Wednesday, March 24, 2010

1. I apologize for the postponed Winter's Tale prompt, but the boys have had a crazy week, and Paul has not yet had a chance to sit down with me and read the scene. And tonight is the high school science fair, meaning that I'll be roaming hallways rather than sitting on my couch with Shakespeare, so don't expect a prompt tomorrow either.

2. My friend Scott sent me a lesson plan for the NCAA-style poetry tournament he holds with his high school English students. It looks like an excellent idea: fun and competitive, but not at the expense of the poetry. I bet he wouldn't mind if I showed you the plan, so let me know if you're interested, and I'll ask him.

3. We are out of good coffee, and the rain has turned into snow.

4. What book is best for blocking out the boringness of science fair while keeping me available for sudden hysterical son-interruption and parental small talk? I'm thinking of a Trollope novel, but let me know if you have a better idea.

Dinner tonight: pepperoni pizza and soda with an overwrought fifteen-year-old who is haranguing me about the aggravations of PowerPoint. Ick.

2 comments:

Ruth said...

Trollope may be too involved, the language is too fascinating. Perhaps Miss Read or Barbara Pym, their stories are easier to follow and also have your mind on exterior conversations. Have fun. You have my sympathy. Our middle school Academic Fair is coming up soon.

Lucy Barber said...

Too late now, but Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (and yes a rather good movie with someone in it) is great. It is all about interruption and exterior vs. interior thoughts and conversations. The movie sounded good, but I generally try to read the book before a movie and was really pleased in this case. Published in 1938 it is both and not a satire of the "manners" comedy of that period and earlier.