Attn: Students

For my Clifton and Columbia classes- do not forget that tomorrow is test #3. It will be over the info from chapters 23-26 (Post-WWI to the Korean War). Typical multiple choice test but in this case, for the Columbia class, make sure you study all the terms from chapter 26. You will need to know the stuff on the Red Scare/McCarthy Witch Hunts and the Korean War even though we ran out of time and didn't get to it. The info is in your book but you can also find it on the net (Wiki's not an acceptable source but you can use it to study in a pinch). If you have any questions, please email me or ask before the test starts tomorrow.

Don't forget your pencils!

Your Favorite Songs Say It All

My daughter spends way too much time on MuseLive but this particular trip to Muse-land ended up sending the two of us off into a ROTFL kind of moment. You absolutely have to try this yourselves and post your results in the comments.

Your music says a lot about you. Put your ipod on shuffle and using the results to answer the following questions. I'll post mine and can't wait to see yours!

1 What is the story of my life so far?

2. What song will I play at my wedding?

3. How do my friends see me?

4. How is my life going?

5. What's the best thing about me?

6. Will I have a happy life?

7. How can I make myself happy?

8. What should I do with my life?

9. How can I get ahead in life?

10. Will I ever have children?

11. What is some good advice for me?

12. How will I be remembered?

13 What's in store for next weekend?

14. What song will play at my funeral?

15. What type of men/women do I like?

16. What song describes my parents?

17. Why should life be full of so much pain?

18. What is happiness?

Perceptions

I have to share some good news with everybody. You all know how much I love to write- otherwise I wouldn't be talking about my book all the time- and I just got some info that my writing has paid off.

I submitted two of my short stories to Perceptions, Columbia State's literary journal. I had one story published in it last year so I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, they would choose one for this year's edition also. Then I got the response- they put BOTH of them in!!!! When I got the word last year about the first story, I did a happy dance that looked more like Chunk doing the Truffle Shuffle in The Goonies. This year, it was the futterwacken dance from Alice in Wonderland. Oh yeah, I was excited.

To make it even better, Cathleen (or Cookie Girl as I call her now since she was the one who made the biscotti) from my Franklin class got two of her photos included in the Visual Arts section of the journal. Yay for Cathleen!

Book Review: The Hunger Games

I had seen this book on the shelves over and over again. I had even read the back but I kept putting it down. I read the back but the story just didn't catch my attention. I don't know why, but for some reason, I didn't think this one was for me.

And then...my daddy and I talk books all the time. He reads a little of everything, fiction, religion, conspiracy theory stuff- everything. So when he told me he had a book for me to read, I wasn't thinking a young adult thriller. My little sister had to read it for her English class and he read it along with her so they could discuss it before her test. I figured I'd read it just to say I did.

Holy cow! Once again, I flew through a book I never even thought I would like.

The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic North America. Some sort of disaster (which is never really explained) devistated the continent and all that is left is a capitol area in the Rocky Mountains and twelve districts scattered all over the rest of the continent. Each district is known for its manufacturing, mining or agriculture and the higher the district number, the richer and more important it is. There used to be a District 13 but somewhere along the way, it rebelled against the Capitol and was obliterated.

To keep the people of the districts in line, 75 years ago, the leaders in the Capitol established the Hunger Games. Every year, the names of all the children between 12 and 18 go in a pot and each district sends a boy and a girl to the games. Literally, it's a fight to the death and all of the people watch it on TV (either because they love it or are forced to watch by the police). The victor has food, money and adoration for the rest of his/her life.

This year, 16 year old Katniss volunteers to take her 12 year old sister's place. Katniss knows that her weak sister would be killed on the first day. Katniss is from District 12, the poorest district, know for its coal mining, so nobody believes she stands a chance. Believe me, they have it wrong.

It broke my heart to read a story about children killing children, all for the enjoyment of the crowds, but I couldn't put it down. It really was that good. As a matter of fact, it was so good that I made a flying trip to Wally World to get book #2, Catching Fire, just to see what happens next. Mockingjay, the final book in the trilogy, comes out in August. Believe me, they are oh so worth the read!

Hoppy Easter!

I figure that I don't have to discuss the true meaning of the Easter holiday. I think it's safe to say that most (do you know how bad it hurts not to be able to say "all") Christians know the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. But sadly, the commercialized Easter often seems to overshadow the real Easter.

Makes sense of course. People are going to try to make money off of any opportunity they can and Easter provides the perfect opportunity to make a killing off of parents buying chocolate bunnies and marshmallow eggs just to hop their kids up on all that sugar.

Now this part doesn't make sense to me...where in the world did we develop the idea that bunnies laid eggs? Last time I checked, eggs came from chickens. So why not the Easter Chicken? And why do we hunt colored eggs?

The bunny part is pretty simple. Many centuries ago in the Alsace region of France, people started associating bunnies with Spring, the time of rebirth and renewal. I mean, what better animal to associate with fertility than a rabbit. They spit babies out like crazy.

The egg part developed separately. Again, eggs are a symbol of fertility. Eggs have a lot of protein. You eat a lot of protein, you are healthier and healthy women produce lots of healthy babies. Also the Catholic Church forbade people to eat eggs during Lent- which ends with Easter- so people would gorge themselves on eggs once the penitential season ended.

Why color the eggs? The most common tradition is to color the eggs in pastel or floral colors. These mimic the colors of the Spring flowers that are beginning to bloom in and around Easter. But in other societies, the color scheme is different. Eastern Orthodox Christians color their Easter eggs red to honor the blood Jesus sacrificed. And for them, cracking open the shell of a hard-boiled egg represents Jesus' tomb breaking open.

Also, the more elaborately you decorated your eggs, the more you were showing your piety. Eggs (not just at Easter) became important at the courts of the late 19th and early 20th century Russian Czars who commissioned artist/jeweler Peter Faberge to create a series of amazing bejeweled Faberge eggs. If you've never heard of them, Wiki "Faberge eggs"- they are gorgeous.

So while you are enjoying your chocolate and sugar and singing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," just remember once again that Jesus is the reason for the season. I hope you all have a blessed Easter and rest of the year to come.

Music, Fun and a Good Cause

David from my Franklin class hooked me up with this info and I thought I would pass it on to everyone...

Zipperhead Productions is a non-profit organization in Nashville that hosts concerts, shows, etc. with the profits going towards charitable organizations.

Next Thursday, April 8, they are hosting a concert at McFadden's Nashville. The fun starts at 8:00 PM. If you are 18-21, it costs $7. 21 and over $5. They are having drink specials all night. This particular event is sponsoring the 2010 MS Walk.

This is the first of many events for many different causes spread out over the summer. I'm planning on going to as many of them as I can and I hope to see you there!

For more info check out www.zipperheadproductions.com

Happy April Fool's Day

A day set aside for jokes, pranks and all sorts of kooky hijinks. Sounds like something that the kings' jesters in history came up with. We don't acknowledge April Fool's in my household thanks to my wonderful brother, Ti. A few years ago, when Caitlin was about 15, Ti decided to tell my father that she was pregnant and she didn't have the foggiest clue who it belonged to. Ha-ha funny joke, right? Not so much when it nearly caused my daddy to have a heart attack. (He really did have chest pains and I wanted to cut Ti's tongue out!)

But a day full of jokes and fun! How did it come about? Centuries ago, April 1st was considered to be New Year's Day. In Geoffrey Chaucer's monumental 1392 work, The Canterbury Tales, the characters celebrated the day with all sorts of foolishness. It was a holiday so why not have fun?

But in the 16th century, the powers that be decided that January 1 should be the start of the new year and decreed that everyone should follow the new calendar. The common people had a hard time wrapping their heads around the change so anybody who still referred to April 1st as New Year's was seen as an April Fool. If they were so gullible that they didn't know when the new year started, then they deserved to have all sorts of pranks played on them. The tradition has continued down through the years and every year on April Fool's Day, pregnancy scares cause men around the world to have heart failure (and all sorts of other fun too!)