Oh, I know. I'm good, I'm really good.
I woke up today, at the ungodly hour of 8:00 in the morning. A good half hour before I usually wake up. Still in my jammies, I made sure to greet Jimmy with an especially breathy good morning as we sat down to breakfast. He gagged his way over to the other side of the table. Mom had made hot dogs, and I added a few onions to mine because my breath needed some freshening up. Mom and the kidders were already hard at work in the office. They had started their day an hour before, and were already done with several subjects. I stifled the wave of guilt that suddenly welled up. After all, if one's family is given to diligence, one can hardly blame oneself for their faults. I heard Katie enthusiastically answer one of Mom's questions. It was obvious she had been applying herself. I shook my head. Where had I gone wrong? After breakfast, I brushed my teeth. Jimmy nearly fell over himself with relief and gratitude. And on to History. Today's topic: " The Colonization of New France. " Or, if you prefer, " The Frenchies take over the Midwest while the Brits have their backs turned ."(Hmm, people who find this humour offensive could sue me, since I'm neither French nor British.) I pretended to be interested in the exploits of a certain Monsieur Jacques Cartier. He prided himself in leading the expedition that led to the discovery of the St. Lawrence River. It was hardly much of an accomplishment, in my opinion. The Indians around there knew the area like the back of their hands and yet some pompous french popinjay comes along and is given full credit for stumbling across a body of water. Why, everybody would have discovered it eventually! They didn't have to make such a fuss about him. Anyway, moving on...history depresses me.
I've always intensely disliked math, but just recently I've discovered why. It's because we've always done Abeka Math. Whatever they pay those guys to come up with Abeka curriculum it's too much. They twist their words to throw you off, and make up ridiculous equations, basically doing their level best to make the lesson as confusing as mathematically possible; so that if, by some miracle, you happen to understand their explanation, you would never be able to practically apply it to the lesson. One of Mom's friends gave us a book that has been a total breath of fresh air. I don't think I've ever loved algebra as much as I do now. The instructions are clear, concise, and accurate. And, when I plug in the equation...it works! Who'd 'a thunk it? We've started chemistry this year. One of the first things I've learned is that in modern scientific usage weight and mass are fundamentally different. Weight measures how strongly gravity pulls on matter. Mass is an intrinsic part of matter. Although really, the weight and mass of objects that are close to the earth's surface are pretty much the same.
Still awake? Good, good. I had chicken salad for lunch. We make ours with celery, bell peppers, cayenne, and sometimes homemade mayo. I think its better than yours. :-P And we even had cookies for dessert. Jealous much? I thought so. In literature we usually read a poem. They're tragic. Tragically written. I have very little respect for poetry. I mean, yeah, some poetry can be really good... but for the most part its just nonsense that leaves some poor soul grasping at thin air for a small semblance of meaning or logic. Observe:
"Thou Fancy! who hast ruled me through Infancy's days,
Young offspring of fancy, 'tis time we should part; Then rise on the gale this last of my lays, "-- I'm sorry...this is too painful. I can't continue. And some people actually read this on purpose! Supposedly this Lord Byron dude is very popular... *cough* Was...
Sometimes, if I'm feeling creatively inclined, I'll work on one of the stories that I have to send my writing instructor. My last assignment was a little late. I thought he took it rather well.
"Dear Lois,
Of course I understand the lateness of this assignment, but be careful. I've hired a motorcycle gang to harass any of my students who turn in their assignments late, and they don't understand much of anything. They're all midgets, so they aren't really a motorcycle gang--they're more of a motor scooter gang--and it's true that being so short means that they can't do a lot of damage, but if the next assignment is late, one night you're going to be awakened by a rapping on your door, and your house is going to look like a two-foot tornado went through. You're going to have bruises on your knees for weeks.
These guys are mean; they're ugly--Vito and the vertically challenged Vipers, they're called.
You've been warned."
Funny guy, huh?
Anyway, I'll leave you with my verse from Proverbs for today. Verse 26.
"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. "
