After a lifetime of following school schedules I find it difficult to get much done during the Holiday seasons other than decorating the house and getting presents. Blog posts have historically fallen off this time year, partly because the number of visitors also declines this time of year, whether I post or not.
Unfortunately, Facebook seems like a better alternative than blog entries at this time of year. It doesn’t take much effort to link to an article with a brief comment that summarizes my reaction to current events. And since I regularly check my Scrabble games, it’s easiest to post there.
Besides, I doubt many people that aren’t also linked to me on Facebook are really interested in my views on gun control or on the NRA and their ilk. I’m sure my views are obvious from what already appears in my other entries.
Meanwhile, I’ve developed a renewed interest in “happiness,” and what it takes to be happy, inspired by a course I ran into while browsing iTunes U courses. Although there’s only 10 TED videos, running about 10 hours, each video is complemented by additional sources. I’m sure I have spent more than 10 hours just reading a small portion of the supplemental materials for the first two lectures.
In fact, I’ve spent more than that taking tests and browsing reading materials at the Authentic Happiness site. Much to my amazement, I discovered that I had been there before, apparently to take some of their “happiness” tests. This time around I find myself much more interested, possibly because I’ve spent time wondering if Christmas has lost much of it’s magic as the emphasis has shifted to over-consumption.
Unfortunately, I haven’t quite figured out how to blog on what I’m watching or reading about happiness other than just provide a link to sites. Hopefully all my friends with iPads have already discovered iTunes U and can find the TED course on happiness if they are interested. I’m sure it must be available on other media, too, though I haven’t tried to find it online.