4/28/11

A desperate time in which I teach my child the art of the skimming, and explain why I won't be posting till Sunday afternoon

The fifth-grade boys' book club meets at the library in 44 minutes. We have known for several weeks that the book discussed would be From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. We started reading it yesterday, and have 110 pages to go. He is downstairs, watching Mythbusters (season 7 just came out on disc, and it arrived yesterday....making both boys very happy). I am here at the computer (obviously), blogging, not reading. (It is rather important, socially, that we go to the book club tonight--other boys are there, for him to at least recognize next year when he starts the local middle school).

edited to add: home from the library; he enjoyed the book club lots, and enjoyed meeting the other kids. Phew. And he liked the book, which is a nice bonus.

This situation is typical of my life. My college career was a wild, careening roller coaster of procrastination, and indeed, my work life is not dissimilar. I am giving THREE talks on Saturday....and only two are what one might, charitably, call finished. Sigh. (Here's what I'm talking about--1. the possibility of archaeological sites surviving on the drowned lands under the ocean, flooded when the glacier melted at the end of the last ice age 2. The archaeological considerations that go into wind turbine planning 3. Revolutionary War shipwrecks. All things I know well enough to natter on about for ages, but one does want one's power points to be pretty...)

So I'm sure I can read From the Mixed-Up Files to my dear child in half an hour...give or take. But I don't think I will have time to write any review-ish things, or even read, till my conference is over....

And don't look for this Sunday's middle-grade sci fi/fantasy roundup till latish on Sunday afternoon.

11 comments:

  1. Do we all feel like we go from explosion to explosion? I've often said that my cereal bowl is so full that each time I take a step a few cheerios fall out!

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  2. I loved From the Mixed Up Files when I read it as a child! I hope your son enjoys both the book and the book club meeting. :)

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  3. Next time he comes to New York we can take him to the Met to see if we can find the room the kids slept in.

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  4. Awesome book, though. I hope you both enjoy/ed it despite the rush.

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  5. I was really bad with procrastinating in college, too... And, well, now, too...

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  6. ::giggling::
    Ah, Char, this is why we love you.
    You make it look so organized and effortless!

    And your topics are fascinating. I hope you have FUN.

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  7. Wow! There's a whole lotta presenting going on... Best of luck!

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  8. Hey, Charlotte, this is Carl with the Boys Rule Boys Read blog. It's been a while and I wasn't sure where to put this but I've got a new review for you:

    http://jaja-cas.blogspot.com/2011/04/lost-hero-or-why-there-is-only-one-rick.html

    BTW, are you running the boys book club or is someone else? Either way, I'd love to hear about it! I've had lots of fun with boys book clubs in the past.

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  9. Don't worry. Do what you have to do.

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  10. Thanks Carl-- I'll include your link when I get the round up up late on Sunday afternoon!

    And it was the libraries program, mercifully!

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  11. Wow, so much for a relaxing weekend! I'm wishing you a calm couple of hours of reading - balm for your soul.

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