Under the Tongue - by Christine Nielson
2011 and 2010 Columns
December, 2011 Ouch! What is the Prognosis for Too Much Critical Thinking?
This past month, I had an academic assignment. It was my mission to select a complex concept and break it down for a university online course I will be teaching. Critical thinking is painful. It literally hurts to think in this manner because our everyday thought process is free flowing. I decided to simply dissect the course's title.
November, 2011 Give LA a Break
I need a tune-
June, 2011 Working for a Living
The Cambria chatter throughout the month of May was cluttered with controversy. The Cambria Community Service District (CCSD) Director's firing of the fire department chief lead to CCSD's Board of Directors conducting both a public and closed door meeting. A public outcry to fire CCSD's director, Tammy Rudock, after a multitude of complaints about her abrasive management style and bloated salary (highest in SLO County's Service Districts) ended in her employment demise. So a revolving door brought the fire chief, Mark Miller, back to his post and sent Rudock packing.
May, 2011 Shhhh! I Have a Secret
Santa Barbara's quiet Bath Street residential neighborhood calls to me to meander up the unlevel sidewalks peering into the collage of architectures. Suddenly I am taken aback by a tall hedge with a pathway opening. This certainly conjures up memories of the 1910 classic children's novel, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. What will be revealed behind this towering greenery?
April, 2011 Dream Escape
During the seasonal conversion from winter to spring, I experience wanderlust. The only cure is to hit the road for a weekend adventure. So buckle your seat belt, we're about to embark on a puzzling excursion to a California dreamscape. Here are two clues: a hidden garden and an inverted world. So pack up your satchel, top hat, cozy apparel and, of course, you'll need a mirror.
March, 2011 Under the Tongue 2
During my UC-
February, 2011 Under the Tongue 1
Are our coastal towns reflective of our nation's political demographics? My premise is yes. Cambria is a microcosm of liberals/independents versus conservatives/moderates. If you're a coffee house regular, you'll spot these birds of a feather flocking together.
January, 2011 Welcome to "Under the Tongue” 2
"I don't want to live in a town where I can find a parking spot." This LA transplant shares over coffee and tea on Lily's patio. He says he revels in the adrenaline rush of circling the block like a vulture, snaking into a space, outwitting other spot seekers. Memories of Joni Mitchell's 1970s tune "Big Yellow Taxi" are conjured up: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone, they paved paradise, put up a parkin' lot" starts ringing in my ears.
December, 2010 Welcome to "Under the Tongue” 1
If you're like me, a self-