Archive for May, 2008

Today, while conferencing with one student during writing workshop another (a girl named Jasmine) said "Dr. Shoop, I think you know my grandmother." "Really?" How would I know this sixth grade girl’s grandmother, I don’t live anywhere near them, etc. "What’s your first name?" Jasmine asked me. "Kathie," I said. ‘Yep, she knows you." "What’s her name?" [...]

DSC01213, originally uploaded by kathieshoop. Here’s to all you mothers out there. Hope your day is full of color and happy things.

I’m sitting here making a list of things to do now that I turned in my article. The list is long and actually is impossible to accomplish unless I don’t stop moving for the next 24 hours. Trouble is, Mult. Scler. gets in the way. Oh, I know everyone’s tired and overscheduled, I get that. [...]

DSC00869, originally uploaded by kathieshoop. It just keeps rolling around without any consent from me. Here it is again. And because I had an article deadline, I’m behind on taking a photo of my knee. Well, though I’ve lost 12 pounds, my knees don’t look any different at all. So, in my haste to post [...]

DSC00997 Originally uploaded by kathieshoop   For those who are interested, my article about Adoption is May’s cover story in Pittsburgh Parent Magazine. The families I profiled are amazing and I learned so much about the adoption process–how to live through it. So, check it out.

For the book that I’m polishing, about to submit, my family history and a national historic tragedy intersected and shaped the novel with a huge plot and amazing, hardy people–those folks pictured in a post below. And now, as I’m polishing my query and fine-tuning the text itself, I’m thinking of my next book. Writing historical/literary fiction [...]

Finding big old, expensive treasure. Except, it was to happen when I was ten, in my best friend Julia’s backyard, while setting up a clubhouse. I wasn’t much for diamond hunting in Africa back then. And we weren’t dense enough (Julia was actually gifted no less) to think we’d find a shipwreck on inland Pittsburgh, even if [...]

DSC01012 Originally uploaded by kathieshoop   Well, it’s Fat Friday again and the whole knee photo idea is yeilding very little as far as the naked eye is concerned. I’m just down another pound, but can you see it my knee flab, NO!!! Hahahaha. The worst part about this whole naked knee shot thing is [...]

Pittsburgh is forever garnering awards for its livability and sports teams (Go Pens!), etc.  And I’m always forced to comment on such things, not because my ego is somehow tied into events and places where I’m merely a smidge of smog on a pin-head, but because it’s newsworthy. So, with my obligation to report PIttsburgh [...]