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23090. arkymalarky - 12/3/2007 5:02:09 AM Wonk, would you be in for a book discussion around Christmas or after? 23091. wonkers2 - 12/3/2007 5:13:22 AM Sure. But I don't read a lot of fiction these days, mostly book reviews. I'd be happy to participate if I've read or have the time and interest to read the book(s). Keep me posted. (I see a lot of movies, but I don't read many books. I need to get a stand-up reading desk because I tend to fall asleep reading on the couch or in bed. Oh, the joys of growing old! 23092. arkymalarky - 12/3/2007 5:18:52 AM I TOTALLY understand. For the whole time I was busy with rural ed and graduate school I didn't read a single novel except for my American Novels class. I'll let you know when/if it gets going. 23093. arkymalarky - 12/3/2007 5:19:34 AM The first thing I read after my last class was the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I read it straight through--twice. It was pure joy. 23094. arkymalarky - 12/3/2007 5:20:10 AM It was a re-read, btw, not a new read. 23095. wonkers2 - 12/3/2007 5:33:50 AM I've never read the Lord of the Rings although my wife and all three children did. I absorbed some of it by osmosis. I can't criticize it without reading it, but I'm not drawn to that type of literature for some reason. I tend to go for Hemingway-type adventure, Steinbeck realism, and Latin American magical realism (Garcia Marquez and Amado, although Amado may be closer to Steinbeck and maybe Faulkner). When I was a kid in La. I was a fan of Erskine Caldwell and Mickey Spillane. John Barth is one of my favorites. And I have a lot of respect for Updike although I've only read a couple of his books. I've read some of his stories and articles in the New Yorker over the years. He and Pynchon are about my age and that may help me relate to their stuff (which I haven't read any of for a while). 23096. David Ehrenstein - 12/3/2007 6:44:56 AM "Workable background"? Do they have any idea of the history of race relations in this country?
Do they know that the likes of Will Smith used to be bought and sold?
Do they know what "Jim Crow" means?
Have they heard of Emmett Till? 23097. Ms. No - 12/3/2007 10:05:41 AM Okay, the damn thing's done and it is embarrassingly bad. But at least it's done.
One down. Two to go.
Wheeeeeee. 23098. arkymalarky - 12/4/2007 12:59:09 AM David:
Yes, yes, yes, and no. They will before I get through with them in history class, and probably would have a much better background if I did the book in the last quarter. They don't know about Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, etc, except in the most elementary terms, because they haven't had any history since junior high school and they don't seem to have retained much--I wont't say they weren't taught much, because I don't know. 23099. arkymalarky - 12/4/2007 1:01:17 AM I did a research project for graduate school and it involved a survey of African-American males from ages 14-19. I had an Emmett Till question on the survey and only one participant knew who he was. It was a very small survey because I'm in a very small school, but still. 23100. arkymalarky - 12/4/2007 1:02:49 AM Isn't that a great feeling, No? I still think about all the papers I wrote in such a short span of time and can't believe it's all done. What a luxury to only write what you want to. 23101. arkymalarky - 12/4/2007 1:04:17 AM Wonk:
I'm not drawn to that type of literature for some reason.
It's the only literature of that type, outside children's books, that I have liked, and I loved it from the first time I read it in 9th grade. I don't like Sci-fi or fantasy, as a general rule. 23102. arkymalarky - 12/4/2007 1:06:02 AM And I've never read, nor had any interest in reading the Harry Potter series, though I don't doubt what friends and students tell me about how much they love it. I've been close to having to break up fights between students over revealing parts others haven't yet read when a new book in the series would come out. 23103. jexster - 12/4/2007 2:30:08 AM My high school
Little's changed in 40 years
23104. wonkers2 - 12/4/2007 2:45:50 AM Jex, are you the big guy in the purple shirt and black shorts? 23105. jexster - 12/4/2007 2:51:02 AM I WISH! 23106. judithathome - 12/5/2007 4:28:24 PM Yesterday my son's brain injury class put on a play, a collection of skits they all wrote, staged, and acted in..it was great to see how far all of them have come.
When I first walked in, I could hear them behind the curtain and I heard this guy laughing, I mean realy truly laughing his head off and with a shock, I realized it was my son. It was an amazing moment because I hadn't heard him laugh like that for ages.
The skits were all great, very inventive and playful and not only did the audience enjoy them, but the participants did, too...you could just tell the fun of it overcame the nervousness for them.
One skit was called "The Dance" and it was a guy named Todd, who has been in the class six months or longer after a severe stroke. He was dancing a simple two-step with one of the therapists. All of a sudden, Leslie, my son, stepped out from behind the curtain with his counselor Joanna and began to dance a western swing two-step...it floored me. I got all choked up and tearful. I had never seen him dance except at his daughter's wedding and that was mostly just for pictures...but he can really dance! And he did it so effortlessly...you'd never even know he had a stroke. Joanna didn't know how to do western swing so she had to struggle to keep up...ha! People in the audience were clapping and and whistling even before the dance ended.
It was a great day for me, believe me! 23107. wabbit - 12/5/2007 4:39:44 PM It's so amazing how much people can recover. One of my cousins had a stroke, actually three, about two years ago. Luckily, she got to a hospital quickly. It was devastating at first, she couldn't walk or talk and could barely eat. But she put her mind to it and six months later, at her daughter's wedding, she was talking and walking, although a bit more slowly than before. It's been two years now; she quit smoking and takes better care of herself these days.
An aunt was not so lucky. Her stroke happened when she was home by herself, so went undetected for hours. She did learn to walk again with a cane, but never recovered her speech or full control of one side of her face.
It's great that your son is doing so well! I hope he continues to improve and never has to go through this again. 23108. judithathome - 12/5/2007 8:22:40 PM Thanks, Wabbit...he is being released from his therapy program on Friday and is planning on going back to work next week, if all the reports are good. Which they should be...he was so reluctant to go but now he's admitted it has helped him tremendously. 23109. arkymalarky - 12/6/2007 1:05:35 AM Congrats to Leslie! That's fantastic!
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