8th grade essay grading

Occasionally my old school district, where I used to work pre-mom, will hire me to grade essays. This week I have been wrestling with a batch of 8th grade expository essays. It has been delightful! It's good to flex the mental muscles that I once trained to do this sort of work and good to interact with my former colleagues at my school. And I am reminded why I liked teaching junior high---these kids are funny and clever! I have entertained Eric with passages that are just too good to be kept to myself. Wish I could share them here . . .

So I told my sister that I've been grading 8th grade expository essays this week and she said, "You realize you are describing my own personal version of hell---having to grade 8th grade essays."

I laughed. And told her that sadly, I'm actually good at it.

We all have quirky talents to contribute. Of this I am sure.

Flipped and American Experience: Dolly Madison

Two good movies to check out. I found these on Netflix.

1. Flipped. Cute, innocent, clean little coming-of-age romance. This is what I will watch with my daughter when she's 12 and is home on the weekends because 12 is too young to have a social life, and still young enough to enjoy Movie Nights With Mom. Put it right next to Anne of Green Gables and Ever After. Just such a nice movie with universal appeal. I recommended it to my sister and she watched it and loved it. This is one of those movies people mean when they say, "There are good, clean movies out there, I know there are." Good. Clean. Funny. Delightful. Great way to spend an hour or two.

2. American Experience: Dolly Madison. I knew nothing about Dolly Madison, wife of president Madison. Fascination little documentary, interesting, clever, informative. Really good for anyone who has any inkling of interest in American history. Had I been able to watch this instead of hearing a lecture about the War of 1812, I may have actually been interested. This is how history should be taught and learned. Great stuff.

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

I had a bad attitude about this book when I saw it on our book club list for this year. I'd tried other culinary-based fiction and came away wishing I'd tried another place to feast. So far, the only one would could pull of writing with a foodie twist was Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, but that was non-fiction.

So food mystery? Please.

But I was wrong! I love it when I'm wrong and the book is good! State of the Onion is a pleasure. No Pulitzer necessarily, but a fun, breezy, escape-y, "ooh, that sounds yummy", good plot, decent writing, nicely constructed foodie mystery.

My library doesn't have the rest of the series and that makes me sad. So I wrote them a nice note on their website and suggested they purchase the rest of the series. Usually they take my advice (it's nothing personal, I think they are just glad someone has a suggestion) and I hope they do. If not, I'll have to find another library or treat myself to buying the rest of the series.

Nothing sketchy. Well, not really. It is a murder mystery, so don't be shocked when there's shooting. But it's such a nice little murder mystery . . . think Poirot, but with more food, in the White House, with a female protagonist.

Yes. Think that. Then roll your eyes that I'm trying to compare Poirot to a White House food chef and go find yourself a copy of State of the Onion.

To Mormons with Love by Chrissy Ross

It's the English major in me that likes to clump books together: maybe the grad student, actually, looking for a fun class to teach. But along the same lines as Mirvis's portrayal of insider/outsider in Jewish culture, a great read is Chrissy Ross's To Mormons with Love. Not about Jewish culture, but about Mormon culture, specifically Happy Valley culture, which is grandly different than Mormon culture at large.

Ross, not a Mormon, moves into a community that is predominately (OK, about 95%) Latter-day Saint. Ross is devotedly Christian, as are her husband and three sons. And Ross talks honestly about what she experiences.

There are two things I really liked about this book. 1) Chrissy Ross is funny! It's a delightful read. Her intent is to explain and entertain, but not to lecture. And 2) There's no agenda here. There are no sides. It's just one woman trying to get her footing. And she actually does become friends with her Mormon neighbors (Imagine!) and they become friends with her. She never says it outright, but the gist of her writing is, "They aren't perfect. I'm not perfect. We can still be friends and not agree. I drink wine. They don't let their kids play on Sundays. We can still be friends."

I liked it. She's honest. She calls it like she sees it and it's not always perfect. It's human. That's what I liked. It's human.

And my very favorite, part, I have to admit, was when she talked about going to her (Mormon) girlfriends at 39, wanting another child and wondering if she's too old. Their response . . . "Girlfriend, this is UTAH. You can be pushing your grandbaby in a stroller and nursing your own baby at the same time. You are not too old!"

See? Foibles and all, you gotta love girlfriends like that.

And I think that's Ross's point.

I think this would be great for any book club, whether you have Mormon readers, non-Mormon readers, or a blend of both. It's a short read, though, so I think you could easily pair it with Mirvis's The Ladies Auxiliary and have one great discussion about insider/outsider religious culture.

Laura and Liz, have you read this one yet? You can get it on Amazon. Worth the money, and then it can be one of those books that's fun to loan out.

2 for 2 for Sandra Dallas

I tried Sandra Dallas's Chili Queen. Not so much. So she's 2 for 2. Yes on Tallgrass and Persian Pickle. No on Chili Queen and Alice's Tulips.

Although, I do like an author who can use the adjective "rascally" and get away with it. And a main character who says, "When it's raining porridge, hold up your bowl." But the storyline didn't appeal to me---just couldn't jive that the main plot revolved around a house (ahem) of ill repute. And then I skimmed to the end and it just didn't seem worth getting there . . .

Day After Night by Anita Diamant

People should do what they do well. And Diamant proved herself capable, with The Red Tent, of being able to move a story line along while taking the viewpoints of four different women.

And she did it again, well, with Day After Night, a novel set in post WWII. The main characters are Jewish women who have escaped (in different ways) the concentration camps. And now find themselves in a British compound while governments figure out where they should go. But it's also about mourning, and hope, and healing, and grief. And friendship and secrets. My favorite things are:

1. Diamant never, not once, plays into the "women are so catty/fickle/backstabbing" stereotype. Please, that would insult her. Diamant's women have deep and meaningful women friendships that get them through.

2. There's this beautiful and artistic scene at the end with Zorah, one of the characters. All about how Zorah can finally taste her food. Meaningful to me because I remember grief so deep of my own that the color left the world, food lost its taste, and flowers lost their smells. But I also remember tasting food for the first time, smelling smells that had been absent, and seeing color again . . . part of my healing. So I had one of those moments where this author I do know now and will never meet plucked at the heartstrings of my heart and put it in this character.

3. I knew nothing about the topic. And now I know more.

It's a savoring book. Not a beach book with lemonade. More like a good winter break book where you can find a deep couch and a solid quilt and read late into the night when everyone else is asleep.

Some sensuality. Little language, some violence. But nothing to put it on a "no" list for me.

Find a copy and let me know what you think. Sarah, this might interest you because you like to read about Jewish heroines, and Melody, because you will appreciate the character development. Mel, didn't you say you like Poisonwood Bible? Or was that someone else? I couldn't get through PB, too dark for me . . . but this takes dark themes and lets the light shine through.

Just a little bit of holiday silliness with a cute song

Especially for Mariann, in honor of your recent Muppet movie sighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBuBjFwDj-E