Out of Lascaux

Dogs and More Dogs

Here's a handy little thing I found for those of us who bring stray dogs home far too often. It's a breed selector. It lets you put characteristics into a quiz format and spits out possibilities. Apparently, I am the proud owner of a Bichon Frise. The dog selector needs a little help, though. The first two possibilities at 100% were Golden and Labrador Retriever. They really need to calibrate it for appearance first, and personality second. Even so, it's helpful. I just looked up a couple of the breeds that came up to verify, and our little Achilles matches the Bichon so perfectly that I think he's a pure bred. Now Athena, who we know is three-quarters German Shepherd and one-quarter Rottweiler came up as a Boxer or English Bulldog. German Shepherd was 6th, and I don't think Rottweiler is even one of the overall possibilities for some reason. Anyway, if you try it, take it with a grain of salt and a lot of your own deductions.

Literature Abuse

America's Hidden Problem: Literature Abuse I read this and nearly spit out my tea laughing. If you are a book person, check this out.

(Thanks BookBitchBlog).

More Adventures in High School

So boy made it through his first semester of public high school, an achievement I cannot claim myself (private school, not public.) And despite a very steep learning curve in the area of behavior with students and administrators, despite having his backpack stolen, despite having two very challenging classes, despite a lack of self-control and self-discipline, despite illnesses which kept him out of school at least three days every month, despite being thrown into the dungeons with the "bad" kids for his lack of respect to authority figures, despite losing three weeks of actual class time while in this dungeon, he has managed to pass his classes. At the beginning of the year, I had hopes he would make the honor roll, but after this, the hardest semester I have ever been involved with, I am ecstatically happy that he has managed to pass everything. At one point, it was questionable as to whether he would even get credit for all his classes, but he persisted. I am very proud of him. Yes, he got himself into a lot of trouble, but he hadn't been in public school in many years, and he had to learn how to behave. Where many kids would never have learned - or learned too late - I believe my boy learned quickly and learned well.

So now what am I hearing? "Mom, since I proved I could finish a semester, can I quit school?" My goodness, I told him, you have completed the hardest semester you will ever have. The rest of the year should be a breeze (relatively). Why quit now?

I understand that he's tired and feeling crushed, but he has to realize what an accomplishment he has achieved. This is the hardest thing he has ever followed through on in his life, and he did well. He needs to understand that life is full of challenges, and that he can do almost anything if he tries. I told him to ask me again when the Christmas break is over. Perhaps he'll feel differently when he starts missing his friends. He was also excited about taking photography and orchestra next year, so he has to keep that in mind.

Anyway, I'll let you know if I become a homeschooling mom again, although at this point, it would be better if I didn't. After all, I got all "A"s in my classes this semester, and I am just waiting for them to send my diploma in the mail. Now the employment game starts. I won't tell you where I've applied, becuase I don't want to jinx it, but if I get it, I think we would all be impressed, me especially. So, later!

Movie Review: Art School Confidential

I have indulged myself by starting a Netflix account. Normally I don't rent many movies, but that's because Hollywood Video has such a poor selection. You can't get old movies or obscure movies from them, and returning them is a pain in the butt anyway. So, when I tested Netflix by searching for my favorite obscure movies, they passed, and I am hooked.

Over the holiday the boy and I watched "Art School Confidential." Boy has ideas about going to art school, and I actually went, so we were both interested in the premise. Jerome Platz is this scrawny kid from the suburbs who has always wanted to be a great artist, so he goes to Strathmore, an art school in the city. Now, it seems to me that Mr. Daniel Clowes, the writer, either went to art school or knew someone who went, because he tagged the art school types - both teachers and students - to a T. I laughed out loud at the outrageously effeminate roommate studying fashion who "misses his girlfriend." I could name 4 guys from my school who were just like that. And just like the character, they all came out by the end of the school year. I also think the writer based the school on Parsons to some extent because it was supposedly set in New York City (though obviously not filmed there) and the school was in a bad neighborhood. Parsons isn't in an especially poor neighborhood, but our dorms were on Union Square, which was notorious for drug deals and shootouts back in the day.

So the beginning of the movie is quite funny and true to life, but it quickly becomes dark and cynical. I had to point out to boy that not everyone gets an "A" because of some "feel-good" scam. I never made it past my first year because I frankly sucked and was not cut out to be an artist. As for the whole "do whatever it takes to make it," I guess there will always be these types in any profession, but I doubt there are so many in art school. The movie is ultimately about how far someone will go to achieve their dreams and avoid the disillusionment so palpable in the story.

For all its darkness and cynicism, it was a pretty good movie, certainly worth renting from Netflix if you have a mind to do so.

America The Beautiful

I have apparently been tagged by the wet shave king. This post is the Ten Things I Love About America. Basically, just about anything could go in this list, but let's give it a whirl anyway (in no particular order):

1. 24 hour grocery stores and pharmacies.

2. Digital cable TV with DVR

3. Repair persons who make house calls

4. Used book stores

5. Online Shopping

6. Our love of our pets

7. Clean streets

8. Quilt stores

9. Antique stores

10. Our charitable instincts

I would tag others, but I've lost most of my readers through a distinct lack of posts (I don't blame you). So, if you do use this, just say I tagged you.

Published

It would be nice if editors of a certain online homeschool magazine would let their authors know when her article has been published. I only found out because I was Googling my name just to see what is out there. I found some very interesting ones, including someone who has usurped my old Lascaux URL at Blogger - why my name is still connected with it, I don't know.

Anyway, it's a very good article about 19th century readers, so take a look. Unfortunately, they published it after I had to close my eBay store for lack of business. It was just bleeding me dry, sad to say. But I do still have the materials if anyone is interested.

Here Comes Santa Claus

I offer further proof that my mother-in-law is loosing her marbles, and that I am not far behind. She sent us this, and I put it up in th living room.

Mind you, I love Christmas decorations. For a few years, i even did the whole lights thing outside the house. But it's just so much work, and I haven't been motivated enough to do it for a while now. However, even if I did decorate, THIS is not the kind of thing I would have in my front yard. The boys think it's cool though. I told them to go ahead and put it out there themselves, if they really want to. I ain't doin' it. Oh, and to put it in perspective, Santa is about 7 feet tall.

Sewing and stuff

Now that the hardest part of my LAST semester is over, I've been doing fun things (perhaps too many fun things, because it still isn't over :-).

First thing I did was finish handquilting the quilt I started about a year and a half ago. Check it out now.

I call it "Uproar" for no good reason except that's what it looks like. I spent too long working on it to keep it on the bed - three dogs sleep on that bed, and they are not terribly sensitive to the bed covers. The picture of the back really shows the amount of hand stitching that went into it (or it would if it weren't so darn dark).

I'm very pleased. The DH and the Son are already fighting over who gets to keep it. Of course the Son wants to sell it as soon as I'm dead. He's so sentimental.

A couple of weeks ago, the Safety Razor King and I were at the flea markets up on Doniphan. One shop had 4 antique Singer sewing machines, and I kept seeing more at different places. I was strong that day and spent no money, but we went out the next weekend and wound up with not one, but two antique machines.

The first is a Singer that looked to be in terrible condition. I figured I would take it apart and see how it worked - you know, play with it.

It is actually in pretty good condition. No rust, only dirt and grime in the machinery, and the decals are pretty much gone. But the basic mechanisms work. It has a motor which also works, but it was made as a manual treadle machine in 1927 and converted many years later. I may or may not put the motor back, depending on whether I can find a treadle cabinet for it.

The second machine is a Free-Westinghouse from about 1935. It works, so it has taken the spot the Kenmore used to be in: it was starting to misbehave, and I never really liked it anyway. The Free-Westinghouse is purely electric, but it's very simple and smooth-running. Now I just need to get the hang of it.

Lots of quilting ahead.