12 minute read
The Learning Life
Keeping track of your LEARNING
By Lowell Anderson
There are a few lucky people who just seem to remember everything they read or see. But for the rest of us, we need some tools to help us keep track of thoughts and ideas.
This information can take many forms, such as to-do lists, goals, plans, random thoughts and telephone numbers. However, having a reliable way to record things is especially important when you are actively learning something. In addition to storing information so we don’t forget it, we also probably need to organize it so it makes sense, as well as being able to find what we need to review later.
So, how do you keep track of all this information? There are a variety of methods, ranging from digital, to paper and pencil. Which one you choose will depend a lot on your personality and how comfortable you are with technology. It may also depend on what you are learning and what your goals are. You may even decide to use a combination of the following tools.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
Some people like to do everything on a computer or phone. They may learn from videos or from online tutorials and may seldom use any old-fashioned paper or books. For them, some kind of note taking or journaling app or online service will probably be necessary. As an alternative, they could store thoughts and information with a voice recorder. However, the best option to avoid interruptions and app switching, may be to have a paper notebook to use along with the digital tools.
BOOKS
Some people enjoy reading and like to learn from books.
Although you could use a digital tool to take notes while reading, many book lovers are more comfortable using a paper notebook. But depending on how you feel about books, there is another option, which is to use the book itself to store information. People who see a book as a tool often mark up their books with underlining or highlighting and write notes or thoughts in the margins.
NOTEBOOKS
The nice thing about notebooks is that they pair well with any learning method and can be customized to fit what you are learning. For some people, just the act of hand writing notes helps them to remember better. With paper, it’s very easy to quickly draw arrows and diagrams that may help you understand the big picture of what you are learning.
JOURNAL AND
COMMONPLACE BOOK
For people who enjoy journaling, a journal can be a great place to write about what you are learning each day. The downside is that it may be hard to find specific information later, especially if it is mixed in with other topics. A commonplace book is a notebook (although it could also be digital) in which the owner writes down anything he or she is learning or thinking about, as well as any other random information to be remembered.
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St. Patrick's Day fun facts
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day by wearing green, drinking green beer and attending a parade are just a few of the ways we enjoy this Irish holiday. Here are some interesting fun facts about St. Patrick and the traditions that go along with it. The world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in an Irish village. It lasts only 100 yards, between the village’s two pubs. (Source: livescience.com) Legend says that each leaf of the clover has a meaning: Hope, Faith, Love and Luck. (Source: goodlucksymbols. com)
The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the United States was held in Boston (1737). (Source: cnn.com) Beer, especially Guinness, is one of the most widely consumed beverages on St. Patrick’s Day. (Source: livescience.com) Shamrocks are the national flower/emblem of Ireland. (Source: cnn.com) The color of St. Patrick’s Day was originally blue. (Source: livescience.com) 1962 marked the first time Chicago dyed their river green for St Patrick’s Day. (Source: nationalgeographic.com)
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The battle between PERFECTION and happinessBy Shannon Swenson
Perfectionists refuse to accept any results short of perfection. The urge to be perfect can be a huge disadvantage. Most perfectionists are anything but happy. When your standards are unreasonably high, you’re unlikely to have many moments in your life when you’re satisfied and content.
Perfectionists often admit that they are stressed, worried, and exhausted. It’s not easy trying to be perfect all of the time! As you read the list below, consider where you could spend your time in a way that would create more happiness in your life.
See how perfection and happiness don’t fit well together: 1. The need for perfection guarantees failure. Perfection can never be attained; by choosing perfection, you’ve chosen to fail. Happiness is more challenging to achieve when you’re failing. 2. Perfection creates anxiety. You worry all the time when perfection is the only acceptable result. It’s hard to be happy when you’re anxious. 3. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Perfection is tedious and slow. 4. Perfection forces you to spend too much time on things that just don’t matter very much. There are plenty of things in life that require results far beneath perfection. 5. Perfectionists are more likely to procrastinate than the average person. The drive for perfection creates anxiety and consumes a lot of time. 6. Perfectionists notice what’s wrong, rather than what’s right. Perfectionists quickly forget their successes and fixate on their failures, making them unhappy with their work, home life, and themselves. 7. Perfectionists find it challenging to complete anything because there’s always something they could improve. It’s a struggle to complete anything and move on. Having a lot of unfinished tasks is stressful and dissatisfying. 8. Perfectionists expect others to have equally high standards. Perfectionists are hard to be around. They are often critical of others and consequently, are often lonely which impacts happiness.
It’s not easy being a perfectionist! While it’s important to give crucial tasks the necessary attention, spending too much time and attention on something is a waste of your time and mental energy.
Taming your tendencies that cause you to try to be perfect can be hard! Any change like this starts with small steps. By saying yes to perfection, you are saying no to something else; ask yourself “What am I saying no to?” the next time you want to make something “perfect."
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By Andy Mellgren
Rum is one of the oldest distilled spirits in the world. Most rum is produced in the Caribbean as well as North and South American countries.
There are a few styles of rum which can vary depending on the place of origin. Common styles of rum are white (Blanco or Clear), spiced, gold (Amber), dark (Black) and premium or aged for sipping. Another offering is Cachaça (kah-SHA-sah) which is unique to Brazil.
Although rum is produced around the globe using different standards and grades, all rum is produced by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice.
White rums are clear and generally have a sweet flavor. These rums can be aged, but generally for a short time, typically 8 months up to two years. If aged, they are usually filtered after the aging process to remove any color defects and the final product remains clear.
Spiced or flavored rums are those that have spices added before the bottling process. This includes coconut rums. Each producer adds their own blend of fruits, spices, or other ingredients to develop the final product.
Gold rums tend to have a fuller taste and body as compared to clear rums, but not as strong as dark rums. Gold rums are usually aged in white oak barrels, typically two years or longer. During the aging process, barrels transfer color, hence the name gold rum.
Dark rums are aged longer, generally more than two years with some upwards of four or more years. Charred white oak barrels are commonly used for aging dark rum. These rums tend to have more flavor and complexity than either white or gold rums. Often dark rums have aromas and flavors of spice, molasses, and honeyed caramel.
Premium or aged rums for sipping are usually aged at a minimum of two to four years, some much longer. As with dark rums, charred white oak barrels are commonly used for the aging process. Each producer creates a distinctive rum. Sipping rums tend to have flavors and aromas of cherry, gingerbread, brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and toffee.
Cachaça is a rum-like spirit, unique to Brazil, distilled from fermented sugar cane juice. When muddled with lime juice and sugar, Cachaça makes the quintessential Brazilian cocktail, the Caipirinha.
There is a rum style to fit every taste preference and budget. Whether you are making simple two ingredient or more complex cocktails there is a rum to fulfill your entertainment plans. If you prefer to enjoy neat or on the rocks, there is a rum for that.
I recommend that you invite some friends and family, assign each a different style of rum, make some cocktails and memories!
Cheers!
Andy’s Choice
A RUM for every taste Some of the most popular rum cocktails around the world include: Pina Colada Mai Tai Rum & Cola Daiquiri Mojito Hurricane Dark ‘n’ Stormy Bahama Mama
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EARTH DAY APRIL 22
Activities to teach kids about the environment
Do you want to teach your children about the importance of protecting the planet? Here are four fun activities you can do as a family.
GARDENING. Whether you grow herbs on a windowsill or plant a vegetable garden in your backyard, this is a handson way for children to learn about responsibility and how food grows.
PLANTING A TREE. Once it’s in the ground, encourage your kids to observe how their tree changes with the seasons and provides a home for animals. They can even give it a name.
CRAFTING. Challenge your kids to make art out of cardboard boxes, bottle caps, plastic bottles, toilet paper rolls and other recyclable materials. A quick online search will provide plenty of inspiration.
EXPLORING. Children can learn a lot simply by getting close to nature on a hike or bike ride. Alternatively, you can visit a local farm, botanical garden or wildlife refuge. Many places also offer virtual tours.
Regardless of which activity you do, make sure to use the opportunity to start a conversation with your kids. Depending on their age, you can talk about how the environment affects their lives, why it’s important to respect nature and the ways they can help protect the planet.
PLANT A TREE FOR ARBOR DAY
Friday, April 29 is Arbor Day in Minnesota and Arbor Day Month is May. Minnesota became the fourth state to adopt the tradition of celebrating Arbor Day in 1876, and in 1978, began celebrating Arbor Month in May.
Here are a few of the trees that the Minnesota DNR recommends for the climate in west central counties and communities like Alexandria or St. Cloud: American Elm Black Oak Black Walnut Boxelder Bur Oak Cottonwood Hackberry Jack Pine Shagbark Hickory Silver Maple
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