Be Inspired…Be Very Inspired
As if the 2007 graduates of Harvard didn’t have enough fortune in their lives, they got to hear Bill Clinton speak at their Harvard ClassDay.
Listen to it here if you have RealPlayer
His speech starts at about the 1 hour/36 minute marker, so you’ll have to fast forward unless you care to hear all the speeches before him.
Amazing Speaker
There aren’t many folks that seem to have the same influence over me when speaking as Mr. Clinton. I am never ceased to be amazed at his ability to speak the language of his audience in way that inspires passion and action.
This country is clearly looking for leaders to emerge to help oversee some of the troubles we’re dealing with both nationally and internationally, and I’m incredibly glad to see that Mr. Clinton is calling on the group of Harvard graduates to heed the call.
Current Knitting
I was recently asked to loan a piece of my work to a traveling art exhibit, called Uncommon Threads.
Organized by a local tapestry artist, this exhibit is a large trailer truck that travels to over 40 schools in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to help local students learn about various aspects of the arts. I was thrilled that she asked, so I decided to do a felted purse for the exhibit, using some of the vibrant colors of Manos del Uruguay yarn.
Here’s the piece before felting.
And the piece after felting.
I also made two small swatches, one felted and one not, so that students could see the different between the original unfelted fabric and what a washing machine will do to it.
Readers’ Comments/Questions
Thanks for all your comments on multi-tasking. It gave me a lot more clarity on a couple of different definitions. Doing three things at once, versus alternating between three tasks are both valid definitions of multi-tasking. The first one, I still contend is impossible, and the second one being a valuable method of juggling multiple priorities for those who have the ability.
Emmy asks, “Your grocery store has copies of Spin Off?”
Actually, it’s not my regular grocery store…it’s actually not a regular grocery store at all, it’s a Wegmans. If you don’t have them in your area, you should wish you do. Their magazine selection alone is huge, and they often carry magazines that I can usually only find in bookstores otherwise.
Anonymous/CMS asks, “Joe, when are you (going) to stop letting your unpleasant encounters with individuals lead you to make sweeping, and usually negative, generalizations about entire categories of people?”
Never, homos are just like that.
Thank you for your last line of this post. It was the exact right reaction. I’m always afraid of writing on my blog for fear I will offend. You give me courage to offend those who deserve it.
I don’t think CMS has had a chance to respond yet. S/He’s too busy trying to type in a message on the blackberry while putting on mascara at a red light.
k…that actually made me laugh out loud.
May homos never change, amen.
Lawyers? Multi-taskers? My heavens, Joe, what group could you dare to generalize next? Commenters who select Anonymous and then end the comment with their initials? Boy, now there’s a group I could bash. Maroons, unite!
That is the best laugh I have had in months!! Thank you.
Ok that was a good one.
I don’t always agree with what you have to say (though when it comes to politics I usually do) but I LOVE how up front you are. And sometimes just freakin’ funny.
Good comeback, you big girl’s blouse.
Great finish Joe.
Brilliant riposte. I doff my hat and make the universal homo salute in your direction. No, not that one.
Joe, I love you! You rock! I’ve been lurking for a while, admiring your very lovely knitted work, and your ability to be so honest–and funny! Your last comment made me chortle heartily. …… And to CMS: there is a reason why stereotypes exist. It is because even though most individuals do not fit the entire description (of whatever stereotype they are labelled with), they fit enough of it to make a sweeping generalization–and those descriptors often ring true. Oh, and I am SURE you have NEVER submitted to ANY sort of assumptions of character (rolls eyes).
So if one day you annoy some blogger by doing something stupid while driving or by doing something boorish at a restaurant with a bunch of friends, it would be fine for that blogger to use your behavior to make sweeping generalizations about how homos can’t drive or about how rude homos are?
cms
Great choice to inspire a few future knitters . It’s not as daunting as a garment and bags are fun. I might tune in to Bill as he inspires us and we are English ..but look at what we’ve got !
But, CMS (anon), Joe doesn’t ever do stupid things while driving (except be himself). I’ve driven with him.
And Joe never behaves boorishly in a restaurant (well except for maybe that laugh). I’ve dined with him.
Ipsi dixit–moot point.
Ah, the smell of shit burning on a Sunday in June.
I just love it you all get snippy
What I’m trying to get at is that a person can write a thought-provoking and even moving description of his experiences with unpleasant, rude people without coming across as judgmental, arrogant, and superior. Just read Franklin’s (The Panopticon) blog entry from April 10, 2007, for a beautiful example. Venting is fine (we all do it), but if I were going to vent in a semi-public forum like a blog (as opposed to in a private diary), I would expect to be have my vents dissected mercilessly, unless of course I was interesting only in pleasing sycophantic toadies.
cms
OOH, I’m a sycophantic toady.
Joe, am I your very most favorite sycophantic toady??
Hunh hunh am I??
Sorry, CMS, but Franklin is also one of Joe’s sycophantic toadies.
Though not his favorite…
Thanks Joe for the link to the Clinton speech. He also spoke this year at Commencement at Middlebury College, my alma mater. Inspiring messages in each case.
That Joe and Franklin are friends does not make Franklin a sycophantic toady. And Franklin’s toady/non-toady status has nothing to do with the differences between his blog entries and Joe’s.
cms