Winter Break - cont'd

Edited:  So the power cut off before I could post the book review--- here's what I wrote yesterday . . .and I'm still sick, but have to at least show my face at school, then come home early, I hope!

Today is my last day of break - back to school tomorrow and Friday.  At least it's workshops, so somebody else has done the "lesson-planning" and I get to be the student for a change!

I spent Sunday and Monday doing school work --- grading papers and  planning lessons, including working on a new science unit.  I had to reach back to high school physics for this one - wave energy, sound, and light.  I read a couple of science textbooks to familiarize myself with content, and tried a couple of the suggested lab experiments.  Yesterday was supposed to be tax day --- I set out to organize all our info so that I can send it to the accountant, but I got sidetracked by illness.  I have developed a horrible sore throat and fever, achiness, etc.  I should go to the doctor, but we are in the middle of a huge snowstorm --- 14 inches on the ground and it's still coming.  Nobody's going anywhere.  Right now, the tylenol has me in an "okay, maybe I'm getting better" state, but I'm not holding my breath.  We'll see.  I want to be knitting, but the needles feel too heavy right now, and the lace pattern of my sweater too daunting  --- that's the illness talking there.



I did finish this book last night (or early this am when I couldn't sleep!)

Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shadows in Bronze is the second book in the Marcus Didius Falco series, and it's a wild romp through Rome, Pompeii, Hercanuleum, and the coastline of southern Italy.  Falco is working as Vespasian's informer, trying to earn enough money to purchase a higher rank.  Vespasian gives him all the "dirty" jobs however, like ridding Rome of inconvenient corpses and mopping up a failed anti-Vespasian conspiracy.  Helena Justina is back in the picture, despite Falco's resolve to forget her, and their relationship takes some unexpected turns and twists.  I have to admit that I got a little lost in the intricacy of the plot, and the abruptness of chapters got  a bit in the way of my enjoyment.  However, this was quite a satisfying adventure, and could lend itself to a great action/wry twist humor TV series.  I'm looking forward to reading #3 in the series!

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A Day and A Half and I'm Sick

I'm down to counting the hours til school is out. This has been the longest week! And there's still a day and half to go. Don't get me wrong. This year's group of 6th graders has been the kindest, most compassionate group I've ever taught and I'm actually sad to be losing them. But we're all tired! It's been a long year with lots of bad weather that prolonged the school year. Since last week, we've basically been about fun - walks to the local ice cream parlor, field day, nature walks, another field day . . . more like crowd control than teaching. In between we've done grades, pod awards, academic awards, Pride Awards, (too many awards if you ask me!), placements, budgets, bid orders, and lots of packing for the next move. And on top of it all, since Monday I've had a sore throat, swollen glands, and general exhaustion -- but no fever. Not a great way to end the year. . . .

I did finish another book, A Ghost in the Machine by Caroline Graham. It's another Inspector Barnaby book, and it's very intricately plotted. I wish I'd waited to read it til school was out, because I lost track of a few things, I wish I hadn't --- too many interruptions! I liked it though.