A French Education

Samantha finally returned from France on Monday! She had such a wonderful time. First, she stayed in the southern city of Toulouse at Gabrielle and Josephine's house. The city is old and filled with pinkish-orange brick buildings. Then, they went to Brittany and stayed at the family's vacation home on the ocean. After touring four French castles, the girls finally arrived in Paris. They stayed in an apartment owned by the girls' grandma and got to spend an evening in their grandpa's old underground Paris winery filled with bottles and casks dating back to 1933! Of course, Sam also had a chance to visit the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc deTriomphe and many other famous sites.

I am so proud of Samantha. She handled every part of the trip beautifully, and I admire the way she enthusiastically embraced French food and culture. (She has convinced us to plan our dinners for 7 pm so we can eat a family meal together with meat, fruits and vegetables, french bread, cheese and dessert). Next summer, if Sam goes back, they plan to spend most of their time in Spain (Josephine and Sam both speak Spanish well), and we will take Josephine to more places in the United States (maybe New England, the West Coast or Florida).

Wow!

This week I am attending five technology classes. It's terribly exciting to see new apps or find the perfect resource for teaching a class. There is so much out there that a person could spend every waking moment working on a computer, phone, iPad, or Smartboard!

The only hassle is getting everything to work and transfer the information when you need it. There are still too many glitches with our district technology program, and access is still sometimes a problem. But.... when it works, it REALLY works. I have enjoyed every single class so far.

In the afternoons, I have BEGUN the task of organizing my new room. It's slow going, but every day I have a goal (organize posters, organize books and games, arrange desks, and on and on). I figure if it's important, it will eventually get done.

My Favorite 100 Movies (That I Could Watch Again)

Okay, I could not make a list of the 100 BEST movies because I know movies are considered great for reasons other than a happy ending or suprising twists and turns. "Critical acclaim" seems almost synonomous with "really depressing". Finally, in some movies (Gone With the Wind for instance) the racism or sexism is just too distracting for me to include it as a favorite.
So here it is, in no particular order. Someday, I'll make a list of all the movies I recommend, but after much hard work and agonizing (really just an hour and a half of loafing around) here is the list of "My 100 Favorite Movies".

1. Casablanca

2. The Godfather/Godfather II

3. The Departed

4. Michael Clayton

5. Blood Diamond

6. Inception

7. It’s a Wonderful Life

8. Kate and Leopold

9. The Sting

10. Avatar

11. The Wizard of Oz

12. The Shawshank Redemption

13. The African Queen

14. North By Northwest

15. Say Anything

16. The Maltese Falcon

17. Some Like It Hot

18. The Philadelphia Story

19. It’s Complicated

20. Shrek

21. An Ideal Husband

22. A Streetcar Named Desire

23. Rear Window

24. Jaws

25. The Silence of the Lambs

26. Tootsie

27. Ben-Hur

28. Fargo

29. A Night at the Opera

30. Pride and Prejudice (All four versions including Bride and Prejudice)

31. The Usual Suspects

32. The Sixth Sense

33. All the President’s Men

34. Swing Time

35. Singin’ In the Rain

36. The Sound of Music

37. Meet Me In St. Louis

38. Enchanted

39. Monster-In-Law

40. The Notebook

41. Overboard

42. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

43. The Big Sleep

44. Witness

45. National Velvet

46. The Lion In Winter

47. Mulan

48. Aladdin

49. Sense and Sensibility

50. Groundhog Day

51. To Have and Have Not

52. Notorious

53. To Catch a Thief

54. Roxanne

55. Spy Game

56. Holiday

57. Heaven Can Wait

58. You Can’t Take It With You

59. The Pride of the Yankees

60. The Adventures of Robin Hood

61. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

62. Hotel Rwanda

63. The Talented Mr. Ripley

64. Jane Austen Book Club

65. The Hunt for Red October

66. When We Were Kings

67. The Young Lions

68. A Christmas Story

69. Clueless

70. The Right Stuff

71. Atlantic City

72. When Harry Met Sally

73. Moonstruck

74. The Verdict

75. Halloween

76. Grease

77. Fiddler On the Roof

78. Mary Poppins

79. The Bridge on the River Kwai

80. Rebecca

81. Miracle on 34th Street

82. The Parent Trap (both versions)

83. Gaslight

84. Anastasia

85. Sunset Boulevard

86. Top Hat

87. Ray

88. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

89. The Thin Man (whole series)

90. Ball of Fire

91. A Christmas In Connecticut

92. Boys Town

93. Meet the Parents

94. Remember the Titians

95. Hairspray (the musical)

96. One True Thing

97. Fresh

98. Suspicion

99. Regarding Henry

100. ?????????

Canoeing Through Life

Yesterday was a beautiful day on the Wisconsin River. We saw eagles, blue herons, cranes, and turtles seemingly enjoying the day as much as we did. Canoe is the best way to travel the Wisconsin because the water is so shallow in sections, you can paddle to move along or just go with the current, and one or two people can paddle simultaneously . The water is a nice temp for swimming or wading, the many sandbars are great for picnics and I love the light breeze on a sunny day.

For every day that Sam is gone, we are planning outdoor activities (today it's climbing at Devil's Lake after Phil read a cool write up about the area in Climbing Magazine) and an indoor movie festival (Phil' s idea of a great time for Sasha). While looking for movies to rent, I came across a number of interesting lists. On some internet sites people pick their top romantic, scary or best movie, but I enjoy reading longer lists. You can learn a lot about a person by scanning their favorite 50 or even their favorite 100 movies. If they tell you (a little) about why they love it, so much the better. I think it might be interesting to try. So my assignment today is to spend an hour or so writing down my favorites (in no particular order). Wish me luck!

Sleeping In Our Own Beds

After a wonderful week in St. Charles (near Chicago) and the pig roast in Coloma, we are finally home again! Well, at least some of us are home. Sam's in France. Of course, all of us (even Sasha) miss her, but this is a great experience for her, and she is going to have an amazing time with Gabrielle and Josephine.

In Chicago, we went to see "The Bean" at Millenium Park. It's pretty cool for a sculpture. I think I get the whole idea of being a part of the sculpture, both individually and with others from different viewpoints. Of course, we also went to an Italian restaurant in the Gold Coast area for some deep dish pizza, brushetta and calamari. Then, it was onto Navy Pier and the Shanghai Circus. Finally, we took a water taxi back to Union Square to pick up the train!

I'm so glad I don't have a long commute to work. Geneva and St. Charles are lovely, very wealthy towns, but an hour and a half on the train in the morning and evening seems like an awful trade off for a nice car and pretty shops. Just driving around the western "burbs" drove Phil crazy. There were the long (for us) waits at stoplights and the inevitable rush hour traffic during the afternoons and early evenings. I guess that's why so many people from Chicago are willing to drive 3 hours to Wisconsin for a little weekend relaxation.

Ronnie and Gilles were the best hosts. We are really lucky to have them as friends and part-time neighbors. In fact, we are pretty blessed all the way around.

An Absolutely Lovely Day

It was a gorgeous day on the lakefront. I had forgotten how beautiful the boats could move across the waves on a sunny day. Phil wants to live on a sailboat and travel along the world's coasts. I could do that as long as we have a snug, little cabin, and we don't go on some sort of around the world endurance test.

We also went to Discovery World. The highlights were the overhead fish aquarium, the flight simulator and the bed of nails. The girls went to the Design It lab while Phil and I toured the other parts of the museum. At least four people liked the shirt I bought for Phil that says, "Teach Me How to Bargain."

Around two o'clock we strolled over to Harbor House for a luxurious lunch. (It's hard to believe the restaurant is in the same building that used to contain the dark Pieces of Eight restaurant). Phil and I had oysters for an appetizer, but we couldn't get any of the girls to try one!

Next, we each rented a Segway and went all over the lakefront, art museum and war memorial. It is different than I thought it would be. You go forward, backward and stop using pressure from the toes and heels of your feet. Some people (me included) got a little crazy fooling around, but no one got hurt, so it's okay, right?????

On the way back to Portage, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse BBQ. YeeeHa! Everyone was "tuckered out" by the time we got home, and for once we all went to bed before midnight.

In Praise of Eating Slowly

We have had a number of late and leisurely dinners with our French visitors. Of course, we do not get much done. Unless lovely meals and conversations are the goal! Tomorrow, we'll visit Milwaukee, and then we will spend a week in Chicago until Sam leaves for France.

Today, was the last day of summer school. It was a wonderful experience, but I came home ready for a rest. Getting up early and staying up late having fun is wearing me out (in a nice way). While the kids went to Cave of the Mounds and out for sushi, I stayed home. It was good to nap a little, read a little and watch The African Queen. I rented it for Gabrielle who is trying to watch the 100 top movies on a list from one of her teachers in France who teaches cinema. While she was here, she watched Singing in the Rain and Meet Me in St. Louis (both on the list). Along with Sasha and me, she likes classic old movies. Phil (who rarely likes movies made over ten years ago) wants to see Friends With Benefits. Sounds like a date!

Viva La France

We are having so much fun with our French visitors, I feel like I am on a wonderful vacation every day! Today, we went to Madison's farmers' market and Maxwell Street Days. Then, we went to Sasha's violin recital and all the violinists including Sasha were incredibily talented. Afterwards it was on to The Melting Pot for a wonderful four-course fondue meal. Gabrielle said anyone who dropped something had to do a dance on the table and say, "Life is Good." Both Ronnie and I had to "do the dance." Then, everyone had to give a speech. It was hilarious and fun.

Yesterday, we went on the Jet Boats in the Dells and got soaked! Most of the group also went to Wizard's Quest. After Papa Murphy's pizzas and a relaxing dinner, Sam, Gabrielle and Josephine played games and watched movies while Sasha went to a slumber party with her friends from school.

On Thursday we went to Devil's Lake for a cookout, swimming, sailing and kayaking. The weather was perfect, and the park wasn't too busy. Later, we raced over to Rachel's fast-pitch softball game because Gabrielle actually plays softball in France! Afterwards, everybody celebrated a last inning victory with frozen custard at Culvers. Once again, "Life was good."

Soccer

USA! USA! USA! We watched the most unbelievable soccer game between the USA and Brazil! This year we continued our World Cup watching "tradition" of driving down to a Madison sports' restaurant to watch the games. We have converted a lot of sports fans to soccer, and today there were about a hundred people cheering when the USA finally won!

The first time we drove down this year, we had to ask them to put the game on one of the screens. Today, they actually had more than half of the screens turned to the game and even had sound throughout the place! There were two girl basketball teams and their families who stayed for the whole game and the overtime and the final shootout.

The USA plays France on Wednesday at 11:00. The girls from France will actually be here, and we can't believe we have to teach summer school until 12:00. Since Phil is teaching soccer, we all thought maybe the kids in his class could watch the game. Now I just have to figure out a way to work in the math!

iPad Presentations

     Last week on Friday, we went out to dinner at Chula Vista for all-you-can-eat crab and a full buffet! It was so good. The crab with butter tasted like lobster, so tender and sweet. With Ronnie and Gilles we planned activities for the French girls when they arrive on the 13th. We've got a list of about twenty activities from sailing on Lake Michigan and visiting the water parks to making earrings and scarves. S'mores, brats, chili, pizza and fondue are some of the different "American" foods we thought the girls might enjoy.

    I spent a few hours each day this week unpacking boxes and setting up my classroom.Yesterday I worked with someone from the Apple store, and it all seemed pretty easy so I got started working on two presentations right away. It's fun, but I'm way too proud of them!. Maybe I can do something for each unit, and then post it online. Tonight I'll finish up my lesson plans for next week, and then go back to lazying around this weekend.

Education Update

     It is fun to read any book I want just with a click of the iPad. Last night I finished a biography of the Duchess of Devonshire, and it brought back memories of the romances I read when I was very young. All the people from the Prince of Wales (Prinny) to William Pitt, the Dukes, Earls, and Lady this or that were the same. Yet, the truth was both better and worse. Women like the Duchess did more than think of romance and the next ball. But, unlike the fiction, they did not find true love in marriage, and there is no denying that their lives as women were terribly circumscribed.

     I fear the movie, The Duchess, based on the book would end up more of an R-rated Barbara Cartland novel than an actual biography. But, that's because there is more of an audience for romance novels than biographies! Phil says I'm probably the only person to even have a favorite biographer (David McCullough), but at least a few of his biographies have been made into mini-series (even if it is just on HBO and PBS)!

    In other "education" news, I read the new fourth grade social studies text and started to set up my new classroom. Today, I'll do a little more unpacking, at 1:00 we leave for Madison to watch the USA vs. Sweden's World Cup game. Then, it's on to Sasha's softball game in Sauk. Yesterday, when we lazed around Madison and enjoyed a relaxing evening at home is the only type of day I like better than this one.

    
    

Fourth of July

Oh my gosh! The fireworks at Rhythm and Booms are so incredible, they almost ruin you for anything else. Even without the fireworks, sitting around Warner Park was a wonderful, lazy, fun experience. We played soccer and frisbee. Then we laid around, played cards, and read books.

Probably the best entertainment during the daytime hours was watching people walk right past a quarter lying in the middle of the road and a dollar on the curb. What? What is so great about that you ask? Hundreds of people, many of them actually looking at the ground, just walked past and even stepped right on the money without noticing it! It took about twenty minutes for a woman to pick up the quarter, but fifty minutes for someone to pick up the dollar. One guy sat right next to the bill. Another actually kicked it with his foot. By the time the winning gentleman picked up the bill, we immediately stated screaming and laughing. When we told him he was the big winner, he tried to return the money to us. However, there was no way we would take back the best entertainment $1.25 could buy!

Book Blog - Book List and Junk

Guns, Germs and Steel covers the history of five continents from about 100,000 years ago until the present day. Whew! I'm just about finished with the book, and it is very well-written. The biggest idea of the book is that Eurasia, in particular, Europe became dominant because of food production, the number of animals and plants available for domestication, geography and climate. The author makes very good arguments based on archeological evidence and both large and small-scale examples.

The second big idea I liked in Guns, Germs and Steel is that history could be more of a science. Although it is considered a social science, it could benefit from a better methodology. Right now, I am reading the last "epilogue" section discussing the similarities between countries becoming dominant and large companies.

The other book I read yesterday was the 146 page, Sh**t  My Dad Says. A New York Times' bestseller, I thought it would be filled with all the sorts of things my dad or your dad typically says. However, the title should have tipped me off; my dad did not swear every single time he imparted his own version of wisdom. While I laughed out loud a few times, it was hard to get past the blue streams of ranting.

School Is Fun?

Yaaaay! We finished our first, fun-filled week of summer school, and it was really nice. I enjoyed the kids, the activities, and using iPad movies, games and video clips. Now, it is one more week, and then a week off! 

Even while I'm "teaching" we had time to go to Sasha's baseball (yes, dear, I know it's fast-pitch softball!) games. It is so much fun watching her get better and better. She not only had some awesome line-drive hits this week, she is able to wait for the good pitches. While the team was warming up for the River Valley game, Phil and I went to the Rock n' Roll Drive-In. It was fun to eat at a non-chain diner with some atmosphere and good food. A detour on the way to Spring Green was actually a bonus. It gave us an opportunity to see some beautiful parts of Wisconsin I don't ever remember seeing before.

Our Treasures Group of friends met at Krista's for lunch. We said good-bye to Donna who quit teaching (which is very sad because she is an awesome teacher). She is moving to Chicago to take a non-teaching job for real pay.

Friday night we used my gift card to go see Bad Teacher. It was really funny, but very baaaad and definitely rated R so the girls won't be seeing it anytime soon. What is up with movies? First, every little kid movie is PG, then PG-13 is aimed at tween kids, and all the really good movies for teens are moving up to "R". Phil thinks they should come up with different versions for the DVD's. All these funny movies could so easily be funny without the "R" and "PG-13" stuff.

Wine-tasting and Granite City with friends was a lot of fun, too. This week, I even had time to finish reading The Greater Journey by David McCullough, cook some new recipes and continue taking afternoon naps!

Book Club Meets On the Thrift Store Circuit

Would you want to walk the Appalacian Trail (AT) or climb Mount Everest? Why? After reading books such as A Walk In the Woods or In Thin Air, my answer is no. The AT is over two THOUSAND miles of hills and mountains, woods and more woods. It is just too long if the only achievement is being able to say, "I walked the whole thing.." However, even the AT adventure is more appealing than Everest. People really do die for no reason on Everest. What do you see - a snow storm? It is $40,000 or more just to make an attempt. If I have that kind of money lying around, I would get a much bigger sense of accomplishment by using it to help others or seeing the whole world or a little of both.

This is the kind of thing Phil and I talked about as we visited the Sauk and Baraboo Thrift Shops and Delany's Surplus Store on Hwy. 12. First, we picked up my big wicker chair and a ton of beanie babies for my classroom, then he bought a machete and a saw, I bought surplus food, and we both picked out a few books.

All in all, it was a good afternoon after a good start of summer school.

Weekend

Slowly, slowly, things are getting done on my two lists - THE "to do" list (which I hate) and The "this would be fun" list (which, of course, I love)!

Summer school starts tomorrow. I'm ready with a bunch of new stuff from videos to crafty projects.

Yesterday, we went boating on Lake Arrowhead. The weather was awesome. The kids had a blast tubing. It was a relaxing, fun day. I'm downloading all kinds of songs onto the IPad. I am also trying to finish my book, but I was sidetracked by a bunch of trashy magazines. We went to Let's Eat for Father's Day. Everyone loved the food, and all of us had leftovers (except, Phil).  The Eggs Benedict Oscar was awesome: cheesy sauce, ham, eggs, crab meat, asparagus, English muffin. I might have to "get me some of that" again.

Summer Work, Summer Fun

Okay, so I bought the coolest little projector for my IPad or my laptop. I have downloaded LOTS of items (mostly free) for teaching and even a few for learning Spanish. Now I will be able to show videos and presentations whenever or wherever I want to show them! The guy at the Apple Store figured it all out. I got the cords, the speakers, everything I need! (Someday, Phil might even talk to me again).

I am on page 154 of A Walk In the Woods, but Phil is on 204 and tells me to get going....

We had brats and watermelon on the deck for lunch. Then I took a nap. Ya gotta love summer.

The Best Laid Plans.....

Well, I went to the library, and all my first choices for a book club were not there! Luckily, the book I did find, A Walk In the Woods, has already turned out to be a good choice. The author's description of his walk along the Appalachian Trail made Phil and me laugh already in the first few pages. It reminds me of The Wilder Life and the book about cooking all of Julia Child's recipes. It may even be funnier! We shall see...

Today, we (the whole family), finished packing up my old classroom. Tomorrow, Robin will sign my paperwork for my completed college classs, and she is giving me some Wisconsin decals from her office! Woo Hoo! Finally, I am getting some of tasks checked off from my dreaded "To Do" list!

Going to the Library

Phil says I should pick the book we read. His only requirement is "Don't pick one that is too long." Thanks. If I was a mean wife I would pick the biography of the Duchess of Devonshire from my list. However, I am not that kind of person (today, at least), so I am off to the library to get Guns, Germs, and Steel and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

I'll also download the books onto my IPad. I have been using it a lot to download books, music, instructional videos and even games. It's pretty cool. However, our laptop and the IPad are getting way too much use around our house. Who is the most addicted? Probably, me (Surprise!). When I think about how much time I have wasted reading Wikipedia entries and conquering Angry Birds, I am (almost) embarrased enough to stop using both devices.

Reading List

For the South Dakota trip, I bought The Killing of Crazy Horse to read on my IPad because it was related to our travel destination, and because it won The National Book Award. (I have never been disappointed by a book on that list). Even though I didn't finish more than a 100 pages before my daughter, Sasha, and I returned, I did eventually finish the book, and it was worth reading.

After skimming through Mindset and The Penderwicks, I am now reading The Greater Journey mainly because it's a new book by David McCullough and because it has to do with France. When my daughter, Sam, leaves for France in July, I'll be picturing the country described in the book's pages, the memories I have from my own travels in Paris and all the new adventures Sam might have!

Today, I spent some time putting together my own Summer Reading List. Nooooo, I won't read them all, but Phil and I decided to have another Book Club this summer. We usually like the same books so I combed a number of blogs and reviews, and I'll let him pick the actual books we read.

Book List
.Guns, Germs and Steel
.The Master and the Margarita
.HMS Ulysses
.The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
.The History of Danish Dreams
.Norwegian Wood
.Cloud Atlas
.Wiseguy
.Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
.Klondike:The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1899
.A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books
.A Walk in the Woods
.The Song of the Dodo
.Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
.Georgiana: The Duchess of Devonshire
.The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat
.Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science Faith and Love
.Surely, You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
.Harriet Lane: America's First Lady
.Brother to a Dragonfly
.I Married Adventure