3 weeks! *Hurrah* and a Winner *HURRAH!*

I have been horribly lazy this week, and thus have been absent from the Blogging world for a bit. Well, actually honestly, I've been a bit busy... but either way... I even had to catch up on my blog reading, let alone my blog posting. Sorry. I realize that my readership has dropped because of it :(

Anywhoo! This is an extremely boring post today, only to announce the winner of the giftcard draw!!

And the winner is
....
...
..
.

ERIN!!!


YAY! Congrats. Here are some pictures to prove it's all legit and stuff...

3 entries...

...And a winner!

It really didn't work, my whole plan for this contest. I'd hoped that a lot more people would post and want to be in on the draw, and therefore exposing themselves as readers, but... alas. Maybe I'll try again for my year anniversary post.

~*~

This may be the last previous book review I post. I'm not very enthused with my other ones (although I am tempted to post a couple of book reviews of books I didn't like, just to prove that I do do some of those. But they are VERY short, so... we'll see... if I get desperate.)

Nothing to do with today's post. But enjoy anyway! Ken Robinson is AMAZING, and if you want to see an awesome lecture, watch Do Schools Kill Creativity on YouTube. He is freakin' amazing. I have watched this video every few months since I first saw it in 2007, when we watched it in my first semester in the College of Education. SO FAB! Then I read this book when he came to do a lecture at the U of S in 2009, just after I had graduated.

The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. The Element draws on the stories of a wide range of people, from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons; from Meg Ryan to Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera; and from writer Arianna Huffington to renowned physicist Richard Feynman and others, including business leaders and athletes. It explores the components of this new paradigm: The diversity of intelligence, the power of imagination and creativity, and the importance of commitment to our own capabilities.

With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier, and that once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. The Element shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.

This is an amazing book about doing what you love regardless of what society deems appropriate or worthy. This is a great read for those who are unsure of what they want to do in their life, for teachers who have students who commit themselves to unconventional pastimes, and for anyone who wants to understand themselves better!