Sunday, January 10, 2016
Whose Body? - Book 1
This is my first completed book in 2016. I abandoned the other three books I was bogged down in and decided I was only going to read for pleasure and not out of a sense of duty!
This is a reread from many years ago. Whose Body? is the first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery written by Dorothy L. Sayers. In it we are introduced to charming Lord Peter and his perfect manservant, Bunter. Lord Peter is a learned and rich aristocrat who loves to collect expensive old books and quote Latin. He comes off as a bit quirky, but underneath his chatter is a mind like a steel trap. He also, though, still suffers from shell shock from his time in World War 1. It is also hinted at that he was jilted after the war and that further exacerbated his breakdown.
He has a friend police detective, Parker, who can be Lord Peter's intellectual companion but also steadies his more whimsical characteristics. Since this is a British novel written in the 20s there are quite a few references to 'semites' and "Hebrews' even though the man in question is a nice guy. The British certainly did have their issues there.
This was a very enjoyable, intelligent and satisfying mystery story, even if a bit grisly in terms of the cold way in which human dissection is discussed. It has got a couple of really creepy moments.
Two thumbs up! I am really happy to be revisiting Lord Peter.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Get ready! Here it comes!
Getting ready. I feel that is what this weekend is about. I've only been going at half-speed, but all that is about to change. Monday, S starts his Music Theory class. We are such bozos we forgot to get the textbooks and his class starts Monday at 9. So we were going to go in today and buy them in the bookstore, but then we looked on Amazon and could get them all a good bit cheaper and they were all available for Sunday delivery for free. So that's what we were doing last night! Ordering textbooks.
J went to his orientation yesterday. He kept forgetting to sign up for it and this was the very last one. Rick and I keep exchanging glances. Does procrastinating about going to orientation bode well? Hmmm. Anyway, he went and he came back all excited! But instead of signing up for the classes we thought he was going to sign up for, he's decided to work towards an AA in business management. Originally he was just going to take an Intro to Business and an Intro to Accounting to see if he liked the subject matter and then he'd decide. And we even said to him we don't think it is a good idea to start with a writing heavy course because that is what sunk him in his foray into college two years ago. But no, he came back and announced he's taking Pre-Calc and College Composition. Huh? But honestly he seems sincerely excited about it. He started talking about how a lot of the guys who work for a few years at the marina move over to work for the Park authority (the marina has a lot of interaction with the park adjacent to it). But you have to have a BA and experience. He'll get experience working at the marina and he'll get his BA or at least an AA. With the AA he can transfer to another 4 year college if he wants to. He likes the idea of working full time and just taking a few classes at a time. So this might take a while! But anyway, he's got a plan! He's also taking a college study skills class (1 credit). So his schedule is working at the marina Saturday through Wednesday, Wed night College Composition, 7:15 - 9:55, Thur night Pre-Calc 7:15 - 9:55, Fridays 11:00a.m. - 11:50a.m. a hybrid study skills course (only lasts for the 1st half of the semester).
I looked up the teachers on rate my professors. Happily the college composition teacher got rave reviews. I do hope this is when he gets over his mental block about writing. The truth is he is an average writer. He isn't terrible. It is just really, really painful for him to put words on paper. But he actually can write, if he's given a lot of time and isn't too overwhelmed. I know how his mind works and he thinks in bullet points. It is so hard for him to flesh out those bullet points into a smooth flowing paragraph. He just flounders. I told him the standards for writing at Christendom and writing at the community college were probably going to be two different things. At Christendom they expected a high quality and quantity of writing continually. Here he'll have time to write. The reviews said the teacher only assigns 5 essays over the course of the semester and she gives lots of guidance and time to rewrite. So that really sounds as ideal as you can get for J's particular issues with writing.
The reviews for the pre-calc teacher were very mixed. However, J is so good at math. The only reason he is still at the pre-calc level is that he went in to take the math placement test after three years of having no math. He did no prep or anything. He covered this stuff back in his junior year (at a high school level anyway). He should be way, way further in his math studies by now, if he were a motivated academic student, which he is not! Anyway, the point is I don't think he'll have any trouble with the pre-calc, even if the teacher is so-so.
So maybe this will work out! Hope springs eternal!
Anyway, I am using this weekend to get everything in place so that, so that we are all ready to launch come Monday morning.
I guess I better get moving!
J went to his orientation yesterday. He kept forgetting to sign up for it and this was the very last one. Rick and I keep exchanging glances. Does procrastinating about going to orientation bode well? Hmmm. Anyway, he went and he came back all excited! But instead of signing up for the classes we thought he was going to sign up for, he's decided to work towards an AA in business management. Originally he was just going to take an Intro to Business and an Intro to Accounting to see if he liked the subject matter and then he'd decide. And we even said to him we don't think it is a good idea to start with a writing heavy course because that is what sunk him in his foray into college two years ago. But no, he came back and announced he's taking Pre-Calc and College Composition. Huh? But honestly he seems sincerely excited about it. He started talking about how a lot of the guys who work for a few years at the marina move over to work for the Park authority (the marina has a lot of interaction with the park adjacent to it). But you have to have a BA and experience. He'll get experience working at the marina and he'll get his BA or at least an AA. With the AA he can transfer to another 4 year college if he wants to. He likes the idea of working full time and just taking a few classes at a time. So this might take a while! But anyway, he's got a plan! He's also taking a college study skills class (1 credit). So his schedule is working at the marina Saturday through Wednesday, Wed night College Composition, 7:15 - 9:55, Thur night Pre-Calc 7:15 - 9:55, Fridays 11:00a.m. - 11:50a.m. a hybrid study skills course (only lasts for the 1st half of the semester).
I looked up the teachers on rate my professors. Happily the college composition teacher got rave reviews. I do hope this is when he gets over his mental block about writing. The truth is he is an average writer. He isn't terrible. It is just really, really painful for him to put words on paper. But he actually can write, if he's given a lot of time and isn't too overwhelmed. I know how his mind works and he thinks in bullet points. It is so hard for him to flesh out those bullet points into a smooth flowing paragraph. He just flounders. I told him the standards for writing at Christendom and writing at the community college were probably going to be two different things. At Christendom they expected a high quality and quantity of writing continually. Here he'll have time to write. The reviews said the teacher only assigns 5 essays over the course of the semester and she gives lots of guidance and time to rewrite. So that really sounds as ideal as you can get for J's particular issues with writing.
The reviews for the pre-calc teacher were very mixed. However, J is so good at math. The only reason he is still at the pre-calc level is that he went in to take the math placement test after three years of having no math. He did no prep or anything. He covered this stuff back in his junior year (at a high school level anyway). He should be way, way further in his math studies by now, if he were a motivated academic student, which he is not! Anyway, the point is I don't think he'll have any trouble with the pre-calc, even if the teacher is so-so.
So maybe this will work out! Hope springs eternal!
Anyway, I am using this weekend to get everything in place so that, so that we are all ready to launch come Monday morning.
I guess I better get moving!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Some links
Some links!
Parenting advice I agree with!
Let them play!
I am so happy to see this kind of thing being reported by the Catholic press.
Have you see this beautiful video produced by the Vatican?
Parenting advice I agree with!
Let them play!
I am so happy to see this kind of thing being reported by the Catholic press.
Have you see this beautiful video produced by the Vatican?
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
This is My Home, This is My School
If you homeschool, you must get this wonderful picture book! The illustrations are absolutely fantastic and it is a realistic and heartwarming recollection of what homeschooling is from the child's perspective.
My youngest is 14 and yet I still had to have this picture book!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
1st day back journal
Our sleep schedules got so bad over the break, so I was mean today and woke the kids at 9 a.m!
9:30 breakfast school (except nobody ate breakfast)
Mass readings for today
Saint: Feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton
Element - we revisited rubidium because we couldn't remember which elements video we'd last watched three or more weeks ago.
Read from Plutarch - Demosthenes
Copy work - quote from Frederick Douglass
S did math - actually just 2 problems
I took shower while B read Pride and Prejudice
S took shower
B and I sat and watched Geometry video and took notes
B went back to Pride and Prejudice
Fought with printers; had to call Rick to get help with his printer up in our bedroom. We have 3 printers (!) only one of which seems to be working.
Printed out note taking sheets for history.
B opted to read P&P while S took notes and I read history textbook out loud. Did one sheet out of 3.
Went to Elevation burger for lunch. Very expensive. S tried the veggie burger but didn't like it. I tried one too but put so many condiments on it I couldn't taste it. B got just a burger.
Went to library - got books on Custer for paper S needs to write, due a week from tomorrow.
Came back - not sure what B did, but S and I went through his new chemistry set and checked out all the equipment in it.
S worked out with physical trainer
B was supposed to be doing history but wasn't. When I reminded her though she did sit down and worked on it.
Took a break before dinner - made cheesy cauliflower and polenta with veggies.
After dinner - reviewed some Latin and watched a couple Latin youtube videos from Latin Tutorials
R came home - talked to S about his paper on Custer and helped him with some math
B read some of her Physical Science book she's supposed to be notebooking.
Something I ate did not agree with me. Maybe I can not eat too much cauliflower!
Went to bed at 11, B dutifully brought me her ipod. I had told S to go to bed at 11, but at 12:40 at night got up and found him downstairs still playing computer games. GRRRRR.
Between not feeling well and being annoyed at S, it took a while to get back to sleep and thus overslept the next morning. GRRR some more!
9:30 breakfast school (except nobody ate breakfast)
Mass readings for today
Saint: Feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton
Element - we revisited rubidium because we couldn't remember which elements video we'd last watched three or more weeks ago.
Read from Plutarch - Demosthenes
Copy work - quote from Frederick Douglass
S did math - actually just 2 problems
I took shower while B read Pride and Prejudice
S took shower
B and I sat and watched Geometry video and took notes
B went back to Pride and Prejudice
Fought with printers; had to call Rick to get help with his printer up in our bedroom. We have 3 printers (!) only one of which seems to be working.
Printed out note taking sheets for history.
B opted to read P&P while S took notes and I read history textbook out loud. Did one sheet out of 3.
Went to Elevation burger for lunch. Very expensive. S tried the veggie burger but didn't like it. I tried one too but put so many condiments on it I couldn't taste it. B got just a burger.
Went to library - got books on Custer for paper S needs to write, due a week from tomorrow.
Came back - not sure what B did, but S and I went through his new chemistry set and checked out all the equipment in it.
S worked out with physical trainer
B was supposed to be doing history but wasn't. When I reminded her though she did sit down and worked on it.
Took a break before dinner - made cheesy cauliflower and polenta with veggies.
After dinner - reviewed some Latin and watched a couple Latin youtube videos from Latin Tutorials
R came home - talked to S about his paper on Custer and helped him with some math
B read some of her Physical Science book she's supposed to be notebooking.
Something I ate did not agree with me. Maybe I can not eat too much cauliflower!
Went to bed at 11, B dutifully brought me her ipod. I had told S to go to bed at 11, but at 12:40 at night got up and found him downstairs still playing computer games. GRRRRR.
Between not feeling well and being annoyed at S, it took a while to get back to sleep and thus overslept the next morning. GRRR some more!
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Book Aspirations for 2016
First of all I don't think I will participate in any of the books challenges going around for 2016. Except, of course, for my beloved 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. That I will still strive for. And I do have the five year Classics challenge, so I hope to incorporate some of those books into my reading this new year. And I have my own personal challenge of reading through the Bible. So that's plenty. I really, truly hope to start my masters in Theology this summer. I was too overwhelmed this year but once the school year is up I hope I can really focus, and that will take up more reading time.
I am thinking mostly in terms of authors I'd like to read or read more of:
By trying to do the King William's College Quiz, I realized I have forgotten every Lord Peter Wimsey story I've read, except for The Nine Tailors so I'd like to reread all those.
I'd like to read some John Buchan novels too (this is also inspired by making several of his novels answers to questions in the King William's College Quiz).
From reading Minds More Awake, I am inspired to read more books by Louisa May Alcott and George MacDonald.
I'd also like to read more Anthony Trollope. I read Barchester Towers years ago. I think I might go back and reread that and then start on the rest of the series.
For nonfiction - I need to keep up with my husband. I've got to read Alexander Hamilton by Chernow. The musical Hamilton is huge around here because of Becky and my husband read the book a couple years ago and talks about how good it is. And now he is into reading books about Lincoln.
For religious books, I don't have any in mind except for reading more by Father Michael Gaitley.
Right now, I am in the middle of three books all good, but I seem to be in a slump of some sort, so I am reading slowly.
I just rediscovered, to my delight, a book blog that I used to frequent several years ago. It is still going strong! I think I will make it one of my regular blogs to visit. Check out Semicolon, if you haven't already!
I am thinking mostly in terms of authors I'd like to read or read more of:
By trying to do the King William's College Quiz, I realized I have forgotten every Lord Peter Wimsey story I've read, except for The Nine Tailors so I'd like to reread all those.
I'd like to read some John Buchan novels too (this is also inspired by making several of his novels answers to questions in the King William's College Quiz).
From reading Minds More Awake, I am inspired to read more books by Louisa May Alcott and George MacDonald.
I'd also like to read more Anthony Trollope. I read Barchester Towers years ago. I think I might go back and reread that and then start on the rest of the series.
For nonfiction - I need to keep up with my husband. I've got to read Alexander Hamilton by Chernow. The musical Hamilton is huge around here because of Becky and my husband read the book a couple years ago and talks about how good it is. And now he is into reading books about Lincoln.
For religious books, I don't have any in mind except for reading more by Father Michael Gaitley.
Right now, I am in the middle of three books all good, but I seem to be in a slump of some sort, so I am reading slowly.
I just rediscovered, to my delight, a book blog that I used to frequent several years ago. It is still going strong! I think I will make it one of my regular blogs to visit. Check out Semicolon, if you haven't already!
Friday, January 1, 2016
Plans for Spring Semester 2016
This coming semester is going to be a bear! Sean is going to be taking Music Theory 1 at the community college. These means I have to drive him every Monday and Thursday a.m. plus he has to go in for lab time at some other point in the week. The campus is only about 15 or 20 minutes away when there is no traffic. However, when there is traffic it is a good 30+. And they've been doing construction on the road for months now so the traffic has been terrible. Also, once I drop him off, I have to fight rush hour traffic going in the same direction (I am going against it when I take him). So boo hiss! Friday mornings I already face this to take him to his math tutor. Not looking forward to this!
But to make it hopefully not dead time in the car, I want to try to listen to some classic on cd going to and from. So I am looking into that. I want to come up with a selection and then let Sean choose.
This also means that our 'breakfast school' which consists of Scripture reading, saint of the day, some other educational short video (this year Elements and MusicTheory.net) and copy work is going to have to move around a lot. So it looks like it will go:
Monday - breakfast school at lunch!
Tuesday - breakfast school
Wednesday - breakfast school
Thursday - breakfast school at dinner (and maybe I should make that dinner menu breakfast for dinner! The kids always like it when we do that.)
Friday - we have a different schedule - so we don't do it on this day anyway.
In addition to our regular breakfast school, I have been inspired to study Plutarch's Lives. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and now realize that with Sean it is probably now or never! So we will add on to our breakfast school this and then this. This is kind of a continuation of the Speech and Communications on line class the kids took with Homeschool Connections which they really enjoyed and I think, learned quite a bit.
Because I just read Minds More Awake and because I just saw this lovely curriculum in the making, I got inspired to try to be more formally CM than we have been. So I polled B about the following:
What composer would you like to study this semester? She said Pachelbel and Baroque music in general.
What artist would you like to study? Vincent van Gogh - so a trip to the art gallery is in store sometime this semester, as well as books out from the library and we hope to read his letters to his brother Theo as well.
What classic book do you want to read this semester (other than the teen book club)? Pride and Prejudice. (A girl after my own heart!)
Which Shakespeare play would you like to study? She thought about it and then said, what is Othello about? Turns out Othello is playing at a theater near us in March. So Othello it is!
But to make it hopefully not dead time in the car, I want to try to listen to some classic on cd going to and from. So I am looking into that. I want to come up with a selection and then let Sean choose.
This also means that our 'breakfast school' which consists of Scripture reading, saint of the day, some other educational short video (this year Elements and MusicTheory.net) and copy work is going to have to move around a lot. So it looks like it will go:
Monday - breakfast school at lunch!
Tuesday - breakfast school
Wednesday - breakfast school
Thursday - breakfast school at dinner (and maybe I should make that dinner menu breakfast for dinner! The kids always like it when we do that.)
Friday - we have a different schedule - so we don't do it on this day anyway.
In addition to our regular breakfast school, I have been inspired to study Plutarch's Lives. I've been wanting to do this for a while, and now realize that with Sean it is probably now or never! So we will add on to our breakfast school this and then this. This is kind of a continuation of the Speech and Communications on line class the kids took with Homeschool Connections which they really enjoyed and I think, learned quite a bit.
Because I just read Minds More Awake and because I just saw this lovely curriculum in the making, I got inspired to try to be more formally CM than we have been. So I polled B about the following:
What composer would you like to study this semester? She said Pachelbel and Baroque music in general.
What artist would you like to study? Vincent van Gogh - so a trip to the art gallery is in store sometime this semester, as well as books out from the library and we hope to read his letters to his brother Theo as well.
What classic book do you want to read this semester (other than the teen book club)? Pride and Prejudice. (A girl after my own heart!)
Which Shakespeare play would you like to study? She thought about it and then said, what is Othello about? Turns out Othello is playing at a theater near us in March. So Othello it is!
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