For the word lovers. . .

There is a wonderfully entertaining site of international tongue twisters, indexed by language.

On Countdown

In an effort to actually finish the books I'm reading, I'm trying to narrow down my current reading list BEFORE school starts, when I undoubtedly will forget I ever read or was reading anything. To that end, I finished Literary Feuds last night. I have to say that, while I had some difficulty paying attention at times, I am pleasantly surprised with the book as a whole. It's the kind of random, trivial information you only get from being a well-read and educated person. . .not to say that I overly qualify for either of those adjectives. The author seems to write from a moral perspective, sometimes mildly scolding the feuding authors for their below-the-belt digs. He also seems very fair, citing both positive and negative about all authors discussed. Without the knowledge to judge the validity of his points, I would nonetheless say that he appears to have a well-balanced perspective. It's a good "broadening-your-spectrum-of-knowledge" book.

More on School

According to the website of the Oklahoma State Department of Education , Oklahoma is the only state that constitutionally provides for parents to homeschool their kids. There are no regulations or accountability requirements; if the state wants to force you to send your children to school, the burden of proof is on them to prove that no other means of education is being provided or that the provided means of education is not equitable.

Did Puritans really create public schools?

Check out this lovely article on Fox News about a parent who is being a parent. There's a good link at the bottom of the article too, and a link from that page to an article on homeschooling.

Return of the Internet Access

After being without any means of getting online for. . .let's see. . .4 days now, I am happy to report that our DSL is up and running again. I am sitting on the couch in our new apartment staring at a prodigious mess of empty, half-empty, and not-empty boxes. (Note that I prefer to think in terms of empty boxes rather than full boxes. . . .) The kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom are mostly put to rights, but there is clutter and an eclectic scattering of odds and ends everywhere. The living room is just mass chaos. All in all, however, I think the move will be worth it. We have a cute little patio that opens into a picturesque courtyard. I'll post pictures in a couple days. . .when there is a path to the patio door again. We have more room, as well. I am anticipating not feeling "squished" as soon as all the boxes are disposed of. (Speaking of, do you want boxes back, Rachel?)

I should probably get busy, as I only have about 2 hours before Kevin comes home for lunch, and then I'm going to spend the afternoon working in my classroom at school.

If Life were a Movie about ME. . .

the sun would be my own personal spotlight, the rain my scheduled daily shower, and the clouds attenuated to my personal desire for shade.

Obviously, life is not a movie about me.

I think someone should write a poem, if not a book, entitled If Life were a Movie about Me, and the first line should be "the sun would be my own personal spotlight." However, the only books I can think of that might have such a title are silly contemporary novels or almost-equally-questionable inspirational/self-help snippets. Oh well. . .you have to admit it's a catchy title.

Galactic Explorers Be Warned

Apparently, the galaxy is a place overrun with illogical events and ironic British humor. . .at least, so it is portrayed in the infamous The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I finished the book this morning, so now I suppose we can see the movie. I recommend the book for a humorous and easy read; I'm sure there are philosophical musings somewhere within its infinite depths, but I don't care to extricate them.

We returned from OKC this evening; it is good to be home. We had a very busy 3 days of various family gatherings, all of which I survived unscathed. My lack of sociability is really lamentable. Someone should do something about it.
In truth, we enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up. We haven't been to the city since the first weekend in July. . .hmmm, it seems so much longer than that. Please say a prayer for my youngest cousin as she goes back to school this week. Public high schools are scary places, no matter where you live.