Some of us like our chocolate very much.  Who said that chocolate recipes can’t be healthy? Apparently, chocolate doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Here are some recipes I found. I hope you like them!

The past weekend marked the official “End of Summer”.  Shorts are still permissible on warm days, but otherwise it just gets cooler from here on.  The heat was very nice for most folks who enjoy hot weather and sunny skies. On the other side, we saw very little rain from July onward resulting in a drop in standing water across much of our landscape. So with the beginning of Fall, I figured it was a good time to step back and appreciate summer.

Hanging around the Pond

We have a small pond out back that is home to a variety of gold fish and Koi, as well as some nice aquatic plants.  This year was the first one that I’ve seen pond lilies in bloom – a very interesting flower that would intermittently open and close with the sun.  Just below the flower, you can see a fish swimming past. As an aside – fish are notorious liars – who always tell you they’re hungry, even if they ate 2 minutes earlier.  So don’t be fooled.

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Wellness and realizations in mid- 30’s

It is definitely important to watch what we eat and exercise, but I think it is equally important to feel good in your own skin.  My perspective on life changes as I get older. Now that I am in my mid 30’s, I see life differently.

I remember when I was a teenager.  I was shy, I liked to spend time by myself, I took care of my studies, and I had only couple of friends.  I loved dancing, but I had no idea what to do with my hands.  I was concerned that others will notice my awkwardness.  I still have parts of this 18 year old girl with me.  When I remember about her, I embrace her, and I smile.

Here are some of my realizations:

1)      The concept of home is much broader for me nowadays.  Home can be Bulgaria, Las Vegas (where I spent eight years as an international student) or Winnipeg.  At this point, home can be anywhere as long as I feel at home with myself, comfortable in my own skin.

2)      Nothing is the end of the world.  I used to think that some events in my life would pretty much finish me.  We all go through challenging times when we wonder how we are going to make it to the other side.  Now I know and tell myself “this too shall pass.”

3)      When we are younger or when we are vulnerable due to personal struggles, we might take comments or feedback personally.  As I get older, I realize that a comment is just an opinion.  It is up to me to decide if I want an opinion to matter to me or not or how much for it to matter.

4)      We are more alike than we are unalike.  We are together in this adventure or journey called life.  We all share the same human foibles.  We tend to hide our imperfections because we don’t want others to think we have weaknesses or worries.  How about sharing our genuine self with each other?  When I am genuine, you will feel comfortable to be genuine as well.  We cheer up, we become less judgmental and more forgiving.  We find ourselves among friends.

How about your life lessons or realizations? I would love to hear about them.

Back by popular demand, the Wellness Committee is once again running the Blogging 101 and 201 workshops.

Blogging regularly can be a great way to improve your writing and share your thoughts and opinions on various subjects. And if you’re interested in blogging but don’t know where to start, writing an occasional post for the Wellness blog could be a good opportunity for you. Since its debut in December 2011, the Wellness Blog now has over 50 posts to its credit, with contributions from across the college community.

Go the Portal to register.

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Blogging 101 covers topics like:

• Why you should blog
• Types of blog posts
• Getting the most out of your blog

When: May 22, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – E305

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Blogging 201 is a hands-on workshop in a computer lab that includes:

• Using the WordPress blogging platform
• How to add links, photos and videos to your post
• Moderating comments

When: May 23, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – Room A115

When: May 29, 12pm-1pm

Where: Roblin Centre, Exchange District Campus – Room A410

Next up in the Wellness photography series is Pamela Desmet Franklin, an instructor at the Language Training Centre.  

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Rock Orchid

This “orchid” was found thriving amidst miles of barren vertical and horizontal rock scree off of the Banff/Jasper Hwy. during a summer road trip.  It reminds me of how tenuous yet how persistent is the will to life.  This is one of the six pieces of mine showing until March 31, 2012 at the Cre8ery Auxiliary Gallery on Adelaide and William across from the Roblin Centre.  Contact  Pamela Desmet Franklin at pameladesmetfranklin@gmail.com to talk about art & photography.

Submitted by Pamela Desmet Franklin, Language Training Centre

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If you have an interest in photography or other artistic pursuits, contact mkrywy@rrc.mb.ca to find out how you can contribute to the Wellness Blog.

The educational blogosphere is an interesting and ever-expanding place to find information about teaching, educational technology, and all the other stuff that we do at the College.  Here are a few blogs / educational websites that I’ve found to be useful and informative because they funnel information from a variety of sources.

Inside Higher Ed  is a US focused educational website that serves as a news hub and blogging headquarters.  The inside higher ed blogs (under the BlogU tab) cover many different facets of education –  including teaching, administration, sustainability, and educational technology – to name a few. 

Engaging Educators is dedicated to teaching and educational technology. It is updated regularly with interesting opinion pieces, spotlights on educational technology, and links to other interesting blogs and websites. It also provides a good window to quality educational content that is referenced via Twitter.

University Affairs is primarily a university-focused blog. It is also the one Canadian blog / website on this list featuring some interesting thoughts and articles related to education in our country. 

What  other educational blogs and/or websites would you add to this list?

Submitted by Mike Krywy, Research and Planning

Due to popular demand, two additional blogging workshops – both Blogging 101 and 201 – have been added.  The two blogging training sessions cover the basics of blogging and how to use the WordPress blogging platform. The first session is an introduction to what blogs are (chalk and talk), while for Blogging 201 you will be in front of the computer creating your own blog post (hands-on).

Blogging regularly can be a great way to improve your writing and share your thoughts and opinions on various subjects. And if you’re interested in blogging but don’t know where to start, writing an occasional post for the Wellness blog could be a good opportunity for you. 

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Blogging 101 covers topics like:

• Why you should blog
• Types of blog posts
• Getting the most out of your blog

When: January 31, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – E305

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Blogging 201 gets into the technical details including:

• Using the WordPress blogging platform
• How to add links, photos and videos to your post
• Moderating comments

When: February 15, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – Room A115

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Register for the sessions soon as space is limited.

Calling all photographers – do you have some great photos to share?

The Wellness Committee is beginning a blog series of interesting photos taken by staff and students.  First up is Karen Press, an instructor from the Creative Communications program.  She’s an avid nature photographer with a great eye for hidden beauty.  If you’d like to submit your own photo and a brief caption about your art – send it along to mkrywy@rrc.mb.ca. 

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The wind and snow make me wistful. I miss my garden. As a hobbyist photographer, I don’t have much equipment and I just “go to the light,” which makes the garden a perfect subject.

Carrots... hanging on the laundry line

Chive flowers

You can see more on my Flickr stream.

Submitted by Karen Press, Creative Communications instructor

The first Blogging 101 session is nearly full, so we’ve added another session the following week.  Blogging 101 covers topics like:

• Why you should blog
• Types of blog posts
• Getting the most out of your blog

New Session – January 31, 12pm-1pm

Where: Notre Dame Campus – A137

You can register at the Learning and Development site on the portal.

The hands-on Blogging 201 session is held the following day over the lunch hour – space is limited.

In a few weeks, the Wellness Committee will be hosting two blogging training sessions that cover the basics of blogging and how to use the WordPress blogging platform.

Blogging regularly can be a great way to improve your writing and share your thoughts and opinions on various subjects. And if you’re interested in blogging but don’t know where to start, writing an occasional post for the Wellness blog could be a good opportunity for you. We’ll see you later this month!

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Blogging 101 covers topics like:

• Why you should blog
• Types of blog posts
• Getting the most out of your blog

When: January 25, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – E305

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Blogging 201 gets into the technical details including:

• Using the WordPress blogging platform
• How to add links, photos and videos to your post
• Moderating comments

When: February 1, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – Room A115

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Register for the sessions soon as space is limited.