It's Leap Day!

Here are some bits and pieces for you...

Here's a post I wrote on using books on writing as a way to procrastinate instead of writing books.

I'm going to a girl's night out tonight. Several of my friends and I will be eating dinner at P.F. Chang's and then going to a movie. This is great, since I haven't done such a thing in a long time.

The movie choices mentioned are Definitely Maybe and The Other Boleyn Girl. If anyone asks me, I will vote for the first one even though Natalie Portman is one of my favorite actresses. Here's why: because my reading project last year was to read histories/biographies of Henry VIII, his wives, and his children, and I fear that my friends would have to cover my mouth in the theater because I would keep embarrassing them by saying out loud, "THAT didn't happen" and similar comments. You can take the girl out of grad school, but you can't take grad school out of the girl. (And yes, I am assuming that the movie won't be historically accurate, because they almost never are. Even when the history is just as interesting. However, I would be okay with it if they don't show all the theologians arguing for years about how to justify or condemn Henry's reading of Scripture to divorce Catherine of Aragon. The reality there certainly sounds too dull for a movie.)

How did I ramble into that monologue, which doesn't really matter? Let's see, what else do I want to tell you?

Last night I went to a meeting about the charter school I'd like to get Miss Pink enrolled in. If you're unfamiliar with charter schools, they're public schools that are free and subject to the district's academic standards, but are run more like a private school. This particular school has more neat things about it than I have time to tell you about, but basically all the teachers use teaching methods based on research that shows how the brain actually works (i.e. no lecturing for an hour while writing on the board). They believe in multiple intelligences and learning styles, so they do a lot of projects, experiments, presentations, field trips, and group discussions. All things I saw (and tried to do) when I was teaching, but at this school, it's a more wholistic approach, since they start in kindergarten.

I liked everything about the school, so obviously I want Miss Pink to go there. It's first-come-first-served, so you log online on the appointed day and try to get a slot. Nerve-wracking for someone like me, but better than when people used to camp outside the school for 2 days to register. The assistant principal said that obviously kindergarten (which is what we need) is easier to get in since there are no students moving up from the next grade, and if we log in on time, we have a good chance of getting a spot. I know Miss P could get a good education elsewhere, but I think with her love of people, artwork, and storytelling, she'd be a good fit here. I've prayed about it and asked God to just put her in the right school, and I feel good about whatever happens.

Have a good weekend!