Unconscious Mutterings

1. Dork :: nerd (These put downs are coming back in style.)


2. Refurbished :: Refrigerator (I've never bought one this way but I think it's possible.)
   


3. Basket :: A tisket a tasket (and it's green and yellow)


4. Mousse :: Chocolate


5. Studio :: Art


6. 8 ball :: Magic (remember those from when you were a kid - they're back!)


7. Masking tape :: A Painter's best friend


8. Love :: My husband (sappy, but true)


9. Wilder :: Laura Ingalls (I loved those books as a kid!)
   


10. Lindsey :: Wagner (I'm not sure about the new version of The Bionic Woman - I liked the older campy one!)

Saturday's Six - Grammar

1. How different is your speech pattern among your friends versus a stranger you’d meet on the street?

I've never really thought about it. I think I tend to speak the same to strangers as I do to my friends. I'm sure there are "lingo" words that I use with friends that I wouldn't use with strangers because they are unique to the background I have with people I know well. I'd hope I speak politely to everyone. I guess I'll be much more away of how I speak to people.

2. How often do you get asked where you’re from based on your accent?

I'm almost never asked because I was born and raised in California and still live in California so I guess I sound like everyone else. The last time I was asked where I was from from was in New York a number of years ago. Everyone I encountered didn't bother to ask they just knew I was from California so I guess I do have some type of accent or speech pattern. (I really want to add dude here!)

3. What word or phrase said by newscasters is your biggest pet peeve?

I hate how "slangy" the news has become. I can't think of an example right now because I tend to read my news since I find most newscasts very hard to listen to. I do feel the newscasters have become much too informal in their use of language.

4. Take the quiz: How good at grammar are you?

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

5. How often do you look up a word in a dictionary, either online or print?

I tend to look up words quite frequently. Since I teach first grade, I see so many words so dramatically misspelled that I start to doubt myself when I'm writing or editing student work and have to use a dictionary to confirm how things are spelled. My students think it is hysterical that I can't always spell simple words. I hope it teaches them, by example, that it's okay to look up words and that nobody can spell anything. Maybe I'm just kidding myself. I do use spell check whenever I can, even if I think I got it all right, but it doesn't catch everything. You really do need to read things through as well.

6. How many books or guides on grammar do you currently own?

I think I have one very dusty grammar guide on a shelf somewhere. I don't tend to use them. I rely on my husband, who has a very good sense of grammar, and I also tend to go with what looks right to me. Now I do have books of very basic grammar in my classroom all the time. Luckily, I don't tend to need these - I do remember how to start and stop a sentence.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

This is my first book in the Reading Awards Challenge and is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Just a note at the start of this review, this book is definitely NOT for everyone since the main character is a hermaphrodite. I'm not giving away anything because the main character is also the narrator and reveals this in the first paragraph of the book. There have been discussions on this blog
about reading award winning books because they win awards. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I do like to challenge myself to read books that are outside my normal comfort zone. That's why I joined the Book Awards Challenge.

Strengths of Middlesex: I truly enjoyed the epic sweep of the novel. The main character, Cal or Callie, relates the story of his immigrant family for two generations. I was very enthralled with the grandparents' story and their recreation of themselves in America. It was interesting to think about their version of the "American Dream." I thought Eugenides did an excellent job with his main character. The point of view is very clear in the story, and I found myself drawn into Cal's internal struggle as he came to terms with his identity.

Weaknesses of Middlesex: I did not like the abruptness of the ending. The story is told in flashback with some hints to Cal's current life. After spending so much time with his thoughts and family background, I wanted to know a bit more about his current life. I need to preface this part of the review by saying I am by no means prudish and quite enjoy well-written sexual scenes; however, I found some of the descriptions of Cal's life in San Francisco to be a bit over the top. I understood the author's point, but felt the writing could have been more subtle and achieve the same goal.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the book. It is not for everyone, and I don't think I would ever read it again. Would I read another book about the same character? Probably not. I'm curious to hear other people's reactions to this book. Let me know what you thought.

Booking Through Thursday - Goldilocks

Here's today's BTT. Today was the first day of school so my answers, hopefully, will make sense when you remember that fact.

Okay, so the other day, a friend was commenting on my monthly reading list and asked when I found the time to read. In the ensuing discussion, she described herself as a “goldilocks” when it comes to reading–she needs to have everything juuuuuust right to be able to focus. This caught my attention because, first, I thought that was a charming way of describing the condition, but, two, while we’ve talked about our reading habits, this is an interesting wrinkle. I’d never really thought about it that way.

So, this is my question to you–are you a Goldilocks kind of reader?

No, I am definitely not a Goldilocks reader. I love the analogy of everything needed to be just right. In my job, you have to be able to listen to many people at once while reading a teacher's manual and listening to a child read. You also have to watch for frantic bathroom needs etc. etc. I can read just about anywhere - noisy waiting rooms, in bars with loud TVs blaring, during a coffee house concert.

Do you need the light just right, the background noise just so loud but not too loud, the chair just right, the distractions at a minimum?

The light doesn't have to be just right, but it does need to be fairly bright - my eyes aren't getting any younger. Noise is never an issue for me. It can be very loud and I'll still be fine. I do have a favorite reading chair when I'm at home but it isn't necessary. I can read sitting cross-legged on the hard ground.

Or can you open a book at any time and dip right in, whether it’s for twenty seconds, while waiting for the kettle to boil, or indefinitely, like while waiting interminably at the hospital–as long as the book is open in front of your nose, you’re happy to read?

I'm happy to read anywhere, anytime. I can read for one minute or hours. I'll use whatever time I have.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Socks - Reviewed by SurferGirl

Socks is a very good book.



It all starts when two kids are doing a kitten sale for 20 cents and the girl of those two people that were selling the kittens loved this cat named Socks. She didn't want anyone to buy him so she hid him behind her back and in the mailbox. And then a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Bricker saw Socks in the mailbox, and they wanted to buy him. They adopted him for 50 cents!



Socks is in paradise. He gets scratched and rubbed by Mrs. Bricker, but then one day, Mrs. Bricker's lap starts to shrink (P.S. That's what Socks thinks). The next day, they came home holding a bundle in a blanket, and Socks saw it was a baby. In the next few weeks, the baby was getting all of the attention and not Socks. One day a sitter came. Her name was Mrs. Risely. She loved Socks, and the baby, Charles William, not so much. The next morning Socks was mad that Mrs. Risely was gone.



The next week, Charles William's cousin, uncle, and aunt came to visit. The aunt said that Socks was looking a little fat, and so Mrs. Bricker put him on a diet. That meant four slices of kidney not eight.



Two weeks later, Charles William's Nana came to visit. She hated Socks. So Socks began to think that everything he did was wrong to Nana. Then one day Socks began to get so mad at Nana and Mrs. Bricker that he bit Mrs. Bricker's ankle. About five minutes after that, he got thrown out of the house into the backyard. A couple of hours later, when it was pouring, a mean cat from next door named Old Taylor attacked Socks. After the attack, Socks was bitten up, wet, cold, and scratched. So Mr. and Mrs. Bricker let Socks in the house so they can dry him off. And then they decided he could live in the house again.



After that, Charles William and Socks became best friends! One day Charles William was taking his afternoon nap. Socks was annoyed that Charles William had dropped his bottle out of his crib and it made a big splatter noise. Charles William pushed his crib to block his door. Right before it shut all the way, Socks came in. They were throwing cotton at each other and playing with brown bear together. Mrs. Bricker had to use a stepladder to get into the room to stop that.



I thought it was funny, loving, a little mean and I think other kids would really like it. My favorite part was when Charles William and Socks were throwing cotton at each other because it was funny.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Scrabble :: fun game to play with SurferGirl


2. NyQuil :: a good night's sleep
   


3. Roadtrip :: Harry Potter (we listened to book one and most of two on our last one)


4. Idiot :: Village


5. Bandages :: Star Wars (the only ones allowed in our house)


6. Series :: Nancy Drew (my favorite book series growing up)


7. Summer :: ending (school starts soon)


8. Prompt :: writing (I use them with my students all the time)


9. September :: hot (always at the start of school)
   


10. Chicken :: nice, chewy, and greasy (from SurferGirl)

Saturday's Six - Power of Ten

1. Twelve percent of Americans say they have never had someone of a different race in their home. Have you had someone of a different race in your home? Have you been in the home of someone of a different race?

Absolutely, I have had people of many ethnicities in my home. I have also been in their homes. It would never occur to me to issue, or accept, invitations based on race.

2. When asked if they think gay people are actually born gay (as opposed to “choosing” to be gay, 51% say that homosexuality is something one is born with. Do you agree?

I do not want to speak for anyone else, or for anyone else's experiences, so I really don't know the answer to this one. I have some friends who have told me that they knew from very early that they were attracted to the same sex, and others who were equally attracted to both sexes and made a choice to stick with one person because they had found their soul mate. So I do think there is a genetic component.

3. Given our society’s obsession with the “perfect body,” the number might be expected to be higher, but 33% of Americans say they’d leave their partner if he or she gained 100 pounds. Would you?

No, I would not. I love my husband. The only thing I would do is encourage him to see a doctor to make sure his health was not at risk.

4. This question was originally asked only of women, and 54% said they’d prefer to watch the Super Bowl over the Academy Awards. Which would you pick and why?

Absolutely the Academy Awards, but not for the awards themselves. The best part is watching the awful dresses many actresses select. I have never liked football, but if it were the Stanley Cup Finals - that's different story. I would find a sports bar to watch the Cup, if I couldn't get it on my cable system. That wouldn't happen with the Academy Awards.

5. We hear a lot these days about protecting the institution of marriage. Oddly enough, that phrase is generally used in efforts to prevent people who love each other and want a committed relationship from actually getting married. Fifty percent of Americans say that it would be a good idea to require couples eligible for marriage to undergo marriage counseling before they can walk down the aisle. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

My husband and I were required to attend a day of counseling before getting married, and it was a joke. It was a group setting, and the couple presenting the information were very uncomfortable. The husband took the lead, and they had a great deal of trouble with the sexual part of the presentation. If someone could do it well, it would be a good thing. I think mandating marriage counseling would put a whole lot of bad programs out there that would do more harm than good.

6. A popular potato chip’s ad slogan says, “Once you pop, you can’t stop.” But 39% of Americans claim that they can stop at just one chip. Are you one of them?

If it's a chip I like, then no I can't stop. But there are some chips I don't like, like Fritos, so one is definitely enough.