Response by Dani
Let me write something about me.
My body is 58 years old and I have been teaching at Ithaca College for 26
years. I love Math and Life and look forward to meet all of you. I am
teaching actually two classes this semester, I have a bike and like to
ride to school. I love nature and walks with my Dog Max but he is
getting old and it is not easy for him so much anymore so I sometimes go
alone for long walks in the woods by my house.
Any one wants to babysit my dog? I may bring him to school sometime.
My web page is:
http://www.ithaca.edu/dani
Much of my life I experienced emotional difficulties (my parents are
holocaust survivers) but I overcame these difficulties and am very happy.
See for example:
http://www.ithaca.edu/dani/croatia/
I have a wife and two children 26 and 32 and 2 years ago became a
grandfather.
I love Math and want to share the beauty of it with you. It is connected
to all things and is great fun.
Lately I started writing and am enjoying it immensly.
Look forward to read what you write. Let us create a community to
support each other.
Response by Dominique Legaux
Hello my name is Dominique and I'm from New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm a
sophomore Acting B.F.A. major here at Ithaca. I'm also involved in Rock
Hard Dance Company, Spit That! Spoken Word, and the African Latino
Society. I'm taking What is Math this semester, even though I'm not
really a big math fan. I've had some extreme hardships in my life,
(diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, Hurricane Katrina, and many hospital
visits because of my disease), but I've always tried to look at the
bright side of life. Things that keep me positive are the Arts- singing,
dancing, acting, and drawing. Below I've included some poems that I've
written that may give more insight to my personality.
"Introduction" (2006)
Hi, hello my name is
Oh, you say you know me.
From where? School?
Junior High or Elementary?
High School? College?
What's your name again?
Oh, you think you know me
by looking at the color of my skin,
the way that act, the texture of my hair,
the way I walk, the way I talk
and the clothes that I wear.
Because I'm confident you want to label me a bitch,
I'm too ethnic to shop at Abercrombie and fitch,
I don't get in trouble so I gotta be a snitch,
And I talk too "proper" so I must be rich,
I wish
that I could just be me without someone always judging or the pressure to
be
something I'm not.
Yes, I'm aware that I am light skinned
but don't stereotype me and put me in
the group of sellouts in the black community
You just don't understand I was raised differently!
Wait
Let me take a minute to introduce myself
Since it's obvious that you really don't know me that well
Hi, hello my name is Dominique
and I'm a girl who doesn't have it as easy as you think
I guess you can say it all started when I was seven
I was molested, not protected
and that's where the problems began.
I was raised by my mother cause she was all that I had
Since I didn't have that good of a relationship with my dad.
My freshman year of highschool is when my life all changed
My world was turned upside down, sideways, and rearranged
I was admitted to the hospital because I almost died
And when I looked into my parents eyes and saw tears in their eyes
I asked, "Why are you crying?"
"What's wrong with me?"
And then they finally broke down and told me
"Baby girl, you have Juvenile Diabetes.
Something's wrong with your pancreas, you have a disease"
And suddenly,
it all becomes so clear to me
that I would have to live my life completely differently than everyone
else,
So as I inject myself, I start to bleed and I plead
"Please fix me, I don't want this disease!"
But that was back then and as I think about my life
I survived Katrina and Rita
And I'm still alright.
I could give a damn about how you see me
If I'm too black or too white or too crazy,
I'm completely comfortable in my own skin,
If I'm light or dark, if I'm fat or thin,
I can look inside myself and see the beauty within.
So now that you know me, I've got things to do,
So I'm gonna end this with a "go to hell!"
And a "nice to meet you."
"DKA" (2007)
D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S
Eat Check Poke Bleed, No End. No rest.
Go through the day just staring at the clock,
Life's a schedule between meals and visiting the doc
Dealing with the disease all by yourself
With friends and family offering little to no help.
Eating five meals a day, watching your weight increase
Start skipping your shots to put your mind at peace
Diabetes is like a boulder you carry on your shoulder
So most time you just wish that your life was over.
"You look pregnant." "Wow you've put on some weight!"
You look in the mirror and now have feelings of self hate.
Stop taking your insulin and binge eating at dinner
Urinating out all your fluids in hopes to be thinner.
Getting loads of attention for shedding the pounds
Killing yourself inside literally, but you don't make a sound
Go through the day feeling low and feeling down
But instead of telling someone, you mask it with a smile
And all the while,
your friends don't you no mind.
They can't tell your hurting, they don't know the signs,
Until one day your body just can't take it anymore,
and you find yourself collapsed on the floor in front your neighbor's
door
You can't breathe and your vision's getting hazy
Start crawling down the hall screaming,"SOMEBODY SAVE ME!"
Riding in the ambulance, they say "You're going to feel a little prick"
Can't find veins in my arm or feet so they stick an IV in my neck
Plumping me up with saline to stop the dehydration
Waiting to get better, starting to lose patience.
Having no will to keep going, nothing else to give
Doctors tell me I only had 15 minutes to live
They finally discharge me claiming that I'm now all better
Get on the scale and realize I'm 15 pounds fatter.
Now it's the beginning of the cycle again
Skipping shots, eating wrong, and killing myself to be thin.
D-I-A-B-E-T-E-S
Eat Check Poke Bleed, No end. No rest.
Eat Check Poke Bleed, No end. No rest.
Eat Check Poke Bleed,
No end. No rest.
Response by Ashton
I am taking "What is Math". I've always struggled with Math which is why
I took this course. I am looking forward to the Fall semester and I am
currenly studying to be an English major.
Response by Susan
I am very excited about this upcoming class. Math is a subject that I
have always feared and subsequently one that I have tried avoid. I am a
rising senior here at IC studying vocal performance and music education.
In the future I am hoping to pursue a career in high school education and
I think that it is time that I become more comfortable talking about
math or atleast relating it to my own life in some way. See you on the
first day of class!
Response by Liz
My name is Liz, and I'm going into my third year as an English major.
Math is definitely not one of my strongest subjects, but I've heard a lot
of good things about the class (What is Math). Initially I came to IC in
order to pursue a career in teaching, but now I'm considering another
profession that my cousin has talked me into. I hate the pressure of
feeling like you need to know what you want to do with the rest of your
life! Anyway, I'm looking forward to the class.
Response by Jon
Hey, my name is Jon and I am taking "what is math?" I have heard great
things about this class and am excited for the upcoming semester. I am
going into my junior year and I am a politics major. I have always
struggled with math throughout school and have avoided math class when
possible. I came to Ithaca with the intention of studying business but
recently switched to the politics program. I can't wait to get
back to school and see you all soon.
Hello everyone and welcome to a fresh fall semester. I am in particular
very excited about this upcoming
semester. I have some fantastic classes lined up, great friends to hang
out with, and another year of
opportunities ahead.
These courses with Dani are one of my main focuses for this fall
semester. I believe that as a group we
have great potential to set new standards for student excellence at
Ithaca College. What I mean is that we
have a choice to either simply show up, listen and then leave ultimately
the same individual; or we can
travel to our destination, engage in conscious discussion/interaction,
create an organic environment, and
then depart smarter and stronger as students and members of society.
Well, I look forward to meeting everyone. Have a safe rest of your
summer, enjoy the time off and I will
see you all soon.
PS. I write poetry as a side hobby so if anyone is interested I am
always open to hanging out and kicking
around some ideas.
Response by Charles Lines
Hi there!
My name is Chuck Lines and I will be taking What is Math? in the fall
2007 semester. I'm enrolled as a sophomore in the B.F.A. Acting program.
This summer I worked for the Tin Can Fantasy Factory, performing improv
comedy and children's theatre. I love living in Ithaca and visiting the
waterfalls. My favorite at the moment is Ithaca Falls because you can
walk right up to the base of it.
In my free time, I'm working on a one act play that I'm writing entitled
"Telephony". It presents my frustration with the current American trend
of replacing intimacy and meaningful conversation with pointless and
ritualized long distance communication, placing it in a humorous context.
When I'm not in class, writing, rehearsing, working, or watching a movie,
I'm most likely asleep. It amuses me that as children, we nap most of the
day. For some reason as we age, that tendency wanes. Then, at a later
time, we rediscover the joys of rest. I love naps!
Can't wait to get back to Ithaca and meet everyone!
Response by Kelly Harbison
My name is Kelly and I am taking What is Math this semester. I am a
vocal performance and music education double major here at IC. Music and
Math are related, so I am very interested in the content of this class.
I'm hoping to be able to relate to math better in both my teaching and
performing. I look forward to seeing you all in class!
Response by Lael
Hello! My name is Lael and I am a senior music education and vocal
performance double major with a minor in drama. I am involved with
Premium Blend, IC Feminists, ALS, Prism, and Habitat for Humanity, among
others. I heard good things about Dani and this class, so I am looking
forward to taking it!
Response by Megan Palange
I am a senior Vocal Performance/Music Education major from upstate New
York. I'm taking "What is Math" to obtain an additional 3 math credits to
potentially teach in other states that require 6 instead of 3 math
credits.
Response by Bailey Johnson
I am Bailey Solomon (Johnson). I am going to be nineteen on September
10th. I took Dave Brown's 'History of Secrets' last year and enjoyed it
immensely so I would like to take another math class this year.
Presently I'm preparing a proposal (with the providence of that same
professor) pertaining to a 'Planned Studies' major that I plan to pursue.
I am an emcee/producer with the style of a poet/composer trying to make
the step up to songwriter/musician. I love this country for its natural
beauty, especially the Colorado Rockies, and the New York 'skills and
'dacks, but not for its national character.
Solomon, taller than your average ottoman.
I run through the city like the waters in Rotterdam.
I wake up, walk up but coast down the steep hills
on my diamondback bike. In my back pack i keep quills
to jot every thought on the spot when i speak ill.
Knowing the scope of global motion its hard to be still. I'm
enrolled at Ithaca but Roc-town's my hometown.
There are many roads to Buffalo, many roads to roam 'round
but I drive by the lakes and take a second to slow down.
'From greatness to sadness' my fellows have forgotten their roots.
Unschooled youth join our ranks with no knowledge of truth, this
dilution to our troops the same thing that brought Rome down.
We freestyle, cipher in spirals emcees' essences siphoned in vials.
We try to be viral spreadin' the sickness in a fight for survival.
No-holds-barred emcees' egos get cracked like codes
when I put their flow in a choke hold with these bars that I hold.
An assassin in the 'booth' average rappers I damage
and stand over the carnage shouting "Sic semper tyrannis"
my eyes intense. As they lie to rest dropped on the floor
their friends ask why did I have to rise against?
Not that I liked them less, I just love hip-hop more.
On The Ides of March I show you who the brute is, B.
read carefully, I wrap/rap secrets like a scytale.
Response by Casey
Hey, I'm an exploratory second year student, hopefully getting into the
TVR department before then end of next semester. Not a big fan of math,
but I think I will enjoy this "What is Math" this term. Hopefully it will
be a lot of fun. see you guys soon.
Response by Siobhan Whalen
I am Siobhan (Sha-von) Whalen. I am a Super Senior this year which has me
feeling anxious and proud all
at the same time. I've heard overwhelming positive stuff about Dani's
What is Math class and am looking
forward to it. I'm not sure which section I have, but its MWF @ 3. I've
lived downtown in my apartment for
3 years now. I'm from NYC but certainly consider Ithaca my home, now. I
have worked as a cashier at
Greenstar for 1 1/2 and am a vegan.
See you all this afternoon!