staffs during these economic times.  Whether or not Amazon saw this coming or not, leaves me to believe they are going to be the leader in this industry through the Kindle and future versions.  With over 300,000 books, magazines and newspapers ready to download they are strategically placed in the position to help bring to light a new paradigm shift into the publishing world.

Another recurring buzz in the blogging world seems to be focusing on the cost of the Kindle DX.  At $489.00 at first glance does seem like a steep price to pay, especially as a college student on a limited budget.  If you factor in the ability to use the free 3G wireless in order to purchase and download new books, the ability to obtain college text books for less money as well as the ability to not lug around several heavy books throughout the day, these factors represent a great money saving and eco friendly option.  Alex Neal, Founder and President of CampusBooks.com in a recent PR Newswire stated “Students who are both sensitive to both price and global issues are looking to technology to help them find the best deals and consume fewer natural resources.”(NP)

I can see where some students would be concerned about not being able to sell back their textbooks.  The reality though is that we purchase these textbooks sometimes for $100 or more and wind up selling them back for pocket change, only to have them resold as “Used” for yet another ridiculous price.  However, if there is a way to have the savings up front by purchasing a digital version at a lower cost than the print counterpart, I am all for it.  Bring on the digital revolution.

About the Author: Shawn Augustson is a student at Columbus State.  Having spent time in the US Army and being injured while serving in Iraq he is now pursuing a new career in the Electronics Engineering Technology field through the help of the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Program.   He currently maintains a blog at www.ArduinoFun.com where he gets to spend creative time with his children working on projects ranging from robots to blinking LED’s.

Bibliography

Bedord, Jean. “Ebooks HIT CRITICAL MASS.” Online 33.3 (May 2009): 14-18. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://search.ebscohost.com >.

Glazer, Sarah. “Future of Books.” CQ Researcher 19.20 (2009): 473-500. CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Columbus State Community College Library, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 <http://library.cqpress.com >.

McClure, Marji. “Turning a New Page in Ebooks.” Information Today 26.4 (Apr. 2009): 1-19. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://search.ebscohost.com >.

McKenzie, Deborah. “Ebooks and 21st-Century Learning.” MultiMedia & Internet@Schools 16.1 (Jan. 2009): 27-28. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://search.ebscohost.com >.

McLean, C.D. “To Kindle or Just Burst into Flame?” Young Adult Library Services 2008: 9. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://search.ebscohost.com >.

Moore, James. “Should newspapers shut down their presses? Yes.” CQ Researcher. 27 March 2009: 289. Columbus State Community College Library, Columbus, OH. 20 April 2009. <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher>.

Mullan, Eileen. “Ebooks Rewrite the Rules of Education.” EContent 32.4 (May 2009): 12-13. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://search.ebscohost.com >.

Neal, Alex. “Students Send a Loud-and Clear Message: We Want Used Books!” PR Newswire (March 2009): 42 of 44. Lexis/Nexis Academic. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://web.lexis.nexis/universe >.

Price, Tom. “Future of Journalism.” CQ Researcher 19.12 (2009): 273-296. CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 <http://library.cqpress.com >.

Works Cited

Glazer, Sarah. “Future of Books.” CQ Researcher 19.20 (2009): 473-500. CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Columbus State Community College Library, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 <http://library.cqpress.com >.

Moore, James. “Should newspapers shut down their presses? Yes.” CQ Researcher. 27 March 2009: 289. Columbus State Community College Library, Columbus, OH. 20 April 2009. <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher>.

Neal, Alex. “Students Send a Loud-and Clear Message: We Want Used Books!” PR Newswire (March 2009): 42 of 44. Lexis/Nexis Academic. Columbus State Community College, Columbus, OH. 8 June 2009 < http://web.lexis.nexis/universe >.

Would you be ready for six more weeks of spring quarter?

It’s the last week of classes and I confess I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to finish a long paper for one class and to do revisions for another. What would it be like if we were on the semester system instead and had six more weeks to look forward to?

Technically, spring semesters would end at roughly the same time as spring quarters do, but they would start much earlier, in order to fit in the six extra weeks of classes. I know everybody has had a chance to process the idea of changing the system, but I have to tell you, right now, I’m really feeling a fondness for quarters.

Ten weeks is long enough to cover a subject in some degree of depth but not long enough for me to lose motivation (especially when the weather turns nice!). I understand the benefits of standardization, but I wish all of the semester schools would change to quarters instead, so I’m going to enjoy these brief, intense classes while I can…

Spring Graduation — What’s next?

I was reading that graduation for the spring quarter will be held next week at Veteran’s Memorial downtown, and it made me start thinking about the many different reasons we are students at CSCC.

Some people are planning on transferring to a 4-year school, and some people are doing career and technical programs that will help them get a job right away.  Also, a lot of people are here after earning a bachelor’s degree somewhere else and then deciding they want to change fields.  We even have some high school students in the mix, earning college credits early.

I have been amazed at the diversity of experience in my classes, but CSCC seems to be serving all of these needs.  I’m in the category of “changing careers later in life” and I’m taking classes to apply to a graduate program (there are lots of us here!).  Why are you at CSCC?

And if you’re graduating this quarter, congratulations!

Writer’s Open Mic – Friday 7 pm Nestor Hall

If you’re a writer at CSCC, chances are you’ve heard of the open mic held twice a quarter in Nestor Hall’s west lounge. It’s a great way to share your work, and to hear the work of other writers in our community. I’ll be the first to admit it’s a little nerve-wracking to stand at the microphone and read, but as Steve Abbott says, everybody in the audience really wants you to succeed. Plus, I’m always astounded by the talent I hear when I go, so it’s a great way to both listen and to be heard.

On another writing note, so I’m not sure if this counts, but I’ve partially fulfilled one of the goals of my life, which was to see a performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band which counts among its members Stephen King, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, and as lead rhythm/dominatrix, Amy Tan. Last Friday night I went to see Amy Tan speak and read from The Joy Luck Club, and she was witty, charming, kind, and very very thin. She kept the audience laughing, first when she told a story about going to a book signing and recognizing her own novel on the Cliffs Notes shelf, and later as she told a story about rushing home from vacation in Hawaii because her mother had a heart attack in San Francisco, but then realizing it was no heart attack and that her mother had gotten into a fight with a fishmonger.

And although there’s only one date for the Rock Bottom Remainders this year (and it’s in Sun Valley, Idaho, so I won’t be attending), she promises the band will add more dates next year. So far, the group has raised over two million dollars for children’s literacy programs, even if Ms. Tan claims she can never remember the lyrics to “These Boots Are Made for Walking.” She says the audience always forgives her when she gives Stephen King a smack with her riding crop, which is exactly what I imagined lead rhythm/dominatrix would do.