This site has moved.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your interest in this site - we have moved, rolling all our work into one site at www.reinventinglife.org. The Reinventing life in Ireland blog has moved to the Personal Life Menu under HomeLife blog.

The new site gives you lots of opportunity for increased interaction in the forum - accessed after signing in by clicking on the discussion link in the top right of the page.

See you there,
Alana

Action: Website Building

Hi everyone,

Starting today, 22 May 2008, I will be blogging in two places: here at the sites I have been running for a while and to be saved as work for the www.reinventinglife.org site which is not up yet. For any of you that haven’t heard my woes, trials and tribulations mixed with cries of delight over putting up my own website -here is the jist:

1. I want a site that weaves all the various sides of my life into one place – many of you have said, “I like (one blog) but don’t get (what I’m doing on another blot).” If all goes well the new site will let you take what appeals, but also give you links into the other parts of my life and how they play off of the bits you know.
2. I also want a site where we can talk – really talk back and forth with each other or in a group, just like I talk with students at online universities. Have you ever liked what you read in a blog – wanting to comment back but then said “what the heck, lots of energy to respond but then it goes nowhere?” I have that response all the time, in fact it was my frustration in wanting to respond to Chris Brogan when he posted this morning about his thoughts for the future that created this blog (smile).
3. I have a girlfriend who used a relatively expensive site building tool, and a male friend who told me about Joomla, an open source system he thought I could manage. As you can see from the picture above I am almost there (well I WAS almost there before the system locked me out of my own website – but more about that at another time).
4. I’m learning all kinds of things, and trying to apply out of the box thinking to them. So why don’t we see sites where we respond to each other in forums (where we don’t have to go through a long sign up process just to say hi?) Why don’t our websites let us sign up after we know the ideas there are interesting enough to come back to? If you find me in one place how can I ensure you can find me in others? How can my site model distributed content (like education, some art, some words, some video, some discussion, some group work). Why do we see blogs when articles are just as easy?
5. Long story short (as my mother would say) I haven’t been here – actively writing, because I have been there – planning and putting these plans up on a site.

If you want to ensure you see the site once it is up for suggestions and editing to the larger body of my readers – please email me at james.alana@gmail.com and I’ll make sure you get notification when it is ready to see.

Now if I can get past the last two hurdles, getting back in and getting it up on the server, then soon I will be sending you all an email telling you we’re active. Given that I have to do taxes, my guess is that the site will go live around the 4-15^th of June. BIG SMILE - there would be days when I would say: "pray for me."

Love to you all,

Alana

What do you look for in an online community?

Hi everyone,

Have I mentioned here that I am developing my own website? If you currently go to www.reinventinglife.org you will see a site that my friend Brian put up for our retreats. It is nice but static. Beginning at the first of the year I have been studying (day by day) how to use the web to connect to people (such as all of you) who either love us, or are interested by the ideas and values our lives are founded on.

I want a website that:

1. Connects my three blogs: this one + www.doctoratelife.blogspot.com and rlgroup.blogspot.com
2. I also want a place where all of us can talk as we go (asynchronously as in a forum).
   
3. As an academic, I want to see my ideas used by others and their ideas feed back to me. I want to track how we work together to build a better world.
4. I want a website that reflects the way my life weaves together spirituality, multicultural living, distributed online education and life in Ireland. Not only do I want this to be a model for that kind of interwoven-ness but I hope that this flexibility will let the website grow and develop with me so that I don't have to start all over in two years.

But what do you want? I only know what is out there - I don't know if it appeals. Please email or comment so I have a glimpse into your thoughts. Would you find any of the following interesting or useful?

• Profiles
• Putting your picture or an avatar up online
• Forums for conversation
• Ways to track back where ideas come from (lists of links, sharing of resources, library links or discussions)
• Do you want to share comments or reviews on what we are watching, reading, the media that is a positive impact in our lives?
• Do you have any desire to get to know others who may also connect here?
• A "let's have fun" here section where we share life stories and funny bits from what is happening in our section of the world?
  

I envision this to be entertaining as well as thought provoking. For instance Margie and I loved watching a movie (very British humor) Confetti - it was a farce in reality TV mode about three couples competing to win a house for having the bazaar wedding of the year. Very funny.

I want to thank Chris Brogan for provoking me into thinking and planning in this way. I REALLY want to thank all of you who take a minute and either email me at james.alana@gmail.com or comment here and tell me why you read this blog, whether any of these ideas appeal, etc.

Lots of love,
Alana

Margie is at it again!

Hi all - we are celebrating having lots of kids in our neighborhood - giving Margie a chance to lead games and their parents a chance to talk while they watch. A community building time was had by all.

Dolphins

Hi everyone,

I put this on the RLGroup blog as well - but it is worth seeing twice. I hope you enJOY your Friday.

Alana

Good news for the world!

Hi everyone,

Margie and I went out last night to meet with the multicultural awareness group in Cork. Then today a woman I follow on Twitter wrote " "It's not them and us, it’s you and me": thousands to celebrate cultural diversity across Europe today. Already sounds like routine to me." Good for her - wish it was routine for me.

Anyway I look forward to watching for news on the celebrations today on my new news outlet: www.ohmynews.com.
Full of citizen journalism - so we get what may be a true glimpse of the real story.

All the best,
Alana

International breaking news!

Hi everyone,

Two posts in one day? Unheard of, yet I am so excited I had to break with my norm. Stop what you are doing and go right now to OhmyNews. Here you will find an international newspaper, written by everyday freelancers around the globe, reporting on what is hot in their area. Thanks to this Korean business man who was trying to open his countries press beyond the constraints of consumer driven business, we now have an international resource that gives us a different glimpse of what is happening than we will see elsewhere.

Free press is being reborn! Let's see where it takes us.

More as we go,
Alana

Davos, Switzerland-Living Multiculturally

Hi everyone,
No the title does not come from my wanting to go to Switzerland in the near future, but rather from some fun I am having as I am consciously moving into living an international life. While we all may be constrained by our actual location and the availability to travel, I have decided to explore ways and means to expand beyond those constraints.

The current tool(s) I am using have to do with a) iGoolgle widgets and b) internet searches. Here is how I put them together. First I upload a new Widget last week to my iGoogle homepage. It's called "Places to See Before You Die." and comes from a travel site. I chose it because it puts great pictures of other parts of the world front and center on my homepage - nice to dream over as I boot up.

It ocurred to me that I didn't know much about some of the places pictured, nor did I have ANY idea about the quality of life there, religions, agricultural constraints, etc. So to help me overcome my ignorance I now do a quick websearch on every non US picture that comes up. It takes me an extra 10 minutes, but like a good database, the amount I learn over time will be enormous. For instance did you know the Davos, Switzerland is a ski resort town (coming from Colorado I have some idea about those) and is also the place where the World Economic Conference is held? It seems Davos is twinned with Aspen - so I was right that I do have a bit of contextual knowledge to draw on here (unlike my exploration yesterday into temples in Bali).

More as we go,
Alana

The power of song (for dogs)

Hi everyone,

In my RLGroup blog I wrote about my having fun with the songs from the movie Enchanted. Well Margie and I have been having fun with songs at our house as well. The words below are sung to our puppy Harriet (as we traverse the hill at the top of our village). You'll need to know that Stefan (our older dog) is GOD to Harriet (the puppy). The picture above makes that point!

HARRIET WE LOVE YOU

A new hill walk inspired song (19-04-08) to the tune of Alluete Shonte Alluete

Har-riet, O Har-riet we love you
Har-riet , we love you through and through
Are you full of beans, my pet
YES, you’re full of beans, my pet
FULL OF BEANS –FULL OF BEANS
OOOOOOOOO

Har-riet ,O Har-riet we love you
Har-riet , we love you through and through
Are you fierce , bold and brave,
YES, you’re fierce , bold and brave,
BOLD AND BRAVE, BOLD AND BRAVE
OOOOOOOOO

Har-riet, O Har-riet we love you
Har-riet , we love you through and through
Are you just a pesky pup,
YES, you’re just a pesky pup
PESKY PUP–PESKY PUP
OOOOOOOOO

Har-riet, O Har-riet we love you
Har-riet , we love you through and through
Do you love our GOD and SAM
GOD AND SAM–GOD AND SAM
OOOOOOOOO

Har-riet, O Har-riet we love you
Har-riet , WE- LOVE- YOU- YES- WE- DOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I hope this brought a smile to your face - I would love to hear comments back from anyone who has a song that lifts their heart!

Alana

The first day of summer

Hi everyone,

People in my new writers class (held at the Bandon library as short distance away) were welcoming each other yesterday and pointing to the fact that it was the first day of spring. Happy Beltane! We didn't see fires or orgies up on the hill, but are relatively certain that if you went to visit the stone circles at Drombeg today you would find the remnants of ceremony.

As we move into summer it is appropriate that I am moving from diagnosing what is next for me professionally and personally, although in this case (as you will see if you want to follow the links to my other blogs) they are closely related.

Meanwhile summer brings with it longer walks on the hill (to wear the puppy out for the day), Margie beginning to be gone as she does child minding work (leaving me with puppy care!) and warm summer evenings (now lasting until almost 10pm). Life is great over here in Castlepark and we all hope it is great with you as well,

Lots of love,
Alana